Daniel Craig as James Bond: Rank the films and scores!

[Sharkissimo 1,973]

Quote

 Garbage was an inspired choice with a great song for World Is Not Enough.

 

Garbage were a great band with two fine albums on their belt, and then The World is Not Enough happened. I honestly think it would've turned out better if David Arnold and Don Black weren't involved in the composition and writing.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

14 minutes ago, Sharkus Malarkus said:

 

Garbage were a great band with two fine albums on their belt, and then The World is Not Enough happened. I honestly think it would've turned out better if David Arnold and Don Black weren't involved in the composition and writing.

You really don't like that song? It's a Top 5 Bond Song for me.

[Sharkissimo 1,973]

3 minutes ago, Disco Stu said:

You really don't like that song? It's a Top 5 Bond Song for me.

 

Nah, it's a MOR Barry/Bassey-retread. Arnold pulled the pastiche trick once with Surrender and it worked, but not the second time round.

 

I'll give it this: it's got some nice production on it and Manson gives a strong performance.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

I think I'm just still a sucker for Barry retreads. Bring on more!

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

It's a good song, but wouldn't rate it among the best

[Sharkissimo 1,973]

It's middle of the pack.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

Wrong!

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

5 minutes ago, Sharkus Malarkus said:

It's middle of the pack.

 

Agreed!

[crocodile 8,017]

Films:

 

Skyfall

Casino Royale

Quantum of Solace

SPECTRE

 

Scores:

 

Quantum of Solace

Skyfall

Casino Royale

SPECTRE

 

Karol

[Naïve Old Fart 9,544]

I might just watch "Skyfall", this very evening.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

 

11 minutes ago, Richard said:

I might just watch "Skyfall", this very evening.

 

You're an example of British fortitude, Richard!

 

 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,544]

Same old Richard; Britain's last line of defence. 

[leeallen01 2,136]

Arnold is a huge way ahead of Newman. I love Newman, but his scores were mostly forgettable and he never was able to reach the sound of Bond that Barry and Arnold reached with ease.

 

Arnold does more in this 29 second piece, than Newman managed in both his entire scores for Skyfall and Spectre.

 

 

[gkgyver 1,645]

Films:

 

Quantum of Solace

Casino Royale

Spectre

Skyfall

 

Scores:

 

Quantum Of Solace 

Casino Royale

...

Never Say Never Again

...

Skyfall

...

Dishwasher

...

Spectre

[Sharkissimo 1,973]

1 minute ago, leeallen01 said:

Arnold is a huge way ahead of Newman. I love Newman, but his scores were mostly forgettable and he never was able to reach the sound of Bond that Barry and Arnold reached with ease.

 

Arnold does more in this 29 second piece, than Newman managed in both his entire scores for Skyfall and Spectre.

 

 

 

Ugh, that cheap sounding kick + delayed hi-hat.

 

Other than that, it's a nice cue. I always liked though Ma Vlast-ish variations on YKMN. My beef is rather with the action music (excluding African Rundown) and the suspense underscore.

[leeallen01 2,136]

Did anyone get the impression that Newman didn't really fully grasp how to use and where to place the 4 note bond theme? He just kind of stuck it in every scene and at a deafening volume with no structure at all. 

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

5 minutes ago, leeallen01 said:

Arnold is a huge way ahead of Newman. I love Newman, but his scores were mostly forgettable and he never was able to reach the sound of Bond that Barry and Arnold reached with ease.

 

Arnold does more in this 29 second piece, than Newman managed in both his entire scores for Skyfall and Spectre.

 

 

 

Newman did a very good job, imo. Especially considering this really isn't his kind of territory.

[leeallen01 2,136]

Just now, Stefancos said:

 

Newman did a very good job, imo. Especially considering this really isn't his kind of territory.

 

I really enjoy his Skyfall score. But it doesn't compare to Arnold's Bond. I guess that is mostly due to the film, considering Arnold always had fun action, and a humour-filled Bond. Yet Newman had a mostly miserable Bond, with less inspired locations and darker stories. That's also why Arnold's Quantum Score wasn't as good as Royale imo, because of the misery revenge plot of the film.

 

[Sharkissimo 1,973]

3 minutes ago, leeallen01 said:

That's also why Arnold's Quantum Score wasn't as good as Royale imo, because of the misery revenge plot of the film.

 

You see, I think Forster's discriminating tastes requiring that Arnold almost reinvent himself and provide a soundworld tailored to the film rather (it's akin to Ang Lee working with Danny Elfman on Hulk), makes for much more better listen. Casino Royale contains many passages that feel like hangovers from the Brosnan scores, whereas Quantum of Solace never feels like a complete retread. There's some bold choices that don't always work (the distorted guitar power chords for the boat chase) but I've got a lot respect for what Arnold managed to pull off.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

I'll be curious to see who scores the next one. I think for sure that Newman leaves with Mendes.  The path of least resistance would be for the producers to go back to Arnold, but I wonder if we won't see someone brand new to the series.

[Sharkissimo 1,973]

17 minutes ago, leeallen01 said:

Did anyone get the impression that Newman didn't really fully grasp how to use and where to place the 4 note bond theme? He just kind of stuck it in every scene and at a deafening volume with no structure at all. 

 

I thought Newman made a very canny use out of the 4 note vamp, in the form of a heroic punctuation mark for death-defying moments in the film. It didn't feel arbitrary, at least in Skyfall.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,544]

You're saying Arnold might not come back? Just try and stop him, you jumped-up little shit.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

David Arnold Will Return 

[Disco Stu 15,495]

Not guaranteed at all!

 

But yeah, it's the most likely choice.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Arnold or Holkenborg!

[gkgyver 1,645]

3 hours ago, leeallen01 said:

Did anyone get the impression that Newman didn't really fully grasp how to use and where to place the 4 note bond theme? He just kind of stuck it in every scene and at a deafening volume with no structure at all. 

 

I got the distinct impression Newman didn't really fully grasp the concept of a Bond score to begin with.

[leeallen01 2,136]

I'd like the Bonds to become pure fun again. Though Mendes' films were good, they were rarely fun to watch, and mostly just miserably dark plot-wise.

 

The formula has succeeded for more than 50 years because when the 'fun, camp films' get old, they switch to serious, then when they get old, they switch to fun again. Moore went very fun and wacky, then they bought in Dalton's Bond to make it more adult and serious. Then Brosnan continued it with Goldeneye, until people wanted fun again, so Brosnan's next 3 were pure fun and over the top, so then we got sick of the campness and wanted serious again, so we got Craig's 4, which got progressively darker and told inward family storytelling. Now I think we're sick of the dark and want some fun back. Arnold should return, and let's start making our way back to pure fun please.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Films

 

SPECTRE

Skyfall

Casino Royale

Quantum of Solace

 

Scores

 

I can't listen to any of these. CR has its moments, but the album is tedious. QoS is unlistenable as it bashes you over the head with Arnold's hidiously fast action tempos. Finally Skyfall and SPECTRE are almost like ASMR.

[gkgyver 1,645]

Skyfall is the least of the four by a small margin behind Spectre.

At least Spectre has great and interesting locations, even though the navel gazing is ridiculous in that one, even worse than Skyfall.

[Josh500 1,615]

John Barry > David Arnold >>>>>>>>> Thomas Newsman 

 

Upon rewatching Casino, I was surprised how good David Arnold was. That was when I first noticed him, so you speak.

 

African Rundown, Miami, Blunt Instrument, Dinner Jackets, and Name's Bond are the highlights.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

9 hours ago, Stefancos said:

Arnold or Holkenborg!

Pemberton or Powell!

[Naïve Old Fart 9,544]

Please. Don't give nightmares.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

3 hours ago, Koray Savas said:

Pemberton

 

Yes! Excellent choice.

[Sharkissimo 1,973]

16 hours ago, leeallen01 said:

 Then Brosnan continued it with Goldeneye, until people wanted fun again, so Brosnan's next 3 were pure fun and over the top, so then we got sick of the campness and wanted serious again, so we got Craig's 4, which got progressively darker and told inward family storytelling.

 

Would you really say Skyfall is darker than Quantum of Solace? It's a more adult film, but it has moments of levity that Solace lacks. A more convincing argument might say each got increasingly heterogeneous in tone  (finding a good balance in Skyfall), to the point of schizophrenia in SPECTRE--a film where Bond interrogates a mouse and a henchman graphically (by Bond standards) gouges out a man's eyes.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

QoS gets the tone of Bonds world wrong and at times borders on nihilism. Which is fine for Bourne, but not 007.

 

 

[Jay 37,369]

QoS felt like they threw together a script fast as possible before the writers strike started,  then just filmed it rather than delaying production until the strike was resolved.  Then to make matters worse, it was edited in an extreme version of the Greengrass Bourne style that was so bad it  made it hard to tell what was going on half the time.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

It miscalculated that all we liked about Craigs Bond in CR was that he was bad-ass and hurt. None of the humour and romance.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,544]

(sigh) if only Martin Campbell had said "yes".

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

For both film and score, I much prefer the scaled back and stylish Skyfall to the comparatively noisier Casino Royale.  I haven't seen Quantum or Spectre.

[Sharkissimo 1,973]

33 minutes ago, Not Mr. Big said:

For both film and score, I much prefer the scaled back and stylish Skyfall to the comparatively noisier Casino Royale.  I haven't seen Quantum or Spectre.

 

You're not missing much, but they're good lessons on how you can fuck up a sequel.

[Josh500 1,615]

Olga Kurylenko was the best part about QoS. 

 

I still think she was the best Bond girl in the Daniel Craig movies... closely followed by Eva Green and Lea Seydoux.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

I can agree with that.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

I liked Gemma Arterton more, but she was wasted and burned the midnight oil.

[Josh500 1,615]

1 hour ago, Shatner's Rug said:

I liked Gemma Arterton more, but she was wasted and burned the midnight oil.

Agreed, she's gorgeous ( though not more so than Olga Kurylenko)! 

 

But she had only like 15 minutes screen time. What a waste.

[crocodile 8,017]

Agreed!

 

Karol

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Why a waste?

 

Would it have been better if the character had loads more screentime, even if it didnt substantially add anything to the film? Or perhaps they should have picked a less attractive actress, so it's would not be so bad she's only in it for such a small time.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Her character was sassier and more pleasant than Olga's boring, expressionless persona.

 

It's as if QoS hated everything that made a Bond film fun, including likable girls.

[Sweeping Strings 2,363]

Films - 

Skyfall
SPECTRE
Casino Royale
Quantum Of Solace

 

Haven't listened to the scores enough to form an opinion. 

[Josh500 1,615]

3 hours ago, Stefancos said:

Why a waste?

 

Would it have been better if the character had loads more screentime, even if it didnt substantially add anything to the film? Or perhaps they should have picked a less attractive actress, so it's would not be so bad she's only in it for such a small time.

You're overthinking it!

 

Arterton was gorgeous, and the character she portrayed was interesting and memorable, so I just wish she'd have had more screentime. More than 15 minutes anyway.

[gkgyver 1,645]

On 20.8.2016 at 7:52 PM, Stefancos said:

QoS gets the tone of Bonds world wrong and at times borders on nihilism. Which is fine for Bourne, but not 007.

 

 

 

Hate to tell you, but Bourne got the tone of the real James Bond better than the Bond films for a long time.

Hence the copying of its style and the shift in tone in later films.

 

Just a shame that the serious tone drifted into forced connections and mumbo jumbo with Skyfall.

 

It's still amazing to me that these Craig films are considered a connected saga, but not a single person finds fault with the lazy ass writing that has Bond becoming a true 00 and THE Bond by the end of QoS, and by the time of Skyfall, which chronologically takes place not much thereafter, Bond's story is that he's too old and worn for MI6. 

And in Spectre, the 00 agents, especially Bond, are considered essential for Britain again. In fact, that's a major plot point.

 

I hate that kind of lazy shit. And truth be told, nobody expects a four movie saga out of the Bond series, and not from the dudes who wrote the pyro fests of the Brosnan era. So either let someone else write it completely, or don't try holding it together somehow at all.