ZOO’s Top 10 Sexiest Bond Girls

British-based ZOO.com has a list of their picks for the top 10 sexiest of the James Bond girls.  Whether or not you agree with the list, the piece is striking in that it features some pretty rare photographs of the women in question.  The one of the perpetually underappreciated Mie Hama (Kissy Suzuki of You Only Live Twice) being a prime example.

Check out ZOO for the photos.

QUANTUM OF SOLACE titles sequence

APRIL 2015: This was written by Tom Zielinski, one of the publishers of the now-offline Her Majesty’s Secret Servant website.

I’ve just seen the Quantum of Solace credit sequence.  If you want to know more about the titles read on, if not, know there may be SPOILERS.

I have sincerely loved Daniel Kleinman’s work on the past five films, and consider each title sequence a highlight of the 007 movie itself.  The title sequences of Casino Royale and to a lesser extent Die Another Day (yes, DAD) are likely my favorites.  I was seriously disappointed when I learned Kleinman would not be returning for QOS.

That said, MK12 has created visually interesting titles that are mostly in keeping with tradition.  I like them, and they work well (mostly) with the song.  With what I have heard as to how people feel about the QOS theme however, your mileage may vary.

Title sequence details:  Just as Bond says to a bound and bruised Mr. White in a boot, “It’s time to get up”, Jack White’s song kicks in and the credits roll.  A silhouetted James Bond fires a gun while the credits fade (in and out) “Daniel Craig… as Ian Fleming’s James Bond 007… in Quantum of Solace.”

We follow the (gold) slo-mo bullet as it travels above a desert, through wind and sand.  Silhouette-Bond is seen stalking someone (gun drawn) traversing sand dunes, then approaches the camera.  A silhouette of a naked woman is seen rising from the shifting sand.

More Bond stalking, a bit more shifting of sand (akin to what Kleinman has done before with oil or water/ice motifs) then LOTS of shifting sand and several shots of silhouettes of naked women.  (The lighting here is fairly dark unfortunately.)  Silhouette-Bond falling, then a graphic that looks to be STRAIGHT from Maurice Binder’s You Only Live Twice work – a circle grid.  (You’ll recognize it when you see it.)

Then a ring of many silhouette nudes dancing and cavorting (slow motion) around a blurred sun as silhouette-Bond is depicted falling amongst them  (Binder’s grid in background.)  LOTS of silhouette Bonds falling, starry night in background.

Two silhouette nudes, back-to-back.  Four silhouette-nudes (in high-heels!) dancing as mirror images.  (So maybe it’s just the one.)  Bond’s Walther falling with him into an iris, then onto the desert.

The gun evaporates into sand.  Bond still falling, a cool shot of him firing a gun, again in slow motion.  Complete with the depiction of the casing being ejected and gases escaping. “Written by Paul Haggis and Neal Purvis & Robert Wade.”  (The ampersand has significance as to writing credit.)

We again follow the bullet as Bond walks toward the camera.  Interestingly, at the bottom, the beginning of Binder’s “walk-on” sequence begins – small circles move across the screen.  “Produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli” follows the circles.

More silhouette-nudes, an explosion of sand as the bullet hits its target, “Directed by Marc Forster”, and then into the film proper.   (The first few seconds are a red and yellow checkered flag and then what looks like a parade somewhere in Europe.)

I like it.  Well done and graphically interesting.  The contemporary font used throughout is also appropriate.

Still not up to par with Kleinman’s work though.  Or Binder’s.  In that comparison, the QOS titles… are a bit cold.  Like the creators knew the character, but didn’t well… love the character.

— Tom Zielinski

QoS: More with Olga Kurylenko and Ford

Ford Motor Co., not content to just having Olga Kurylenko at the Paris Motor Show, issued a press release this week introducing us to the Quantum of Solace actress. Afterall, we’re reminded, Olga is the first person to drive a Ford Ka. And the redesigned Ka will be in Quantum of Solace.

You can read for yourself at the Ford media Web site:

http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=29294

We’re guessing our friends at the Ian Fleming Foundation are already plotting to get their hands on the car.

QoS: Let the product tie-ins begin!

One reality of modern movie making is striking as many product placement deals as possible. That way, your “partners” have an incentive to promote your movie, integrating it into their advertising.

On Monday, from morning until prime time, Orbitz.com ran Quantum of Solace-themed advertising on MSNBC that included plenty of clips from the new James Bond film. Undoubtedly, this is just the start of Bond-related spots from QoS “partners” between now and Nov. 14, when the film goes into release in the U.S. That’s on top of plenty of ads for the movie itself. Columbia/Sony bought plenty of QoS spots during Fox’s National Football League coverage on Sunday.

Our favorite QoS title song parodies

Some might even argue they’re better than the title song that was selected.

Song No. 1 by Joe Cornish that was uploaded to YouTube this summer:

Song No. 2:

 

Not exactly John Barry and Don Black, but not bad…

Daniel Craig talks to Playboy

Like predecessors Sean Connery and Pierce Brosnan, current 007 Daniel Craig did an interview with Playboy magazine. It’s in the November issue.

Among the highlights: Craig’s favorite Bond is Sean Connery and his favorite “Bond girl” is Diana Rigg from “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.” Also, while he says he signed on for four Bond movies, Craig says “wait and see.”

The Detroit Free Press ran some excerpts in Monday’s paper. Here’s the link (scroll down to second item):

http://www.freep.com/article/20081027/ENT07/810270305/1035/ENT

Daniel Craig interview with Jonathan Ross

Thanks to our friends at Commanderbond.net for drawing our attention to this interview at that 007 website. Here’s part one of the interview:

And here’s part two:

 

Craig seems a bit looser than the recent Jay Leno interview

Olga Kurylenko promotes QoS and Ford at Paris Motor Show

Back on Oct. 2, Quantum of Solace co-star Olga Kurylenko appeared at Ford Motor Co.’s news conference at the Paris Motor Show. Her purpose was two-fold: to promote Ford’s redesigned Ka (a subcompact not available in the U.S.) as well as the new James Bond film. You can take a look here:

She’s talking to John Fleming, who is chief of Ford’s European unit (and no relation to Ian). His official Ford biography and photograph can be found here:

http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=8585

Meanwhile, here’s a photo of someone Bond has encountered in the past:

http://film.guardian.co.uk/pictures/image/0,,-1060329617786,00.html

U.N.C.L.E. Website About to Go on (Involuntary) Hiatus

One of our editors has had a Website, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. episode guide, since 1996. It’s about to go on involuntary hiatus because AOL is getting out of the Website-hosting business on Oct. 31. The files have been backed up but a new home needs to be found.

Until Oct. 31, the site can be found here:

http://members.aol.com/wmkoenig/unclepg.htm

QoS Director Comments on Title

Add director Marc Forster to those who weren’t crazy about “Quantum of Solace” as a title, at least not at first. For details:

http://www.cinemablend.com/new.php?id=10645