James Bond News - December 2012
Published: Tue, 12/04/12
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Available to download for Kindle
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4th November 2012 Hi It's been another busy month, with Skyfall finally opening in the US and other territories worldwide. The film is still enjoying phenomenal success and looks like it will continue to do so for a while yet.During the month I had some additional excitement to contend with when I managed to trash my hard disk drive (if you follow me on Twitter or Facebook you may have already seen me talk about this). I don't think it was anything to do with Raoul Silva, but you never know ;) Luckily the amount of data lost was minimal simply because I save many files online using Dropbox (they give you 2GB storage for free, so I definitely recommend them!), but I was without my computer for a little more than week. Anyway, below you'll find links to the articles and news published on The James Bond Dossier this last month. And it's already December! So, I'll wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I'll definitely be in contact in January, and if anything comes up before then I'll send you an email. Until next time!
PS Don't forget to follow us on Twitter and/or Facebook. PPS For more info on Dropbox click here. If you sign up and download their software they give me more space, which is much appreciated too!
Bond exhibit opens in Canada as ‘Skyfall’ set to open:
“Designing 007 – Fifty Years of Bond Style” has arrived in Toronto coinciding with the release of Skyfall in North America. Dawn.com has covered the exhibition, which was originally shown in London earlier this year. For some reason the London exhibition finished before the Skyfall premiere, which surely would have attarcted many more visitors. Skyfall opens [...] Read more...
Sam Mendes on the Skyfall gunbarrel:
Warning: slight spoiler Empire Online has published a video interview with Sam Mendes in which he talks about the gunbarrel and how he had originally planned to start Skyfall. However, he says that when he put it there it “looked ridiculous” because of the opening shot, which is reminiscent of the gunbarrel. He also says the the [...] Read more...
Ian Fleming’s WWII exploits fictionalised in “Shaken Not Stirred”, available today:
Aaron Cooley's debut novel, "Shaken Not Stirred", is loosely based on some of Ian Fleming's exploits during World War II. In the book he takes the reader on a thrill ride across two continents and six nations in pursuit of the spy who inspired 007.
"Shaken Not Stirred" is published by Melnore Press, a new Los Angeles-based independent publisher specializing in ebooks and is available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble from today. Read more...
Skyfall review (spoiler free):
Since I attended the World Premiere of Skyfall at the Royal Albert Hall on October 23rd you may have expected me to write this review sooner, and in fact I had planned on producing something immediately after seeing the film. However, events worked out differently to planned and so it is only now, the day [...] Read more...
Skyfall survey:
Have you seen Skyfall yet? If so, why don’t you complete our survey into what the James Bond fan community thinks about the news film. Simply complete form below and hit SUBMIT. All replies will be kept strictly confidential, but you answers may be shared. Read more...
Skyfall IMAX Featurette:
In this feature used to promote Skyfall on IMAX Producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson discuss the film, with Broccoli saying that the 50th anniversary created pressure to make the best Bond film ever and that she believes Javier Bardem's character is one of the most interesting Bond villains ever. Sam Mendes speaks about wanting some great one on one dialogue scenes, Daniel Craig says they wanted to make something special and Javier Bardem discusses his experiences. Read more...
James Bond – The Nymphographic [Infographic]:
How many women has James Bond slept with in 50 years of movies? Find out from this infographic. Read more...
Skyfall beats batman to become UK’s highest grossing film of 2012:
The official 007 website has announced that Skyfall has become the biggest film at the UK box office this year after beating The Dark Knight Rises. In 12 days Skyfall has taken £57 million, beating the £55.6 million taken by Casino Royale and is now the biggest Bond movie ever in terms of the unadjusted box office take. [...] Read more...
Orlebar Brown Setter swim shorts from Skyfall:
When James Bond arrives in Shanghai in Skyfall he spends some free time doing lengths of his hotel pool. Daniel Craig once again gets to show off his physique dressed in just a pair of swim shorts, thing time around provided by Orlebar Brown. The Setter swim shorts have been modelled on classic 1950s designs and features zip [...] Read more...
James Bond Drinks book hits Amazon’s best seller lists:
“The Complete Guide to the Drinks of James Bond”, written by David Leigh, the owner of The James Bond Dossier, is currently ranking in the top 10 of a number of Amazon’s best seller lists. At the time of writing it is ranking second in both Bartending and Drinks & Beverages (Kindle) and second [...] Read more...
Skyfall sets new highs for 007:
Skyfall‘s opening weekend in the US saw it take $87.8 million in regular theatres, and with another $2.2 million from IMAX, was estimated to have ended the weekend reaching $90 million. This is a new record for the series and more than double the take of Casino Royale‘s debut in 2006. Skyfall has now reached $518.6 million [...] Read more...
Skyfall set for second spot in UK all time office take:
Skyfall took an estimated $18.2m (£11.4m) in its third weekend in the UK for a total of $115.8m (£72.9m). It is already the biggest non-3D film ever in the UK and currently fourth when 3D releases are taken into account, behind Avatar, Toy Story 3 and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. However, Skyfall should overtake [...] Read more...
Master of Malt Vesper:
Many years ago (even before Casino Royale was released in 2006), I was consulted on the possibility of making a pre-mixed Vesper. In the end, this came to nothing, so I was interested to see that Master of Malt’s Handmade Cocktail Company had released a bottled Vesper to coincide with the release of the latest [...] Read more...
Review: Everything Or Nothing, The Untold Story of 007:
On Sunday night I was lucky enough to see the new documentary “Everything Or Nothing”, commissioned as part of the celebrations for the fifthieth anniversary of cinematic James Bond. While it received a cinema release in the UK, albeit on a limited number of screens, and was shown on cable in the US I had [...] Read more...
Opening titles of Skyfall now available online:
Watch Daniel Kleinman's opening title sequence for Skyfall, which has been uploaded to YouTube by ComingSoon.net. Read more...
Skyfall benefits from IMAX and Veterans Day [Chicago Tribune]:
Skyfall grossed more than $100 million in the United States in its first five days, benefiting from word of mouth from its early IMAX release and the Veterans Day holiday on Monday according to a report by the Chicago Tribune; on Monday alone it earned $11.3 million. Globally Skyfall had taken $535 million by Tuesday and the article predicts that audience [...] Read more...
The History of 007 [Infographic]:
Infographic showing the history of James Bond on the big screen covering the actors to have played 007, M, Moneypenny and Q, teh cars, the guns and the box office returns. Read more...
Skyfall helicopters video blog:
The latest video blog shows behind the scenes footage of the helicopters used in Skyfall and discusses some of the challenges involved.
It shows the helicopter used by Silva learning the location and set, while the camera chopper finds just how close it can get during filming; 23 feet at 100 mph is the answer, leaving little margin for error. And as the pilot says, if you're going to be in a film it's got to be a Bond film! Read more...
Bond villains exhibition opens in Washington:
A new exhibition entitled “Exquisitely Evil: 50 Years of Bond Villains” is being mounted by the The International Spy Museum in Washington featuring some of the most memorable of 007′s foes from tjhe last fifty years. The exhibition will feature villains, henchmen, lairs and weapons and on display are 100 items from the films, including Jaws’ steel [...] Read more...
James Bond’s Skyfall motorcycle to be auctioned for Children In Need – Telegraph:
Children In Need is to benefit from the auction of the Honda CRF250R ridden by Daniel Craig, according to The Telegraph. Honda UK has donated the modified motocross bike to be auctioned on eBay for the BBC’s annual fundraiser, with the auction closing on Thursday 22nd November at midnight. Honda is hoping to raise several [...] Read more...
Skyfall soundtrack hits 27 year high:
Skyfall‘s soundtrack is proving to be the most popular in the United States since A View To A Kill in 1985, according to 411mania.com. The article reports that Skyfall hit the number 100 spot in the Billboard 200 album chart. It goes on to say that it is only the second 007 soundtrack no to [...] Read more...
Skyfall overtakes Casino Royale at box office for top grossing Bond film but Thunderball untouched when inflation adjusted:
This weekend saw Skyfall pass Casino Royale as the biggest grossing 007 movie of all time, notching up $669.2 million worldwide compared with $599.2 million for Casino Royale. The box office performance of Skyfall has helped push Sony Pictures past its previous 2009 best according to Jeff Blake, Sony’s chairman of Worldwide Marketing and Distribution for Sony. However, while the figures appear to [...] Read more...
Skyfall survey: what Bond fans really think of the new 007 film:
When Skyfall finally opened in the United States we ran a survey to find out what fans think about the new James Bond film. The survey ran from November 8th when it opened in IMAX in the US until November 15th, during which time we collected 451 responses. Overview of the survey results Note that [...] Read more...
Purvis and Wade say that Logan and Mendes have Bond 24 plot:
Skyfall screenwriters Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, who have confirmed they are leaving the series after the success of the current film, have said that John Logan and Sam Mendes have a plot for Bond 24. An article in Total Film speculates that this might mean Mendes comes back for another film. The pair also [...] Read more...
James Bond Skyfall’s china bulldog sells out | Mail Online:
007 may have hated the porcelain British bulldog bequeathed to him by M in Skyfall, but the figurine has proved to be enormously popular following the release of the film. So popular, in fact, that manufacturer Royal Dalton has sold out thanks to the spike in demand and the £50 bulldog will not be available [...] Read more...
Sam Mendes interviewed by Collider:
Sam Mendes was recently interviewed about Skyfall and other projects by Collider.com, which you can watch above. The interview is around 20 minutes and, just in case you're easily offended, contains some swearing. Mendes discusses a variety of topics regarding the film, including cinematography; deleted scenes; finishing post production just two days before the first press screening; the direction changes brought on board for Skyfall; and Javier Bardem's character. Read more...
Do Product-Placement Ads Work?:
What could have been an interesting article by Livescience.com – and it does ask an interesting question – seems to have been written by someone who hasn’t actually seen Skyfall and trots out the well worn media cliche that James Bond drinks Heineken instead of vodka martinis in Skyfall. Another cited example of product placement [...] Read more...
The Music of James Bond [Infographic]:
This week it's the turn of the music of James Bond to receive the infographic treatment, from Dr No to Skyfall. Read more...
Skyfall survey: likes and dislikes of fans who rated Skyfall poorly:
In the first look at the stats from our Skyfall survey we reported the responses to the first three questions. As the last two questions were completely open and given both the variety and verbosity of some of the responses it seemed a better idea to take a look at how people responded by how [...] Read more...
Skyfall Blu-ray Release Date and Cover Art (Updated) | TheHDRoom:
The Blu-Ray and DVD release of Skyfall is due on March 8th 2013 according to an article by The HD Room, who obtained their information from Amazon. Given the enormous success of the film at the cinema the DVD release is sure to be hugely popular. Read the full article here Read more...
007 Christmas gifts that won’t break the bank:
I have no idea how many shopping days are left until Christmas, and tend to leave it until the last minute anyway, but we were recently asked by VoucherCodes.co.uk to provide a list of Christmas gifts ideal for James Bond fans. The brief was simple; propose five to seven gift ideas, all under £80 and [...] Read more...
Picks of the week – 23 November 2012:
This is the first article in what I’m hoping will be a weekly series featuring the best articles and blog posts we come across each week about James Bond and shared via the news section or our social media channels. Purvis and Wade, an appreciation Our friends at HMSS Weblog take a look at the [...] Read more...
Skyfall to break through $725 Million this weekend:
High cinema attendances in the United States over the Thanksgiving weekend has boosted the take for Skyfall, which currently lies in second place at the US, between the latest instalment in the Twilight saga and Spielberg’s Lincoln. According to Deadline, the 5 day weekend will put Skyfall on $223 million in the US. The estimated [...] Read more...
Skyfall close to $800 million after bumper Thanksgiving box office:
Skyfall received a huge boost over the Thanksgiving weekend thanks to a new box office record for all movies during the US holiday, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The five day period between Wednesday night and Sunday saw the new Bond movie add another $51 for a total of $221.7 million in the US, the [...] Read more...
Skyfall gets close to Avatar’s UK box office record:
While Skyfall may currently be in second place behind the latest Twilight film at the UK box office, the latest 007 adventure took £3.8 million last week to total £89.6 million after five weekends and closing in on Avatar’s record of £93.4 million, according to article on Flickering Myth. As of Monday Skyfall had reached $223 million in the [...] Read more...
Skyfall survey: likes and dislikes of fans who rated Skyfall neutrally:
Last week I took a look at those responses to our recent Skyfall survey from people who ranked the film negatively. As I mentioned in that article my original intention was to start on a positive note, but the loss of a hard disk drive meant my computer was out of action for a few [...] Read more...
Bond Gadgets That Predicted The Future:
Intel’s technology blog, IQ by Intel, features an article looking at some early Bond gadgets that were so in advance of their time that they appeared far fetched, but are in use in some form today. The films in question are From Russia With Love, Goldfinger and Thunderball, with the article discussing mobile phones, GPS, [...] Read more...
007 Cars [Infographic]:
The main cars featuring in the James Bond films, including Aston Martins, BMWs, a 2CV and many more. Read more...
A look at Skyfall’s visual effects:
Skyfall features more than 1,300 shots involving special effects, according to this article by FX Guide, with work by a variety of companies and including miniature work supervised by Chris Corbould. The article includes a podcast with visual effects supervisor Steve Begg (click here to go direct to the podcast), as well as looking in detail [...] Read more...
Picks of the week – 30 November 2012:
We take a look at our favourite blog posts we’ve seen this week from across the internet and either featured on the website or shared via social media. Reception committee: Fleming and Bond arrive in Jamaica Edward Bidduph notices some similarities between James Bond’s arrival in Jamaica in Dr No and Ian Fleming’s own arrival [...] Read more...
Diamonds Are Forever manuscript expected to raise £80,000:
A manuscript of Diamonds Are Forever with Ian Fleming’s hand written corrections is expected to raise £80,000 when it comes up for auction at Sotherby’s later this month, according to an article in the Telegraph. The manuscript was typed by Fleming’s secretary, Ulrica Knowles, and includes substantial hand written corrections on nearly every page, including the [...] Read more...
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