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
Diamonds are Forever
Directed by Guy Hamilton
Screenplay by Richard Maibaum & Tom Mankiewicz
UK, 1971
Following up On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, widely considered by most fans to be the best Bond incarnation pre-reboot, here the series takes a step back to recast the iconic Sean Connery in the role of mischievous misogynist Jimmy B, and promptly trips over itself in a strangely crass and dull outing. Replacing the wooden George Lazenby with the series’ original super spy proves to be mere consolation rather than icing on the cake bomb.
Diamonds are Forever surprisingly starts with direct continuity, with Bond leading a ruthless and fisticuffs laden hunt across the world for wife killer Ernst Stavros Blofelt (played here by Charles Gray). He eventually tracks down the evil mastermind and gives him a searing exit to proceedings, or so it seems. Getting back to the small matter of his day job...
Directed by Guy Hamilton
Screenplay by Richard Maibaum & Tom Mankiewicz
UK, 1971
Following up On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, widely considered by most fans to be the best Bond incarnation pre-reboot, here the series takes a step back to recast the iconic Sean Connery in the role of mischievous misogynist Jimmy B, and promptly trips over itself in a strangely crass and dull outing. Replacing the wooden George Lazenby with the series’ original super spy proves to be mere consolation rather than icing on the cake bomb.
Diamonds are Forever surprisingly starts with direct continuity, with Bond leading a ruthless and fisticuffs laden hunt across the world for wife killer Ernst Stavros Blofelt (played here by Charles Gray). He eventually tracks down the evil mastermind and gives him a searing exit to proceedings, or so it seems. Getting back to the small matter of his day job...
- 11/3/2015
- by Scott Patterson
- SoundOnSight
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Is Quantum Of Solace, starring Daniel Craig, really one of the worst James Bond films? Here's our take...
Ah, we're at this one. Not the worst Bond film ever but certainly my least favourite. All the classic tropes – silly names, implausible schemes, megalomaniacal villains, lots of shagging – are completely absent. More damagingly so is a plot – or indeed any sense of coherence. At 106 minutes the film should be tight but instead feels hideously underdeveloped. Style is desperately flaunted in the hope the lack of substance might be overlooked. And, in fairness, leaving the cinema I felt disappointed but not incensed by what I’d watched. But subsequent viewings really expose the many, many shortcomings. Proof that sometimes less is simply less.
The Villain: Dominic Greene. Weak. Oh so weak. The name is weak, the plan is weak, the lines are weak (literally not one zinger) and physically he is,...
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Is Quantum Of Solace, starring Daniel Craig, really one of the worst James Bond films? Here's our take...
Ah, we're at this one. Not the worst Bond film ever but certainly my least favourite. All the classic tropes – silly names, implausible schemes, megalomaniacal villains, lots of shagging – are completely absent. More damagingly so is a plot – or indeed any sense of coherence. At 106 minutes the film should be tight but instead feels hideously underdeveloped. Style is desperately flaunted in the hope the lack of substance might be overlooked. And, in fairness, leaving the cinema I felt disappointed but not incensed by what I’d watched. But subsequent viewings really expose the many, many shortcomings. Proof that sometimes less is simply less.
The Villain: Dominic Greene. Weak. Oh so weak. The name is weak, the plan is weak, the lines are weak (literally not one zinger) and physically he is,...
- 10/18/2015
- by simonbrew
- Den of Geek
Self-titled selfie inventor Tila Tequila entered the Celebrity Big Brother house on Thursday alongside five fellow Us celebrity compatriots, only to be dramatically ejected from the house within 24 hours after producers learned she'd posted messages about Nazism on social media in 2013.
Tequila has since apologised for her "irresponsible" comments, but maybe the Channel 5 show's producers should read Digital Spy a bit more carefully in the future to avoid any more surprises!
But despite posting the controversial blog article, a childhood of eating cockroaches, and her suggestion that she influenced the invention of Instagram - what else do you need to know about the pocket-sized star?
She made Playboy history
Tila Tequila's foray in the entertainment industry began when was discovered by a Playboy scout (yes, such a job exists) at a shopping mall in Texas when she was 19. She later made Playboy history when she became the first Asian Cyber Girl of the Month.
Tequila has since apologised for her "irresponsible" comments, but maybe the Channel 5 show's producers should read Digital Spy a bit more carefully in the future to avoid any more surprises!
But despite posting the controversial blog article, a childhood of eating cockroaches, and her suggestion that she influenced the invention of Instagram - what else do you need to know about the pocket-sized star?
She made Playboy history
Tila Tequila's foray in the entertainment industry began when was discovered by a Playboy scout (yes, such a job exists) at a shopping mall in Texas when she was 19. She later made Playboy history when she became the first Asian Cyber Girl of the Month.
- 8/29/2015
- Digital Spy
Roger Moore bows out as James Bond 007, in A View To A Kill. It's a film with a few problems...
This one's an unworthy last hurrah for Sir Rog. Yet such is life. Received wisdom pegs A View To A Kill as a lacklustre final outing in which an inspired song, villain and Grace Jones are smothered by slack plotting, a not-at-his-best Moore, weak characters and a general sense of weariness. Received wisdom is a terrible thing. But occasionally it has a point.
The Villain: To waste one great villain on a rubbish film may be classed as unfortunate. To waste a second is damned careless. Max Zorin is Exhibit B to counter the hoary old adage that a Bond film is measured by its antagonist. Zorin is fresh, vibrant, energetic – the inverse of the film he terrorises. He’s played by a Hollywood legend in his prime: good for the character,...
This one's an unworthy last hurrah for Sir Rog. Yet such is life. Received wisdom pegs A View To A Kill as a lacklustre final outing in which an inspired song, villain and Grace Jones are smothered by slack plotting, a not-at-his-best Moore, weak characters and a general sense of weariness. Received wisdom is a terrible thing. But occasionally it has a point.
The Villain: To waste one great villain on a rubbish film may be classed as unfortunate. To waste a second is damned careless. Max Zorin is Exhibit B to counter the hoary old adage that a Bond film is measured by its antagonist. Zorin is fresh, vibrant, energetic – the inverse of the film he terrorises. He’s played by a Hollywood legend in his prime: good for the character,...
- 5/31/2015
- by simonbrew
- Den of Geek
Sean Connery returns to play James Bond in Diamonds Are Forever. It is not 007's finest outing.
A strange offering this one, sandwiched between two considerably more significant films. Undoubtedly a lightweight outing, despite featuring a heavyweight star in more ways than one. The cartoonish tone is sharpened by lashings of violence and a surprisingly high body count. A moribund Connery and garish Las Vegas add to the sense of a series going to seed. Implausibilities abound through Diamonds Are Forever. Yet its dysfunctional parts create a film that, while far from a classic, has a certain battered panache – and a wry smile throughout. I rather like it.
The Villain: Like buses, Blofelds come in threes. After Donald and Telly, here’s Charles – utterly estranged from his predecessors in appearance and manner. This Blofeld has hair, a penchant for crossdressing and a rather winning air of bonhomie. Plus there’s three of him.
A strange offering this one, sandwiched between two considerably more significant films. Undoubtedly a lightweight outing, despite featuring a heavyweight star in more ways than one. The cartoonish tone is sharpened by lashings of violence and a surprisingly high body count. A moribund Connery and garish Las Vegas add to the sense of a series going to seed. Implausibilities abound through Diamonds Are Forever. Yet its dysfunctional parts create a film that, while far from a classic, has a certain battered panache – and a wry smile throughout. I rather like it.
The Villain: Like buses, Blofelds come in threes. After Donald and Telly, here’s Charles – utterly estranged from his predecessors in appearance and manner. This Blofeld has hair, a penchant for crossdressing and a rather winning air of bonhomie. Plus there’s three of him.
- 3/22/2015
- by simonbrew
- Den of Geek
All you ever wanted to know about Bond – his earliest memory, his most treasured possession, his most unappealing habit. Don't miss William Boyd's interview with 007
James Bond was born in 1924. His father was Andrew Bond, a Scottish engineer who worked for the Vickers armament firm, and his mother, Monique, was Swiss, née Delacroix. Bond was initially educated abroad and became fluent in German and French. His parents, however, died in a tragic climbing accident when Bond was 11 years old. He was sent to Eton, and spent only two terms there before being expelled. The rest of his secondary education took place in Scotland, at Fettes College, Edinburgh, his father's old school. Bond left school at the age of 17 in 1941, and, lying about his age, joined a branch of what would become the Ministry of Defence. He ended the war with the rank of commander in the Special Branch of...
James Bond was born in 1924. His father was Andrew Bond, a Scottish engineer who worked for the Vickers armament firm, and his mother, Monique, was Swiss, née Delacroix. Bond was initially educated abroad and became fluent in German and French. His parents, however, died in a tragic climbing accident when Bond was 11 years old. He was sent to Eton, and spent only two terms there before being expelled. The rest of his secondary education took place in Scotland, at Fettes College, Edinburgh, his father's old school. Bond left school at the age of 17 in 1941, and, lying about his age, joined a branch of what would become the Ministry of Defence. He ended the war with the rank of commander in the Special Branch of...
- 9/28/2013
- by William Boyd
- The Guardian - Film News
Madelyn Marie attending Hustler's Freedom Party to benefit the "Free Speech Coalition" at Whisky A Go-Go in West Hollywood on September 1, 2010.Photo copyright by Glenn Francis / PR Photos. Nicki Hunter attending Hustler's Freedom Party to benefit the "Free Speech Coalition" at Whisky A Go-Go in West Hollywood on September 1, 2010.Photo copyright by Glenn Francis / PR Photos. Charlie Laine attending Hustler's Freedom Party to benefit the "Free Speech Coalition" at Whisky A Go-Go in West Hollywood on September 1, 2010.Photo copyright by Glenn Francis / PR Photos. Kayden Kross attending Hustler's Freedom Party to benefit the "Free Speech Coalition" at Whisky A Go-Go in West Hollywood on September 1, 2010.Photo copyright by Glenn Francis...
- 9/7/2010
- by James Wray
- Monsters and Critics
While Tila Tequila has angrily blasted rumors that she has signed a deal with a popular porn distributor to star in an XXX-rated film, a source close to the situation insisted that the sex tape is indeed existing. The source recently told Radar Online that Tila shot the porn film a month ago.
"The movie was filmed about a month ago in the Valley," the source claimed. The insider later added further details of the porno flick, revealing that Tila shot a lesbian adult movie, which was filmed by Vivid Entertainment, with two other women, Penthouse Pet Lia Leah and Vivid star Charlie Laine.
"It's a lesbian three-way and was professionally shot and directed by Michael Bisko," the insider revealed. "Tila has false hopes for the success of the film. She wasn't paid anywhere near what Vivid paid Kendra Wilkinson for her tape."
When Steven Hirsch, the owner of Vivid Entertainment,...
"The movie was filmed about a month ago in the Valley," the source claimed. The insider later added further details of the porno flick, revealing that Tila shot a lesbian adult movie, which was filmed by Vivid Entertainment, with two other women, Penthouse Pet Lia Leah and Vivid star Charlie Laine.
"It's a lesbian three-way and was professionally shot and directed by Michael Bisko," the insider revealed. "Tila has false hopes for the success of the film. She wasn't paid anywhere near what Vivid paid Kendra Wilkinson for her tape."
When Steven Hirsch, the owner of Vivid Entertainment,...
- 8/11/2010
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
We were wondering how long it was going to take attention whore Tila Tequila to turn to porn--turns out she already has. Tila previously denied that she's involved with a porn flick, but she's reportedly already shot the movie--this coming from her co-stars. According to Radaronline, a source with inside information claims the video was shot by Vivid Entertainment starring Tila and two other women – Penthouse Pet Lia Leah and Vivid star Charlie Laine. “The movie was filmed about a month ago in the Valley,” the source told RadarOnline.com. “It’s a lesbian three-...
- 8/10/2010
- Hollyscoop.com
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