I want to give a shout out to both directors Chris Nolan and Martin Campbell for the work they are doing respectively on both the Batman and James Bond franchises. I was gutted to see two very cool/bad ass characters absolutely be destroyed in the 80s and 90s to piss poor screen plays, shitty casting, and juvenile direction. You two have not only renewed my interest in both story arcs, you have also revived my faith in Hollywood.
Batman
Genius! Chris Nolan, you are the man for taking on the Dark Knight genre of the Batman story. With the exception of the first Batman movie released in 1989, all of the movies released prior to Batman Begins were absolutely SHITE! A bubblegum land of neon and unbelievable charters, it seemed that the only reason why they were producing more movies were to fill Toy’s R Us with more product. It goes without saying you saved this brand. The screen plays, direction, and cinematography all seem to cater to a older/more sophisticated audience. More importantly, the casting is TOP NOTCH. Christian Bale, Michael Cain, Liam Neeson, Heath Ledger (you will be missed), Aaron Eckhart, and Maggy Gyllenhaal (who I fell in love with in the Secretary) are all AMAZING! Since I am on casting, I feel compelled to cast my vote for Catwoman: Angelina Jolie! She looks good in latex! I also think Brad Pitt would make an excellent Riddler.
Keep up the great work!
James Bond
Thank you, thank you, thank you for finding a James Bond that is on par or (in my opinion) better than Sean Connery. Like Nolan, Martin Campbell saved 007 by setting an all around higher standard for all things related to Bond in Casino Royal. Daniel Craig is tough (thanks for killing the tendency to make bond Metro) and realistic as 007. In particular, I like how human you made bond. He is not invincible. He bleeds, feels pain, and suffers other character flaws (as highlighted by his contentious relationship with M). One of my favorite lines from Casino Royal was when Bond orders a martini and he is asked if he would like it shaken or stirred. Response: "Does it look like I give a damn!" A perfect and subtle way of breaking from old/expected 007 behavior and creating something fresh and new. I really look forward to your next installment with Quantum Solace.
While we are on the subject of re-creating movie franchises, I was excited to see a preview last week of Terminator Salvation. As the name suggests, this story is also in need of a savior to help re-invent itself. Director McG, you have your hands full. I really hope that you take the model provided by Nolan and Campbell, and do something fresh and unique to bring audiences back to what was once a great movie. The trailer seems to suggest you have:
This also goes for those of you involved in making the new Star Trek:
I agree with just about everything regarding the Dark Knight & 007, but I can’t believe you threw out Maggie in there with your shout outs. That seemed like casting a busted Katei Holmes in an attempt to have the characters looking at least somewhat similar. I though they could have done better than that.
Hey—just personal taste. I liked Katie Holmes up until the point she married Tom Cruise. Now that’s busted! I think as a back up, Maggie was just fine. They frekin killed the character off anyway-so its all moot.
Did you see Secretary?