Spectre (2015) review

It was just over a decade ago when Daniel Craig became the sixth actor to take on the role of James Bond for Eon Productions. But, just like with pretty much any actor or actress who takes on a major role in a comic book film, Craig’s casting led to a ton of backlash by fans of the franchise. Simply put, many believed that the 5’10’’ blond-haired Englishman did not fit the ‘tall, dark’ description of the character both described in Ian Fleming’s original novels and portrayed by Craig’s predecessors in the role. But, thankfully, Craig managed to prove his biggest critics wrong with his first film, 2006’s ‘Casino Royale’, which served as a reboot of the franchise after the critically bashed ‘Die Another Day’. Instead of the campy gadget-filled escapades of the franchise’s older days, ‘Casino Royale’ took on a much edgier and grounded route while Craig portrayed Bond as an emotionally driven and more vulnerable character, again compared to his predecessors. The end result was simply perfection as far as the franchise was concerned… and then his second Bond film, 2008’s ‘Quantum of Solace’, ending up being a major disappointment. It may have had something to do with the Writer’s Strike that was going on at the time but even then the film was extremely bland as far as Bond films went. Thankfully, Craig’s run as Bond rebounded with 2012’s ‘Skyfall’. Under the excellent and classy direction of Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes, the film served as both a fitting commemoration of the franchise as it celebrated its 50^th anniversary and another ‘re-invention’ of the franchise in this modern technological world.

Three years later, Craig, Mendes, and the new cast of primary Bond allies that were introduced in ‘Skyfall’, are back for the franchise’s 24^th installment, and Craig’s fourth official Bond film, ‘Spectre’. As the title suggests, this film re-introduces the franchise’s classic criminal organization of the same name; ‘Special Executive for Counter-Intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge, and Extortion’ (disclaimer: this acronym is not used in the film). SPECTRE played a major part in the Sean Connery/George Lazenby era of the franchise but had been absent from the franchise since its last appearance in 1971’s ‘Diamonds are Forever’. This was mainly due to copyright issues that had initially spawned from legal disputes between Ian Fleming and ‘Thunderball’ co-writer Kevin McClory, which subsequently affected Eon Productions for more than four decades. MGM finally managed to get the rights back to SPECTRE in 2013 and immediately implemented the organization into ‘Bond 24’. But now the question is how Mendes’ second Bond film turned out. Well, despite what the rather low 62% rating on RT may suggest, ‘Spectre’ is another rock solid entry of this long-running franchise. Now while I don’t want to make any major comparisons to ‘Skyfall’, I will admit that this film can be rather predictable in terms of the writing. But even with that said, this is still very much a Sam Mendes directed Bond film that manages to be a well-crafted and classy spy thriller in almost every way.

After a unauthorized mission in Mexico City ordered by the previous M before her death (Judi Dench makes a brief video message cameo) in which he kills an assassin by the name of Marco Sciarra (Alessandro Cremona), MI6 Agent 007 James Bond (Daniel Craig) is taken off field duty by his boss, the new M (Ralph Fiennes), who is in the middle of dealing with the recent merger between MI5 and MI6 headed by Max Denbigh (Andrew Scott) that could end up resulting in the shuttering of the ‘00’ section. Meanwhile, against orders, Bond begins an investigation into the mysterious organization known as Spectre that Sciarra was a member of. His probing soon leads to him crossing paths once again with an old foe, Mr. White (Jesper Christensen), as Bond learns that White, whose organization Quantum is revealed to have been a subsidiary of Spectre, has a daughter named Madeleine Swann (Lea Seydoux) who, like him, is being pursued by the organization. Bond finds Madeleine and the two, with the help of Bond’s MI6 allies Q (Ben Whishaw) and Moneypenny (Naomie Harris), venture off in order to uncover the mysterious plans of Spectre. This ultimately leads Bond into having to deal with a ‘ghost from his past’ in the form of Spectre’s mysterious leader, Franz Oberhauser (Christoph Waltz), who as it turns out has a very special connection with Bond.

As far as the plot is concerned, ‘Spectre’ is admittedly much more predictable than its immediate predecessor. A certain reveal about the main villain is pretty darn obvious given both the history of the franchise and the fact that pretty much everyone on the internet predicted it just like they did with Khan in ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’. Not only that, but one of the main plot-points in the film about a new intelligence system reminded me of, of all things, ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’. In other words, this film is a much more straight-forward entry in the franchise compared to ‘Skyfall’. But at the end of the day, I’m totally fine with that. Even with some of the story’s shortcomings, Sam Mendes’ direction is just as excellent as it was in his previous Bond film. The action sequences are once again superb, from the film’s terrific pre-credits sequence that takes place in Mexico City during the ‘Day of the Dead’ festivities to the intense hand-to-hand fight scene on a train between Bond and Spectre operative Mr. Hinx (Dave Bautista in a short but definitely memorable henchman role). Sadly Roger Deakins didn’t return to do the cinematography this time but ‘Interstellar’s Hoyte van Hoytema is a more-than-suitable replacement. And despite what I said before about the writing’s predictability, one thing that I did really love about this film’s story was how it managed to connect certain events and characters from all of Craig’s previous Bond films and tie them all to Spectre. And just like how ‘Skyfall’ focused on Judi Dench’s M dealing with a ghost from her past, this film’s plot sees Bond’s past coming back to haunt him.

Four films in, what more can be said about Daniel Craig as Bond? He’s just as excellent as he’s been in his last three Bond films. But with that said, one of the best things about Craig’s performances in the Mendes-directed films in particular is that he’s been able to have the chance to bring back the character’s sense of wit that was rather absent from his first two Bond films. And believe me when I say that this film definitely delivers in terms of its witty dialogue; after all, no Bond film is complete is without a few highly quotable lines. As the main villain, Christoph Waltz admittedly isn’t in the film that much to be as memorable as Javier Bardem was as Silva in ‘Skyfall’ but does manage to bring the right amount of diabolical charm and intimidation required for the role whenever he does appear onscreen. And without giving anything away, Waltz was a perfect choice for this role. As far as the film’s ‘Bond Girls’ are concerned, Monica Bellucci, who plays Lucia, the widow of the assassin that Bond killed in the opening, really only has a ‘cameo role’ in the film as she appears in only two scenes near the beginning. But as for the film’s main leading lady, Lea Seydoux is arguably the film’s biggest standout. Dare I say she even outshines Craig? Madeleine Swann might not be a vengeful spy like Bond but she’s still a very strong-willed woman reminiscent of classic Bond girls like Natalya Simonova and Tracy Bond. And of course, all of the returning regulars from ‘Skyfall’ are great as well, from Q (Ben Whishaw continues to be a worthy successor to the great Desmond Lleweyn) to Moneypenny (Naomie Harris continues to have solid flirtatious chemistry with Craig).

I don’t want this to seem like I’m pointing any fingers at anybody but I have the feeling that the rather low RT score for this film was partially due to certain critics negatively comparing this film to ‘Skyfall’, which in my opinion is a rather unfair thing to do. I don’t believe that Bond films should be compared to each other as if they were just sequels, save for the franchise’s only true sequel to date, ‘Quantum of Solace’, because they are all their own separate stories that just so happen to be a part of the same franchise. And even though ‘Skyfall’ has ended up becoming my favorite Bond film to date, I didn’t go into this film expecting it to be ‘better’ than its predecessor. And ultimately while I do feel that ‘Skyfall’ is still the better film, I don’t hold that against ‘Spectre’. It’s rumored that this may be Daniel Craig’s last Bond film and if that ends up being the case, then he does manage to end his tenure as Bond on a much better note than some of his predecessors like Pierce Brosnan or Roger Moore. Sure, ‘Spectre’ can be rather predictable in terms of its plot, namely a reveal that the internet figured out months beforehand, but that doesn’t mean it is, to quote a review by someone who won’t be named, ‘the worst Bond film in 30 years’. Whereas ‘Skyfall’ was a reawakening for the Bond franchise in which Bond dealt with the possibility of being obsolete in this modern world, ‘Spectre’ is very much a tribute to the classic Bond films of yesteryear.

Rating: 4.5/5

Ranking the Bond Films: November 2015 Edition

In a way, this post may seem a bit redundant because I had previously done a ‘Ranking the Bond Films’ post back in March 2013. Sure it was a few months after I had completed the first Bond Month but by that point I had finally gotten around to seeing ‘Skyfall’ for the second time so I figured that I could finally do a conclusive list to rank all of the 23 official Eon produced James Bond films that had been released at that time, not counting any unofficial Bond films like the 1967 spoof ‘Casino Royale’ and the remake of ‘Thunderball’, ‘Never Say Never Again’, which just so happened to star Sean Connery in what would be his last on-screen appearance as James Bond. But you see, the thing about a list like this is that it’s like trying to list your favorite films of all-time; it could inherently change over time. And of course, because there have been so many Bond films, I guarantee you that you’re probably never going to see the same exact list of rankings twice. Having re-watched all of the Eon Bond films in anticipation for ‘Spectre’, my opinions on some of them did change so because of it, here is an updated list of my rankings for the 23 Eon produced Bond films as of November 2015, obviously not yet counting the soon to be released (in the U.S.) 24^th Bond film. If you want to see my previous list and compare the two to see what changed since then, click the link below.

(http://rimoviecorner.blogspot.com/2013/03/ranking-james-bond-films.html)

23. A VIEW TO A KILL

After two viewings, this film still stands as my least favorite entry in the series. It may have a memorable duo of villains in Zorin and May Day and one of the series’ best title songs but it also has a Bond who’s way past his prime, the series’ worst Bond girl, and some of the most obvious uses of stunt doubles ever.

22. THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN

Another film that maintained its previous position from 2013’s list, ‘The Man with the Golden Gun’ was at least only Roger Moore’s second Bond film so this isn’t a case where his age negatively impacts the film. But with that said, the film seriously drags at times and Moore is pushed to be like Connery way too much. Christopher Lee does manage to shine though as Scaramanga so at the very least it’s not the absolute worst.

21. DIE ANOTHER DAY

This one was originally #5 worst but upon re-watch I’ll admit that this film’s problems, namely an overuse of CGI for a good chunk of the action sequences, were a bit more noticeable this time around. I don’t ‘hate’ it as much as other Bond fans do, probably because Pierce Brosnan is my favorite Bond, but you can definitely see why this resulted in the series having to reboot with the next film.

20. DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER

At the very least, ‘Diamonds are Forever’ is a fairly entertaining Bond film and Sean Connery at least seems to be having more fun here than in his previous two Bond films. But ultimately this film is just way too campy to be taken seriously. The fine balance of seriousness and silliness that worked so well in director Guy Hamilton’s first Bond film ‘Goldfinger’ didn’t translate as well here.

19. YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE

Still not fooling anyone James...

This is definitely a Bond film that dropped a bit for me upon re-watch. It’s ultimately a very bland entry in the franchise as far as the story is concerned, even when considering that this film’s main plotline was rehashed in director Lewis Gilbert’s two subsequent Bond films, ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ and ‘Moonraker’. It definitely has some memorable moments but for being the first film to officially introduce the character of Blofeld, it ultimately doesn’t do much with the character.

18. FOR YOUR EYES ONLY

This film, though, is the one that dropped the most on this list compared to the first time I saw it. This is just a bland Bond film in almost every aspect; the main Bond girl, the story, the villain, and so on and so forth… and yet for some reason I still found it to be slightly more memorable than ‘You Only Live Twice’, hence why it gets the higher ranking. This is also another case of the filmmakers trying to make Roger Moore act more serious as Bond when ultimately that wasn’t his style.

17. THUNDERBALL

It may have one of the series’ best henchwomen in Fiona Volpe but ‘Thunderball’ is a fairly lackluster follow-up to Sean Connery’s original 3 Bond films. The main reason? It’s unwelcomely overlong, primarily due to the prolonged underwater sequences. Sure these scenes are well-shot for the time but they go on forever.

16. QUANTUM OF SOLACE

Daniel Craig once again shines in the role of 007 but the follow-up to ‘Casino Royale’ ultimately lacks the same punch that its predecessor had, namely due to bland supporting characters and action that frequently suffers from piss-poor editing.

15. MOONRAKER

I’m not afraid to admit it… I really warmed up to ‘Moonraker’ when I re-watched it. Yes it’s a total cash-in on the ‘Star Wars’ craze that was going on at the time of its release but it actually does manage to be a really fun Bond film even with all of the stupid things that happen in it. That’s more than I can say for a film like ‘For Your Eyes Only’ or ‘Thunderball’.

14. THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH

The very definition of a Bond film that is a ‘mixed bag’. It has both really good things in it, like Pierce Brosnan’s performance, arguably his best as Bond, and its main villain Elektra King, and some not so good things in it, like a severely underused Robert Carlyle. And of course, there’s the infamous casting of Denise Richards as a nuclear physicist. Though ultimately it’s more a problem of miscasting than it is the writing because Dr. Christmas Jones actually isn’t ‘that bad’ of a Bond girl in terms of her role in the film.

13. OCTOPUSSY

Just like last time, ‘Octopussy’ lands at the midpoint of this list. Yes it’s very campy and extremely over-the-top at times but I don’t care… I really, really like this Bond film. It’s just really fun and is clearly aware of how silly it is. It just goes with it.

12. TOMORROW NEVER DIES

On a whole, ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’ is a generally by-the-numbers affair as far as Bond films are concerned. But ultimately I feel that it manages to be a nice little entertaining entry in the series with a memorable villain and one of the series’ all-time greatest Bond girls, Wai Lin.

11. THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS

Another rather ‘by-the-numbers’ affair for the franchise but Timothy Dalton does a solid job in his first foray as Bond. Too bad the film suffers from having the series’ weakest villains to date, not counting main henchman Necros.

10. DR. NO

To be perfectly frank, ‘Dr. No’ has dated quite a bit compared to some of the other early Bond films, which is understandable given that this was the first Bond film. Still, even with the parts in it that have not aged very well, it’s still a really solid and engaging spy film that served as a nice start to this prestigious franchise.

9. LIVE AND LET DIE

Yes this film is quite un-PC nowadays given all of its stereotyping. That and Sherriff Pepper is in it for way too long. But on a whole, Roger Moore’s first Bond film is a nice start to his Bond career that highly benefits from a terrific cast of villains.

8. FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE

A superior follow-up to ‘Dr. No’, Bond’s second film was the first to really start implementing a lot of the trademarks that would define the series for years to come. It’s also a very compelling story with an excellent duo of villains in Red Grant and Rosa Klebb.

7. LICENCE TO KILL

Still my pick for the most underrated Bond film to date, ‘Licence to Kill’ was the precursor to the edgier Craig films while also having a terrific main villain in Sanchez. Though with that said, perhaps the film is a bit too dark and gritty, which easily makes it the most violent film of the franchise even though it was only the first PG-13 rated Bond film.

6. THE SPY WHO LOVED ME

Easily Roger Moore’s best Bond film, ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ is an almost pitch-perfect Bond film; a great plot, a great Bond girl, and one of the series’ all-time greatest henchmen in Jaws just to name a few. The only thing that keeps it from being any higher is that the main villain Stromberg is the film’s only weak link.

5. GOLDFINGER

I think it’s safe to say that ‘Goldfinger’ was the first ‘blockbuster’ of the franchise and why not? It has great characters, including a terrific duo of villains in Goldfinger and his assistant Oddjob, and while it’s much more light-hearted than the first two Connery films, it’s handled perfectly.

4. ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE

Say what you will about George Lazenby’s sole turn as Bond but ‘OHMSS’ has one of the series’ best plots and of course is the only film in which Bond’s leading lady becomes his wife by the end. But of course as we also know that ends tragically, resulting in one of the most heartbreaking finales in film history.

3. GOLDENEYE

It was rather hard in terms of ranking these next three Bond films. ‘GoldenEye’ in particular was hard to rank because it was the first Bond film that I ever watched so I do have a very personal connection to it in that regard. Pierce Brosnan makes an excellent debut as 007 in a film that perfectly relaunched the series for the post-Cold War era... and it spawned one of the greatest FPS games of all-time. Really it’s just due to the film’s lackluster score that kept it from breaking into the Top 2.

2. CASINO ROYALE

‘Bond Perfection’ 1.0. Daniel Craig proved his biggest critics wrong in one of the most well-crafted entries of the entire franchise. Capturing an edge and emotional drive that hadn’t really been seen before in a Bond film, ‘Casino Royale’ has it all in terms of action, performances, and suspense.

1. SKYFALL

Believe me folks when I say that I spent a lot of time trying to figure out my Top 3 favorite Bond films. The first time I did this list back in 2013, I ultimately listed ‘Skyfall’ at #1 but I’ll admit that was primarily due to me being caught up in the hype of the film’s release. This time around, I tried to see if any other film could overtake it but upon re-watch, I finally came to the conclusion that yes, this really is my favorite film in the franchise. It is ‘Bond Perfection’ 2.0, taking all of what worked great in ‘Casino Royale’ and actually managing to surpass it primarily thanks to Sam Mendes’ exceptional direction. As I noted a few weeks ago in my ‘Best/Worst Bond Moments’ list, this film is so frigging great that I literally can make a Top 10 Moments list solely consisting of scenes from this film… which is exactly what I did.

And now, presenting this completely impromptu list… My Top 10 Favorite Moments from ‘Skyfall’

10. The Underwater Fight Scene

One of many great action sequences in this well-directed and well-shot Bond film.

9. The first Scene between Bond and Q

A nice introduction to Ben Whishaw’s Q that also helps establish the differences in age and experience/skills between the two.

8. Attack on Skyfall

Yes I’ve heard all of the ‘Home Alone’ comparisons but the finale of the film still manages to be an intense battle between Bond and Silva’s men at Skyfall in which Bond has to utilize more than just weapons. Plus we get, among other things, a badass shot of Bond walking away from an explosion and an awesome one-liner from Bond in which he remarks ‘I always hated this place’ before he destroys it.

7. M’s Death

‘Skyfall’ ended Judi Dench’s Bond career on a great note by giving Dench her most substantial role as M and suffice it to say her death was an emotional send-off for the series’ best M to date.

6. M Quotes Tennyson

But before that scene, the scene at the inquiry where M quotes Tennyson is one hell of a sequence when it comes to raising the tension as Silva moves towards the inquiry to kill her and Bond rushes over there from the Underground. Top it off with one of the best tracks from Thomas Newman’s score and you have one tense set-up to the inquiry shootout.

5. Opening Sequence

Definitely one of the best pre-credits sequences of the series, the opening to ‘Skyfall’ has it all; great action and suspense while culminating with the supposed ‘death’ of James Bond. Obviously the plotline of Bond seemingly being killed in the opening has been done before in films like ‘You Only Live Twice’ and ‘From Russia With Love’ but ‘Skyfall’ is the one that does it the best given how it ties perfectly into the theme of Bond realizing that he may have ‘lost a step’.

4. Silva’s First Appearance

Javier Bardem immediately establishes himself as one of the franchise’s greatest villains in his first scene as Raoul Silva. In one long take, we see him enter the room and slowly walk towards Bond while making a speech about how he and Bond are like rats who have ‘changed their nature’ and now only eat other rats, just like the ones that he had trapped one summer with his grandmother.  

3. Bond vs. Patrice

Sure you can’t tell who’s who due to the scene being darkly lit but at the same time that’s what makes this particular sequence so beautifully shot. Seriously, why didn’t Roger Deakins win the Oscar for Best Cinematography for this film?

2. Reveal of the DB5

Talk about one of the best examples of fan-service ever… I’m sure many Bond fans were excited to see Bond’s classic ride return, complete with a joke where Bond nearly ejects M from the car.

1. London Underground Chase

Well seeing how I listed it at #2 on the ‘Best Moments’ list a few weeks ago, it’s only fitting to have this sequence be #1 on this list. I already talked about it before in that post so I won’t repeat myself too much here. Needless to say it’s a thrilling sequence in which Bond is put into a situation on his home turf while also bringing back the dry humor that was kind of lacking from Craig’s first two Bond films.

Steve Jobs (2015) review

What more can be said about Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple, that hasn’t been said before? The man was one of the main pioneers of the personal computer revolution when he and fellow co-founder Steve Wozniak founded Apple Inc. in 1976 and produced the Apple II one year later. After that, Jobs would go on to develop numerous groundbreaking electronic products from the iMac to the iPod to the iPhone. He also helped invest in a computer graphics company when it spun-out from Lucasfilm in 1986; today we know that company as Pixar. Sadly Jobs passed away on October 5, 2011, leaving behind a legacy unmatched by many. A major part of that legacy is explored in director Danny Boyle’s new biopic, ‘Steve Jobs’. This is actually the second Steve Jobs biopic to come out in the last three years, the other being the 2013 film ‘Jobs’ starring Ashton Kutcher in the lead role. However that film was neither a critical or commercial success. ‘Steve Jobs’ on the other hand, which stars Michael Fassbender as Jobs, is a different story. Not only is it directed by an Oscar-winning director but the screenplay, based off of the official ‘Steve Jobs’ biography by Walter Isaacson, was written by renowned screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, writer of the hit TV series ‘The West Wing’ as well as another notable ‘biopic’ based around a technological breakthrough, ‘The Social Network’. The combined efforts of Boyle and Sorkin produce a highly compelling biopic that is as well-made as many of the products that its main subject produced.

‘Steve Jobs’ is set up as a three-act story, with each act of the film focusing on the moments leading up to the launches of three major products that Steve Jobs (Michael Fassbender) was associated with. The first act focuses on the launch of the Apple Macintosh in 1984 following the iconic ‘1984’ commercial that aired during Super Bowl XVIII. The second act of the film takes place in 1988, after Steve Jobs was removed from the company following the disappointing commercial performance of the Macintosh. He went on to found the company ‘NeXT’, which developed the ‘NeXT Computer’ in 1988. Finally, the film cuts to 1998, after Jobs was reinstated as Apple CEO, as he prepares to debut the iMac. In each of these three sequences, we see Jobs and his marketing executive Joanna Hoffman (Kate Winslet) prepare for each event while Jobs deals with situations involving some of his associates, including fellow Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak (Seth Rogen), who continuously requests that Jobs highlight the Apple II team in his speeches, and then-Apple CEO John Sculley (Jeff Daniels), whose father-son esque relationship with Jobs starts to falter when Jobs gets ousted from Apple. But perhaps the most pressing of dilemmas for Jobs revolves around him eventually trying to take responsibility as the father of his high school sweetheart Chrisann Brennan’s (Katherine Waterston) daughter, Lisa (played at different ages by Perla Haney-Jardine, Ripley Sobo, and Makenzie Moss).

For a film that is basically just three separate sequences showcasing what happened behind the scenes at product launches, without even showing any of the actual event itself, ‘Steve Jobs’ is a biopic that never misses a beat and never once feels repetitive. This is the result of two major forces; Sorkin’s writing and Boyle’s direction. These two elements help keep the film flowing smoothly and while Boyle’s artistic directorial style isn’t really on full display here compared to his other films, there are still quite a few instances of that style being present throughout. One of the primary examples of this is the fact that each of the film’s three acts were shot in a different film format (16mm for 1984, 35mm for 1988, and digital for 1998), which obviously connects perfectly with the technological advances that Apple achieved over that period of time. Ultimately though the real highlight of the film is Sorkin’s screenplay. While it’s been made clear that the film isn’t exactly historically accurate, that and I’m pretty certain that the dialogue Sorkin wrote wasn’t actually spoken, Sorkin’s writing helps us delve into the psyche of Jobs, primarily through his relationships with his co-workers, friends, and family. Not only that, but each act of the film, though set in different times, all feel strongly connected thanks to familiar beats that occur in each sequence (e.g. conversations that Jobs has with specific people).

‘Steve Jobs’ is a prime example of an actor’s showcase, with each member of the cast shining thanks to the strong writing of Sorkin. There’s been a lot of talk about how Michael Fassbender doesn’t really look like Steve Jobs but like with Tom Hanks in ‘Saving Mr. Banks’, it’s more about the actual performance than whether or not the lead actor/actress looks exactly like the person they’re portraying. And with that in mind, Fassbender delivers one of the best performances of the year. As Jobs, Fassbender perfectly captures the Apple co-founder’s vision and attitude, striving for perfection even if it means pissing everyone off to get to it. Like Sorkin’s version of Mark Zuckerberg in ‘The Social Network’, Jobs is someone who can’t be entirely painted as either a hero or villain. Because like Zuckerberg, he really did know what he was doing. As many people have pointed out, he was a master showman and his presentations were the technological equivalent of a rock concert. It’s just that it results in him being unable to work well with others. As noted earlier, a lot of the film revolves around the relationship with Jobs has with various people. We can sense a real brotherhood between Jobs and Steve Wozniak (Seth Rogen, in a rare dramatic turn, provides a more down-to-earth voice compared to Jobs’ more biting/calculating personality), the father-son like relationship that Jobs has with John Sculley (Jeff Daniels of course is a veteran when it comes to Sorkin’s writing having starred in his series ‘The Newsroom’), and the more personal relationships that Jobs has with both Joanna Hoffman (Winslet is the film’s other big standout as the only person who, for the most part, is able to put up with Jobs) and his daughter Lisa.

Just a quick disclaimer; at the time I am writing this review I have not seen the 2013 Steve Jobs biopic ‘Jobs’ starring Ashton Kutcher and given that film’s generally negative reception it’s probably unlikely that I’ll watch it anytime soon, especially after watching the much more acclaimed Danny Boyle directed, Aaron Sorkin written version. Suffice it to say, these two really went above and beyond in this well-made biopic that is a direct combination of the former’s direction and the latter’s writing talents. The end result is a highly engrossing biopic that explores the fascinating life of one of the world’s most famous technological pioneers, just like what Sorkin did with David Fincher (who at one point was even slated to direct this film) in ‘The Social Network’, while also showcasing that while he may have been hard to work with, he was clearly ahead of the curve when it came to knowing where technology would end up taking us in the future. And while Michael Fassbender may not look exactly like Steve Jobs, performance-wise he gives it his all alongside the equally terrific supporting cast. Needless to say, in a few months you can expect to see this film become a major player during awards season. Maybe even a few Oscar nominations?

Rating: 4.5/5

2015 Preview: November

November 2015… the month of James Bond, the Hunger Games, Rocky Balboa, Peanuts, and Pixar. A lot of big-name films are hitting theaters during the month of Thanksgiving so let’s highlight them here today. Welcome back to Rhode Island Movie Corner’s year-long preview of the films that are set to come out in 2015. This is Part 11 of 12 and today we come to the penultimate month of 2015; November.

NOVEMBER 6- The first weekend of the month is highlighted by the one-two punch of 007 and the world of Charles Schulz’ iconic franchise, the Peanuts.

*After 2012’s billion-dollar hit ‘Skyfall’, Daniel Craig returns as James Bond in Sam Mendes’ second Bond film, ‘Spectre’. This new film, as the title suggests, will re-introduce the classic villainous organization known as Spectre that had been absent from the franchise since the 70’s due to legal issues. The film also stars Christoph Waltz as main villain Franz Oberhauser, Lea Seydoux as lead Bond girl Madeleine Swann, Monica Bellucci as secondary Bond girl Lucia Sciarra, and Dave Bautista as the film’s primary henchman Mr. Hinx. Alongside them, Ralph Fiennes (M), Naomie Harris (Moneypenny), Ben Whishaw (Q), Rory Kinnear (Tanner), and Jesper Christensen (Mr. White) all reprise their roles from previous Bond films.

*The classic world of Charles Schulz’s ‘Peanuts’ franchise comes to the big screen (for the first time since 1980) in ‘The Peanuts Movie’. Produced by Blue Sky Studios and co-written by Schulz’s son Craig and his son (Schulz’s grandson) Bryan, this new film sees Charlie Brown and his loyal dog Snoopy go on life-changing quests, as Snoopy takes on his arch-nemesis the Red Baron and Charlie Brown tries to woo the Little Red-Haired Girl.

NOVEMBER 13­- Out this weekend are a true story and an ensemble comedy.

*Antonio Banderas stars in ‘The 33’, which tells the true story of the 2010 Chilean mining disaster in which 33 miners ended up getting trapped for over two months in the San Jose mine when a cave-in occurs. The film also stars Rodrigo Santoro, Juliette Binoche, and James Brolin.

*A major ensemble cast headlines ‘Love the Coopers’, a Christmas comedy that follows four generations of the titular Cooper family as they unite for their annual Christmas Eve party; John Goodman, Diane Keaton, Amanda Seyfried, Alan Arkin, Olivia Wilde, Ed Helms, Marisa Tomei, June Squibb, and Anthony Mackie.

NOVEMBER 20- While the big draw this weekend is the finale to the ‘Hunger Games’ saga, there’s also a Seth Rogen comedy and an adaptation of an Argentinian novel for the non-Hunger Games crowds.

*After four years, the ‘Hunger Games’ series finally comes to an end with ‘Mockingjay Part 2’, the immediate follow-up to last year’s ‘Mockingjay Part 1’. This final film sees Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) leading the districts of Panem in a final showdown against President Snow (Donald Sutherland) and the corrupt Capitol. Lawrence is once again joined by, among others, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Julianne Moore, Elizabeth Banks, Jeffrey Wright, Sam Claflin, Jena Malone, Stanley Tucci, and the late Philip Seymour Hoffman.

*Seth Rogen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Anthony Mackie headline ‘The Night Before’, in which they star as a trio of friends who seek to have one last great Christmas Eve hurrah. The film also stars Jillian Bell, Michael Shannon, and Mindy Kaling.

*Screenwriter Billy Ray (‘The Hunger Games’, ‘Captain Phillips’) helms the American remake of the 2009 Argentine thriller ‘The Secret in their Eyes’, which in turn was based off of the 2005 novel ‘La pregunta de sus ojos’ by Eduardo Sacheri. Chiwetel Ejiofor and Julia Roberts star as a pair of FBI investigators, along with Nicole Kidman as their D.A. supervisor, who are severely affected by the tragedy of the death of one of their children.  

NOVEMBER 25- Opening early on Wednesday before the Thanksgiving Holiday are a spin-off to the Rocky franchise, Pixar’s second animated film of the year, and a new take on the classic story of Frankenstein. I’ll also add in one noteworthy limited release.

*Ryan Coogler, director of 2013’s critically acclaimed indie drama ‘Fruitvale Station’, teams up again with Fruitvale star Michael B. Jordan for ‘Creed’, a spin-off to the iconic ‘Rocky’ franchise. Jordan stars as the son of the late Apollo Creed, who begins training to become a boxer with the help of his father’s old friend, the ‘Italian Stallion’ himself, Rocky Balboa, once again played by Sylvester Stallone.

*Pixar achieves a company first this year with ‘The Good Dinosaur’, their second release in a single year. Their newest film explores a world in which the dinosaurs were never killed by the asteroid as a young Apatosaurus named Arlo tries to get back home along with his new friend, a human cave-boy named Spot. The film’s voice-cast includes Sam Elliot, Anna Paquin, and Jeffrey Wright.

*Daniel Radcliffe and James McAvoy star in ‘Victor Frankenstein’, a new take on the classic story of Frankenstein as told from the perspective of Dr. Frankenstein’s (McAvoy) assistant Igor (Radcliffe).

*And finally, debuting in limited release on Friday the 27^th is ‘The Danish Girl’, directed by ‘The King’s Speech’ and ‘Les Miserables’ director Tom Hooper. Eddie Redmayne stars as Lili Elbe, who became one of the first major recipients of sex reassignment surgery in the 1930’s. Alicia Vikander co-stars as Gerda Gottlieb, who was married to Lili back when she was Einar Wegener, and the film also stars Ben Whishaw and Matthias Schoenaerts.

And those are the films that are hitting theaters this November. Check back next month for the final part of this year-long preview as we close out 2015 with the films of December, which includes a small sci-fi film you may have heard of… ;)

BOND MONTH: Ranking the Bond Actors

To close out Rhode Island Movie Corner’s second annual Bond Month, one week before the stateside release of ‘Spectre’ on November 6^th, I will be doing what could arguably be one of the most important lists ever when it comes to talking about the James Bond franchise; ranking the 6 actors who have played James Bond to date. For the record, that doesn’t count David Niven, who played Bond in the 1967 comedy ‘Casino Royale’. Only those who starred in an ‘official’ Bond film for Eon Productions.

006 George Lazenby

Well I guess it’s the obvious choice to start off a list ranking all 6 Bond actors with the one Bond lead who literally only starred in 1 Bond film, ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’, before immediately stepping down from the role, resulting in his predecessor returning for one more ‘official’ Bond film. But for the record, it’s primarily because of this fact that he’s at the low point on this list, not due to his performance as Bond as most people like to focus on. There have been a lot of people who have accused him of being wooden in his performance and while I do see where they’re coming from, I view this as a result of Lazenby apparently never really having a chance to shine in the role because he was stuck in Sean Connery’s shadow, something that would affect Roger Moore early on in his Bond career as well. In fact, every other Bond actor’s best performance usually came in one of their later films so I feel that Lazenby could’ve fared much better had he had more time as Bond. And say what you will about his performance, but his scene where he talks to the police officer after Tracy’s death was where he was at his best. But ultimately, that would be it for George Lazenby, the one Bond that most people tend to forget, even though he was the star of one of the best Bond films of all-time.

005 Timothy Dalton

Like Lazenby, Timothy Dalton’s career as Bond was very short. He did star in more Bond films than Lazenby, but only by one more. His second film, ‘Licence to Kill’, was one of the franchise’s biggest under-performers and this subsequently led to a legal dispute over the rights to the franchise. By the time the series returned with ‘GoldenEye’, Dalton had already stepped down from the role, which is a shame because, contrary to popular opinion, I think that he was actually a really solid Bond. He was the predecessor to Daniel Craig in terms of portraying a much more serious and emotionally driven Bond. Plus, he absolutely looked the part, perhaps even more so than any other Bond lead before or after him. But ultimately his biggest downfall while in the role was that he wasn’t as strong as Roger Moore when it came to spewing Bond’s trademark quips. I wouldn’t go as far to say that he was ‘absolutely terrible’ at humor, but because he played the role so seriously, there wasn’t as many opportunities for one-liners. Still, I think he did a phenomenal job as Bond and I’d argue that ‘Licence to Kill’ is not only his best Bond film, but also the series’ most underrated film to date.

004 Roger Moore

Sean Connery and Roger Moore are arguably the two most iconic Bonds of all-time. But when it came to Moore’s tenure as 007, he had a bit of a mixed run in terms of both performances and the films that he starred in. Early on in his run, the filmmakers tried to make him like Sean Connery’s Bond when really that was the wrong route to go, which was most evident in ‘The Man with the Golden Gun’ (e.g. the scene where he twists Andrea Anders’ arm in order to get information from her) and ‘For Your Eyes Only’, which opted to take a much more serious route compared to its far campier predecessor ‘Moonraker’. Moore wasn’t the tougher Bond like Connery was that was similar to Ian Fleming’s original interpretation. He was much more charismatic and was also a master when it came to Bond’s hilarious quips. So ultimately, his best performances as Bond came in films like ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’, ‘Moonraker’, and ‘Octopussy’, where he was simply allowed to be himself. However, he was also in the role longer than he needed to be. By the time he started filming his final Bond film, ‘A View to a Kill’, he was 57 years old and was even older than his leading lady’s mother. By that point, he was no longer convincing in the role so it’s a good thing that ‘A View to a Kill’ ended up being the last time Moore would take on the role of Bond. It’s a shame though that he had to end his career with what is, in my opinion, the worst Bond film in the series to date.

003 Sean Connery

What more can be said about Sean Connery as James Bond? He was the one who started it all and is arguably the one actor that is the most identified with the character. So why then is he only ranked at #3 on this list? Well ultimately this just comes to down to personal preference as I just like the next two actors more in the role of Bond. It may have something to do with the fact that these next two actors were the Bonds of my time but that doesn’t mean that I don’t like Connery in the role of Bond. He definitely had the right amount of swagger and charisma for the role and was also able to throw in a good quip from time to time. But at the same time, he also wasn’t afraid to take on some of the darker elements of the character. As far as his films are concerned, he started off his career as Bond with a bang with three back-to-back classics in ‘Dr. No’, ‘From Russia with Love’, and ‘Goldfinger’. However after that, his Bond films started to decline in terms of quality. Part of it can stem from the fact that it seemed like Connery was getting bored in the role which is most noticeable in ‘Thunderball’ and especially in ‘You Only Live Twice’. He retired from the role after ‘You Only Live Twice’ but returned two films later for ‘Diamonds are Forever’. But while he was definitely much more enthusiastic in the role this time around, the film ended up being the weakest of the Bond films that he did for Eon. After that film, he finally stepped away from the Eon franchise for good… and then reprised the role of Bond one more time in the unofficial Bond film/remake of ‘Thunderball’, ‘Never Say Never Again’, released in 1983, the same year as ‘Octopussy’.

002 Daniel Craig

As we all know, when Daniel Craig was first cast as 007, a lot of fans weren’t too pleased with this decision. Feeling that Craig simply wasn’t fit for the role of Bond, they responded with the kind of vitriol that you tend to see from comic book fans whenever someone is cast in the lead role of a superhero film. But Craig thankfully managed to prove most of his critics wrong with ‘Casino Royale’, in which he proved to be one of the finest to have ever taken on the role of Bond. The film marked a new era for the Bond franchise as it moved away from the over-the-top plots and gadgets in favor of a stripped down, grittier interpretation of the character and Craig more than fit the part. He carries a cold and edgy demeanor but also has an emotional vulnerability to him as well. ‘Quantum of Solace’ may have been a rather disappointing follow-up to ‘Casino Royale’, but Craig still shined as Bond. And then came ‘Skyfall’, which once again redefined the character of Bond. Now Bond had to deal with the possibility of being ‘past his prime’ in an age where people like Q are much more effective behind a computer than he is out in the field. As I stated earlier, usually a Bond lead actor’s best performance comes in one of their later films and that is definitely the case for Daniel Craig with his performance in ‘Skyfall’, steely and physical while also suave and poised like the Bonds before him.

001 Pierce Brosnan

This may be a bit of a controversial choice but yes, Pierce Brosnan is my personal favorite James Bond. While he had already stepped down from the role by the time I started watching the Bond films, he was the first major actor in the role since I was born and as a result, he’s the one I most identify with the role… yes, even more so than Connery. As Bond, Brosnan found the perfect mix of Roger Moore’s charm and wit and Timothy Dalton’s emotional drive. In other words, he was a very well-rounded Bond. As far as his films went, admittedly they went down in quality with each subsequent installment after the brilliance that what his debut film, ‘GoldenEye’. But as far as his performances in the role were concerned, I’d argue that he was one of the most consistent of the 6 Bond leads and never really gave a ‘bad’ performance as Bond. It’s just a shame that some of his films didn’t live up to the quality of his performances. It may just be a case of personal preference, but at the end of the day, Pierce Brosnan is still my favorite James Bond.