SeanConnery Tagged Articles at Cinematical

I've been a bit of a lapsed Bond-ophile as the series has evolved over the years. I grew up with Roger Moore's slightly more campy Bond, and as an adult I worked my way through the Connery years for a little historical perspective...and yes, I even gave Timothy Dalton a try. But by the time Pierce Brosnan had stepped in I had tuned out. The arrival of Daniel Craig as our new Bond was the chance to reignite a franchise, and say what you will about Casino Royale, (and there is plenty to complain about, which for the purposes of time and brevity, I won't get into here) Craig proved that he could hold his ground as 007. But no matter what I may have thought about Royale, by the time the credits rolled on Quantum of Solace, all was forgiven.

So today's Credits Report might be a bit of a cheat because really, it's about two scenes: the opening car chase, and the iconic Bond theme by Alica Keys and Jack White. So first let's get to that car chase. Well, you can't have Bond without a little vehicular mayhem and Forster delivers with expert uses of sound and stunts. We even get Bond delivering a rare moment of cheekiness before those opening chords of Solace's theme.

After the jump; a few words about Keys and White's 'Bond Song' and two worthy additions to Bond's canon of car chases and snazzy credit sequences...

Allow my paranoia to run rampant for a second because I'm beginning to think the big movie studios are taking their remake ideas from my Netflix account. Languishing somewhere around #57on my queue is Peter Hyams' Outland, which means I'll probably get to it just as Warner Bros' remake of it hits theaters. Yes, that's right -- Warner Bros is remaking Outland. It isn't just an idle fancy either, as The Hollywood Reporter says that the studio is already well into production. Michael Davis is set to direct, and Chad St. John is penning the screenplay.

As you might remember, the original starred Sean Connery as a marshall on one of Jupiter's moons. His one year tour of duty isn't exactly peaceful as several miners meet violent ends, and none of the other colonists are willing to assist in the pursuit of justice. Connery is forced to take on the colony's evil administators all by his lonesome. Yes, that is also the plot of High Noon if you hadn't noticed. (But you did. You read Cinematical!)

To be honest, it's not so much a remake as a complete rewrite. The new Outland will be stripped of its western influences, expanded into a bigger "tentpole" movie, and will take place on a city that orbits the Moon. Our hero is a cop who is only a week away from retirement when he stumbles on a murderous conspiracy that's endangering the entire Moon City. He must decide whether to walk away and retire to Earth with his wife, or face "taking on a private army with his overachieving ex-partner and wife's former boyfriend." I think we know which one he picks, or else there's not going to be much of a movie. But hey, even if you can follow the plot from here, at least they're trying something new, and drawing influence from the hardboiled detectives instead of Gary Cooper and Connery, right?

Even as the franchise began to shed staples with 2006's Casino Royale and tomorrow's Quantum of Solace, the James Bond series is still known for several keystones across twenty other films: girls, gadgets, guns, martinis, silhouettes of female figures thrusting about during the credits, and so on. Some would say that these were the traditions that helped lead James Bond down the path that would end in 2002's Die Another Day, which some would say made them want to take a top hat to their own throats. (Me? I didn't hate it.)

Among these recurring touches were the last lines, often cheeky turns of phrase that seemed to suggest that everything was going to be just fine between Commander Bond and that chick who we'd never see or hear about ever again. So, out of twenty-one films, I humbly offer up my picks for the seven best of the bunch. I'll leave you to find out if Quantum ends more along the lines of Royale's "The name's Bond... James Bond", or with something a bit sexier...

Long-time readers of Cinematical, or those thoroughly entranced in the world of Sean Connery, might know that before the man hit it big, he made a living with odd jobs, from junior horseman to milkman for one pound a week. If you're curious about all that hard work and pre-Bond life, CNN reports that Mr. Connery has written an autobiography called Being a Scot, which he's launching today in Scotland.

However, you won't get a lot of backstage secrets and celebrity gossip, which I must say is a welcome change in the world of celebrity memoirs and gossip writing. Connery focuses on his beginnings in a two-room home in industrial Edinburgh to his time as a milkman, and discusses "many aspects of Scottish culture and life, including sport, architecture, and of course the gothic tendency in Scots literature" featuring the likes of Robbie Burns and Sir Walter Scott.

Unfortunately, there is no word about when Being a Scot will hit shelves stateside. In the meantime, you can check it out through the UK Amazon site.

I guess I'll be better equipped to comment on this after I watch Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull on Sunday, but George Lucas has told Roger Friedman that he envisions Shia LaBeouf, playing Indy's maybe-son Mutt, taking over the Indiana Jones franchise from Harrison Ford. Speaking about the "more than a strong possibility" (Friedman's words, not Lucas's) of a fifth film, Lucas says: "I have an idea to make Shia [LeBeouf] the lead character next time and have Harrison [Ford] come back like Sean Connery did in [Last Crusade]. I can see it working out." I note this without comment for now. Next week, once a bunch of us have seen Mutt's debut, we'll go nuts.

Lucas did say something else to Friedman that I found a bit offputting. In an attempt to brush off the mixed buzz on Crystal Skull, he said: "This movie is the exact same experience as the other three were. The difference is, the novelty of discovery is gone." The "exact same experience"? Why, it's almost as if the movie were a Kraft cheese stick rather than a piece of pop art! Dammit, George. We may all know it already, but some of us like to pretend otherwise. Why don't you let Spielberg do the press rounds from now on, whaddya say?



[hat tip: CinemaBlend]

It wasn't Darby O'Gill and the Little People that brought Sean Connery to superstardom. It was his many gigs as James Bond, stretching from Dr. No in 1962 to Never Say Never Again in 1983. But that era is over. These days, Daniel Craig is 007, and he's gearing up for the 22nd Bond installment with Quantum of Solace. So, what's that have to do with Connery? Well, according to Ace Showbiz, a new press release says that the actor has considered returning to the franchise as the big baddie.

Connery is quoted as saying: "I wouldn't mind coming back as a Bond villain. But I don't think they would pay me enough. They don't pay the money for other parts, only for the Bond character, although that wasn't the case when I was doing it." Ouch! I would think they might want to add Connery in to at least save some face. Sure, things change, but what production wants to be considered penny pinchers that only care about Craig?

Ace goes on to say: "Allegedly, the 77-year-old Academy Award-winning actor has been involved in negotiations to land a villain role with the film's producers since Daniel Craig has been tapped to bring Ian Fleming's agent back to the big screen with Casino Royale."

Could this be true? Would they ever pay enough for this to really happen? We'll have to wait and see. But in the meantime, what do you think? Should Connery return to the world of James Bond?

Should Sean Connery be a James Bond villain?

Yes!!!No way. He should leave it in the past.I don't know...I don't care...Vote

Maybe the most irritating thing about Roland Emmerich's generally unwatchable 10,000 BC was leading man Steven Strait's bizarre accent. Totally indeterminate -- he trilled his r's and drawled occasionally -- it was clearly meant to indicate in some uncertain way that what we're watching takes place a Very Long Time Ago. Hello? The movie is called 10,000 BC and the characters are already speaking English. Making them speak weird English isn't exactly adding verisimilitude. I don't know who Emmerich thought he was fooling.

I always find this sort of thing annoying, and sometimes vaguely insulting. I'm perfectly fine with characters who speak English even though they're not supposed to -- it's easier that way, and I can suspend disbelief. But if you're going to go that route, why add constant, pointless reminders of the very fact you're trying to dodge? Part of the reason I admire The Hunt for Red October is that John McTiernan said "screw it" and let Sean Connery keep his Scottish brogue as a Soviet submarine captain.*

If you're old and boring like me, chances are you're not heading out to some paradise for Spring Break this year. It's cool, though, because Moviefone has got you covered. They've had the unfortunate job of combing through thousands of photos, searching for the top shots of our favorite female AND male movie characters wearing their most beloved, adorable swimwear.

On the girls side, we have one of the more geek-famous shots of Princess Leia rockin' her slave bikini. (A personal favorite, if I may say so myself.) There's Halle Berry, Jessica Alba, Elizabeth Hurley, Ursula Andress -- trust me, you'll want to check out this gallery. The men also get their time in the spotlight (though none of them beat my rock-solid abs). Let's see, we have dudes like Matthew McConaughey (who takes his shirt off in every film just so he can wind up on a list like this later in the year), Jesse Bradford, Sean Connery and, of course, Daniel Craig. You be the judge of which Bond looks better in a bathing suit.

Head over here to check out the ladies, and over here to check out the guys. And make sure you vote for your favorites at the end.

I just love those lists that are supposed to represent the fandom of the general public. This is probably because my preferences rarely converge with them. Sure, some of my tastes are a little off the beaten path -- I'd pick Danny Huston over Brad Pitt, or Julie Delpy over Julia Roberts. That being said, I still love me some good mainstream. Yet I still find myself raising my brows when I read these lists, just as I did today when I saw the annual Harris Poll for America's favorite movie stars, which Hollywood.com put up today. The order is surprising, as is the one lone oldie to the group.

Their results, counting down from 10 to 1:

10. Bruce Willis
9. Sandra Bullock
7. (tie) Matt Damon & Sean Connery
6. John Wayne
5. Will Smith
4. Julia Roberts
3. Johnny Depp
2. Tom Hanks
1. Denzel Washington

Yes, that's John Wayne there at number 6. Apparently he is the only actor to nab a spot on the poll every year since its inception in '94. Also, Depp is quickly working his way up the ranks, having moved up four positions from last year. Personally, I find the list surprising, and a bit sad in the realm of women in cinema. What say you?