Month: May 2026
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Don’t really go in for that anymore
In Skyfall, Q’s flippant response to Bond regarding the now apparently taboo “exploding pens” was nothing short of disappointing. I almost screamed at the movie theater screen: “WHY NOT?!” We could’ve at least gotten an explanation as to why this… Read More →
Filed Under: Skyfall -
Spectre’s Enough, No “Ghost” for Bond 26
A few action franchises have leaned hard on the word “ghost” in their titles in the recent past, and it already feels tired. I understand the intent to portray a villain as some shadowy, untouchable force lurking beneath the surface,… Read More →
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Bond’s five shot glass Spectre logo
The five bullet hole bulletproof glass Spectre octopus logo perfectly encapsulates the mixed bag of a movie. Clever in theory, but in the end it tries too hard and misses the forest for the trees. Between the Bond/Blofeld boyhood brotherhood… Read More →
Filed Under: Spectre -
The girl, or the mission?
Trevelyan’s ultimatum in GoldenEye aboard the train perfectly captures James Bond’s central paradox. For all his charm and romance, Bond is ultimately trained to treat personal attachment as a liability. That’s why his answer, “Kill her. She means nothing to… Read More →
Filed Under: GoldenEye -
Baccarat in the cards for Bond 26?
With Texas Hold ’em losing some of its post-Casino Royale sheen, Bond 26 has a timely opportunity to return James Bond to baccarat, the game most closely tied to Ian Fleming’s original vision. And if reports of a twenty-something James… Read More →
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Stage actor Tom Francis auditions for 007
According to Variety, stage actor Tom Francis has reportedly auditioned for James Bond in Bond 26, and the mere fact he’s in the mix feels like a small victory for avid James Bond fans. With just a single film credit… Read More →
Filed Under: Bond 26 -
007 as World War II intelligence officer?
Writer Steven Knight revealed in an interview at Cannes Film Festival that he met “special forces and secret services personnel” as part of the process of “immersion” into their world for the upcoming Bond 26. Even more curious, he… Read More →
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One for yourself, one for your dreams
The above lyric from You Only Live Twice has always felt like a euphemism of encouragement. But take it seriously and it becomes a sly invitation to reinvent Bond. Imagine a Bond 26 under Denis Villeneuve that leans into a… Read More →
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Thy dawn, oh master of the world
Tracy Draco’s performative poetry-off with Blofeld in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service feels a bit puzzling at first. The “master” is framed as a single figure as the center of attention, someone for whom the world quite literally “wakes,” and… Read More →
Filed Under: On Her Majesty’s Secret Service -
You had your cyanide
In Die Another Day, Bond returns from North Korean captivity expecting at least a trace of sympathy, only to be reminded by M withe the above line that he always had an exit. Bond’s response that he “got rid of… Read More →
Filed Under: Die Another Day