James Bond: Skyfall

Again another James Bond movie and again it doesn't disappoint. James Bond: Skyfall has lots and lots of action with, in my humble opinion, the opening sequence being the the best. It all begins with Bond and a feminine agent  called Eve chasing an enemy spy all over Istanbul. As usual if Bond never quits neither do his enemies and this time Bond ends up riding a motorbike on the continuous roof of the Grand Bazzaar of the city that once was called Constantinopla. Those  scenes with the view of the imponent Hagia Sophia in the back are simply breathtaking. 
The mission ends up in a failure with Bond accidentally shot by Eve and falling into a river seemingly dead. Then, the clip by Adele sets the mood for the rest of the movie. We are then taken to London where MI16 headquarters is under attack and M, leader of the secret service, is being questioned for the failed mission. It happens that Bond is alive and there is a mastermind orchestrating M's fall: an old agent named Silva who feels betrayed by M and wants her dead. Bond decides to come back to action.
The highlights of the movie are several:
The plot which is very consistent and includes lots of revelations.
The actors that include Ralph Fiennes, Albert Finney, Judy Dench as M, and Javier Bardem as Silva. Craig is great as Bond though sometimes he looks a bit dull.
Bond temporarily loses his ability to "never miss".
We see one M's last bow and the appearance of a new one.
Q is back, only a different Q.
MI16 headquarters is destroyed. A new one is created.
There is a new Moneypenny.
We get to learn about Bond's past.
The Aston Martin DB5 makes an appearance (its last perhaps)!
We learnt the real meaning of Skyfall. (it's not a machine, or a secret code, but something more meaningful).
The main theme by Adele which is glorious.
The locations which not only include Istanbul, but also Shangai, London of course, and even Scotland where the final confrontation takes place.
Great action movie, perhaps the best of the year. 
Five stars out of five for this one.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What are LAS TRES MARÍAS called in English?

Image
(Left to right:  Alnitak ,  Alnilam  and  Mintaka )  The TRES MARIAS is this group of three bright stars that are apparently at the same distance from one another though in reality none is at the same distance. They are called like that in most of Latin America and apparently they are called the THREE KINGS (the Magi) in the Philippine Islands. The TRES MARIAS after whom those stars are named are Mary, mother of Jesus; Mary Magdalene and Mary, the wife of Clopas (probably a relative of Jesus's). To find them in the sky means you are also looking at the constellation of Orion (the Warrior), to be more precise, its belt because that is precisely what the TRES MARIAS are called in English: Orion's Belt.
Read more

The Maps of Ship-Trap Island

Image
Once I had my high school students read The Most Dangerous Game, a short story by Richard Connell. Rainsford, the main character, is a professional hunter traveling by ship to his next hunting area, accidentally ends up in an island called Ship- Trap island. When he goes into the island he finds there are two men living in a palace in the island. One of them is a Cossack general and the other, his brutish servant.  The Cossack is called general Zaroff who is also  a game hunter but has become bored of hunting regular game and now uses the island's unique position to capture sailors from shipwrecks. He lets them go first and next after some time he hunts them down. Rainford's arrival who is worldwide famous presents Zaroff with a rare opportunity to find excitement in hunting again by hunting another hunter. Little does Zaroff know that Rainsford is The Most Dangerous Game in the World and hunting him will not be easy at all. My students enjoyed themselves at reading
Read more

How do you say NACIMIENTO NAVIDEÑO in English?

Image
"Oh no! Not another power blackout!"             NACIMIENTO NAVIDEÑO or PESEBRE NAVIDEÑO is a tradition which consists in recreating the moment of Jesus Christ's birth with small figures representing Joseph, Mary, the shepherds and the Wise Kings. Baby Jesus is set on December 25th of course, while the other figures are placed before, usually at the beginning of December.       The translation is NATIVITY SCENE, though some people only say CHRISTMAS SCENE. This last term is a bit broad -- even an image of Santa Claus riding his sleigh falls under that description. Saying CHRISTMAS NATIVITY SCENE would be perhaps more appropriate.                                                                                        Merry Christmas!     
Read more