New James Bond = Daniel Craig.

I was thinking that as well! The sole remarkable point about it, I think.

"Tell me about this Chris Cornell guy. I've never heard of him!"

This will be an interesting conversation.

I had yet to find anything to complain about - at length anyway - after watching CR. I felt the Astons could've been utilised more and I did wonder how well Clive Owen would've done. Despite having never read any of the books, I can see Daniel as a very good approximation of Bond as Fleming intended him, much like Tim Dalton was. While DC doesn't have TD's looks, he has more of an edge and doesn't have the slight look of discomfort I sometimes got from watching TD in his two flicks.

However, Sean is still king. Granted, Daniel's playing a fairly different Bond altogether, not to mention for a different time, and it's really up to the next 2 films for DC to portray the Bond we actually know effectively, but he wasn't truly playing the same 007 as the others were and until he does, I wouldn't quite judge him on their criteria.

Havin' said that, I definitely enjoyed it and the strip-down/delayed introduction of Bond's characteristics really gave a lot of effect to conveying his job - a glorified hitman and point-and-click problem solver for MI6 - what makes him special is his gift of being ultra-adaptable to missions and in situations, which I personally think is as much a defining trait of his as the catchphrases. The real trick is not just overcoming Connery, but also From Russia With Love, which is still the pinnacle of 007-ness.

Also: EVA GREEN (never more beautiful than when applying her make-up in the bathroom - the minimal approach clearly works for her too!)

Dead right. I was never convinced by Brosnan, and his films were just washed-out, synthetic pastiches of the real thing.

My thoughts on Casino Royale:

Craig was excellent.... another film and he'll be the best Bond ever.

Bollock-torture scene was discreetly done and still incredibly daring.

Eva Green was very good but she wasn't quite "Diana Rigg enough" for me to buy into the Bond/Vesper love story.

Overall, I think the casual Bond film viewer won't like the lack of a true central villain, they could've cut about fifteen minutes from the running time but several scenes were just breathtaking.

Not quite the best but better than any Moore, Dalton or Brosnan film. Definite top five material. OHMSS still my all-time favourite Bond film.

Yup. But if they're smart they can find a way to get there.

Turns out my mom knew who Soundgarden and Audioslave were, which honestly surprised me. Therefore explaining Chris Cornell was easy.

The only problem with the Aston Martin was the interior. The diamond shaped suede stitching and suede dash are a little too precious for Bond.

Craig in a much tougher Goldeneye vs. Sean Bean, hmm...

and bond sits down with her, gives her a big shoulder to lean on. so touching. and then - starts sucking on her fingers??! he is totally emotionally INEPT. "chicks always dig it when i suck on their fingers... so uh that oughtta do the trick amirite?"

I love Pierce, but he was rub as Bond. The main frustration is that he could've done better. He's much more assured (and Bond-ian) in Thomas Crown and the Tailor of Panama. But he's a bit of a milquetoast in the Bond movies.

Also, I'm really glad Clive Owen didn't get it. Horrible actor!

i can't believe people were talking about hugh jackman as bond at one point.

I *liked* Pierce Brosnan. I've never read the books, but he looked good and camped it up in some of the campest Bond films, so yeah, horses for courses, he was the best actor for those films. Imagine someone playing them for serious, ugh.

However, Daniel Craig was marvellous. As was the film. And you lot whinging about Chris Cornell just because he's Chris Cornell, get over yourselves. As a "Bond theme" (and let's face it, there *is* a genre of that), it pissed all over, say, Die Another Day. You listened to that Cornell song alongside the credits which were great and stylish and retro enough for a revisitation of the start of Bond's career but without the wavey women, and the whole thing just screamed "HELLO!! THIS IS A BOND MOVIE"!!! Is that not all one wants from a Bond theme?

(note, I never need to hear it again in my life out of context, but it worked perfectly fine where it was for what it was)

I couldn't disagree more.

Die Another Day I liked out of context. In context, urgh.

There was Richard Branson going through airport security,

er, wasn't it a cardboard cut out? something to do with virgin airlines

uh guys she didn't have blood on her hands, she was going sorta loco right then.

I distinctly remember her saying the blood wouldn't all come off even though she had been in the shower all that time, but perhaps your post is also metaphoric!

Read yet another "Could Bond be black?" piece in the Grauniad the other day, the issue being the difficulty in reconciling Bond being black and British in a way that suggested the writer may have never met the likes of me ;-).

I remember when Pierce stopped compensating for the shortcomings of his movies, which was right around The World Is Not Enough. Did anyone besides me enjoy The Matador, btw?

I wasn't a fan of the Cornell, but on reflection, think it could've been aces if a woman (Bjork!) sung it.

Hm, I can hear that.