Die Another Day in review...

In a fatuous bid to appeal to completists, fanboys and, ultimately, themselves, the Broccoli’s have attempted to crowbar a magnificently pointless reference to every single preceding Bond film into a slipshod shelf-filler that’s been unaccountably patterned after the Promethian excesses of Vin Diesel’s ‘xXx’ and John Woo’s feebler Stateside noodlings.

To fully compile Die Another Day’s shortcomings is akin to mocking a bad hedge: it’s spectacularly unruly, but only because it has been allowed to grow thuswise. Suffice it to say that it will appeal to all those malcontents who’d always thought that James should pack in the cruelty, urbanity and spy s*** that had always bogged him down and instead get jiggy with some laser beams, kite-surfing, and an invisible car.

Brosnan's invocations of the Fleming spirit in ‘The Tailor of Panama’ suggested he had some groovy ideas as to what of his version of Bond could go on to include. Sadly, he was saddled with the ashy leavings of a franchise that had dispensed with experimentation or original thinking.

(Adam Lee Davies)

...or Die today watching it! No, it isn't that bad, but still post your review here!

It's a piece of S***.

And thus Tux's first Bond-related post was made on MI6beyond.

The White Tuxedo wrote:

It's a piece of S***.

And thus Tux's first Bond-related post was made on MI6beyond.

So you end your tenure with MI6 bitching about the prequels and begin a new one on the Bond section bitching about that other David Tattersall shot film.

Legend, folks.

Makeshift Python wrote:

The White Tuxedo wrote:

It's a piece of S***.

And thus Tux's first Bond-related post was made on MI6beyond.

So you end your tenure with MI6 bitching about the prequels and begin a new one on the Bond section bitching about that other David Tattersall shot film.

Legend, folks.

I was thinking of the same connection. :albino:

I dunno why that smilie is available.

The White Tuxedo wrote:

It's a piece of S***.

Things are getting back to normal, which is good.

I'm going to be fair and say, it's not the best Bond film. I enjoy DAD, but not to the extent of the others. Jinx exasperates me, the reliance of CGI makes me cringe, and the dialogue could have been polished. Lee Tamahori wasn't the right man for the job, but he did add in some aspects that were welcome: Bond smoking, Bond's office, etc.

Pros
Scenes with Raoul
Scenes in Hong Kong
The Title Sequence (I do like the song, too!)
The Ice Palace
Miranda Frost
Q Scene
Peaceful Fountains of Desire
Torture aspect
Brosnan's performance
M
Cinematography (despite the CGI, speed romps, etc, I like the look of the film. It's rich. Just look at the opening scenes of Havana!)
Plot concept (The notion of all Korea being ruled by the North is great. It could have been the basis of a brilliant thriller)
Col. Moon (not his transformation).
Score (has some nice themes)

Cons
Rick Yune
Michael Maddsen (or whatever his name is)
CGI
Icuras
Robosuit
Parasurfing! (deserves it's own subheading. The CGI heading can't cover all the S***)
Script (could have done with a rewrite and a polish)
Jinx (both how it was written and acted)
Gene Therapy (Not too bad, but could have been a whole lot better. An exploration into Dr Alvarez could have been a start)

I'll watch it over the other Brosnans.

Speaking of Tattersall.

I think DAD is better shot than TND and TWINE. They just look dull. In some parts DAD looks great like during the Cuba scenes. Very colorful and vibrant, which was sorely missing in the previous two. But it's during the scenes in Korea it looks like S*** with the use of digital grading.

Why do you prefer DAD to GE, Tux?

First half is pretty good, Brosnan is at his best acting-wise.

Shame they had to go and F*** it up so badly starting with Halle Berry's first scene in Cuba.

Die Another Day (2002) - 5/10
I never have liked Die Another Day. So it was coming as a surprise to me while viewing that the first hour of the film was actually fairly solid. We get a cool pre-titles hovercraft chase, Bond is taken prisoner for 14 months and a kick-ass sword fight. For that one hour, I thought I had been mistaken about Die Another Day, and that my criticisms were unfounded. Then Halle Berry became a major character. Then came along the invisible car. And then the script becomes entirely comprised of one liners and puns. They’re not good ones liners and puns mind you, they are cringe worthy ones which pour out of every major character’s mouth. The only saving grace in Die Another Day’s second half is a fun gadget car battle. But apart from that action scene, the film’s second half might very well be the worst second half in a Bond film. Die Another Day simply gives up. But the film kicks you when you are down; the CGI is the worst I have ever seen in a professional motion picture. Coming from as big of a budget this film had, I find it fully unacceptable to have visual effects that quite frankly look straight out of a old generation PlayStation 2 game. And Halle Berry is just terrible. She, in my mind, is clearly the worst Bond girl of the entire series. Yes, Die Another Day does have some good scenes, but they all pretty much are eclipsed by an embarrassing, awful second half.

Found this old photo I once posted on the old KTBEU. It's when I ran out of toilet paper.

Makeshift Python wrote:

Speaking of Tattersall.

I think DAD is better shot than TND and TWINE. They just look dull. In some parts DAD looks great like during the Cuba scenes. Very colorful and vibrant, which was sorely missing in the previous two. But it's during the scenes in Korea it looks like S*** with the use of digital grading.

I'll agree with that.

I agree with Tux for the most part, I always rank GE higher because the script is a lot sharper. Brosnan had finally grown into the role and I suppose eased up. It's also the only Bond film of his oeuvre (or really, since OP) that had a real sense of fun and excitement about it. It's the vibe of the thing, which as a viewing experience makes it a lot more watchable, for all it's tremendous faults, then the dreary bland mess that was TND and TWINE. The fencing scenes/theme add some showmanship and originality to the otherwise dull "machine guns go off" action scenes that permeate TND and TWINE (and GE, to be fair)

And John Cleese was a better Q than Llewelyn. Certainly post-LTK Llewelyn.

I agree with that. At it's best, Tattersall's cinematography for DAD evokes the saturated grain of Ted Moore. At its worst it looks like xXx or BLACK HAWK DOWN, or something.

Con:

A movie you don't see over and over again. The movie going from 4th place to the 12th place to the 16th place and consider to at the movie now on the 18th place.In other words after this change only better then Goldfinger, Moonraker, (Casino Royale) and Thunderball,
Die Another Day Judgement Day. What happend after the movie, Brosnan be fired.

Falco and actor ( Another actor have made it les of a problem)
Cuba clinic (Jinx scene and there don't yuse it long enough)
Mr Kill
Zoa introduction
Scenes with Raoul.
Christian Wagner (Editor)
David Tattersal (Directer of photography)
Lindy Hemming (Costume Designer) The quistion be why she be so succesfull with TMND and Batman Begins/TDK. She isn't ask back for QOS and you can it from the start.
Jinx (and her Momma dialogue)
Airplane scene aka Going down together
Bond his introduction to Jinx (The smoking scene)
Parasurfing! on ice starting with Graves his machiene scene

For a part David Arnold his music. 15 tracks, almost 11 but stil 61 minutes of music is missing. It be in special Davisd Arnold his transformers theme what i don't like. Til QOS Twine always be my favorite music score after FYEO/TLD.
VR with Moneypenny and Bond
Charles
Madonna in the movie.

Pro:

The best James Bond dvd
Fencing
Gunbarrel at the start
Title song
Maintitle include tel something about the story.
M (Include her story line with Bond is back in CR and QOS)
Q
Pierce Brosnan
Pre title and i liked the bell scene
Peaceful Fountains of Desire
The Ice Palace car chase
Miranda Frost with the exeption of her death
Icuras
London Calling/London landing
Graves promoted his machiene Bond yused later him self

For a part there learn, CR look like more on Twine and with QOS there try to get anything out of the cinematopgraphy not earlier yused Fleming material and subtil way to earlier movies. I always keep in mind there have some hugh problems with Die Another Day include changing the script 3 months before filming, but stil this isn't a excuse for the bad parts of Charles and Moneypenny.

The White Tuxedo wrote:

It's a piece of S***.

And thus Tux's first Bond-related post was made on MI6beyond.

And then Falco recorded ROCK ME AMADEUS!

:)

Sharky wrote:

I agree with that. At it's best, Tattersall's cinematography for DAD evokes the saturated grain of Ted Moore. At its worst it looks like xXx or BLACK HAWK DOWN, or something.

I thought the shot and lighting in the moment where Frost and Bond make out to avoid the guards was probably better than just about anything in TWINE and probably TND.

I remember DAD being a horrible tease. It's sort of like the girl who let's you take off all her clothes, but doesn't let you touch.

Same with DAD.

The first half is quite good, probably better the Brozzy films before it. At this point you are taking the clothes off, working some magic. You are making it happen. The lights are low, you got some smooth ass jazz playing in the background.


Then you get to around the ice palace. Things start to fall apart. This is the "you can only look, not touch" stage." All the buildup and anticipation for nothing. You get nothing. And it is bullshit. And is awful.

And with that, I'll find the door for myself.

Moore wrote:

I remember DAD being a horrible tease. It's sort of like the girl who let's you take off all her clothes, but doesn't let you touch.

Same with DAD.

The first half is quite good, probably better the Brozzy films before it. At this point you are taking the clothes off, working some magic. You are making it happen. The lights are low, you got some smooth ass jazz playing in the background.

And then she takers her wig off, and turns out to be CJ Carpenter.

Moore wrote:

The first half is quite good, probably better the Brozzy films before it. At this point you are taking the clothes off, working some magic. You are making it happen. The lights are low, you got some smooth ass jazz playing in the background.

The hospital scene with M is when you take off her panties and notice she has herpes.

Sharky wrote:

Moore wrote:

I remember DAD being a horrible tease. It's sort of like the girl who let's you take off all her clothes, but doesn't let you touch.

Same with DAD.

The first half is quite good, probably better the Brozzy films before it. At this point you are taking the clothes off, working some magic. You are making it happen. The lights are low, you got some smooth ass jazz playing in the background.

And then she takers her wig off, and turns out to be CJ Carpenter.

That would scare the shit out of me. Quite frankly, I'd lose my hair.

I'd have to ask someone to comb over to calm me down.

Alright, I'll just stop hair....

I think if some of the excesses were trimmed from this film it would be regarded much more highly. For example, the Robosuit is just not necessary, nor is the wind-surfing scene, especially since it had to rely on dodgy f/x to achieve it. Having said all that....

I think the villains are quite good and maybe for the things that weren't said. It feels like there's some "sexual subtext" in this movie, as if the movie is trying to send certain signals. Examples: Verity (the only one dressed in black) appears to have some sort of crush on Miranda, telling Bond that she's "gorgeous". When Miranda removes her helmet she looks back to Verity for approval. Is Miranda in love with Verity? Later M questions Miranda about her personal life and seems somewhat dubious that Miranda has turned down repeated sexual overtures from other 00-agents. M lets Miranda's answer hang in the air without challenging it.

Graves uses Miranda for her sex, but there's no suggestion that the two were lovers. Miranda is so cold and aloof towards both Bond and even Graves that one has to wonder what her deal is. She doesn't mind being used sexually by Graves, but she seems almost disgusted at having anything to do with Bond. I remember wondering when I first saw the film if there was something between Moon and Zao. When Zao reunites with Moon in Iceland, Moon invades Zao's personal space, touching his face and feeling his skin, but then the scene ends.

There's also the part of Moon which finds Bond disgusting and is therefore used to create the Graves persona, but why does Moon/Graves find Bond so disgusting? Is he attracted to Bond? Is there something about Bond that Graves sees in himself that he wants to expunge? There was no subtlety in the sword fight and it doesn't take Freud to psychoanalyze the scene because Verity tells the audience exactly what it is: a "cock fight". Remember, she says she has no interest in watching or being a part of a "cock fight", lending further credence to the idea that Verity is probably lesbian. There's a homoerotic aspect to the fight, as Graves strips down to wield his sword and fight it out with Bond. We all know what the swords are meant to represent.

Anyone automatically wanting to dismiss some of these ideas should also remember that Tamahori was arrested for soliciting sex from an undercover male cop..........while dressed as a woman. You think Tamahori didn't work some of those issues out, or into, Die Another Day? I think he slipped in some little question marks regarding these characters.

Moore wrote:

I remember DAD being a horrible tease. It's sort of like the girl who let's you take off all her clothes, but doesn't let you touch.

Never known a girl like that. Is that what you youngsters put up with?

Anyway, nice piece in today's Indy about the end of the road for Cuba's fantastic 1950s American cars:

Quote :

In the 21st century their numbers have slowly diminished – not because they have rusted to death, or hit one bache (pothole) too many, but because of the demand from overseas collectors. The Cuban government began doing what it is now allowing its people to, in the 1990s – buying up the best-preserved saloons, offering their owners a new Russian-built Lada instead. These cars were sold to collectors to earn precious hard currency. And as Havana became the venue of choice for fashion shoots, some of the remaining vehicles were bought and fixed to provide automotive chic; the Hotel Nacional de Cuba built up a fleet, offering stylish airport transfers.

Yet as Cuba's economy has emerged from the post-Soviet depths, the American beauties have become a lumbering sideshow. They were squeezed out of the taxi market by modified Ladas holding up to nine passengers, and are now taking a back seat to Mexican-built imports of Japanese marques.

Ironically, by the time US citizens are able freely to visit Cuba (current laws forbid tourism) their idea of an island filled with relics of an innocent America are likely to be misplaced.

Not nostalgia all is lost, however. The pride of Cuban Railways comprises rolling stock from the 1960s for Trans Europ Express trains between Amsterdam and Paris, while the line through the canefields east of Havana uses equipment almost a century old.

That's an extract, full piece here:

http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/americas/for-the-bangers-of-havana-its-the-end-of-the-road-2363198.html