CommanderBond.net
  1. SKYFALL nominated for 7 Satellite Awards, incl. Best Picture

    By Stefan Rogall on 2012-12-04

    Award season has begun – and the SATELLITE awards love SKYFALL: the latest 007 adventure was nominated in seven categories, including BEST PICTURE.

    Who would have thought? Maybe that´s a beginning of a trend?

    See the whole story at Hollywood Reporter

  2. Worth another bloody shot… in November

    By Helmut Schierer on 2012-12-03

     

     

    ‘Well, it’s Christmas time again,

    decorations are all hung by the fire.

    Everybody’s singin’

    all the bells are ringing out,

    and it’s Christmas all over again…’

     

     

     

     

     

    Rule of thumb: when you are struggling to find a halfway-decent hook for your tiny piece of monthly column, and it’s already the 3rd and you can’t decide on the hook, the layout or the images to go with it… then there is nothing better than inspiration provided by The Admiral himself. Kudos to Dave Winter for helping me out here.

    What’s it all about? In the words of The Admiral:

    Keep calm and… TAKE THE BLOODY SHOT!

    Order a t-shirt for $20 within 7 days in order for the campaign to be a success (we need 50 orders for the shirts to be printed): http://teespring.com/takethebloodyshot 

    Enjoy Skyfall? Now wear the T-shirt with the fantastic quote from M in the pre-titles sequence.

    Given the fact it’s that time of the year (yet) again, this item might be just the right thing to buy your significant other for the stocking. Add one for yourself, too. This shirt is decidedly shirt-ish, the colour sufficiently bright to lighten up the dark winter days (and nights), and the slogan is downright unbeatable in terms of cultural impact – Bond can attest to that. A modern classic for generations to come. Elegant, stylish, timeless – just what the tasteful Bond fan is looking for.

     

     

    And now – TAKE THE BLOODY SHOT!

     

     

     

     

    continue reading…

  3. Exclusive offer: Buy three 007 Reloaded audiobooks and save 33%

    By Matt Weston on 2012-11-30

    AudioGo’s 007 Reloaded series of audiobooks represents one of the most exciting retellings of Ian Fleming’s classic James Bond novels. A high profile collection of actors tackle Fleming’s books for the audiobook series, including Rory Kinnear (Quantum of Solace, Skyfall), Bill Nighy, Rosamund Pike (Die Another Day), David Tennant, Kenneth Branagh, Toby Stephens (Die Another Day), Jason Isaacs and lots more.

    CommanderBond.net is pleased to offer its readers an exclusive offer on these fantastic new audiobooks. Simply order any three 007 Reloaded audiobooks (on CD or download) and enter the offer code “commanderbondreloaded” to save 33% off the total amount.

    To read more about – and buy – the 007 Reloaded titles, check out AudioGo’s special 007 Reloaded website.

    Conditions

    • Offer ends 31st December 2012
    • The promoter holds the right to withdraw the offer at any time
    • Offer not available in the US or Canada
    • Customers need to create an account with AudioGO to purchase
    • Valid on CD and Download of single 007 Reloaded titles
  4. An update for those who sent in submissions for the Pierce Brosnan article.

    By Tony DeCaro on 2012-11-30

    About a month or so ago I asked for you readers to send in your thoughts on Brosnan. My intention was (still is) to put them together in an article and publish it here. Originally it was meant to be a companion piece to my article on Pierce Brosnan, I was going to publish it a week later.

    As it turned out, school got in the way. With the quarter ending soon my full attention has been towards my finals.

    My last day of school is December 13th, so plan on seeing the article up that weekend, cause I sure am.

  5. ‘Moonraker’ – Where other 007th Minutes stop…

    By Helmut Schierer on 2012-11-27

     

    Image ‘Moonraker 2’ by ‘pinkflo 13’ (c)

    …this one is also going to end. But till it does so Jacques Stewart scrutinises the film and its impact on himself and the series as a whole with his usual mixture of opinion and Science Fact!

     

    Share your own scientific findings about ‘Moonraker’ in this thread.

     

     

     

     

     

     

    The first one. Film it in Jamaica, Bond investigating the death of British agents, an abundance of local colour to liven it up and make it so very terribly, veritably, exotic.

     
    The second one. Bond and a meeting-his-match dark side of Bond killer circle around each other for ages whilst a cursory plot about an initially important but swiftly neglected device plays out.

     

    The third one. Go showier, bolder, aim for definitive, iconic imagery, up the gadgetry significantly and bung him into a tremendously amusing car.

     
    The fourth one. The third one having turned out “quite well”, what the Hell, just hurl it into overdrive and do some strenuous envelope-pushing to spew out something dementedly pursuing an agenda of entertaining us.

     

    But enough about the Sean Connery films.

     

    Right, then. Moonraker. Hm. This.

     

     

    continue reading…

  6. Billion Dollar Bond Within Reach?

    By Kevin Wells on 2012-11-26

    Time for another Skyfall Box Office update. Taking full advantage of the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States, Skyfall supplanted Quantum of Solace and Casino Royale to become the biggest James Bond film ever in America. It currently sits at $221 million, which is well above Quantum of Solace’s previous record of $168 million. Skyfall took in another $36 million in its 3rd weekend which is quite impressive. That’s more than this year’s The Dark Knight Rises and actually places it 6th on the all-time “top 3rd weekend list” (yes there is a list for that). Box Office Mojo now predicts that Skyfall could pass $270 million.

    Worldwide, Skyfall has reached $790 million adding another $41.3 million to its tally outside of the US. This weekend it opened in Australia where Sony had their best-ever opening with $12.5 million. In the UK, its total has reached $144.5 million, only $5.5 million shy of the UK’s all-time record currently held by Avatar. According to Box Office Mojo, Skyfall should pass $900 million in its existing markets, but it still has Japan and China where the two could combine to push Bond over the one billion mark. In case you’re keeping track, adjusting worldwide figures is not a simple task, but if you simply take Thunderball’s $141 million (1965) and adjust at the US rate of inflation (consumer price index) that puts Thunderball at $1,036,887,630. Goldfinger (1964) would follow at $931,983,650. Skyfall currently ranks #3.

  7. From Summer 0077: The Spy Who Loved Me’s 007th Minute

    By Helmut Schierer on 2012-11-23

    Image ‘Dear diary’ by ‘incurable hippie’ (c)

    (contains traces of the secret diary of a super villain, found by renown beachcomber Jacques Stewart)

     

    … and as such things do is a primarily opinionated affair. 

     

     

    Tell us about your own adventures with ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ in this thread.

     

     

     

     

    Time for a running total.

     

     

    On the basis that this little misadventure was initially an exercise in establishing whether the 007th minute of each film exemplified “A Bond Film”, one may as well, upon reaching 00-figures, “Apply. Observe. Conclude”, as a Chemistry teacher of mine used to shout. Given what subsequently happened to him, he evidently interpreted the process as “Binoculars. Boys. Not just calling a register but also signing one”.
    Accordingly, working through our nine 007th minutes so far, in order, where we appear to get to is:-

     

     

    1.    British interests are in dire peril; the stiff upper hair is wobbling. Send for the hero, a high-living gambler.

     

     

    2.    The opposition are a roster of equally sophisticated parallels, although they can be more intellectually blessed than the hero.

     

     

    3.    Let’s be bold and brash and a lickle bick cheeky…

     

     

    4.    …and push it to the cusp of outrage, when we can.

     

     

    5.    Amidst the madness, we can inject some moody solemnity for “depth” – if not realism.

     

     

    6.    Thunderous action in interesting locations, and wink at the audience to reassure that everyone knows it’s all pretend.

     

     

    7.    If in doubt, fall back on some proven routines…

     

     

    8.    …but don’t be afraid to inject even into them an element of the bizarre and unexpected now and again.

     

     

    9.    …Um…

     

     

    Hmm. What is the positive ingredient to extrapolate from the 007th minute of The Man with the Golden Gun? 9. Ensure a bird is very dead before resting one’s weapon thereupon? Not convinced that’s appropriate family viewing, although it’s arguably evident in other films in the way The Actor Pierge Brosmomb’s Bond ostentatiously sniffnibbles murdered women. Applying his little shooter is surely only one step further. 9. Do not listen to cackling power-crazed midgets? Not even when they’re banging on about the gorgeousness of Rosamund Pike? Shame. 9. Hang around filling time and wasting it in the process? Too many other examples to mention. No, no, come now Jimothy, one must be positive and clappy and blisswhacked and…

     

     

    …ah.

     

    continue reading…

  8. ‘Skyfall’ DVD/Blu-ray due for March 2013

    By Helmut Schierer on 2012-11-22

    Today CommanderBond.net’s ‘Zencat’ spotted the date of the ‘Skyfall’ DVD/Blu-ray release: it’s due for March 12th, 2013. The cover art can already be seen on Amazon here. Slightly unconventional, but in line with the film’s promotional material as seen to the right.

    Thanks to CBn-member ‘Zencat’ for the alert.

     

    Discuss the item in this thread.

  9. Pure 007th Minute – 24 carat of The Man With The Golden Gun

    By Helmut Schierer on 2012-11-20

    Image ‘Ko Tapu Island’ by ‘Moe-tography’ (c)

    …and every ounce of it extracted from its real 007th Minute by our resident metallurgist and fine jeweller Jacques Stewart. Exclusively  dissected and commented in the most opinionated manner by himself, just for your distraction. 

     

    Please applaud us for this amusement in this thread.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    I appear to have made a serious mistake.

     

    Such confession doubtless prompts troubling thoughts in the reader, replacing that one about whether your boss is contemplating having you killed, namely:-

     

    A ) of course you have, you clot. You’ve subjected yourself to The Man with the Golden Gun; and/or

     
    B ) only the one serious mistake? In a whole lifetime? I find this unlikely; and/or

     

    C ) you haven’t gone and told someone about that bad thing, that really bad thing you did, twice, with [name redacted: seditious libel]; and/or

     

    D ) you’ve gone and spent the pocket-money Mrs Jim permits you on obscenely expensive wine again, haven’t you?

     

    Tackling these in reverse order, it’s D ) how is this a mistake? Don’t understand; C ) not yet, but blackmailing Clarence House can be so protracted; B ) find it unlikely, then; I am evidently a god amongst worms and A ) ouch. Smidge harsh, pickle. More on this “soon”.

     

    Nope, the serious mistake – and By Toutatis, is it serious – is that anyone bothering itself to consider these fistfuls of red-hot excreted tapeworm as anything approaching a meaningful enterprise and is playing along interactively (in which case I pity them, but pity more the people who have met them), will now have realised that the timings of the 007th minute in each case so far is “off”. Timing’s never been my strong suit. I have more offspring than the rhythm method and piteously listless willymilk would otherwise allow, for example, and there was of course that time I sat next to Kevin Spacey on a train and failed to repeatedly smash him in that face of his with my bony elbow for making me sit through Pay It Forward.

    continue reading…

  10. Mendes co-created the idea for Bond 24, says Skyfall scribe Robert Wade.

    By Tony DeCaro on 2012-11-20

    Bleeding Cool reports that Skyfall director Sam Mendes has (along with John Logan) come up with the plot of the next Bond film. According to writer Robert Wade:

    We’re very happy to have done five Bond movies, I think we’ve gotten it to a good place. I know that John Logan and Sam Mendes have come up with a plot for another one, which takes the pressure off because these films take up a lot of time.

     

    Now of course this is no indication that Mendes is returning to direct the next film. But I agree with the author of the Bleeding Cool article, would Mendes really cook up an idea for another director? Exciting developments indeed.

     

    Read the full article here.