The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies
The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies |
| Posted: 05 Oct 2012 02:57 AM PDT Legendary Agent 007 celebrates his 50th onscreen birthday. AS first appearances go, it was rather laid back. Unspectacular, if measured by the pyrotechnics and carnage that accompany most men (and women) of action in the movies these days. And yet … what followed that scene, and most of all, the other films that came after it, have earned it "classic" status. Fifty years have passed since that immortal moment when cinemagoers met one of the world's most enduring and famous heroes at a Baccarat table in an exclusive gambling club. Asked his name by a lovely but unfortunate gambler, the impeccably-dressed stranger – glimpsed only from behind up to then – pauses to light a cigarette. The camera finally reveals the ruggedly handsome face, a freshly lit cigarette dangling from Manly Man's lips as he utters the 22nd greatest quotation in cinema history (according to American Film Institute's 100 Years Series): "Bond … James Bond." Cue the theme by Monty Norman, and the moment – as well as the man – becomes the stuff of cinematic legend. It was an early scene in a modestly-budgeted 1962 film with a storied history, as intriguing to students of film history as an Ian Fleming novel might be to spy fiction buffs. The line was uttered by Sean Connery, best known up to that moment for his role in Disney's leprechaun fantasy Darby O'Gill and the Little People. Dr. No was a gamble that received a mixed critical reception upon its release, but earned enough money to guarantee that James Bond would return. Again and again, 21 more times in the "official" series with a 22nd return (that means movie #23) on the way. At the time, probably, not many people had an inkling of the phenomenon to come. Dr. No not only spawned the most successful film series of all time, it sparked off a craze for spy films and TV shows that hasn't slowed down much since it exploded in the 1960s: Matt Helm, Flint, The Man From UNCLE, The Wild Wild West, to name a few. Looking at Dr. No now, it's clear that Connery's amazing turn as the spy pushed the character into the hearts and minds of millions, overcoming whatever weaknesses the film had. Dr. No gave us many other scenes (apart from the abovementioned introduction of Mr Bond) that have carved their respective niches in cinema's hall of memorable moments. At the same time, it also had more than a few facepalm-worthy bits that may have been the result of the charming naivete of the times, or the use of consciousness-altering substances. On this 50th anniversary of the release of Dr. No, we salute the best of these. Honey Ryder's unforgettable appearance: That stunning moment when Ursula Andress emerges from the surf in a white bikini caused 007 to raise the era's equivalent of the People's Eyebrow. It also inspired 007 to sing a couple of lines from Under The Mango Tree to serenade her – a feat that no James Bond has attempted since. (And seeing how Mamma Mia! turned out, we're especially grateful that it never happened during the Pierce Brosnan years. Though the hottie-from-the-surf scene was repeated, in the form of Hottie … er, Halle Berry in Die Another Day.) That ill-fated tarantula: For all his grand schemes and knowledge of physics, Dr Julius No (Joseph Wiseman) really should have left the biology to others. When henchman Prof Dent informs him about Bond snooping around, he hands the man a caged tarantula and tells him to kill 007 with it. In keeping with the blissful ignorance of the times, moviegoers automatically presumed Bond was in dire peril from the spider's "toxic venom". In fact, the worst he might have suffered was a series of spasms over several days and some extreme discomfort from a bite that was about as painful as the sting of a wasp. Intensely offended that he had been spooked by a mostly-harmless furry critter, Bond proceeded to squash the poor thing with his super MI6 spy shoe, which had its own orchestral accompaniment. In the book, the threat came from a centipede – not much more dangerous but certainly creepier, if only because it is crawlier. You have to love the Cracked.com piece on movies' most pointlessly elaborate murder plots, which lists this at #3. The writer notes the silliness of the plotters by "releasing the tarantula in Bond's bungalow where, for all the villains knew, it could have waited for six weeks before accidentally hanging itself in his chest hair." That hair on the closet: Speaking of Bond's formidable follicles, Dr. No also features a scene where – to maintain the "integrity" of his hotel closet – Bond spit-sticks one of his hairs (from Sir Sean's toupee) over the door so he can tell if anyone has been rummaging where he shouldn't be. Bondian resourcefulness at its best? Perhaps, or a sign of MI6's lack of funds. Q Branch was no doubt forced to operate on a shoestring budget in those early days, with Aston Martins that were invisible because they really weren't there. Killing in cold blood: After the failed assassination-by-tarantula, Prof Dent decides to shoot Bond but is duped into emptying his clip at a pillow. Bond gets the drop on the dope and they have a brief exchange of dialogue. Dent, no doubt named for the brain-function-impairing depression in his skull, forgets he has emptied his clip and tries to shoot Bond again. In the words of a certain Inspector Callahan, he was s**t out of luck. "You've had your six," Bond announces, before shooting the guy and putting another bullet into his prone form, for good measure. Killing an unarmed man was not something "heroes" did very much at the time, but this scene successfully established James Bond as an ice-cold killer. This was something you had no problem believing of Connery's Bond, especially when he repeated such ruthless acts numerous times over his next five (plus one "unofficial") 007 movies. Goodbye, Doctor No: The evil genius of the first movie wanted to disrupt the US space programme with a nuclear-powered radio beam. He also had metal hands to replace his own, which were lost in an accident (thereby allowing him to inspire the villain Mr Han in Bruce Lee's kung fu/espionage extravaganza Enter The Dragon). These same metal hands contributed to his demise when Bond left him to drown/boil in radioactive water – he just couldn't get a grip on the ladder and climb to safety. A painful way to die, but possibly a lot more dignified than Dr No's fate in the Ian Fleming novel – he was smothered to death under a mound of guano. Which, given his bats**t-crazy tarantula idea, is kind of appropriate. Happy 50th, Dr. No. |
| Actress Daryl Hannah arrested in Keystone pipeline protest Posted: 05 Oct 2012 12:45 AM PDT SAN ANTONIO: Actress Daryl Hannah was arrested in Texas on Thursday after she stood in front of an earth-moving machine clearing ground for the construction of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, her representative said. The protest took place outside Winnsboro, Texas, about 80 miles (130 km) east of Dallas, said Hannah's agent, Paul Bassis. Hannah, 51, a longtime environmental activist, was arrested last year outside the White House in another protest against the pipeline. The Keystone XL pipeline, a project of TransCanada Corp, would ship more than half a million barrels a day of oil sands-derived crude to the Texas Gulf Coast from Canada. On Thursday, Hannah stood in front of an excavator being used to clear trees and brush in order to build the pipeline, Bassis said. Joining her was the site's property owner, Eleanor Fairchild, 78, whose land was taken by eminent domain for the project, he said. "Ms. Hannah and Ms. Fairchild were defending Ms. Fairchild's property from eminent domain abuse by TransCanada," Bassis said. A spokeswoman for the Wood County Sheriff's Office said no officials were available to discuss the incident. Booking information from the Sheriff's Office said Hannah was held on charges of trespassing and resisting arrest. A representative for TransCanada could not be reached for comment, but a company statement said the pipeline would be "safe and reliable." The southern section of the pipeline - the project Hannah was protesting - will take oil from the glutted Cushing, Oklahoma, storage hub to refineries in Texas. President Barack Obama lent his support to the project, which is being built. But the northern section of the $7.6 billion project, which would take crude across the Canadian border into the United States, was rejected by Obama last year on environmental and water supply grounds about its route through Nebraska. TransCanada has reapplied to the State Department for approval of the full project. The State Department has jurisdiction because the line would cross a border. Hannah played the mermaid in the 1984 film "Splash," and also had roles in films such as "Wall Street" and "Blade Runner." - Reuters |
| Posted: 04 Oct 2012 04:03 PM PDT Stolen – Nicolas Cage again teams up with Con Air director, Simon West, to play a reformed thief who must pull off another big heist. This heist is to pay off the kidnapper who has taken his daughter. Also starring Josh Lucas, Malin Akerman, Danny Huston and Sami Gayle. Universal Soldier: Day Of Reckoning – UniSols is a group of elite soldiers who have been genetically revived from the dead. However, memories of the soldiers' past lives have been replaced by those provided by the government. In the fourth instalment of the Universal Soldier franchise, GR44 Luc Deveraux and GR13 Andrew Scott expose the UniSols to this truth, leading them to start a revolution and rebel against the government. Starring Scott Adkins, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren. |
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