Mark Harrison Sep 19, 2017
Kingsman pulls the leg of the James Bond series - but how have the 007 films put across the relationship between Britain and the USA?
When Matthew Vaughn's Kingsman: The Secret Service exploded into cinemas in 2015, it gave the iconic James Bond franchise much the same irreverent treatment that the director's previous Mark Millar adaptation, Kick-Ass, gave to comic book movies. Reviews focused on how the film recontextualised the familiar 007 tropes of guns, girls and gadgets through the lens of class, identity and that notorious final bum note.
In the sequel, Eggsy and the Kingsmen run up against a crime syndicate known as the Golden Circle with a little help from their American cousins, the Statesmen. It neatly shows us that American iconography plays much the same role for their opposite numbers, that liquor-themed codenames will stand in for Arthurian monikers, and most accurately of all, that...
Kingsman pulls the leg of the James Bond series - but how have the 007 films put across the relationship between Britain and the USA?
When Matthew Vaughn's Kingsman: The Secret Service exploded into cinemas in 2015, it gave the iconic James Bond franchise much the same irreverent treatment that the director's previous Mark Millar adaptation, Kick-Ass, gave to comic book movies. Reviews focused on how the film recontextualised the familiar 007 tropes of guns, girls and gadgets through the lens of class, identity and that notorious final bum note.
In the sequel, Eggsy and the Kingsmen run up against a crime syndicate known as the Golden Circle with a little help from their American cousins, the Statesmen. It neatly shows us that American iconography plays much the same role for their opposite numbers, that liquor-themed codenames will stand in for Arthurian monikers, and most accurately of all, that...
- 9/16/2017
- Den of Geek
Mark Harrison Jul 26, 2017
James Bond 25 will arrive in November 2019. Eon Productions still has much to consider...
This feature contains spoilers for Spectre.
It was announced this week that James Bond Will Return in November 2019, for the 25th movie in the series. After the box office reception and subsequent backlash against the previous film, 2015's Spectre, there has been much speculation about the next film taking on a radically different approach, from casting to storytelling.
The signs strongly point towards Daniel Craig reprising his role for a fifth time, according to a report in the Mirror earlier this month and a recent confirmation in the New York Times that his return was “a done deal”. Despite Craig's much repeated quote about slashing his wrists rather than returning, which the actor has since put down to being overtired by the junket schedule, it certainly looks like he's coming back for one last go.
James Bond 25 will arrive in November 2019. Eon Productions still has much to consider...
This feature contains spoilers for Spectre.
It was announced this week that James Bond Will Return in November 2019, for the 25th movie in the series. After the box office reception and subsequent backlash against the previous film, 2015's Spectre, there has been much speculation about the next film taking on a radically different approach, from casting to storytelling.
The signs strongly point towards Daniel Craig reprising his role for a fifth time, according to a report in the Mirror earlier this month and a recent confirmation in the New York Times that his return was “a done deal”. Despite Craig's much repeated quote about slashing his wrists rather than returning, which the actor has since put down to being overtired by the junket schedule, it certainly looks like he's coming back for one last go.
- 7/25/2017
- Den of Geek
Mark Harrison Oct 14, 2016
With the question of who's playing James Bond in James Bond 25 unresolved, we look back at the casting conundrums 007 has faced before.
Since 1962, fewer men have played James Bond than have walked on the moon. Despite the relatively long turnaround of the role, the subject of who might follow in the footsteps of Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig in the future has fuelled many column inches and tabloid splashes.
It feels as if speculation about the seventh 007 in Eon Productions' long-lived spy franchise has been at fever pitch since this time last year, when Craig was doing the promotional rounds for Spectre and commented that he would rather “slash [his] wrists” than play Bond again. It's only after a year of constant reports on the subject that his far more optimistic comments at last weekend's New Yorker Festival...
With the question of who's playing James Bond in James Bond 25 unresolved, we look back at the casting conundrums 007 has faced before.
Since 1962, fewer men have played James Bond than have walked on the moon. Despite the relatively long turnaround of the role, the subject of who might follow in the footsteps of Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig in the future has fuelled many column inches and tabloid splashes.
It feels as if speculation about the seventh 007 in Eon Productions' long-lived spy franchise has been at fever pitch since this time last year, when Craig was doing the promotional rounds for Spectre and commented that he would rather “slash [his] wrists” than play Bond again. It's only after a year of constant reports on the subject that his far more optimistic comments at last weekend's New Yorker Festival...
- 10/12/2016
- Den of Geek
Mark Harrison Aug 5, 2016
Hello! From Armageddon to Harry Potter, we salute the screen work of Mr Jason Isaacs...
This feature contains spoilers for Event Horizon and the Harry Potter films. This spoiler warning contains spoilers for the list.
Hello to Jason Isaacs! Through roles in an impressive array of movies, from indies to massive blockbusters on both sides of the pond, he's become one of our favourite character actors. We've found that no matter how the film turns out, you can guarantee that if he's in it, his performance is going to be one of the highlights.
Off-screen, Isaacs has a whole other profile of popularity. Out of several prominent celebrity fans of Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo's film review show on BBC Radio 5 Live, he's the patron saint of their “church of Wittertainment”, and “hello to Jason Isaacs” is the show's first, most popular catchphrase.
Some might argue...
Hello! From Armageddon to Harry Potter, we salute the screen work of Mr Jason Isaacs...
This feature contains spoilers for Event Horizon and the Harry Potter films. This spoiler warning contains spoilers for the list.
Hello to Jason Isaacs! Through roles in an impressive array of movies, from indies to massive blockbusters on both sides of the pond, he's become one of our favourite character actors. We've found that no matter how the film turns out, you can guarantee that if he's in it, his performance is going to be one of the highlights.
Off-screen, Isaacs has a whole other profile of popularity. Out of several prominent celebrity fans of Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo's film review show on BBC Radio 5 Live, he's the patron saint of their “church of Wittertainment”, and “hello to Jason Isaacs” is the show's first, most popular catchphrase.
Some might argue...
- 8/3/2016
- Den of Geek
Andrew Blair Jan 30, 2017
Sometimes, the best of intentions don't always lead to the best movie. Here are 19 films where everything didn't quite go to plan...
As Alan Parker said ‘no one sets out to make a bad film’. Yet in spite of good intentions, sometimes a project doesn't quite go to plan. We're going to look at a bunch of movies here that aren't always well liked, and give a flavour of the problems the beset them.
So, in no particular order, here are twenty of the films that have ever been made, which are considered by at least one sentient being to be bad. That's not the interesting thing about them....
Robin Hood (2010)
Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris had written a spec script with a twist on the Robin Hood legend: the Sheriff of Nottingham was the hero, a sort of medieval forensic investigator, and Robin was the bad guy.
Sometimes, the best of intentions don't always lead to the best movie. Here are 19 films where everything didn't quite go to plan...
As Alan Parker said ‘no one sets out to make a bad film’. Yet in spite of good intentions, sometimes a project doesn't quite go to plan. We're going to look at a bunch of movies here that aren't always well liked, and give a flavour of the problems the beset them.
So, in no particular order, here are twenty of the films that have ever been made, which are considered by at least one sentient being to be bad. That's not the interesting thing about them....
Robin Hood (2010)
Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris had written a spec script with a twist on the Robin Hood legend: the Sheriff of Nottingham was the hero, a sort of medieval forensic investigator, and Robin was the bad guy.
- 5/30/2016
- Den of Geek
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The new James Bond film, Spectre, leaves lots of questions behind. We try and answer some of them here...
This article contains spoilers for lots of James Bond films, including Spectre.
The new James Bond movie will have been out for a week before we know just how well it's done at the box office, but based on the hype, the critical acclaim and the extended nine-day opening 'weekend' (including 60% of the whole UK box office take on Monday, despite only showing after 7pm), it's likely that Spectre will break records for this year.
The 24th instalment, and Daniel Craig's fourth outing as 007, comes on the heels of the billion dollar success of Skyfall, currently the highest-grossing film of all time at the UK box office and the highest-grossing British film of all time, full stop. With Sam Mendes back in the director's seat, the shadow...
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The new James Bond film, Spectre, leaves lots of questions behind. We try and answer some of them here...
This article contains spoilers for lots of James Bond films, including Spectre.
The new James Bond movie will have been out for a week before we know just how well it's done at the box office, but based on the hype, the critical acclaim and the extended nine-day opening 'weekend' (including 60% of the whole UK box office take on Monday, despite only showing after 7pm), it's likely that Spectre will break records for this year.
The 24th instalment, and Daniel Craig's fourth outing as 007, comes on the heels of the billion dollar success of Skyfall, currently the highest-grossing film of all time at the UK box office and the highest-grossing British film of all time, full stop. With Sam Mendes back in the director's seat, the shadow...
- 10/29/2015
- by simonbrew
- Den of Geek
Daniel Craig is back at James Bond 007 in Spectre. And the new trailer gives some clues as to what to expect. Here's our detailed look...
Blimey, it's hard to beat a good James Bond trailer these days. Mirroring the memorable marketing campaign for Skyfall, the new trailer for Sam Mendes' second Bond movie gives us far more to chew on than March's teaser. Our analysis of that one is here.
It also gives us an idea of how the film will go back to the basics of the series while simultaneously tying up loose ends from the previous three films starring Daniel Craig, by bringing back the titular criminal organisation from the original run. If you haven't watched the trailer yet, take a look at the embedded video below and then read on for some potentially spoilery analysis of what's going on...
Looks good, right? Planes, trains, automobiles and...
Blimey, it's hard to beat a good James Bond trailer these days. Mirroring the memorable marketing campaign for Skyfall, the new trailer for Sam Mendes' second Bond movie gives us far more to chew on than March's teaser. Our analysis of that one is here.
It also gives us an idea of how the film will go back to the basics of the series while simultaneously tying up loose ends from the previous three films starring Daniel Craig, by bringing back the titular criminal organisation from the original run. If you haven't watched the trailer yet, take a look at the embedded video below and then read on for some potentially spoilery analysis of what's going on...
Looks good, right? Planes, trains, automobiles and...
- 7/22/2015
- by simonbrew
- Den of Geek
The first teaser trailer for James Bond 24 has been released, but what did it tell us about the upcoming movie, Spectre?
After letting the sky fall when it crum-balled to the tune of a billion dollars at the global box office, Spectre may be the most anticipated James Bond movie since the last one. Daniel Craig's fourth feature as 007 won't arrive in UK cinemas until October, but the response to the teaser trailer released over the weekend has been very positive.
Four is hardly a magic number for Bond actors. Sean Connery's fourth outing was the less-than-stellar Thunderball, Roger Moore's was the all-too-interstellar Moonraker and Pierce Brosnan closed out his four-movie tenure with the infamously poor Die Another Day.
That makes Craig the fourth actor to rack up four turns as Bond, and if you're superstitious about this sort of thing, maybe that's why this looks to be the combo breaker.
After letting the sky fall when it crum-balled to the tune of a billion dollars at the global box office, Spectre may be the most anticipated James Bond movie since the last one. Daniel Craig's fourth feature as 007 won't arrive in UK cinemas until October, but the response to the teaser trailer released over the weekend has been very positive.
Four is hardly a magic number for Bond actors. Sean Connery's fourth outing was the less-than-stellar Thunderball, Roger Moore's was the all-too-interstellar Moonraker and Pierce Brosnan closed out his four-movie tenure with the infamously poor Die Another Day.
That makes Craig the fourth actor to rack up four turns as Bond, and if you're superstitious about this sort of thing, maybe that's why this looks to be the combo breaker.
- 3/28/2015
- by simonbrew
- Den of Geek
Feature Mark Harrison 1 Apr 2014 - 05:47
Following new Captain America and Muppets movies, Mark looks at the challenges facing a second movie...
This article is spoiler-free, but it may contain some plot details about Muppets Most Wanted and Captain America: The Winter Soldier that you may not want to know if you haven't already seen those films, so proceed carefully.
The sophomore slump is a trend observed in academic study, whereby a decline in morale in second-year students can be linked to new stressors, and disaffection with what previously seemed new.
Its equivalent in the music industry would be the term “difficult second album”, which gets bandied around a lot, largely projecting audience anticipation onto an artist who has enjoyed a successful début, and now has the world snapping at their heels for an equally well-received follow-up.
And, in a film industry where brand-led tentpoles are becoming dominant, the enthusiasm...
Following new Captain America and Muppets movies, Mark looks at the challenges facing a second movie...
This article is spoiler-free, but it may contain some plot details about Muppets Most Wanted and Captain America: The Winter Soldier that you may not want to know if you haven't already seen those films, so proceed carefully.
The sophomore slump is a trend observed in academic study, whereby a decline in morale in second-year students can be linked to new stressors, and disaffection with what previously seemed new.
Its equivalent in the music industry would be the term “difficult second album”, which gets bandied around a lot, largely projecting audience anticipation onto an artist who has enjoyed a successful début, and now has the world snapping at their heels for an equally well-received follow-up.
And, in a film industry where brand-led tentpoles are becoming dominant, the enthusiasm...
- 3/28/2014
- by sarahd
- Den of Geek
Feature Mark Harrison Jan 3, 2013
The 2005 adaptation of The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy divided fans. Mark takes a look back...
In 2005, director Garth Jennings and producer Nick Goldsmith, better known collectively as Hammer and Tongs, finally brought Disney's long-gestating film version of The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy to the big screen. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move. But as this article will contend, on the subject of the 2005 cinematic adaptation of the same name, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy would have this to say: mostly harmless.
This is not a popular opinion amongst those fans who have derided the film ever since its release, but we don't intend to persuade people that they were wrong about this version of the beloved Douglas Adams story. But it was liked by some, including this writer, and so it's worth re-evaluating.
The 2005 adaptation of The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy divided fans. Mark takes a look back...
In 2005, director Garth Jennings and producer Nick Goldsmith, better known collectively as Hammer and Tongs, finally brought Disney's long-gestating film version of The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy to the big screen. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move. But as this article will contend, on the subject of the 2005 cinematic adaptation of the same name, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy would have this to say: mostly harmless.
This is not a popular opinion amongst those fans who have derided the film ever since its release, but we don't intend to persuade people that they were wrong about this version of the beloved Douglas Adams story. But it was liked by some, including this writer, and so it's worth re-evaluating.
- 1/2/2013
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
Feature Mark Harrison Dec 26, 2012
Bond's 50th anniversary got the film it deserved with Skyfall. Mark explains why it belongs in our top 10 films of the year...
Our countdown of our writers' film of the year continues, and for our latest entry, we find James Bond in very fine form...
8th place: Skyfall
Daniel Craig's third outing as James Bond made a huge impression on the UK box office this year. It surpassed Avatar as the highest-grossing film of all time in just 40 days, and by the time you're reading this, it will likely have become the first film ever to make over £100 million in UK cinemas. Aside from being the first 007 adventure to hit the screen since 2008's underpowered Quantum Of Solace, the film opened to rave reviews, and was more than good enough to crack our top ten films of the year.
It also happened to fall in...
Bond's 50th anniversary got the film it deserved with Skyfall. Mark explains why it belongs in our top 10 films of the year...
Our countdown of our writers' film of the year continues, and for our latest entry, we find James Bond in very fine form...
8th place: Skyfall
Daniel Craig's third outing as James Bond made a huge impression on the UK box office this year. It surpassed Avatar as the highest-grossing film of all time in just 40 days, and by the time you're reading this, it will likely have become the first film ever to make over £100 million in UK cinemas. Aside from being the first 007 adventure to hit the screen since 2008's underpowered Quantum Of Solace, the film opened to rave reviews, and was more than good enough to crack our top ten films of the year.
It also happened to fall in...
- 12/20/2012
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
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