Thompson on Hollywood

Trailer Watch: Bondian 'Star Trek Into Darkness' Is Shaken, Not Stirred

Video

The latest "Star Trek Into Darkness" international trailer is shaken, not stirred, echoing both "Skyfall" and "Licence to Kill" (fittingly on Timothy Dalton’s birthday).

By Bill Desowitz
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March 21, 2013 12:48 PM
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Who Should Direct Bond 24? Take Our Poll

Features

Now that Sam Mendes has dropped out of directing "Bond 24," who should helm the follow-up to the billion-dollar "Skyfall"? The new MI6 table's been set with M (Ralph Fiennes), Q (Ben Whishaw), and Moneypenny (Naomie Harris), and with no more rites of passage or existential crises to deal with, Daniel Craig's 007 is now fully formed and reporting for duty "with pleasure."

By Anne Thompson and Bill Desowitz
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March 7, 2013 4:17 PM
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Oscar Watch: 'Skyfall' Builds Academy Support, Composer Thomas Newman Overdue for Oscar

Awards

"Skyfall" could land a surprising number of Oscar nominations when they are announced on January 10. James Bond films, while they have been popular over the decades with Academy voters as popcorn entertainment, have not been Oscar contenders except for the occasional technical or song nomination. (The Oscarcast is tributing Bond on its 50th anniversary, in any case.) But Bond 23 is directed by Oscar-winner Sam Mendes ("American Beauty") and brings a certain class and patina missing from many other Bond films.

By Anne Thompson
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January 4, 2013 4:03 PM
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85th Oscars to Include a Tribute to James Bond Franchise

Awards

The 85th Oscars ceremony (February 26) will include a tribute to the James Bond franchise, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2012. 007 may have more of a presence at the Academy Awards than initially predicted, with the recent Producers Guild Award nominations -- often a bellwether for Oscar Best Picture nods -- including "Skyfall" in its ten Picture selections.

By Beth Hanna
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January 4, 2013 10:58 AM
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Immersed in Movies: Production Designer Dennis Gassner Talks 'Skyfall'

Features

One of the great pleasures of doing a Bond movie for Dennis Gassner is that he gets to be 007 before Daniel Craig. On "Quantum of Solace," his first, the Oscar-winning production designer ("Bugsy") created a pattern language based on the actor's blue eyes and craggy face. But on "Skyfall," he went further in shaping the world of Bond...

By Bill Desowitz
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December 28, 2012 2:31 PM
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Immersed in Movies: Costume Designer Jany Temime Talks 'Skyfall'

Features

Jany Temime effortlessly transitioned from dressing Harry Potter to James Bond because 007 has always been a part of her life. Temime knew exactly what she was getting into when she got the call from director Sam Mendes: "When you get to do a Bond, you take with you all that makes Bond," she proclaims.

By Bill Desowitz
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December 21, 2012 1:30 PM
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Dubai Fest: Michael Apted on Arab Docs, Women in Film, '7 Up' Series,' & Why 'Skyfall' Isn't a Bond Film

Festivals

It seems a tad peculiar to find Michael Apted at the 9th Dubai International Film Festival, but here he is, heading up the jury for the Muhr Arab Documentary section and collecting a Lifetime Achievement Award. He also took part in a panel on non-fiction vs. fiction filmmaking, a natural fit for the prolific British filmmaker who has spent much of his career flitting between the two. "56 Up," the latest installment in his "Up" documentary series picking up on the lives of several British children at seven-year intervals, was broadcast in the UK earlier this year. Apted has 16 documentaries to watch in Dubai but did find time to chat on a terrace at the swanky Al Qasr hotel in the Madinat Jumeirah resort.

By Matt Mueller
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December 15, 2012 4:06 PM
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'Skyfall' is Biggest Film in UK History, Eclipsing 'Avatar'

Box Office

"Skyfall" is now the UK's biggest film in history, eclipsing "Avatar"'s £94 million with £94.27 million in 40 days (particularly staggering given James Cameron's sci-fi blockbuster got to that haul after 11 months, and with increased 3-D ticket prices).

By Anne Thompson
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December 5, 2012 1:08 PM
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Doha Tribeca Film Festival: Purvis & Wade Talk 'Skyfall,' Their Last Bond Movie, and Kinky 'Cocaine Nights'

Festivals

At their Doha Tribeca Film Festival Masterclass, which took place on the rooftop of a hotel on the edge of the city's old souk (with a fighter jet screaming overhead to add to the 007 vibe), British screenwriting duo Neal Purvis and Robert Wade revealed why "Skyfall" will mark the satisfying conclusion to their five-film James Bond journey. The ride began nearly 15 years ago with "The World Is Not Enough" and continued with Pierce Brosnan's final 007 excursion, "Die Another Day," as well as all three of Daniel Craig's outings, "Casino Royale," "Quantum Of Solace" and "Skyfall."

By Matt Mueller
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November 20, 2012 6:12 AM
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'Skyfall' Opening Credits: How Mendes Got Adele for 'the first good Bond song' and A Look at Past Openers and Songs (VIDEO)

Features

One of the joys of "Skyfall" is its darkly psychedelic opening credit sequence, which combines to great effect Adele's soaring song with the iconic Bond graphics overlaid on Daniel Craig's sinking figure. We're basically watching Bond's fall into death as images pass before his eyes. Sam Mendes' latest installment in the franchise is crammed with purposeful references to 007 films of yore, but perhaps the best is that hit song. Music has long been used to sell movies, but never more than with the Bond franchise.