This saturday Channel Ten will be broadcasting a DAD special titled, Die Another Day – Shaken & Stirred.
It will run after “License To Kill”, from 11:10 to 11:40pm, dont miss it.
Be sure to watch Timothy Dalton in his second Bond film “Licence To Kill” this Saturday at 8:30pm on Australia’s Channel Ten.
“James Bond embarks on one of the most personal missions of his life – not for country, not for justice, but for revenge.”
Licence To Kill stars Timothy Dalton, Carey Lowell, Benicio Del Toro and Talisa Soto.
Saturday 14 December 2002
Author Raymond Benson, who penned the Die Another Day novelisation, has announced through his official site two signing appearances in the United States.
The first appearance is tomorrow at 2:00pm at Books Again:
DECEMBER 7
2:00pm
Books Again
Central Illinois Regional Airport
3201 Cira Drive
Bloomington, IL 61704
(309) 661-6300
The second appearance will take place at 2:00pm on December 15.
DECEMBER 15
2:00pm
Books Again
178 McHenry Drive (Town Center)
Buffalo Grove, IL 60089
(847) 537-0990
Raymond Benson’s official site promises that more appearances will be announced soon.
With the world of James Bond currently celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the cinematic James Bond little attention is being paid to the 50th Anniversary of the James Bond series as a whole. However, Martini’s, Girls and Guns: 50 Years of 007, by Martin Sterling and Gary Morecambe, is a recently released book handling such a task.
The books title is apt as it covers fifty years of James Bond, almost to the day. The first chapter deals with Ian Fleming sitting down to write Casino Royale in 1952 and the last chapter highlights the start of production on the 20th James Bond film, Die Another Day, with details from the press event at Pinewood Studio’s on January 11, 2002. These two events are spaced 50 years apart, bar one day.
In approaching the book in such a fashion the authors have presented a history of the world of James Bond, both literary and cinematic. With Fleming’s works overshadowed by James Bond’s cinematic incarnation, it is refreshing to find a book that still deals so heavily with Fleming.
The books chronological format highlights how those involved in the world of James Bond were influenced by events and other people. For instance, Fleming appears several times throughout the book, and not just in the first chapter, with his film set visits, his first meeting with Sean Connery, his legal turmoil with Kevin McClory and subsequently Jack Whittingham and finally his death.
This style is applied to all aspects of the James Bond world and gives Martini’s, Girls and Guns a unique feel. While James Bond: The Legacy had a similar approach the two books are vastly different and actually compliment each other. The Legacy‘s approach tended to highlight social influences of the Bond films and present some unique pictures. Martini’s, Girls and Guns presents the history of James Bond without presenting many pictures. Sadly, the lack of unique pictures is a downfall for the book as Bond fans worldwide always appreciate ‘fresh’ pictures.
At times the book is argumentative and there are some unique moments when it is obvious that the authors, and sometimes their sources, disagree. However, these disagreements only add to the books quality. For instance, the authors present the notion that Fleming’s legal case with McClory was the one of the major contributing factors to his death, whereas Sir John Morgan, Fleming’s stepson, believes this to be untrue. The unique material supplied by Sir John is definitely one of the books strong points.
Sometimes, however, the book does lean too heavily on other people’s opinion. This mostly occurs when the authors quote other ‘Bond book’ authors. While a random quoting isn’t ever a problem it did, at times, feel that there were just too many references to past publications. The authors could have easily posed the same arguments and points in their own words.
Overall, Martini’s, Girls and Guns is a gem of a book for the history of the world of James Bond, both cinematic and literary.
Buy: Amazon.co.uk
With the help of Tom from dvdanswers.com, CommanderBond.net has obtained details of the Die Another Day UK-Release (Region Two) DVD. A reliable source has revealed that the disc is to be released May 5th 2003, and is to carry a suggested retail price of £24.99.
The source went on to reveal the DVD special features to be included with the disc. Although subject to change between now, and the May release date, they are set to include;
Details surrounding the disc are still unconfirmed from official sources, however we are almost certain that these are indeed, the true features that are set to be included. Fans, who were hoping for a two disc set may be dissapointed however, at this stage, it is still a possibility that a high-quality copy of the film itself, could still be found the first of two discs. However, that remains purely as speculation.
The £24.99 price tag, does appear to be more expensive than one-disc DVD’s currentley on the market. The price seems more suited to the release of two-disc sets such as the recentley released DVD edition of; Star Wars: Episode 2 – Attack of The Clones. We reccomend that you watch this space, as CommanderBond.net, tries to unravel the mystery surrounding this release.
Be sure to discuss the subject in this thread of CBn’s Die Another Day Forums!
News from Film Score:
16 classic Bond soundtracks are being reissued by EMI-Capitol & Virgin (for GoldenEye) in February.
Due Feb. 11, 2003:
DR. NO – same as LP
FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE – same as LP
ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE – expanded edition, remixed to 75+ min. (almost complete score – it wouldn’t fit)
DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER – expanded edition, remixed to 75+ min., complete score plus alternates.
LIVE AND LET DIE – expanded edition, complete score.
FOR YOUR EYES ONLY – same as Rykodisc CD
OCTOPUSSY – same as Rykodisc CD
THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS – same as Rykodisc CDDue Feb. 25, 2003:
GOLDFINGER – not remixed but will have 4 extra tracks from the U.K. LP at end of program.
THUNDERBALL – remixed, expanded to 75+ min. (almost complete score – it wouldn’t fit)
YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE – remixed, expanded to 73 min. (complete score)
THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN – same as LP
THE SPY WHO LOVED ME – same as LP
MOONRAKER – same as LP
A VIEW TO A KILL – same as LP
GOLDENEYE – same as CDThe five expanded titles — Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, O.H.M.S.S., Diamonds and Live and Let Die — represent EMI, MGM and independent contractors such as yours truly working very hard in not a lot of time to get Bond fans the best of the vintage 007 scores. The sound quality on these titles is STUNNING. The CDs will feature the original LP programs followed by bonus sections of previously unreleased tracks.
No extra masters were available for Dr. No, From Russia With Love, or Moonraker (recorded in Paris). Feel free to complain but there was nothing anyone could do!
One other thing — keep your 30th Anniversary 2CD set as the rare vocal demos from Thunderball (Mr. Kiss Kiss), You Only Live Twice and Goldfinger are not being carried over for clearance reasons. Which is just as well as it leaves room on Thunderball for more unreleased score…
For an organization that claims not to tolerate failure, SPECTRE seem to do just that (fail, that it) on quite a number of occasions, which is a shame because company policy ensures that employees who fail are subjected to painful and elaborate deaths. Infact, it seems that more SPECTRE casualties are results of embarrassing in-house executions than the more acceptable demise of being killed in action. Something is clearly amiss here, and I think the finger needs to be pointed squarely at the organizations President, Ernst Stavro Blofeld. His business qualifications are unknown and his working relationship with his employees could at best be described as poor, referring to them by number rather than name, and murdering staff on numerous occasions. Perhaps he was a great leader once, but his old fashioned methods are passe, no longer relevant in this new millennium. A recent incident involving a keg of beer, a hot air balloon and a goat as only added fuel to the fire. In any other organization, the board would surely pass a vote of no confidence over such a incompetent president. Perhaps Numbers 2 to 11 of SPECTRE should do the same, and sack their leader, a leader with a track record of failure over six James Bond films. The sacking of Blofeld who allow SPECTRE to move forward, look to the future and travel in a new direction. But who would take over the reigns as Chairman? Who would proudly bare the Number 1 ring on their pinkie? No doubt there would be an election for the allocation of a position this big. Today we examine a few possible candidates…
Emilio Largo (Number 2): Has clearly had his one working eye on the top job for sometime now. Thirsty for success, he would defiantly enjoy the perks of being leader, and would love another house to add to his one in the Bahamas. It’s been said that he “knows the meaning of success”, and he would have no problem getting respect from the rest of the board, being referred to as “the winner who takes all”. An excellent chance for the job and the fact that he passionately believes that “the fight is worth is all” wont go against him either.
Rosa Kleeb (Number 3): Selecting a woman as president is tempting, gives a false impression that SPECTRE are about equal opportunities and all that, but there are more reasons why Rose Kleeb who make a good commanding officer. She’s direct, knows what she wants, and isn’t afraid to be tough on her staff. But with those famous thick rimmed glasses, she may find it difficult to get people to take her seriously, and her history of defection would also be a concern for those considering voting for her.
Kronsteen (Number 5): Revolutionary tactician, Kronsteen as leader could be just the thing that SPECTRE needs. If elected, he would totally restructure the organizations battle plans, and would no doubt come up with more than a few winning plays. No one disputes what a great leader he would be, but he may have it tough getting votes just the same, with members put off by his arrogant boasting and refusal to belief that any plan he masterminds could possibly fail.
Irma Bunt: Could Vice-President Irma Bunt be the one to follow on from where Blofeld left off ? Since she’s always been a staunch Blofeld supporter, many would suspect that if Blofeld was sacked she would resign, but somehow I don’t think that would be the case. She has all the right qualities for leader, ruthless, demanding, cunning, if she chose to stay with the organization and run for the top job she could no doubt be a serious contender.
Mr Wint and Mr Kidd: What better way could there be for SPECTRE to send the message to prospective share holders that they are a company of these modern times than to elect a gay chairman? The answer is: elect two gay co-chairmen. Mr Wint and Mr Kidd would make quite a formidable team, striking fear into the hearts of their competition. They are cultured, quite presentable and would be very marketable as the faces of SPECTRE. Unfortunately they have problems going for the kill, seen when they failed to dispose of Bond despite several attempts. That and their choice of lifestyle could see them struggle to get the conservative vote.
Morzeny: Respected among all for his efforts in training the new SPECTRE recruits, Morzeny could be the real dark horse of the election. Another point in his favour is that he looks remarkably like General Gogol, which could come in real handy if SPECTRE ever tries to turn the British and the Russians against each other again some day. But he may be considered too good at his current role in the company to consider promoting, with the board concerned as to who they would get to fill his post at SPECTRE Island should he make the move to the head office.
All in all, there are some excellent candidates there. Largo and Kronsteen would be the favourites, but any of them would make fine leaders. There’s lot of talent there, sure to spark a SPECTRE revival, with the organization striving to achieve success and no longer having to endure failure. it would seem that Blofeld has been holding them back all these years.
Until next time,
Freemo
Sir Elton John has has expressed his opinion on the 20th Bond film’s title song. He claims; “It hasn’t got a tune – James Bond themes are usually very camp and this one’s different”. Elton himself admits to being a fan of Madonna who appears opposite Pierce Brosnan, as fencing instructor, “Verity”, in Die Another Day.
In the same statement, the singer suggested; “They should have gone for somebody like Lulu and Shirley Bassey, or maybe I’m in that league.”. It’s thought that he chose to show his view on the song after composer, David Arnold, who wrote the movies’ score, gave a similar criticism just a few days ago.
Elton has been suggested to take on the task of performing a track, by Bond fans throughout the world. Perhaps, this is the man producers should look to for Bond 21. He is clearly interested, and with the help of Bond composer and fan, David Arnold, he might just be able to produce a piece of music, true to the series roots, that will impress the fans and the critics alike.
Be sure to discuss the subject in this thread of CBn’s Die Another Day Forums!
Reuters report;
Bond Has Record ‘Day’ at U.S. Box Office
Sun November 24, 2002 11:00 PM ET
By Dean Goodman
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Super spy James Bond outwitted young wizard Harry Potter at the North American box office, stirring up a new record for the venerable 007 franchise, according to studio estimates issued on Sunday.
“Die Another Day,” marking Pierce Brosnan’s fourth assignment as the suave English agent, opened at No. 1 with an estimated three-day tally of $47 million from 3,314 theaters across the United States and Canada.
It beat the record held by the last Bond movie, “The World Is Not Enough,” which opened with $35.5 million in 1999. It also marks the second-biggest bow for distributor Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc, after last year’s “Hannibal” ($58 million).
Last weekend’s champ, “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,” slipped to No. 2 with $42.4 million from 3,682 theaters in its second round. “Friday After Next,” the third installment in rapper Ice Cube’s “Friday” comedies, opened at No. 3 with $13.1 million from about 1,600 theaters.
The Bond film marks the 20th official release since Sean Connery kicked off the series with “Dr. No” in 1962. The $125 million production was directed by New Zealander Lee Tamahori.
Oscar-winner Halle Berry co-starred as Jinx, an American spy who teams up with Bond to take on a North Korean bad guy. Her casting brought out more black moviegoers than usual, said Erik Lomis, MGM’s president of theatrical distribution.
“COOLEST GUY ON EARTH”
Exit polling indicated 85 percent of all moviegoers rated “Die Another Day” either very good or excellent, with 70 percent saying they would definitely recommend it, Lomis said. “I think that the public thinks that James Bond is the coolest guy on Earth.”
In its initial foreign outings, Bond also shook up some strong numbers in Britain, Spain, France and French-speaking Switzerland. Its total foreign tally was $23 million, MGM said.
Harry Potter, meanwhile, has conjured up $148.5 million after 10 days in North American release. The Warner Bros. release passed the century mark in its sixth day of release, just one day slower than its 2001 predecessor, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” The studio, a unit of AOL Time Warner Inc, is braced for a strong third weekend, when sales will benefit from the Thanksgiving holiday, a four-day break for many Americans.
The family fantasy’s foreign total rose to $128 million after a $55 million weekend haul from 20 countries, a Warner Bros. statement said. The film opened in Japan, the biggest overseas market, with a record $16 million. After two weekends, “Harry Potter” has earned $52 million in Britain and $32 million in Germany.
“Friday After Next,” follows Ice Cube’s farcical attempts to track down an evil Santa. Ice Cube also produced and wrote the script. The film, budgeted at just under $20 million, played well to young audiences across all races, said a spokeswoman for the film’s distributor, New Line Cinema, also a unit of AOL Time Warner.
Its predecessor, “Next Friday,” opened at No. 1 with $13.9 million during the Martin Luther King holiday weekend in 2000.
Rounding out the top five were the Tim Allen comedy “The Santa Clause” at No. 4 with $10.3 million, and the Eminem drama “8 Mile” at No. 5 with $8.7 million. Their respective totals are $95 million after 24 days, and $97.7 million after 17 days.
The top 10 contained one other new release, the Kevin Kline school drama “The Emperor’s Club,” which opened at No. 7 with $4.1 million from a barely wide release of just 809 theaters. By contrast, the top two movies played on more than 3,000 theaters each.
“The Santa Clause 2” was released by Walt Disney Pictures, a unit of Walt Disney Co “8 Mile” and “The Emperor’s Club” were released by Universal Pictures, a unit of Vivendi Universal SA.
Be sure to discuss the subject in this thread of CBn’s Die Another Day Forums!
As the New York Post reports, composer David Arnold doesn’t like Madonna’s title song for “Die Another Day”:
MADONNA’S BOND SONG ‘SCORED’ LOW
November 24, 2002 — The man who wrote the musical score for the latest James Bond flick blasted Madonna yesterday – saying the Material Mom’s theme song for the movie is a double-o dud.
Composer David Arnold went as far as to call the techno-laced ballad, “the worst Bond song ever.”
“Ideally, I would have liked to have made some musical sense of her song, but I couldn’t,” Arnold, a Grammy Award winner, told London’s Sunday Express.
“Die Another Day,” which debuted Friday, is Arnold’s third Bond score, and he assures people won’t hear another note from Madonna’s song, which shares the film’s title, anywhere else in the movie.
“Nobody has criticized me for not working her song into the film score,” Arnold said. “She got three minutes, I got 92.”
Arnold said he wasn’t alone in his scorn for Madonna’s song.
When Prince Philip heard she was the songstress for the latest Bond installment, he allegedly asked: “Are we going to need ear plugs?”
Be sure to discuss the subject in this thread in CBn’s Die Another Day Forums! And thanks to ‘Neil S. Bull’ for the alert!