No Time to Die, final trailer

Well, well, well, look what we have here. I'm a bit late commenting on it, but here is the last International trailer of for No Time to Die, the latest James Bond movie, released here at the end of the month. This looks very promising and I can barely wait.

No Time to Die (new trailer)

Like many of you I hope, I got some exciting news today: the secon trailer for No Time to Die, the upcoming James Bond film, has been released. I loved it. I even preferred it to the first one. Of course, the movie itself might disappoint me, but at least it looks very good so far, I love the whole look and feel of the film. Anyway, here it is:

Heineken 007

A few months ago, before the lockdown, I bought a beer. A Heineken. I never drink Heineken usually, unless somebody offers me one at a party and I cannot refuse, or if there's absolutely nothing else in the cooler. It is an insipid, tasteless lager, the most lagerish lager one can ever find. Yet I bought it and drank it. I will let you guess why and it must be very easy for you to find out. (And no, it is not because there was about a litre of beer in that bottle). Yup, it is because it sponsors No Time to Die, the last James Bond. I literally bought this Heineken for the bottle, far more stylish than it usually is with Bond's silouhette on it, and the sponsorship. Since the film have been postponed, I might as well. And yes I know: I am shameless.

No Time to Die (the song)

Boy, I am really getting excited about No Time to Die, the new James Bond film, coming this April. I am getting impatient in fact. Today the title song by Billie Eilish was released. I don't know the singer from Adam, but I listened to it tonight and absolutely loved it. My wife is not so sure, but wants to see the movie anyway. Here it is, you tell me what you think. I think it suits the Daniel Craig era perfectly and it puts me in a mood for some dark spy thriller.

No Time to Die (the trailer)

Well, I blogged about it on Monday, I was anticipating it, and here it is: the trailer for No Time to Die, the upcoming James Bond movie. I watched two or three times. You can see it below. What do you think of it? I think it is quite promising and it got me quite excited. Of course I have a few concerns here and there (always fear they might dwell too much into scifi, something I am never keen on when it comes to Bond), but overall I'm very excited. One last thing that comes to my mind watching this and thinking of his tenure so far: Daniel Craig will be a really tough act to follow.

No Time to Die (teaser)

I had been waiting for it, I was getting impatient and now I know: the trailer of No Time to Die, the next James Bond movie, is... schedule for this Wednesday. That said, we had the chance to see a teaser. And what a tease. It is 15 seconds all in all. No matter: I am happy all the same, as there are lots of goodies in it, however short in it: some neat pieces of action, some exotic locations, a Bond girl or two, and what I believe a very short glimpse of the villain, which face is covered by a hood/mask. To conceal his identity, or hide some deformity? I suspect it is the latter. But anyway, see it for yourself and tell me what you think in the comments:

It's No Time to Die

Well, I had stopped hoping that Bond 25 would get any kind of title, but here it is, it has been revealed today: it's No Time to Die. And that is a great title. I love it. Far better than most of what I have seen in rumours. It has a ring of urgency and menace to it, it is also a neat little allegory of what a secret agent's duty is in a nutshell. When you work for Queen and Country, you literally have no time to die. Anyway, here is the title reveal. I'm very excited:

Blofeld will Return...

You know I am a huge James Bond fan and I am getting very excited about the untitled yet "Bond 25", which is being filmed and coming next year. Well, I am getting more and more excited, as we learned recently that actor Christoph Waltz, who played Bond archenemy Ernst Stavro Blofeld, is most likely going to be in the next movie in some capacity. The Daily Mail article on the subject here. I am very, very happy about this development. There were a few things I did not agree with regarding the way they developed the Blofeld character in Spectre, but overall I thought Waltz was competent and gave a chilling performance as the criminal mastermind. So I am glad we will see more of him.

Bond 25's first footage

I haven't blogged in a while about the upcoming Bond movie (aka NOT Shatterhand) and I wanted to do it tonight as they released the first official behind the scenes video last weekend. Taking into account that I am very much biased as a Bond fan and that I love Daniel Craig's tenure so far (yes, even Spectre) as well as his take on the character, I find this bit of footage very promising. The aesthetic looks great, it has a feel of the early Connery movies and it oozes exoticism, sensuality and violence (Bond is all about Eros and Thanatos). I can't wait to watch. Now if only we knew the title...

"The dead are alive"

I have never been a big fan of the first of November: it is after Halloween, I feel the post-Halloween blues, November is a month I generally dislike and so on. But I am learning to appreciate the month and its beginning. One movie in particular made me rediscover and enjoy that date, albeit by proxy. I am talking of course of Spectre, the last James Bond movie. It has its share of flaws, but I enjoyed it nevertheless and it is a brilliant piece of cinematography. The pre-title sequence is set during the Mexican Day of the Dead. Far more fun than All Saints' Day. It is a brilliant opening and has a great sense of place, character and atmosphere. You will find a short bit of it below. I think watching the movie might become a new November tradition for me.

Ten years of Casino Royale

It was ten years ago yesterday that Casino Royale was released in the UK. I have been a James Bond fan for many years and was waiting to see the film eagerly. After the controversial casting of Daniel Craig as James Bond, then two very promising trailers, I had high expectations for it. I first watched it in Liverpool, with my then girlfriend now wife. And my expectations were met. In fact, even my wife, who is certainly not into James Bond, really loved it. So I wanted to celebrate its ten years anniversary on Vraie Fiction. I will show two clips of the movie: the introduction of Craig as the new Bond (here beginning as a MI6 operative), so the extended pre-title sequence, then the opening credits, with the movie's song. If you have never seen the movie, you will I hope see why Craig is so awesome in the role. And it is just such an exciting introduction to a movie that completely renewed the role and the series.

Blofeld: I was right all along

I haven't blogged about James Bond for a while and wanted to post something since I saw the last movie. Before reading forward, for those who have not seen Spectre yet: spoiler alert! This post is revealing a big plot twist. Okay, so now let's get on. So for a while, I had been hoping for Ernst Stavro Blofeld to return. I had my ideas about who would play him and started suspecting him from the moment he was rumoured to be cast as a villain. Well, turned out I was right all along. I am not singing my own praise here, as it was pretty much a Jekyll and Hyde twist. Still, I was right. And, while Blofeld did not turned up as close to the novels as I wanted him to, I am still quite happy about how things turned out. And the revelation, however expected, was chilling. You can see it (and hopefully enjoy it) below. My wife did not understand why I was so happy about this revelation. But it was like a long, long dream coming true. So here it is:

Countdown to Spectre

For today's countdown to Halloween, please see this post. Tonight, I want to mention that I am going through another countdown and another kind of ghost: the countdown to the upcoming Bond movie Spectre. It is coming near the end of the month and I cannot wait to see it. As you know, I'm a huge Bond fan. So this is something else I am looking forward to. To cope with the wait, I have been watching over and over again the trailers and reading articles about the movie. And it reminded me that I had not uploaded the latest trailer on Vraie Fiction. So here it is.

The name is Spectre

Ohhhh, goodie, goodie, goodie! The Bond fan in me was happy today: the new, full, full blown and fully glorious trailer of Spectre was released this morning, at 8:00AM  BST. I know I am that precise, because I watched it first thing in the morning on my phone, as soon as it was released. I was not merely happy, or excited, I was bleeding ecstatic. This may actually be the Bond movie I have been dreaming about, but never daring to hope, let alone expect, to see one day. Bond's nemesis Blofeld is most likely back, with the face of Christoph Waltz. This is a lovely throwback not only to the old days, but also to the novels. I don't want to dwell on it like I did for the previous teaser and the first one. So I am leaving the trailer below for you to enjoy and please feel free to comment on it. Am I the only one to be excited about this movie? I don't think so. And by the way, the acrylic painting on this post was done by local (I think) artist Teresa Illman, based on a scene from Skyfall. I thought I would put it here to give this post a personal touch.

New Spectre teaser

This acrylic painting was done by (local?) artist Teresa Illman. It is titled James Bond/Daniel Craig and it is of course inspired from a scene of Skyfall. I wonder if Ms Illman is into the movie, the character or the actor. But in any case, fan art doesn't get any better than this and looking at the picture I felt a connection with the artist as a fellow Bond fan. A Bond fan that is getting very excited as Spectre is getting filmed and its release date is getting closer and closer. And we are getting more news about the upcoming movie. Recently it was a first glimpse at Christoph Waltz as the (most likely) villain of the piece, today we have the new TV spot teaser. You can see it below. There is a lot from the original teaser, which I loved, but also a good deal of new footage.

I have a few observations about it:

-Obviously, this one is far more action orientated. The set pieces are impressive and everything looks very exciting.
 - Hinx seems to be one nasty piece of work: at what appears to be a SPECTRE meeting, he dispatches someone by twisting his neck like a chicken.
-Bond is depicted more like a seducer, as you first see him getting closer to the character of Léa Seydoux, then Monica Bellucci's.
-There is a beautiful feeling of danger coming from that scene between Bond and Lucia Sciarra: she is warning him about imminent danger... which does not stop him from coming at her.
-The classic line: "Bond, James Bond" delivered by Craig here is the best in a long time.

So here we have it. What did you think of it? I am enthusiastic, as you can tell. Oh, and for the observers, I left another bit of homage to James Bond on this post. Try to find it.

Bond in Rome

I thought I would blog a bit more about the upcoming James Bond movie Spectre. Because there are some tidbits of news regarding the movie I am quite excited about. They have filmed a car chase in Rome between James Bond and villain Mr Hinx, played by Dave Bautista. There is a vlog about it, which I have uploaded below.

Some observation:

-Rome is beautifully atmospheric and so perfect for such a movie. Because of the rich history of the city, full of ghosts itself.
-Orange for the Jaguar is a very menacing colour.
-Mr Hinx looks like such a great villain: elegant yet brutish looking, and with something anachronistic about him, his pointy beard giving him the look of a Renaissance assassin. There is something also devilish about his beard.
-That said, Bautista seems like such a nice guy.

Rising Spectre

Oh, goodie, goodie, goodie! The geek in me is so happy today! The James Bond fan, a thousand times more. If it is even possible. Because the Spectre teaser trailer was finally released. What can I say? First, as you can see, I love it. I love how the story will tie in with the previous three Craig Bond movies. I love that at least a good deal of the plot seems to be based on the short story Octopussy. Also, Eyes Wide Shut, one of Kubrick's most underrated masterpiece, seems to have inspired the meeting scene, down to the use of the James Bond theme. There is a neat little nod at ornithology, which gave Ian Fleming his inspiration for the name of James Bond, when you see Bond walking in the old house and the crows flying by him. Maybe I am reading too much about it, but I don't think so: Sam Mendes is good with making these kind of references.

 And of course there is Blofeld, the character I was looking forward to meet (again). Because I think it is fairly sure now that Christoph Waltz will be Blofeld, as I was expecting/hoping when we learned he was cast. Here, if he is not Blofeld, he seems to have the same function as him in the organization: chairman of the board, leader, literally the enemy in the shadow, the affable villain whose veneer of amiability does not hide his ruthless and cruel nature. If Waltz is indeed Blofeld, he is devoid of all the parodied elements of a certain spoof I will not dignify to name here. He is back to its roots. Anyway, here is the trailer for you to enjoy, if you have not done so. And tell me what you think.

Waiting for Spectre

People will forgive me for using an old poster of a nearly ten years old movie for the topic of this blog post. As my readers know since at least December, I am getting very excited about the coming of Spectre, the 24th Bond movie. Because it will see the return of a certain criminal organization of old, and very likely the return of its leader Ernt Stavro Blofeld, who is also Bond's nemesis. I have made a personal obsession about Blofeld, whom I consider one of the greatest villains of all time. I have been following eagerly the reports of the shooting. I did not have time before to make a post about it, so I thought I would do it now. We have been treated to our first behind the scene footage about two weeks ago. The return of Bond in snowy mountains makes me suspect that the story will be at least partially based on On Her Majesty's Secret Service. A novel which also featured Blofeld. We will see anyway, but as a Bond connoisseur, I have been so far quite good at guessing a thing or two about upcoming movies, if I may praise myself so blatantly. Anyway, I loved this behind the scene video. You can see/feel the sober glamor of classic Bond movies. So these videos and the glimpses of news we have will keep me patient until Spectre is released.

"A bloody big ship"

I took this picture in a pub in Totnes, Devon. A painting that was right above one of the fireplaces. I cannot remember which one right now, but it will get back to me eventually. It is one of the things I remember most about this pub. It struck me then: "That's a bloody big ship". I was of course thinking about a scene from Skyfall, the first meeting of James Bond and Q (played by Ben Whishaw). Okay, the paintings are not exactly similar, but the subject is the same on both. And I think of this scene every time I see the picture, or I think of this painting I saw in a pub in Totnes every time I watch the scene in Skyfall. In any case, it is a great scene, so here it is. Tell me what you think about it.

It will be SPECTRE

Breaking news today, something that got be very excited: the title for the 24th Bond movie has been revealed, at last. And it will be SPECTRE. As in SPecial Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion. That means yes, Blofeld might finally be back. You can see how Sam Mendes presented it here. I say I am excited. In fact, it is a terrible understatement: I have been wanting to see SPECTRE and Blofeld back. I have been hoping for it for a while. Half expecting it more recently. Now, this is no more a rumor pr wishful thinking. I am very much looking forward to the new movie. You will find below the teaser title, which I uploaded just for kicks. And did I mention that I love the title? It echoes so much history of the Bond franchise and the novels too. And it is a great title in its own right: the menace a spy fights, in reality or fiction, is shadowy and spectral.