In Contention

Tag: Quantum of Solace

  • A taste of ‘Another Way to Die’

    Jack White is reportedly none too pleased about this, but an instrumental sample of “Another Way to Die,” his much-awaited Bond theme on which he duets with Alicia Keys, has been revealed in a new ad for Coke Zero.

    The ad, a promotional tie-in which finds the soft drink rebranded as Zero Zero 7 (geddit?) is a fairly low-rent knockoff of a typical Bond credit sequence, but the music is terrific — sounds like White has married his own guitar sound with a throwback to John Barry brassiness. If the vocals are this good, it could be the best Bond theme in some time.

  • ‘Quantum’ trailer debuts

    Scoff if you must. But from where I’m standing, the new “Quantum of Solace” trailer pretty much ticks all the boxes. Chases. Pretty girls. Explosions. Hot cars. Hot cars exploding. Daniel Craig squinting moodily. Mathieu Amalric hamming it up in a tux. What’s not to like? Count me in.

    Or watch it here for a prettier picture.

  • New ‘Quantum’ pics

    Picking up on this a day late, but Empire has unveiled a load of previously unseen stills from “Quantum of Solace.” Nothing particularly illuminating or striking about them, though my inner eight-year-old can’t wait for the scene that contains this:

    Also, I hadn’t registered until now that the UK is getting this two weeks before the Yanks. Sometimes Britannia does indeed rule.

  • ‘Australia’ steps aside for Bond

    Jeff Wells reports that the release date for Baz Luhrmann’s vast period romance “Australia” has been pushed back from November 14 to November 26.

    Fair enough – I wouldn’t want to go up against “Quantum of Solace” either. Given that it seems to have become fashionable to beat up on “Australia,” sight unseen, there will no doubt be a lot of snarky speculation about what state the film is currently in – though seriously, there’s only so much that can be done in twelve days.

    As perhaps the only person on earth who loved that trailer, I remain resolutely optimistic. Luhrmann is quite possibly insane, but the world needs more of that.

  • Forster on Bond: It’s about character

    Odd to be linking to Time Out twice in one day, but I couldn’t let this interview with Marc Forster, director of the keenly awaited “Quantum of Solace,” go by. The interview finds Forster in London, scrabbling to complete the first edit of the latest 007 outing in a fortnight’s time.

    Many eyebrows were raised when it was revealed that the low-key director of “Monster’s Ball,” “Finding Neverland,” and “The Kite Runner” was taking on this most commercial of franchises – I always thought it rather a nice fit. For me, Forster never injected much individual flair or perspective into his otherwise workmanlike ‘serious’ pictures; I have a feeling more of his creative personality might emerge when working against the grain of his interests. Certainly, Forster doesn’t seem to be radically modifying his storytelling approach – he believes he was hired because the producers wanted a more “emotional component” to the film:

    Several times (Forster) mentions what he believes will be at the heart of the new film: character. ‘The great thing is that Daniel and I had an intense relationship, so between us we could always go back to the character … There’s this conflict going on: he’s an assassin, but he’s also lost someone he loves. We’re asking: where’s the psychological conflict in that?

    Sounds good to me. Other promising tidbits include Forster citing genius production designer Ken Adam, who worked on the first Bond films, as an influence on his creative vision, and a sneak peek at what promises to be the most exciting foe in some time for 007:

    We see a flash, too, of the new Bond villain, French actor Mathieu Amalric, who plays a character with the decidedly unvillainous name of Dominic Greene. ‘In the old Bond films, it was clear who were the good guys and who were the bad guys. Today, it’s not so clear. I feel like Mathieu looks so sympathetic and normal, the type you can’t see right away is the villain.’

    (more…)

  • Bond chooses ‘Another Way to Die’

    Well, I said I would remain guarded when the rumour mill stated that Duffy was “almost certain” to sing the long-discussed theme song for “Quantum of Solace.” And rightly so. After a drawn-out process in which seemingly everyone in the pop universe but Michael Jackson was at one point in the running, the producers have finally announced their selection. And I, for one, did not see this coming.

    Alicia Keys. And Jack White. Together.

    Yep, in what will be the first ever duet in the 22-song history of Bond themes, the soul diva (who was, in fact, deemed the frontrunner for the gig a few weeks ago) and the blues-rocker will collaborate on “Another Way to Die.” (Now wouldn’t that have been a better title for the film?) The White Stripes and Raconteurs frontman is writing and producing the track, and will also – oddly – play drums. (Is Meg busy or something?)

    Now I know this sounds hypocritical coming from me, since I pretty much slated Keys as a potential Bond chanteuse, but this pairing has me excited. Keys has a terrific voice; it’s her bland songwriting of late that has bothered me. White’s writing should hopefully push her into more dangerous musical territory, and the fusion of her lush throwback sound with his more elemental style sounds like a good fit for an old-school film franchise that’s undergone a very contemporary makeover.

    At the very least, the song should be interesting. (And I haven’t said that about a Bond theme in some time.) And the team-up has the right balance of familiarity and critical cred to prove, potentially, rather Oscar- friendly. It’d be nice to have a Brit involved, but you can’t have it all.

    Smart choice, 007.

  • Do we finally have a Bond singer?

    The Independent says we do… and it’s Duffy.

    I wrote last week about the seemingly endless parade of names that had been tipped to sing the theme for “Quantum of Solace,” which had most recently stopped at Alicia Keys. Now a “reliable mole” at Pinewood Studios says the 22 year-old Welsh soul revivalist is “almost certain” to be handed the gig.

    There have been so many rumours about this over the months that I remain guarded, but the bookies are certainly believing this one – Ladbrokes have slashed Duffy’s odds to even money. (Yes, the Brits bet on everything.)

    If so, I have no complaints about the choice. “Mercy” is a pretty fantastic pop record, and I wouldn’t mind if the “Quantum of Solace” theme turned out sounding something like it, with a few added strings, perhaps. (I only hope they aren’t planning to work that godawful title into the song.)

    I’ve already said I’d have preferred Amy Winehouse, but that was clearly not happening. Meanwhile, Duffy, with her throwback Springfield-esque voice, button-cute blonde looks and squeaky clean personal image, is essentially the Winehouse you can take home to mom. She’s a hot property right now – her (rather good) album “Rockferry” is the biggest seller of 2008 in the UK so far, and it’s gone gold Stateside too. It’s not hard to see why she would appeal to the 007 producers.

    Not betting the house on this yet, though.

  • Bond song battle goes on… and on

    Alicia KeysI’m taking yesterday’s news that Alicia Keys is the “top contender” to sing the theme song for “Quantum of Solace” with a grain of salt. I’ve had my eye on this story for a while, and since initial frontrunner Amy Winehouse became a hazy prospect, any number of names have been thrown into the pot.

    First it was (God help us) Beyonce. Then the Bond producers were apparently “set on” Leona Lewis. Then Duffy, a soul revivalist in the Winehouse vein, began dropping hints that she had the gig. Then Duran Duran. (You tell me why.) Then Annie Lennox. Even Jack White’s name has been bandied around. Now Keys.

    The Keys rumour appears moderately more credible than some of the others, but if so, she strikes me as an odd choice. All the best Bond themes (“Goldfinger,” “You Only Live Twice,” “Nobody Does It Better,” since you asked) project a sense of danger, sex appeal even, amid the lush arrangements. Keys’ edgeless, uber-earnest R&B just doesn’t fit the bill, to my mind.

    The names put forward so far suggest that the producers are looking for more of a throwback sound after the last two attempts at modernising the formula (Chris Cornell’s oddly dated-sounding “You Know My Name” and Madonna’s plain dismal “Die Another Day”) didn’t exactly set the world alight. The arrival of the Bond theme used to be an event in itself – the amount of press over this installment’s vocalist suggests the producers are trying to recapture that level of anticipation.

    You’d expect the year’s most discussed movie song to be a cinch for an Oscar nomination, whoever lands the gig, but history suggests otherwise. Only three Bond themes (“Live and Let Die,” “Nobody Does It Better,” and – ugh – “For Your Eyes Only”) have ever been nominated, all unsuccessfully. But with the slate of Best Song contenders this year looking sparser than usual, and “Casino Royale” having given the franchise a major boost in cred, the odds of a nomination look better than usual. The producers should therefore be especially canny about who they choose.

    (more…)

  • Most anticipated of part two

    MGM\'s Quantum of SolaceLooking ahead to the second half of the year, there are more than a few films floating to the top of my list of anticipations.  Here’s what I’d call the top 10:

    1. “The Dark Knight” (hasn’t budged in six months)
    2.“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
    3. “House of Lies”
    4. “Quantum of Solace”
    5. “Appaloosa”
    6; “The Brothers Bloom”
    7. “Milk”
    8. “Australia”
    9. “Pineapple Express”
    10. “Religulous”

    Anticipating with caution: “W”
    Movie I hope disappears before it releases the most: “Ace Ventura Jr.”

    How about you?