Movies

David Arnold speaks to collaborating with Chris Cornell on “You Know My Name”, the theme song for the James Bond movie Casino Royale: “We needed someone who could sing the way Daniel acted…” This has become my #3 favorite, after Carly Simon’s Marvin Hamlish number and Nancy Sinatra’s John Barry one.

“Yesterday we had a fight about whether I’d been dismissive about him saying his feelings had been hurt by my dismissing his feelings during a previous fight…” From the amusing but very dark Narcissism: a reflection by Laura Kipnis in Spiked.

It seems to be a deceptively hard song to cover, but here’s a good one with a man, a woman and a ukulele on a living-room sofa, deceptively casual, deceptively perfect. Nobody’s done it better, not even Radiohead. And for something completely different: a great ‘Nobody Does it Better’ series montage by Rik Moran.

At Den of Geek is Max Williams’ revisit of all 24 James Bond movies.

David Cripps, the London Symphony Orchestra’s horn soloist, on playing the Star Wars music, and particularly “Leia’s Theme”. Seems clear from this and an interview I read on “Rey’s Theme” that John Williams is inspired by charismatic actors.

Dali’s Destino for Disney.

Slate’s Black Film Canon. I’m going to take this in. [via Subtraction.com]

Slant Magazine attends the 2016 Jerusalem Film Festival, witnessing the audience versus Miri Regev, Minister of Culture & Sport.

Possibly the world’s most important story at the moment? American middle-class impoverishment, or as the author—himself afflicted—calls it, financial impotence.

(All YouTube links…) You’ve heard the accordion, now hear:

• the piano: Rey’s Theme
• two oboes (sweet though sound isn’t great even to my ear)
• mocked-up full orchestra (awesome)
• two harps (not quite as sweet as I’d hoped, but still, harps)
• a nice composite of all the theme’s appearances in the movie
• the coolest (video of this one’s worth watching too)
• some conspiracy theory musical analysis

And in the LA Times, an interview with John Williams about the soundtrack.

So the neighbor Brian is playing his and I thought, you know what, John Williams’ “Rey’s Theme” from Star Wars: The Force Awakens kind of lends itself to the accordion. And here it is on YouTube, very nicely done by Adam Matlock in his bedroom. Commendations to you, sir.

Oh my, the entire Star Wars symphonic suite played by one man on a Wurlitzer.

Star Wars 7 New Yorker review: …awestruck, warmhearted, good-humored—and conspicuously prefabricated, without a jolt of spontaneity or reckless impulse anywhere….

If you were troubled by the song persuading Ariel to remain under the sea, here’s why.

A romp through the current state of thespian-American affairs with fear and loathing of the English invasion, particular emphasis on Joseph Gordon-Levitt and a conclusory celebration of Jake Gyllenhaal.

A good time, as we await Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, to review the rather horrible Continuity of the Planet of the Apes.

It’s official: Gary Oldman loves Charles Krauthammer.

An illustrated evolution of the Star Wars typygraphy/logo.

Why, by the William Shatner School of Toupological Studies.

The visual effects of Iron Man on YouTube.

Happy 2013! A look back at 2012 with WhatCulture’s Top 12 Of Everything film wise including top 20 movie posters.

The best piece of James Bond movie criticism I’ve read: “My favourite Bond film: You Only Live Twice” by Phelim O’Neill, at The Guardian film blog. Muscular, yet pitch-perfect, and deft with what to throw in from the film(s) to illustrate his compelling argument.

Finally, a clear-headed review of Skyfall over at FT: “New director Sam Mendes wants to combine a Bourne-like lack of quips and frippery with Christopher Nolan-ish solemnity and gigantism.” Why eschew what you view as your own franchise’s banalities only to take others’?

Andy Ihnatko, MacTech Conference attendee, on the group tour of Disney Animation, an advance screening of Wreck-It Ralph, and John Lasseter’s desk. [via TidBits]

Variety is sold for $25m. Strange new world.

The Making of The Spy Who Loved Me by the BBC for the Open University, 1977. Episode #1: Cubby Brocolli, Producer. #2: Ken Adam, Production Designer (“not indispensible”, “preferable”, “unique”, “important”). #3, Barbara Bach, Bond Girl.

The Business of Bond. More interesting if you adjust for inflation; Thunderball was the most profitable, then Goldfinger, then Live and Let Die. Great little logos per film as well.

Jim Carrey inside the Actors Studio.

Alec Baldwin’s calm, grown-up, entertaining talk show, Here’s the Thing.

An interview at frocktalk.com with Being There costume designer May Routh. “Rene Magritte: I think that this came after shooting of the film and can be seen in the advertising and posters, but I never heard it discussed.”

Piquantly written review of Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom by Peter Bradshaw in The Guardian.

Why do women dominate the movie editing business?

Skyfall trailer #1.

Scott Hanselman and wife introduce their boys to Star Wars.

A brief interview (with longer run-up) with Stan Lee.

Aluf Benn interviews David Mamet.

Wherein Spengler attempts to understand zombies.

10 fantastic movie scenes that were more real than you knew.

Sitting in the very first row is perfect, hard-core movie-going.

The heroic Spartacus star formerly known as Issur Danielovitch Demsky is mellow in his living room.

Where exactly is Hogwarts?

Clive James on James Garner.

Remember Alan Partridge’s masterful narration of The Spy Who Loved Me. So far there isn’t anybody who’s performed it quite so well. Actually, probably better this way.

From The Telegraph‘s review of Spielberg’s Tintin: “Even if Jamie Bell wasn’t so monotonously earnest as Tintin, he’d still look about as conscious as a bollard with a quiff.”