Skyfall’s effects – Cinefexed en détail

THE leading special effects magazine – I’m talking about Cinefex of course – took a long hard look at Skyfall’s lush action and visual effects content. And in its April issue came up with a 28-page  coverage, complete with interviews with the special effects and visual effects teams who worked on the film. The article comes with over 30 full-color behind-the-scenes photos and movie frame clips, many of them exclusive to Cinefex. If you don’t feel like taking the walk to the newsagent through the snow you can purchase the issue on their website at www.cinefex.com. Just go to the “Back Issues” button and look for #133.

And while you’re there, check out some of their other back issues available for purchase in the Cinefex store. You’ll find equally in-depth coverage of Casino Royale (Issue # 108) and Quantum of Solace (Issue #116).

EXCERPT FROM CINEFEX ARTICLE ON SKYFALL:

“Sam Mendes agreed that there should be a big, jaw-dropping moment during a chase in the London Underground,” said special effects supervisor Chris Corbould. “I came up with the idea for the Tube train crash, which Sam liked a lot, but then I started to realize the enormity of what I’d dreamt up. A real Tube train carriage is 60 feet long and weighs in excess of 25 tons. We decided to make our own carriages, and brainstormed a way to make them crash.” Corbould’s senior special effects technician, Dan Homewood, and special effects designer Jason Leinster oversaw construction of two full-scale carriages on an overhead monorail rig. “We fitted a track in the ceiling that ran two-thirds of the whole length of the 007 Stage. That gave us room to get the train up to speed, then have it dip down into the set, like a rollercoaster ride. We hung the train on steel linking arms, and connected it via cables to a tractor unit that towed the train into the set at about 30 miles per hour.”

 

Grateful thanks to Cinefex and Athena Stamos for providing this.

Barbara Broccoli still wants Mendes back.

“We will get him back,” [Bond Producer Barbara Broccoli] says. “We haven’t given up hope… Maybe not for the next one… but we will get him back again.”

Rest the full story at comingsoon.net

While it’s pretty apparent by now that Mendes isn’t coming back for Bond 24, it seems pretty likely he’ll be directing a Bond film in the near future, probably Craig’s final one, which actually would be pretty neat.

Piz Gloria about to receive ‘face lift’ – and OHMSS too!

Austrian newspaper ‘der Standard’ this week had a short feature about plans to give the Bond experience atop the Schilthorn in the Swiss Alps – legendary mountain lair of Blofeld in 1969’s ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’ – a major overhaul. While first rumours about this project – aptly named ‘Bond World’ – appeared as early as February, this time the report adds some interesting titbits that are likely to make fans’ mouths water.

The famous Piz Gloria revolving restaurant and cable car station offer a spectacular mountain panorama with Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau and a range of over 200 further Alpine summits surrounding the Schilthorn. At just a tad short of 11,500 ft. this James Bond location is truly breathtaking in more than just visual terms.

Yet it must be noted that the actual Bond element at Piz Gloria has  become just a tiny bit dated and frayed at the edges. A seminar room with a couple of wall charts, a roll-down screen where a digest of familiar Bond scenes are shown – not exactly what you’d call up-to-date in the 21st century.

Well, according to der Standard that’s about to change drastically. The start of summer hiking/climbing season 2013 will see the grand opening of the ‘Bond World’ at Piz Gloria, with a Bond cinema, 400 square metres of multimedia area with interactive elements and an option to even have your own face copied into the famous ski chases of ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’. Finally the Bond actors will unite on the observation deck/helipad – as waxworks. Still, when are you ever likely to see all the Bond actors in one place?

‘Bond World’ at the Piz Gloria summit station is set to open on 28th June 2013,  and in the real-life presence of George Lazenby, who returns for this event to the location of his sole entry in the Bond series.

Swords to ploughshares, spelling to confetti – 007th MinUte-fun with GoldenEye

As we cautiously approach the modern era of Eon’s Bond series we encounter  previously unheard-of hardships: a five year gap between films, a new actor that was – almost – his own predecessor, a monumentally ugly villain’s lair that turned out to be the real-life home of British espionage and a major London landmark, a new M, the Secret Service being called MI6, chilling new interpretations of orthography… the list is endless. CBn’s resident notary Jacques Stewart sets out to chronicle the most inteResting examples in the 007th Minute of ‘Goldeneye’. As always opinionated.

Agree or disagree in this thread.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 1980s. Custodian of my childhood. Bringer of the Austin Montego, Kevin the Gerbil, acid-washed jeans and absolutely nothing else. Remover of Charles Hawtrey, the Ayatollah Khomeini and tolerable Doctor Who.

 

Apologist for four-and-a-half duff James Bond films.

 

That exquisite first hour of The Living Daylights almost compensates, but has no real prospect of succeeding against James Bond XII: Underage, Undershaven, Underwater and Under a Geriatric; James Bond XIII:  The Jewels ‘n’ the Clown; James Bond XIV: Aching, Baking and Earthquaking; James Bond XV: The Usual Letdown and James Bond XVI: Really Don’t Bother.

 
Quite a bit to put right, then.

 
With awards-bothering Skyfall laying waste to all that dares cross its path, be it ‘Obbitses, vampires or narrative coherence, it can be hard to recall – or recognise – GoldenEye’s achievement. Given the parlous state of Bond at the time, the films exhausted and unpopular, Mr Gardner grinding out his contractual obligation in ever more contractually-obliged ways, there was considerable doubt whether Bond films would return, could return, whether they would find an audience, whether there was any point. Whilst its supporters would claim that Licence to Kill wasn’t a disaster given that it recouped five times its budget , five times sod all is sodallsodallsodallsodallsodall (science fact). If the 1980s taught us anything – apart from never rub another man’s rhubarb – it’s that with Bond films, chuck money abite. Cheapo Bond gets noticed. You can’t make it with donkeycock, roadkill and offcuts of sickly bald Romanian orphan and not be found out. Speculate to accumulate, and spending lots on GoldenEye must have been pretty blimmin’ speculative. Change required.

 
Artistic merits of the decision aside, on a business basis Timothy Dalton had to go. Nobly, he went. Save for how he enunciated his Ts, he hadn’t clicked, and MGM/UA had shareholders to feed and receivers to fend off with a rickety chair and a whip. What was needed was a Bond built by a corporation to appeal to every demographic but not too strongly in any direction otherwise it could alienate, a Toyota Corolla of a James Bond, a reliable mass-market unthreatening consumer good, an item.

 

 

 

Gambolling off the conveyor skipped something calling itself a Pierce Brosnan. Halves of everything, Fate having associated him with Bond for many years in the PublicEye, and Luck not having exposed to the mass audience his astonishingly recondite talent beyond the challenging role of Man What Gets Fruit Thrown At Him in Mrs Doootfiah, subject to any prior demands on his time with knitting catalogue shoots, he was patently the chap. Bros-Nan, with GoldenEye as his definition, was a brilliantly populist strategy, bringing us something for everyone along with absolutely nothing for anyone looking for anything specific.

continue reading…

Bond, a t-shirt, 60 hours (and a bit of small change)

The CBn fan t-shirt ‘KEEP CALM AND CALL BOND‘ will only be available for two more days. For the price of just $ 15.00 you get a Hanes Tagless Tee in – almost – British Racing Green, with a spectacularly cool tagline, devised by CBn forum members themselves. At the time of writing this a mere 13 further orders are needed to meet the goal. Want to make a beloved one happy? Need a little gift for Easter? Do you feel calm and in a calling mood? This is the article you are looking for.

Worth another shot… in February

 

As everybody can plainly see with a glance at the image that comes with this shot, February was clearly dedicated to the Academy Awards, the James Bond tribute at said sad event, and of course the spectacular congregation of all six Bond actors on stage! That even more spectacularly – after repeatedly being debunked by various parties – really didn’t happen then. Scandalous!

 

Which is why we won’t waste further words on this event.

 

What we will mention in this shot is the brand-new, all British-Racing-Green CBn fan t-shirt, designed by CBners themselves and up for grabs for the next six days. Provided the goal of 25 orders is met by then. Shouldn’t really be a problem, the rumour mill suggests this t-shirt comes with the number of Bond’s direct line at SIS HQ and the number of his secure home line. In code of course (something to do with the number of threads used, divided by the square root of the moon phases). The shirt asks for a mere $ 15.00, hardly too much for Bond’s phone number, even if you shouldn’t be able to decipher it.

 

In other news: CBn started a side-career in the building industry! Our first project is Build BOND 24, a multiple choice poll game in – currently – five brand new threads in the CBn Forum Games section. Starting with the basics (Bond, girl, villain),   going to locations, the must-haves (conventions, bling and signature lore),  a story and a ride, and finally some kind of noise to go with the whole experience, you can choose amongst a wealth of carefully worded suggestions as well as add your very own personal scintillations. Be sure to leave a contact address and don’t move too far from your phone, just in case you get a call by a certain production company.

 

And now for something completely different…

Matt Helm – somewhat of a ‘colleague’ of Bond from the other side of the Atlantic – is finally coming back! Starting this February Titan Books reprints the popular tough-as-nails secret agent series by Donald Hamilton. The first two – DEATH OF A CITIZEN and THE WRECKING CREW – are already out; April, August and October will see further reprints. That’s not news, you say? So you already knew about the prequel MATT HELM: THE WAR YEARS, too? Well, for those that don’t, it’s a brand new Matt Helm story by Keith Wease, a long-time Matt Helm fan whose work, according to Donald Hamilton’s son, captures the voice of his father quite successfully. Currently MATT HELM: THE WAR YEARS is available on Kindle.

 

Worth another shot will return, once we’ve upgraded our deciphering hardware. Until then keep calm and…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bond 24 will still root Bond in reality.

John Logan, the soul director of the next two Bond films, and co writer of Skyfall, has said that Bond 24 will still remain Faithful to Ian Flemings original incarnation. Speaking to the Financial Times, Logan said that “Fleming’s courage in showing Bond’s fear and vulnerability and depression was really interesting and something that a modern audience can accept,” said Logan. “I think Skyfall demonstrated that they want more layers to that character. And those are the layers that Fleming wrote.”. You can view the article here, via IGN, or if you so wish, catch up with Logan’s stage and film work on the like supplied for the financial times.

Could Guy Ritchie direct the next film?

“Bookmaker William Hill has named Guy Ritchie as the favourite to direct the next Bond film, following the news that ‘Skyfall’ helmsman Sam Mendes has ruled himself out.

The director of ‘Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels’ and the recent ‘Sherlock Holmes’ films is being given odds of 4-1.”

Read the full story here.

 

While I must admit I’m not too familiar with Ritchie’s work. I have seen Snatch and Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, and thought they were both really good films. So I’d be on board with this if it were true.

 

Sam Mendes will not return for Bond 24

Empire broke this story and got an official response from EON: Sam Mendes will NOT return to direct Bond 24.

Which leaves all sorts of possibilities open now, even a better time table for the production which could not have started before the beginning of 2014 due to Mendes´ theatre projects.

So, who will take over?

See the Empire story here: http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=36712

A look back at the Oscars “tribute” to 007

 

Last week at the Oscars they put together a small celebration of James Bond. Seeing as last year marked fifty years of 007, this seemed appropriate. Rumors quickly spread that every Bond actor would show up onstage together, now while this was a nice thought. I never really expected it to happen. What I didn’t expect however, is what we ended up with.

continue reading…