No Time to Die (2020)

What is this Keanu Reeves threesome movie?

Knock Knock.

In case you needed a reason to watch, there's two. If you need another two, Eli Roth's missus is in it as well.

Salomé wrote:

It would be more interesting if they had Swann just stay at home whilst Bond goes on his mission than another version of the Tracy scene...

Maybe she gets offed at home

Color me intrigued from that plot synopsis, because it's probably the most straight forward one we've had in years, whereas the last few have been vague in the sense that it sounded like a horror/suspense thriller ("M's past comes back to haunt her", "Bond gets a cryptic message"). Here it's just straight up: Rescue a kidnapped scientist and face a villain with a newly invented weapon. This is definitely not a Sam Mendes joint.

And hey, I'm happy to see Wright back as Felix. I hope they make better use of him than in QOS. Given he's the one recruiting Bond, it sounds like he'll have a bigger part to play. He's earned it, as he's done some pretty great work between QOS and B25.

I do wonder how they'll juggle Felix Leiter and the "Felix Leiter type" character Billy Magnussen is supposedly playing.

There are two directions Magnussen's character could go. Either he a) gets killed off at some point to prove the situation is more dangerous (like we saw with Strutter and Chuck Lee), or b) turns out to be another corrupt agent that stirs up trouble (like we saw with Rosie Carver and Gregg Beam).

Yes, I considered both of those. To me it seems Magnussen's casting is too important to consider him a peripheral character and then bump him off as a mere sacrificial lamb (unless it's toward the end of the film, but that still raises questions as to how they'll integrate both characters). And if he's a Felix Leiter type, I have it in mind that he'd be like Felix - i.e. not a double agent. Otherwise, why couldn't one say he's a CIA agent instead of branding him as someone who is a good guy? If the idea is to surprise the viewer by him turning then simply stating he's a CIA agent would still do the trick.

Ana de Armas is playing a girl named Paloma, she has confirmed in a video interview.

All we need is P. Faith to provide the song. Paloma and out.

https://twitter.com/marketto007/status/1121617587144544256

It's stupid they use Goldeneye for the conference, but it's not Bond home in Jamaica.

Unless they redo GE in another location, but doesn't look like it. It looks more like Connery's final retreat in NSNA.

Having Bond home at GE would have been a fantastic touch.

Makeshift Python wrote:

Color me intrigued from that plot synopsis, because it's probably the most straight forward one we've had in years, whereas the last few have been vague in the sense that it sounded like a horror/suspense thriller ("M's past comes back to haunt her", "Bond gets a cryptic message"). Here it's just straight up: Rescue a kidnapped scientist and face a villain with a newly invented weapon. This is definitely not a Sam Mendes joint.

And hey, I'm happy to see Wright back as Felix. I hope they make better use of him than in QOS. Given he's the one recruiting Bond, it sounds like he'll have a bigger part to play. He's earned it, as he's done some pretty great work between QOS and B25.

Indeed so. Am wondering if the weapon is something that was initially supposed to help with the Malek character's rumoured blindness, but he realises it potentially has more sinister applications?

FieldsMan wrote:

I do wonder how they'll juggle Felix Leiter and the "Felix Leiter type" character Billy Magnussen is supposedly playing.

Maybe Felix Leiter is just a codename and Wright-Leiter is killed off and replaced with Magnussen-Leiter.

CJB wrote:

FieldsMan wrote:

I do wonder how they'll juggle Felix Leiter and the "Felix Leiter type" character Billy Magnussen is supposedly playing.

Maybe Felix Leiter is just a codename and Wright-Leiter is killed off and replaced with Magnussen-Leiter.

Please don't give them any ideas. Especially since Craig more or less reiterates he won't be returning.

BI wrote:

Indeed so. Am wondering if the weapon is something that was initially supposed to help with the Malek character's rumoured blindness, but he realises it potentially has more sinister applications?

Interesting. I think I'd prefer a villain's deformity to not effect the scheme of the villain, but there might be a bit of bizarre if it relates to blindness. Cautiously optimistic about that now. Thanks BI.

Stamper wrote:

It's stupid they use Goldeneye for the conference, but it's not Bond home in Jamaica.

Unless they redo GE in another location, but doesn't look like it. It looks more like Connery's final retreat in NSNA.

Having Bond home at GE would have been a fantastic touch.

I'm actually very glad it's not wasted on the Bond most removed from Fleming's creation, however you'd think that having Bond reside at Goldeneye would save a bit of money (instead of building a set since the delays would have cost them dearly). Not sure I'd be keen on Bond returning to Jamaica in the near future so if it's not used now (again, I'm more glad about this), then we won't see it for quite some time in a movie.

Maybe having Bond actually living in his creator's holiday home was considered a little too meta ... I know M's flat in Skyfall was John Barry's IRL, but the film itself makes no reference to same.

A little speculation on how Bond 25 might play out, if I may ...

Bond and Madeline are enjoying the quiet life in Jamaica, but this is shattered when their home is attacked by mysterious assailants and she is killed. Bond gives chase and offs them (all this could possibly be the pre-credits action sequence). Leiter attends Madeline's funeral and raises the possibility of Bond assisting with the search for the kidnapped scientist and he readily agrees, glad of something to take his mind off his grief. The scientist's kidnapper turns out to be Malek's villain, who wanted the scientist's help with his hi-tech weapon. Bringing the plot full circle, Malek will also turn out to be a SPECTRE operative who had Madeline killed on Blofeld's orders, in revenge for the foiling of his scheme in SPECTRE. Bond then kills Malek (probably).

Blunt Instrument wrote:

Maybe having Bond actually living in his creator's holiday home was considered a little too meta ... I know M's flat in Skyfall was John Barry's IRL, but the film itself makes no reference to same.

It might have just been a practical issue.

FieldsMan wrote:

More chemistry between him and Babs than him and any of the Bond girls surrounding him. He's standing so far away from them.    Could he look any more bored?

Yeah, some really bad body language expressed throughout the press conference. Almost to a person they all seemed either nervous or blase about the whole thing; I can't tell which.

De Armas is a total Bond Babe. She's the real deal. She's everything a Bond Girl should be, which concerns me that EON will find a way to ruin the character any countless number of ways.

Harris looks borderline anorexic, and Lynch is oddly dressed for a Bond photo shoot.

MGW, God bless him. Sad to see him growing older, but he seemed forgetful and not present in the moment to put it delicately. I guess it's safe to say that it's really all Barbara's show at this point. I doubt he has any influence on the process anymore.

Strangways&Quarrel wrote:

The Ben Whishaw photo is cringe-inducing...

Yep. That photo was no accident. I think Q is going to get a big reveal in Bond25 the way Moneypenny got one in SPECTRE.

Makeshift Python wrote:

There are two directions Magnussen's character could go. Either he a) gets killed off at some point to prove the situation is more dangerous (like we saw with Strutter and Chuck Lee), or b) turns out to be another corrupt agent that stirs up trouble (like we saw with Rosie Carver and Gregg Beam).

Maybe Magnussen turns out to be Bond's brother.

Interestingly, I noticed that when Cary was asked about who was coming back to Bond 25, his first response was "Officially?" as if somehow someone might be coming back in an unofficial capacity that he wasn't allowed to speak of. Freudian slip? Who might that be? My only guess would be Christoph Waltz. It would be just like EON at this point to try and obscure and paper-over Blofeld's involvement in the film just like they tried in SPECTRE, as if anyone cares at this point.

This movie has 3 things going for it:
Ana De Armas
Rami Malik
Cary Fukunaga

But you can have all the talent in the world and still squander it if used improperly. SPECTRE showed us that you can have access to the world's top cinematic talents and $300 million dollars in spending money and still come up with the most ludicrous, half-assed, dimwitted piece of fan-fiction twaddle that ever graced the silver screen. Despite the talents of the aforementioned, I firmly believe that Bond25 will be more of the same. If you liked QOS or SPECTRE you'll like BOND 25. But at this point, allegedly Craig's last, it seems like a waste of time to try and change the tone or the direction of the series. When he's done the character should be rebooted and all the events of the Craig-verse are canon only within the Craig-verse. My hope is that Babs sells the series and let's someone with a better appreciation of the character buy it, but that's a discussion for farther down the line.

FieldsMan wrote:

Ana de Armas is playing a girl named Paloma, she has confirmed in a video interview.

All we need is P. Faith to provide the song. Paloma and out.

https://twitter.com/marketto007/status/1121617587144544256

Has P. Faith been mentioned as a contender? I'm a bit out of sorts with singers who've been mentioned.

Blunt Instrument wrote:

A little speculation on how Bond 25 might play out, if I may ...

Bond and Madeline are enjoying the quiet life in Jamaica, but this is shattered when their home is attacked by mysterious assailants and she is killed. Bond gives chase and offs them (all this could possibly be the pre-credits action sequence). Leiter attends Madeline's funeral and raises the possibility of Bond assisting with the search for the kidnapped scientist and he readily agrees, glad of something to take his mind off his grief. The scientist's kidnapper turns out to be Malek's villain, who wanted the scientist's help with his hi-tech weapon. Bringing the plot full circle, Malek will also turn out to be a SPECTRE operative who had Madeline killed on Blofeld's orders, in revenge for the foiling of his scheme in SPECTRE. Bond then kills Malek (probably).      

Yeah that seems most likely.

Grav wrote:

Yeah, some really bad body language expressed throughout the press conference. Almost to a person they all seemed either nervous or blase about the whole thing; I can't tell which.

De Armas is a total Bond Babe. She's the real deal. She's everything a Bond Girl should be, which concerns me that EON will find a way to ruin the character any countless number of ways.

Harris looks borderline anorexic, and Lynch is oddly dressed for a Bond photo shoot.

MGW, God bless him. Sad to see him growing older, but he seemed forgetful and not present in the moment to put it delicately. I guess it's safe to say that it's really all Barbara's show at this point. I doubt he has any influence on the process anymore.

I don't think it would be nerves. Craig and Harris would have done many of them before. I did think Babs looked a bit on edge. Normally she's a little more vivacious.

Yeah, I'm quietly optimistic about Ana de Armas, but I also was about Ley Seydoux... I knew she'd pop up in a Bond film when Inglourious Bastards came out, and was pretty happy with her casting in Spectre, but the writing was all over the place for that character so I'm hesistant to get too excited for her.

I'm assuming Lynch isn't supposed to come across as a Bond girl so I don't care how she's dressed. She has a striking look and I'm hoping she plays a henchwoman in Bond 25.

Some Kind Of Hero (the book) more or less confirmed that Babs is behind the direction of the films - the much maligned emotional, self indulgent, petulant direction of Bond's character.

Grav wrote:

Interestingly, I noticed that when Cary was asked about who was coming back to Bond 25, his first response was "Officially?" as if somehow someone might be coming back in an unofficial capacity that he wasn't allowed to speak of. Freudian slip? Who might that be? My only guess would be Christoph Waltz. It would be just like EON at this point to try and obscure and paper-over Blofeld's involvement in the film just like they tried in SPECTRE, as if anyone cares at this point.

Interesting pick up. I think it's pretty obvious Waltz will be back in some capacity. You don't cover Spectre and Blofeld in just one film after regaining the rights -- and then do a very bad job of it.

bitchcraft wrote:

FieldsMan wrote:

Ana de Armas is playing a girl named Paloma, she has confirmed in a video interview.

All we need is P. Faith to provide the song. Paloma and out.

https://twitter.com/marketto007/status/1121617587144544256

Has P. Faith been mentioned as a contender? I'm a bit out of sorts with singers who've been mentioned.

Don't believe she has been. I think she's thrown her name in the hat but that's about it. She was born to sing a Bond theme so hopefully they reach out to her.

FieldsMan wrote:

Nice pic, here's hoping it's allowed to stay.

Thought it be one you'd appreciate.