Skyfall review

November 13, 2012 flawintheiris

Directed by Sam Mendes Written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and John Logan based on characters by Ian Fleming James Bond returns for the 23rd time (in an EON Productions film), the third time for Daniel Craig. Since he took the mantle of the most famous secret agent in the world (something of an obstacle…Read More

James Bond 007: The Pierce Brosnan Era

November 8, 2012 flawintheiris

For years, even before he was Bond, Pierce Brosnan seemed a natural choice to have a licence to kill. The story is that he visited the set of For Your Eyes Only to see his wife Cassandra Harris, who was playing the Countess who is romanced by Roger Moore's James Bond. Producer "Cubby" Broccoli immediately…Read More

Flight review

November 6, 2012 flawintheiris

Directed by Robert ZemeckisWritten by John GatinsFor the first time since 2000, when he had Cast Away and What Lies Beneath in cinemas, Zemeckis directs a live action drama. Originally a Spielberg acolyte, he's one of Hollywood's most reliable purveyors of widescreen entertainment. I certainly don't love all his work, but I can't deny the…Read More

James Bond 007: The Timothy Dalton Era

November 4, 2012 flawintheiris

There are those who think Dalton's tenure as 007 was a high point for the series — I'm not one of them. I get what the producers at Eon Productions were trying to do: a course-correction. The last couple of Moore Bonds had gone too camp, too silly. In Timothy Dalton they had someone who…Read More

Cloud Atlas review

November 4, 2012 flawintheiris

Written and directed by Lana and Lilly Wachowski and Tom Tykwer, from the David Mitchell novel I should confess right off the top that I haven't read the book, so am coming to this film fairly blank slate. But I was impressed by the achievement here, which maybe I shouldn't be given the pedigree of…Read More

James Bond 007: The Roger Moore Era

November 3, 2012 flawintheiris

Roger Moore got no respect. Well, maybe as a debonair Englishman, a knight of the realm and for his charity work, he did. But in a stadium full of Bond fans, there'd be crickets when asking for a hurrah from those who think Moore was the best Bond. While I don't know that I'd be…Read More

James Bond 007: On Her Majesty’s Secret Service

October 30, 2012 flawintheiris

I couldn't dub this the George Lazenby era. He was only in one film, after all. But he does have the honour of playing Bond in one of the best in the canon — all quite separate from the issue of casting. And what of that casting? In a franchise where EON producers Albert R.…Read More

James Bond 007: The Sean Connery Era

October 27, 2012 flawintheiris

"Bond. James Bond." And so goes the classic line. Sean Connery was the first actor to play Bond in the long-running film series, and, for many, he's never been bettered. I feel I should offer a caveat: I've been watching James Bond 007 since I was a kid. It's probably my favourite movie franchise. For…Read More

Argo review

October 25, 2012 flawintheiris

Directed by Ben AffleckWritten by Chris Terrio from a Joshuah Bearman article in Wired MagazineThis is a story I'm familiar with. My folks were in the Canadian diplomatic corps, so Canadian Ambassador to Iran in 1979, Ken Taylor, was something of a big deal in Dad's business. Taylor and his wife, Pat, helped get six…Read More

Blade Runner locations: My Los Angeles Visit

October 21, 2012 flawintheiris

2nd Street TunnelI'm back in Canada now, having spent four days in Los Angeles. I was just getting comfortable with driving those massive freeways before I had to go, managing the distances between destinations.As I mentioned, I really enjoyed the nights in LA. Something about the cosmopolitan nature of the city, the lights, the diversity…Read More