Battle of the Bonds

Ever since Bond first swaggered onto our screens in 1962 he has been a beloved British icon. Over the past fifty years six different Bonds have attempted to claim a place in our hearts, sparking the age old debate, who is the best? Ladies and gentleman, it is my pleasure to bring to you now the definitive ranking for 007.

1) Sean Connery

Did you expect anyone else? The original Bond. Connery's breakthrough role came in the form of secret agent James Bond, and I think it's fair to say he set the bar rather high. Good looking, charming, tough, and always ready with an inappropriately cheesy one liner, Connery epitomises everything that we love about 007. You try finding a man who says "Moneypenny" better.

2) Daniel Craig

The worlds first blonde Bond had a lot of critics to impress when he slipped into his tux and ordered himself a Martini shaken not stirred, and did so admirably. Casino Royale (2006) was a resounding success, with Craig bringing back a brute toughness that the role had been crying out for. Quantum Of Solace (2008) is a pretty big blemish on his CV, but has been all but forgotten as a result of the spectacular Skyfall (2012). Brilliant Bond and star of two quite brilliant films.

3) Roger Moore

Say what you want about Roger Moore but the man made the role his own. Taking the cheesy one liners of the Connery era and making them the forefront of James Bond was a risky move, but somehow Roger Moore manages to make it work. His hilariously bad jokes, coupled with his incredible poshness gave a unique twist on the classic character and made sure that our longest serving 007 would always be remembered fondly.

4) Timothy Dalton

Admittedly not everyone's cup of tea, but in my eyes Dalton gave a pretty good effort as Bond. His dark and serious portrayal of Fleming's famous character never really sat right with fans, as shown by the fact he only managed two outings as 007. Personally I quite like my Bond with a bit of edge and as a result the Welshman will always get a thumbs up from me, albeit a significantly smaller thumb than that I give to Connery, Craig, and Moore.

5) Pierce Brosnan

Mr Brosnan has always been a hard one to judge as he was undoubtedly a victim of some truly awful cock ups in the writing department, an invisible car being the cherry on top of the giant failure that was Brosnan's Bond. However, no matter who wrote the script I just don't think that the man was right for the role. Bar being a pretty good looking guy, and sounding frightfully British, he lacked any of the elements we crave our Bond to posses. His charm was laced with smarm, his whit was non existent, and at the end of the day he was just a massive sap. Bad move for all involved.

6) George Lazenby

Whenever I get deep into a Bond debate, this name isn't even mentioned. The horribly forgettable Lazenby only managed one appearance as the nations favourite spy, and even that came as a result of a fall out between Connery and the makers of the franchise. More known as a model than an actor, the Australian delivered a dull performance that lacked any sort of conviction of charisma. Many Bond fans aren't even aware he played the role, and I'm afraid it's probably best they keep it that way.

Written By Ash Davies

Films You Should Be Looking Forward To In January

Gangster Squad

Ruben Fleischer, director of Zombieland and 30 Minutes Or Less, moves away from his comedy roots and into the dark world of 1940's and 50's. Gangster Squad tells the tale of LAPD Detectives attempting to keep Los Angeles free of gangsters. Starring Ryan Gosling, Josh Brolin, Emma Stone, Nick Nolte, and Sean Penn, this looks sure to be a must see.

 

Django Unchained

Tarantino blasts back onto the big screen after a three year absence, and by all accounts his latest release appears to have been worth the wait. Jamie Foxx stars as a slave-turned-bounty hunter who sets out to save his wife, under the guidance of his mentor Christoph Waltz. With a supporting cast of Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, and, unsurprisingly, Samuel L Jackson this is one that should have everybody counting down the days until its release. There's even room for Jonah Hill in there.

Lincoln

I personally am always interested in American history, so when I heard that there was a film about Abraham Lincoln in which he didn't kill Vampires, I was quite interested. Add Steven Spielberg directing, Daniel Day Lewis starring, along with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Tommy Lee Jones supporting. Well, now you really have my attention. If you like your history paired with some superb acting, this is probably one to keep an eye on.

Les Miserables

Musicals have never really tickled my pickle, The Producers and War of the Worlds being probably the only exception. I wouldn't say I dislike them, they just don't interest me. Nor do the French particularly. However, Les Miserables is a classic, and a classic for a reason. The story revolves around central character Jean Valjean, who is being hunted by a ruthless policeman named Javert, agreeing to care for a little girl, Cosette. An all-star cast including Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Sacha Baron Cohen, and Amanda Seyfried, along with Oscar winning director Tom Hooper mean that you can expect a lot from this film. Probably not everyone's cup of tea, but will no doubt be loved by many.

Written by Ash Davies.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

From a very young age I was bitten by the Tolkien bug, falling madly in love with his famous book The Hobbit. I had the book, I had the tapes, I had the 2003 video game, I even went to see a stage version of it! I think it's fair to say that, The Hobbit is a story fairly close to my heart.

I attempted to read The Lord of the Rings trilogy, but my attention span could never quite make it past Rivendell. However, like most of the world I was incredibly excited for Peter Jackson's adaptation of the famous books and it most certainly did not disappoint. Due to the critical, and commercial, success of the franchise it seemed only a matter time before The Hobbit was brought to the big screen. Now, in 2012, all Tolkien fans have had their prayers answered with the release of An Unexpected Journey.

The opening installment of the new trilogy revolves around Bilbo Baggins, played by Martin Freeman, embarking on an adventure, accompanied by thirteen Dwarves and the ever present wizard Gandalf the Grey. The quest itself is to reclaim the lost Dwarf city of Erebor from the vicious Dragon Smaug, rightfully restoring lead Dwarf Thorin Oakenshield to his throne.

Before I delve deep into my analysis I'd just like to say that this is a really brilliant film, and if you were any sort of Lord of the Rings fan then you will definitely enjoy this film. However, it does have problems.

Let me firstly give massive plaudits to Martin Freeman, as I think his portrayal of Bilbo Baggins is truly spectacular. He's everything you want him to be and more. Physically he looks the part as a Hobbit, and throughout the film you genuinely feel his character doesn't quite know whats happening around him. Freeman brilliantly portrays the stumbling, bumbling, home comfort loving Hobbit I came to love as a child, and it was completely believable throughout. Richard Armitage has been charged with the daunting task of bringing Thorin Okenshield, leader of the dwarves, to life, a task which he performs aptly. However, his constant slips into the acting clichés of playing a "troubled hero" annoyed me throughout the film. Overall I had no major qualms with the casting or acting, but Freeman is undoubtedly the standout performer.

As anyone who has seen The Lord of the Rings would expect the scenery is dazzling and the film as a whole is stunningly shot, with fantastic props and beautiful special effects helping create an enthralling and enchanting representation of Tolkien's Middle Earth.

From what I can gather from friends, family, the internet, and my own knowledge, the historical additions to the original story are accurately taken from Tolkien's imagination, not the invention of Jackson and his fellow writers, resulting in an enjoyable insight into the history of the characters that shape this tale. Nevertheless, even this held its problems. Maybe it's because I'm a great lover of the book but I could never feel completely comfortable throughout the scenes in which I was fully aware parts of the story had been added. There were very few additions I didn't enjoy - the fat, posh and slightly camp Goblin King beneath the Misty Mountains being probably the only exception - but I was constantly painfully aware that they were a deviation from the original tale, and as a result I was never quite fully immersed in the film in the same way I was with Lord of the Rings.

One too many homages to the previous trilogy also took its toll on me. The ring finding its way onto Bilbo's hand was almost a mirror image of what had happened to Frodo in the first Lord of the Rings, and a conversation between Gollum and Smeagol via the water's reflection drew a striking resemblance to a similar scene in the Lord of the Rings. On top of that a disappointing cameo from Cate Blanchett, portraying royal Elf Galadriel, and a pointless appearance from Christopher Lee, reprising his role of Saruman, had me at times wondering whether Jackson understood that there were fans out there that didn't need reminding of The Lord of the Rings.

I would hate to paint this film in a negative light, as the positives far outweigh the negatives. This film is brilliant. It's just not quite what I had hoped for as a whole. However, to my delight, the two most memorable parts of the story from my younger days were completely done justice. The scene in which the trolls attempt to cook and eat the company of Dwarves and Bilbo is brilliantly done, with the combined sense of tension and comedy perfectly balanced. Most impressive though is Gollum's scene. Creepy, dark, scary, tense, at times very funny, and uninterrupted, this scene is as close to perfection as The Hobbit gets. 

It is always wrong to expect perfection from a film, but the incredibly high standards set by Peter Jackson coupled with my childhood love of The Hobbit meant that this is what I was hoping from An Unexpected Journey. Unfortunately, it did not achieve perfection, although it was always unlikely that it would. This is a truly brilliant film, and one I would happily pay money to go and watch again. It is interesting, action packed, and well cast. My main problem was that I couldn't shake of the constant feeling that this wasn't The Hobbit, it was a collection of Tolkien history lessons with the basic story line of the original tale. Brilliant film, but not perfection.

Written by Ash Davies

Welcome!

First things first, hello and welcome to my blog - Sweet or Salted! Here you'll find the latest movie news, reviews, comprehensive comparative lists, and just general movie talk. I'm not a qualified movie buff, and I don't get invited to premieres, nor do I have "the inside scoop". I'm just a regular film geek! I hope you enjoy the blog and have a good read!

If you'd like to know a little bit about the man behind the opinions, then maybe my top three favorite movies of all time will help gain a little insight into my mind. Take a look:

Anchorman (2004)

A stunningly hilarious and quotable film, undoubtedly Will Ferrell at his finest. As a huge Ferrell fan I consider this one of the funniest films of all time. I wouldn't say I've never laughed harder, or that it's incredibly clever with its humour, but I never fail to fall further in love with this film every time I watch it.

Ferrell himself plays newsman Ron Burgundy, a scotch drinking San Francisco celebrity with a suit collection to die for, who is never short of a memorable one liner. Brilliantly supported by: Paul Rudd (Mike from Friends) as Brian Fantana, smooth talking ladies man; Steve Carrell as Brick Tamland, mentally challenged weatherman; and David Koechner as Champ Kind, loud cowboy sports presenter. These three all help to create a comedy supreme.

If you're not a Mr Ferrell fan, unfortunately, you almost definitely will not enjoy Anchorman. This film is the epitome of his style of comedy, filled to bursting point with classic Will Ferrellisms. However, this is a must watch if you're a fan of all things Ferrell!

Stay classy.

Beetlejuice (1988)

Tim Burton hasn't done his reputation any favours in recent years, with the likes of Alice In Wonderland and Dark Shadows adding to a fairly hefty list of disappointing films. However, if we delve back into the late 80's/early 90's Burton was at the top of his game, releasing classics such as the Batman films, Edward Scissorhands, and most importantly Beetlejuice.

This dark comedy revolves around a young married couple, played by Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis, who tragically die and come back as ghosts residing in their home. However, when the very annoying Deetz family move into the house, they must call upon the services of crazy, rowdy, hyperactive corpse Beetlejuice to help rid themselves of the Deetzs.

Beetlejuice himself is played by Michael Keaton, who puts in a phenomenal performance as a sleazy, obnoxious, disgusting, decomposing, yet always hilarious, ghoul. Packed full of brilliantly funny scenes Beetlejuice never fails to make me laugh and is never a film I don't want to watch. A classic in my eyes, creating a legendary comic character, with one fantastically iconic suit. Brilliant film, and one I'd recommend to anyone and everyone.

Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Ever since I can remember I've always been a massive, unashamedly geeky, Star Wars fan, and yes that includes the prequels. Storm troopers, lightsabers, Wookiees, Ewoks, the Jedi, the Sith, the force.  They all excite and enthrall me in a way that, at times, borders on the perverse. The original trilogy are far superior to the new ones, and of that trilogy Empire Strikes Back is the one for me!

There are so many reasons why I consider it to be the best, but I'll break it down into the four key ones:
1) The introduction of Yoda. One of the greatest characters in the Star Wars universe is introduced to us hilarious fashion, as the little green Jedi master appears to be no more than a slightly crazy swamp native. His funny little voice and tug of war with R2-D2 become all the more hilarious as you later learn he is the ultimate Jedi Master.
2) More Han Solo. Harrison Ford's character is one of, if not the best, characters in cinematic history. He's cool, funny, and it has to be said very attractive. He pilots the coolest ship, he get's the hottest girl, and his co-pilot is a giant lovable beast covered in hair. There is nothing better than Han Solo, and in Empire we get plenty of classic Solo. Definitely a winner.
3) Vader vs Skywalker. A lightsaber battle of EPIC proportions. Luke puts his newly learnt skills to the test up against the menacing villain that is Darth Vader and it does not disappoint! The dark setting allows the bright light of their weapons to create an amazing sense of good vs evil in the scene, something Lucas subsequently tried, and failed, to recreate in Attack Of The Clones when Anakin faces Dooku. One of the best lightsaber fights in the saga and one of the best scenes in this amazing film.
4) The line. They don't come along too often, but sometimes a line is written into a script that will be remembered in cinema until it's dying day. Luckily for every Star Wars fan across the world, Lucas did so when he put pen to paper and wrote the iconic sentence  "Luke, I am your father". Sheer brilliance, from a man who's strong suit is definitely not script writing. Ask Harrison Ford.

Any film fan that has somehow missed out on the Star Wars saga, get yourself down to any film shop and purchase them right now! Sit back and enjoy, making sure to pay particular attention to Empire Strikes back, the greatest of them all!



Anyway, there you have it, my favourite three films. You may not agree, but that's fine, I'm sure if you watch them enough you'll come around to my way of thinking!



Written by Ash Davies