We would have been happy with Casino Royale; we really, really would. Daniel Craig’s debut as James Bond was such a revelation – such an infusion of modern cool into 007’s timeless sensibilities – that he could have spent the remainder of his tenure doodling on a napkin and we still would have deemed him a success.  So we accepted the flawed nature of Quantum of Solace without raising much fuss; enjoying its eccentricities and letting its middling status slide with the assumption that Craig’s ride would be more of the same. Little did we know that the best was yet to come: the inestimable Skyfall, which not only affirmed the character’s relevance for the 21^st Century, but set a new standard for all future entries in the series.  Best Bond ever?  Goldfinger may edge it by the thinnest of margins, but even then, I’m inclined to give it a little space on the podium.  Hit the jump for the review.

Lincoln director Steven Spielberg is poised to have a big day tomorrow when the 85th Academy Awards are announced, but it appears that the filmmaker has decided to put the brakes on his next project.  Spielberg has decided to indefinitely postpone his big budget sci-fi adaptation of Robopocalypse, which was to have starred Chris Hemsworth in the lead role.  Production was set to get underway this spring, but apparently Spielberg decided the project wasn’t ready and is now going “back to the drawing board to see what is possible.”  The filmmaker isn’t dropping out of the pic entirely, he just didn’t want to rush such an expensive film.  Hit the jump for more details.

The James Bond film franchise has stood for 50 years.  It has lived, died, returned, died some more, returned again, and as the longest-running blockbuster franchise in history, it constantly walks the line between life and death regarding the series’ potency.  There likely will always be another James Bond film, but the character’s relevancy is always in question.  Can the modern audience accept Bond in a world where a grittier spy like Jason Bourne seemingly has more power to engage audiences?  Isn’t James Bond a relic that can’t convincingly survive in a post-9/11 world?  The latest Bond film, Skyfall, explores these question is a fascinating, compelling manner and does so within one of the series’ most exhilarating, perfectly crafted, and absolutely captivating entries to date.

Sam Mendes’ James Bond flick, Skyfall, the 23rd installment in the famed franchise, opened strongly in the U.K. with $32 million, but has continued that trend to set a one-week box office record.  Pulling in $60 million, Skyfall beats out previous seven-day record holder, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, which nabbed $57 million in 2011.  Internationally, Skyfall claimed $83 million (up from its initial estimate of $77 million) on its opening day and has since crossed the $100 million mark.  This achievement is especially remarkable considering there’s no ticket price uptick for 3D.  Hit the jump to see what other records Skfyfall has set, and what the positive buzz means for its domestic opening on November 9th.

[This is a re-post of my review from the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival.  Cloud Atlas opens today.]

“My life exists far beyond the limitations of me,” a character notes in Cloud Atlas. By the same token, The Wachowski Siblings and Tom Tykwer‘s film exists far beyond the limitations of genre, narrative, identity, and time. It is a work of sweeping ambition, engrossing stories, compelling characters, and powerful emotions. The filmmakers have taken David Mitchell’s novel, and rebuilt it into a captivating sextuplet filled with love, hate, redemption, damnation, bravery, cowardice, and more. Through skillful editing and astounding performances, Cloud Atlas is a cinematic experience like few others, and it will leave viewers in awe.

The wildly ambitious adaptation of Cloud Atlas is a brilliant piece of filmmaking from writers/directors Lana and Andy Wachowski and Tom Tykwer, but it’s also a very hard sell for general audiences.  The film takes place across multiple settings and time periods, with the fantastic ensemble cast taking on a number of different characters.  In order to entice those who may be a bit apprehensive about the film, an extensive 13-minute featurette has been released that features interviews with the directors and the entire cast explaining how the film works.  It’s a fascinating watch not only to see how The Wachowskis and Tykwer pulled this thing off, but also to get a look at the whole cast in their various make-up and costumes.

Hit the jump to watch the featurette, and click here to catch up on all of our previous coverage.  The film stars Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Susan Sarandon, Doona Bae, Hugh Grant, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Keith David, Ben Whishaw and James D’Arcy.  Cloud Atlas opens on October 26th.

I have been looking forward to this weekend for a long time, because this is Cloud Atlas weekend.  Since I was convinced by the word Wachowski from day one, I have stubbornly avoided watching too much beyond the first trailer to go in as fresh as possible for what looks to be one of the few truly ambitious wide releases this year.  Thankfully Dave is still around to help provide context for a “ridiculously cool” featurette.  Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Susan Sarandon, Keith David, Ben Whishaw, Hugh Grant, and Jim Broadbent discuss the multiple characters they get to play in the five-minute clip—titled “An Actor’s Dream”—which features plenty of behind-the-scenes footage.

Co-directed by Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski, and Tom Tykwer, Cloud Atlas opens on October 26.  Watch the featurette after the jump.

Yet another clip from director Sam Mendes’ James Bond film Skyfall has been released, and this time the focus is on the Daniel Crag-era’s new Q.  Ben Whishaw steps into the gadgets expert role previously played by Peter Burton, Desmond Llewelyn, and John Cleese, bringing a wholly fresh take on the staple character.  It’s been a decade since we’ve seen Q portrayed onscreen (2002’s Die Another Day), and I’m eager to see whether he fits into the larger plot of Skyfall or if he’ll be resigned to a couple of self-contained scenes.

Hit the jump to watch the clip, and click here to watch four more clips.  The film also stars Judi Dench, Javier Bardem, Naomie Harris, Berenice Marlohe, Helen McCrory, and Ralph Fiennes.  Skyfall opens internationally on October 26th, in US IMAX theaters on November 8th, and in US conventional theaters on November 9th.

A new trailer has been release for Skyfall.  There’s only a little new footage, but it does feature Bond’s iconic introduction, so that’s always worth a watch.  The movie has been garnering ecstatic buzz, and I can’t wait to finally get a look at what director Sam Mendes has brought to the franchise (other than the influence of The Dark Knight).

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  The film stars Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Javier Bardem, Helen McCrory, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw, Berenice Marlohe, and Naomie Harris.  Skyfall opens November 9th.

Warner Bros. has released a new behind-the-scenes featurette for The Wachowski Siblings and Tom Tywker‘s Cloud Atlas.  The studio has a difficult task of selling the movie because it’s so different than what audiences are used to, and yet the film is surprisingly accessible if you’re willing to go along with its central conceit: six storylines with overlapping themes and shared actors.  The trailers and TV spots are pushing glowing pull quotes and the overarching plot devices, and this new featurette is in line with that marketing approach.  The only hurdle is in trying to get audiences to go in even though they don’t know the individual plotlines.  It’s a challenge viewers need to meet or else they’ll be missing out on one of the year’s best films.

Hit the jump to check out the featurette, and click here for my review of the film.  The movie stars Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Doona Bae, Ben Whishaw, James D’Arcy, Xun Zhou, Keith David, David Gyasi, Susan Sarandon, and Hugh Grant.  Cloud Atlas opens October 26th.

4 new clips from director Sam Mendes’ James Bond film Skyfall have been released.  I’m trying my best to temper my expectations following the incredibly positive early reviews, but these new clips aren’t doing me any favors.  All signs point to Mendes having crafted a Bond film for the books, and opening day can’t get here soon enough.  We’ll have video interviews with the cast soon, but until then check out Steve’s set visit and on-set interviews with Mendes, Daniel Craig and producer Barbara Broccoli, Berenice Marlohe, and Naomie Harris.

Hit the jump to watch the clips.  The film also stars Javier Bardem, Judi Dench, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw and Helen McCrory.  Skyfall opens in traditional theaters and IMAX in the U.S. on November 9th.

We may have the “best Bond ever” in Sam Mendes’ Skyfall if early accounts are to be believed.  Stateside, we’ll have to wait a few weeks to find out (unless you’re like Steve and got to see it early).  The newest clip features Bond (Daniel Craig) going up against his new nemesis, Silva (Javier Bardem).  Bardem looks delightfully crazy as Silva and proves that Bond’s troubles with public transportation are far from over.

Also starring Judi Dench, Ralph Fiennes, Berenice Marlohe, Naomie Harris, Ben Whishaw and Helen McCrory, Skyfall opens in the US on November 9th.  Hit the jump to check out the new clips as well as all the clips released so far. 

Early reviews are in for Sam Mendes’ Skyfall, the latest film in the James Bond series. Reactions have been overwhelmingly positive so far with the phrase “Best. Bond. Ever.” being thrown about.  While it may very well be true, those of us stateside won’t know for sure until Skyfall debuts on November 9th.  In the meantime, we’ve trod carefully through the spoiler-laden minefield of reviews to bring you the latest word on Skyfall from those in the know.  Plus, we have a new clip to share with you that should tide you over.

Skyfall stars Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Javier Bardem, Helen McCrory, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw, Berenice Marlohe and Naomie Harris.  Hit the jump to check out the new clip and early reviews.

An insane amount of images from the upcoming adaptation of Cloud Atlas has been released.  The film comes from writers/directors Lana and Andy Wachowski (The Matrix trilogy) and Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run), and early word has been enormously positive.  Our own Matt Goldberg considers it one of the best films of the year and notes that it’s “an important film in terms of how it breaks the boundaries of cinema and challenges the audience to cast aside preconceived notions of how genres and narratives have to work.”  You can read his full review right here while you patiently await the impeding release date.  Here’s hoping audiences spark to what sounds like a very special piece of filmmaking.

Hit the jump to check out over 80 images.  The film stars Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Doona Bae, Ben Whishaw, James D’Arcy, Xun Zhou, Keith David, David Gyasi, Susan Sarandon, and Hugh Grant.  Cloud Atlas opens October 26th. 

In the newest clip released for Sam Mendes’ James Bond flick, Skyfall, Bond (Daniel Craig) is up to old habits: namely gambling and womanizing.  This thirty-second spot shows Bond playing cavalier with his hard-earned winnings and introduces him to Severine (Berenice Marlohe).  They must have hit it off since they later meet up for a refreshing Heineken on a passenger train.  We also have the first look at Harald Zwart’s The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones in a behind-the-scenes featurette with cast interviews.

Skyfall, also starring Judi Dench, Ben Whishaw, Helen McCrory, Ralph Fiennes and Naomie Harris, opens November 9th stateside. The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones stars Lily Collins, Lena Headey, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Kevin Durand and opens August 23rd, 2013.  Hit the jump to check out the clip and featurette.