What are you watching tonight?

[bobo the clown]

Just watching The Kinks at the BBC ..... I never realised what a smug it's-all-about-me tw*t Ray Davies was/is. No wonder their Dave used to tw*t him.

He always was, Bruce. Insufferable.

One person who never failed to visualise the importance of Ray Davies to the British music sceme was Ray Davies.

[Bruce Rioja]

Just watching The Kinks at the BBC ..... I never realised what a smug it's-all-about-me tw*t Ray Davies was/is. No wonder their Dave used to tw*t him.

He always was, Bruce. Insufferable.

One person who never failed to visualise the importance of Ray Davies to the British music sceme was Ray Davies.

I have to say, Bobo, that as one that's grown up and learned to play whilst being pretty much in awe of Ray Davies, and at the very least being massively influenced by him, I'm absolutely gutted by what I've just seen

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

Not sure if I've just seen Skyfall or Home Alone 5... so disappointed.

[bobo the clown]

Just watching The Kinks at the BBC ..... I never realised what a smug it's-all-about-me tw*t Ray Davies was/is. No wonder their Dave used to tw*t him.

He always was, Bruce. Insufferable.

One person who never failed to visualise the importance of Ray Davies to the British music sceme was Ray Davies.

I have to say, Bobo, that as one that's grown up and learned to play whilst being pretty much in awe of Ray Davies, and at the very least being massively influenced by him, I'm absolutely gutted by what I've just seen

Never get close to your heroes Bruce.

The buggers always let you down !

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

Just watching The Kinks at the BBC ..... I never realised what a smug it's-all-about-me tw*t Ray Davies was/is. No wonder their Dave used to tw*t him.

He always was, Bruce. Insufferable.

One person who never failed to visualise the importance of Ray Davies to the British music sceme was Ray Davies.

I have to say, Bobo, that as one that's grown up and learned to play whilst being pretty much in awe of Ray Davies, and at the very least being massively influenced by him, I'm absolutely gutted by what I've just seen

I might avoid and spare myself the same distress...

[Bruce Rioja]

Never get close to your heroes Bruce.

The buggers always let you down !

I ended up in an argument on Facebook with Jake Burns. True words wisely spoken, Bobo.

[General Mannerheim]

Not sure if I've just seen Skyfall or Home Alone 5... so disappointed.

Like I said, it's bollocks.

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

Not sure if I've just seen Skyfall or Home Alone 5... so disappointed.

Like I said, it's bollocks.

It really is. I've hardly got a good word to say about it. I can't believe how out of step I am with the journalists....

[Prufrock]

I enjoyed it. Cool chase through Istanbul, little song by Adele and out. £7 a bit much for ten mins though

That's a shit joke re: the fat lady singing

Seriously, I appear to be the only person in the world who didn't think is was the best/worst film ever. It was a bit silly, but I thought it was OK as that sort of action-y blow shit up film is. Didn't live up to the hype though.

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

I haven't seen any of the 'worst film ever' reviews. I would like to, however, just to confirm I'm not going mad.

[Prufrock]

'Worst film ever' may be a touch hyperbolic but the General has just described it as 'bollocks' and I've seen a few similar reviews. I don't think it is 'that' bad by a long stretch. It's essentially a mix of explosions, stupid plot jumps and nods to old (and probably future) Bond films. Taken in that spirit I quite enjoyed it.

It's a far cry from the 'it's just like the gritty Connery days' talk around Casino Royale though.

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

I've seen Giles Coren's (suppressed!) review but that's about it.

I feel the same I do when I just can't get my head around how it is people believe in gods.

Did Derren Brown arrange for me to see a different film just to mess with me?

[bobo the clown]

It's an action film. It's not an iontellectual exercise. You aren't supposed to leave with your view of the World altered. There aren't even subtitles ffs.

It's a Bond ... & a pretty decent one ... It won't win Oscars.

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

It's an action film. It's not an iontellectual exercise. You aren't supposed to leave with your view of the World altered.

Sure... and there's no doubt that this is unanswerable and puts the film and indeed the franchise outside the realms of normal discussion about how coherent the plot is, whether Naomi Harris is so shit it feels like she has come straight out of 'Doctors' or something... that sort of thing.

[bobo the clown]

It's an action film. It's not an intellectual exercise. You aren't supposed to leave with your view of the World altered.

Sure... and there's no doubt that this is unanswerable and puts the film and indeed the franchise outside the realms of normal discussion about how coherent the plot is, whether Naomi Harris is so shit it feels like she has come straight out of 'Doctors' or something... that sort of thing.

I had to look up who she is ... and what 'Doctors' is also.

She was better than Mr Penelope Cruz, who's character was poorly written and poorly acted .... and poorly made-up.

But the coherence of plot, in a Bond film, isn't the point. Nor is it in any number of films. It's an entertainment. If it's not to your taste well, there you go. Don't try & analyse the bloody thing. You'd be wasting your energy.

If you want spy films with some degree of reality then look to Le Carre .... & then it fauils because 2hrs or so is barely adequate to set the scene, let alone present the whole picture.

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

Lots of Bond films across the various incarnations have found the right balance.

I think it might be that when I see a more Bourne-type Bond, I subconsciously expect something that hangs together properly like those films - it's true that I never held Roger Moore or Brosnan to these standards.

Anyway, you've just written off the villain as poorly written, poorly acted and poorly made-up, so I suppose we're getting somewhere.

Perhaps General M can articulate his criticism better than I can.

[bobo the clown]

Lots of Bond films across the various incarnations have found the right balance.

I think it might be that when I see a more Bourne-type Bond, I subconsciously expect something that hangs together properly like those films - it's true that I never held Roger Moore or Brosnan to these standards.

Anyway, you've just written off the villain as poorly written, poorly acted and poorly made-up, so I suppose we're getting somewhere.

Perhaps General M can articulate his criticism better than I can.

I enjoyed the action film.

There were some limitations, I just didn't think ... overall ... they detracted from a generally good yarn. I suppose I wasn't disappointed as this didn't surprise me.

[TANGODANCER]

If you're going to look for reality or beleivability in Bond films you might as well stop at home and save the money. He was always a larger than life figure even in Fleming's original books. Back then a suave, good-looking, single, ex navy Commander who drove like a top-class rally driver, could ski like Franz Klammer, an expert shot, self-defense expert and total womanizer, he was always a figure of Fleming's imagination. Even Fleming never had him flying with jet-packs and being a stunt man/athlete of olympic level who could kill somebody then make an amusing quip of it all . His hand-made cigarettes, gunmetal cigarette case and lighter and his "shaken not stirred" martinis were all just Fleming having fun with "almost but not quite" believablility and imagination. As such they were really enjoyable books.

For spies I'm with Bobo on Le Carre and adding Graham Green. My own personal favourites have always been Adam Hall's Quiller and Brian Freemantle's Charlie Muffin. Muffin was the Colombo of the cold-war spy world. Shabby mac, holes in his shoes and forever dodging the accounts departments on his expenses claims, he had a razor-sharp brain and a great sense of humour. I'd recommend both as good reads.

Daniel Craig is good in the part as a modern Bond and I enjoyed Casino Royale. Not so with Quantum of Solace. I'll probably have a look at Skyfall but in the right context.

[General Mannerheim]

Lots of Bond films across the various incarnations have found the right balance.

I think it might be that when I see a more Bourne-type Bond, I subconsciously expect something that hangs together properly like those films - it's true that I never held Roger Moore or Brosnan to these standards.

Anyway, you've just written off the villain as poorly written, poorly acted and poorly made-up, so I suppose we're getting somewhere.

Perhaps General M can articulate his criticism better than I can.

I don’t wanna over analyse, it was ok, passed the time and all that... I'm a generally fan of Bond, i like the cheese, the humour and the gadgets!! Skyfall is void of all these. It tries to be all nimbus but then throws in these little nuggets of old fasioned bond-isms to blow holes in the (tired & clichéd) plot, stolen list of agents FFS! Then the ridiculous A-Team/Home Alone mash up quickly spends its credibility. Daniel Craig again proves he is the least charismatic Bond ever and I didn’t like the villain either, Bardem should have just been Anton Chigurh again!
The action, the fights, the chases were all impressive though and i did think the opening sequence was quality until that bint started yodelling. I just think with it being the most hyped, 50th anniversary, best bond ever; it was always gonna disappoint. ultimately i didn’t hate it, i just thought it was a bit... bollocks?

[BWFC_Insane]

I saw Skyfall last night. I don't particularly like Bond films (heresy I know....) just not really something thats ever massively appealed to me.

I can see both sides, if you take it as a Bond film then this one actually lacked a lot of those elements and tried to take itself more seriously, and failed.

Equally if you take it as a generic mindless piece of action, it did the job quite nicely, and better than most manage.

Daniel Craig is totally lacking in charisma though, and I find him totally wooden in any film.