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Advertising: Does it make a movie a movie? By StealthEMG Issue 6 98-03-14 Product Placement, a term that is becoming more and more evident nowadays. But what exactly is product placement? It's when a company that makes a product (let's use Heineken) pays to have their product shown in something such as a movie ( Let's take Tomorrow Never Dies as an example). This is also commonly called commercialization of movies. Years ago with the older James Bonds there never used to be the product placement that is going on today. In TND there are so many products that are commercialized, it's hard to name them all, but I'll try:
The Man Behind the History of Bond By SethJared Issue 9 98-05-21 We often think of James Bond as movies, but there's actually a lot more to James Bond than "The pleasure's mine," and "Shaken, not stirred". James Bond was created by a man who was in the British Secret Service, Ian Fleming. Unfortunately, the British have classified most, actually all, he's done in his career, so, those of us who are fans of Ian Fleming, will never know what role he played in His Majesty's Secret Service during World War II. After he ended his Secret Service career, Mr. Fleming started writing about things based on his experiences in the Secret Service, only he named the starring spy James Bond. After his books became popular, people, such as Albert Broccoli (Bro-COALEE), forgot that whoever made these outstanding books was actually in the British Secret Service, started making his books into movies. The first of these was Dr. No, starring Sean Connery. The most recent James Bond books were not written by Ian Fleming. They were written by John Gardner and Raymond Benson. And after Fleming's books were made into movies, then scripts would be written by someone else for the rest of the movies. One movie, Goldeneye, was made into a videogame, with pieces from The Man With the Golden Gun, and Moonraker. I think it is important to not forget who was really behind James Bond. I think we should honor Ian Fleming sometime in the year. After I found out that Ian Fleming was behind James Bond, I wanted to meet him, but, unfortunately, he has been dead for quite some time. But, still, even after he was dead and I found out about him, I was surprised there was just one man behind The History of James Bond. The Man Of The Hour: Ian Fleming By StealthEMG Issue 10 98-06-02 This issue of Codename: 007 is the Ian Fleming dedication issue. After all, he was the one who brought us James Bond, a character we all know and love. Fleming was born in London on May 28, 1908. He actually was an intelligence officer and did a lot of espionage. This helped him to be able to write about a fictional British Secret Service character, James Bond. In 1944 when Fleming went on a wartime trip to Jamaica, he decided he would go back after the war. He got some beach property in Jamaica and built a house called "Goldeneye". After his spy days Fleming became a columnist for some English papers. One day in 1952 Fleming decided he wanted to write a novel in his beach house, Goldeneye. This is where James Bond was born. Within six weeks, Fleming completed his first Bond novel, Casino Royale. He went on to write many more James Bond novels until his death on August 12, 1964. The James Bond books were destined for film, when in 1961 Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman got film rights to all of Fleming's novels except Casino Royale. Well, that's the long and short of the life of Ian Fleming, perhaps one of the greatest authors to ever write. James Bond became who he is today because of Ian Fleming. All James Bond fans owe him thanks. If I had more time, I'd write more about Fleming, but then what would I have to write for another issue? The One And Only by Afitch9121 Issue 10 98-06-02 "Do you expect me to talk, Goldfinger?" "No Mr. Bond, I Expect you to die!" Those were the famous lines from Goldfinger. The most famous line in the world from any movie is Bond, James Bond. Just think from what he's done and what happened and where we are today. I know that this is taking up your time but the people in this club are Bond fans. We need to respect and remember him. But we really need to respect Mr. Ian Fleming, the man of it all. We also need to respect Mr. Albert Broccoli. He was a great man. So today and when you read this letter, you can do something; learn about Bond and his creators. Learn about the actors. Learn about the directors and all the people who made the man who was on her majesties secret service, Mr. James Bond. Also the man of the hour you know, almost half of the money from the Bond products go to The Ian Flemming Foundation. So help out and learn about this man...........James Bond The History and Future of James Bond Action Figures from Exclusive Premiere By StealthEMG Issue 14 98-07-28 It all started last December, when Tomorrow Never Dies action figures started popping up in Toys R Us just around the time that the movie came into theaters. Naturally when I found out, I wanted to be first in line to get them. There was Wai Lin, Elliot Carver, and of course, James Bond. These new action figures were made by Exclusive Premiere, a company that specializes in making dolls for all sorts of movies and TV shows including Dukes of Hazzard, Babylon 5, and Grease. Granted, these action figures don't look exactly like the people they are modeled after, but for the most part, they are still pretty good. Exclusive Premiere continued to make more James Bond action figures, with the introduction of the Dr. No series in January. This series includes James Bond, Dr. No, and Honey Ryder. I finally got the Dr. No set of action figures just a few days ago. For the James Bond fan and collector, these action figures are a necessity. The action figures themselves are 6" in height. As I said above, they somewhat resemble the characters they portray. They are dressed in attire that they wore in the movie. All in all they are a good attempt to make action figures out of movie characters. You can probably find them in your local Toys R Us although I have heard that some of them (at least one) may not carry the figures. The retail price on the James Bond figures is about $10.00. But when I went to Toys R Us the other day to buy the Dr. No figures, they were all marked down to $5.00. Lucky me. In addition to the Tomorrow Never Dies, and Dr. No dolls, another set is also available right now. This set consists of 3 Bond girls: Tracy Bond, Pussy Galore and Jill Masterson. It is not, however, available in Toys R Us. These Bond Girls are very elusive. They are hiding out in comic book stores around the country. To catch them, you will have to check your local comic book stores. So far, I haven't been able to find them. Exclusive Premiere will continue to make action figures from the different James Bond movies, which will all be available at Toys R Us. Coming in August will be The Spy Who Loved Me series which includes James Bond, Anya Amasova and Jaws. Also on the way later this fall is the Goldfinger series. This set has James Bond, Oddjob and Auric Goldfinger. Exclusive Premiere plans to eventually make action figures for all the different James Bond movies. We'll just have to be on the look out for what's next. Again, if you are a James Bond collector these figures are a necessity for your collection. But even if you are just a James Bond fan, these action figures are really cool to have. So get off your butt and get to Toys R Us to get these really cool figures! Movie Reviews: Tomorrow Never Dies review By StealthEMG Issue 4 98-03-02 Friday, December 21, 1997, I saw Tomorrow Never Dies, a movie that I've been waiting to see for almost 11 months, and now it's time for my review. This movie was the absolute BEST movie of the year. You may have read some bad reviews in some papers, but they were all wrong. It was very interesting and the plot flowed. The idea of a media mogul who would rather use his world wide broadcasting power to create news rather than report it, is somehow fitting to the increasingly technical age we are living in. The gadgets are a modern as the idea. One is a mobile phone that does everything from opening doors to steering a remote controlled BMW. One part of TND that was better than Goldeneye, the last James Bond movie, was that the car was actually used. It was part of a long chase scene which ended in the car being delivered back to the Avis rental service. Bond (Pierce Brosnan) teams up with Wai Lin (Michelle Yeoh), a Chinese secret agent, to stop Elliot Carver (Jonathan Pryce) from initiating world war three. They worked well together and each saved the other's rear at least twice. The motorcycle chase involving Bond and Wai Lin was also perfectly executed. Teri Hatcher's appearance as Paris Carver, Elliot Carver's wife and Bond's old flame, though short lived, gave Bond that extra determination to bring down Carver. TND is rated PG-13 and has some violence and "adult situations", but nothing that can't be found in other James Bond movies. I would recommend it to anyone. And as I said before, I think TND is the best movie of 1997, and one of the better Bond movies. If I had to choose between seeing the Titanic, the other heavily anticipated movie that opened that Friday as well, for the first time and seeing Tomorrow Never Dies again, I would definitely choose to see TND again. Tomorrow Never Dies review by Afitch9121 Issue 5 98-03-07 Hello, I saw TND a while back on Dec.19 when it came out. I left the theater wanting to go back and see it over again, but after begging over and over, I left and saw it again at a later time. StealthEMG was right by far. It was (my opinion) the best Bond film ever made! I have to say e-mail me for the scoop on TND if you haven't seen it. StealthEMG pretty much explained it for you, from gadgets to chase scenes to blowing up a boat in the middle of the South China Sea. Go and see it if you can, because if you don't you'll be missing out on a wonderful movie! You Only Live Twice review By Jame07Bond Issue 6 98-03-14 Although I just joined, I really liked You Only Live Twice. It is the way that he gets married to that girl and then has to get in that Ninja training camp that really does a good job of bringing out the excitement of James Bond. He also had that helicopter which does a great job of blowing up those big choppers (like that will ever happen) and he climbs in that mountain and kills the leader of Spectre. 2 THUMBS UP. You Only Live Twice review by StealthEMG Issue 6 98-03-14 You Only Live Twice was the first Bond movie with a plot line that was not feasible. Come on, a rocket/spaceship that up and "swallows" other spaceships, that's just pure sci/fi. Just because a movie doesn't have a believable plot line doesn't mean it's not good. I thought that YOLT was a very good movie. It may not have been among the best of Bonds, but it was good. Little Nellie, the mini helicopter proved to be a very good one of Q's inventions. The helicopter and Little Nellie action scene was pretty good. In fact, I found it much more entertaining than the boat chase scene in Live and Let Die, which was the Bond movie that I had seen just a few days before I saw YOLT. The boat scene almost put me to sleep... But there will be another time for a review on that movie. Another high point in YOLT was the scenic background where it was filmed, in the far east. With that said, although YOLT wasn't one of the best Bonds, it certainly wasn't among the worst. So I'd place it smack dab in the middle. I'd write more about this, but I am being beckoned away from the computer. Until next time.... keep watching 007 Goldeneye review by unknown Issue 6 98-03-14 This was the movie that started my James Bond obsession. I had gone to see Batman Forever, and I saw the preview for this movie. From that point on I dove head first into the Bond-mania. I saw Goldeneye opening night on November 17, 1995. I had seen some of the other Bond movies on television (courtesy of 13 Days of 007 on TBS), but this movie blew me away. From the opening sequence to the closing credits, this movie was amazing. The opening sequence to this movie has to be one of the best, second perhaps in my opinion only to the opening sequence of "The Spy Who Loved Me." Pierce Brosnan is the best James Bond second to Sean Connery, he was destined to play 007. From the bungee jump in the pretitle sequence, to the tank scene through the streets of St. Petersburg, to the final showdown between 007 and Alec Trevelyan, this movie is non-stop, and had me sitting on the edge of my seat. I went to see it 3 more times in the movie theater, and I've lost count of the number of times I've seen it since. When this movie was in production and up until the point of its release, people were wondering if this movie could save the franchise. It had been almost a decade (adding a couple of years) since the release of the last James Bond movie, and it was uncertain whether James Bond could still sell. Not only did this movie save the franchise, grossing $350 million worldwide, but it also resurrected a new James Bond, one for the 90's, who will lead the movies into the next millenium. I highly recommend this movie, for it is one of the best, and no Bond fan should miss out it. I love Pierce! Goldeneye review by StealthEMG Issue 7 98-03-30 On a bus trip to the wonderful city of Orlando this weekend, I was prompted to share my love of 007 with everyone on the bus, even with the ones who dispise James Bond ( LOSERS! all of em! ) so I brought along my second copy (that's right second) of the movie Goldeneye. Now that the movie is fresh in my mind, I would like to express my opinion on it. The first thing that you notice right away when you see Goldeneye is that there's something different about James Bond. That's because Pierce Brosnan landed the roll as the new James Bond. It was definitely destiny for him. His late wife Cassandra played in For Your Eyes Only, and also Pierce was unable to accept the part of James Bond on the Living Daylights because he was bound to a contract with NBC. He's got that Conneryesque air about him, which makes him one of the best Bonds since, well, Connery. Not only does he look and act suave and sofisticated like James Bond should, but he does an outstanding job of delivering his lines. Some people considered for being Bond in Goldeneye besides Brosnan included: Hugh Grant, Mel Gibson, and Liam Neeson. Although many of these people are great actors, none of them besides Brosnan has what it takes to be James Bond. In my opinion, he was the only one that could fill the shoes of the great Bonds of the past. Now, on the the actual movie. The opening sequence was very impressive. One thing that makes it so wonderful is that the bungee jump at the beginning was actually done. In fact it was the longest recorded bungee jump at the time. When Bond "drops" into the bathroom at the Archangel chemical weapons facility, you see his humorous side as he says to an officer on the toilet "Pardon me, forgot to knock". The whole action sequence starting when Bond escapes from the building, and ending with the beginning of the credits was wonderfully filmed. The only flaw was that you could see that a dummy was falling from the plane at a distance. Oh well, nothing's perfect. On to the rest of the movie. Bond is being evaluated when he first sees Xenia Onatopp, and races her for a little. Being a typically Bond, after the race, he lets his evaluator give him a "full" evaluation. Then he meets Xenia in the casino. There is a playful exchange of language between them. Xenia is not an atypical Bond girl villain despite the fact that she kills people with her legs. That just goes to make situations more sexual, the way Bond movies were meant to be. I think Xenia as a villain was a good choice. Goldeneye has a new M. She is a woman, which is sort of ironic considering James Bond's history with women. This makes for some tension, which is always good. One of my favorite parts is when M and Bond are talking and she ventures to call him a "sexist, misogynist, dinosaur. A relic of the cold war..." This part is not entirely false, but it is more false than true. It just struck me as a really funny part. The other Bond girl is Natalya Siminova. She is also a typical Bond girl who is helpless to a big extent, but Bond can't get by without her. She is the one who stops that goldeneye rocket from firing. This gives Bond enough time to destroy it completely. I think she made a good Bond girl. A favorite of many is the tank scene in Goldeneye. It is, perhaps, the most memorable part. This happens after Bond learns that his old friend Trevelyan is the leader of the Janus crime syndicate. Bond goes tearing through the streets of St. Petersburg (Russia that is), destroying everything in his path. This is no surprise considering that Bond always destroys everything. It's just fun to watch him tear through whole buildings chasing these cars, and to just cause complete destruction as he moves throughout the city, much like watching the car chase in Diamonds are Forever. Bond then catches up to the train that Trevelyan took to escape with hostage, Natalya. Jack Wade is the new CIA counterpart of James Bond. It is certainly intriguing that he has a VERY striking resemblance to as the arms dealer Brad Whitaker in The Living Daylights. Other than that, he makes for a good replacement for Felix Leiter. At the end of the movie when Bond drops and kills Trevelyan, Trevelyan says just before he is dropped, "For England James" which is another insinuation that Bond does everything just for his country. He proves that he is not the man Trevelyan says he is when he replies, "No, for me". This was a good part because Bond shows that he is better than Trevelyan, in the last moments of Trevelyan's life. Overall, if I were to rate this movie from 1 to 10 stars with regards to other Bond movies, I would give it * * * * * * * * * ½ , that's nine and a half stars. I thought it was one of the best of the Bond movies, although it did have it's little flaws. Until next time...that's the end. |
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