Tag Archives: SPECTRE

Sam Smith selected to perform next James Bond theme song [Update: Hear it now]

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UPDATE (9/25): Right on time, Sam Smith’s Bond theme music has arrived and you can stream it now on Spotify or purchase it on iTunes. Generally, “Writing’s On The Wall” is being greeted with polarizing reviews. It’s a beautiful song, no doubt about that; Smith’s falsetto paired with the track’s cinematic strings is mesmerizing. The song, however, fails to provide its anticipated “drop” and it doesn’t boast the signature Bond boldness audiences have become accustomed to. It’s unapologetically a different kind of Bond theme, a soft ballad focused on delicate nuance. Me? I appreciate it and enjoy it, and I think it’s going to work well in SPECTRE, a Bond movie that aims to get personal and introspective. Take a listen. What do you think?

PREVIOUS (9/8): Adele. Jack White. Madonna. Sheryl Crow. Tina Turner. Gladys Knight. Duran Duran. Paul McCartney. What do all of these musicians have in common? Answer: Each of them have performed a James Bond theme song. Today, a new name gets added to the list. Rising crooner Sam Smith, who released his Grammy award-winning debut album In the Lonely Hour just last year, has been selected to sing the theme song for the upcoming 24th Bond film, SPECTRE. He’s the first British male solo artist since 1965 (Tom Jones, Thunderball) to record a Bond theme song.

Smith’s name had been rumored pool of artists to tackle the track, along with Ellie Goulding. But just last week when BBC Radio 2 asked the 23-year-old singer if he was secretly working on it behind closed doors, he shut it down. “That’s not me. That’s definitely not me,” he said. Lies! …I’m sure he was sworn to such secrecy. And then, early yesterday morning, Smith posted to Instagram an image with no caption–he’s wearing a ring with the infamous SPECTRE logo etched on it. The cat was out of the bag, and the very next day the announcement was made official.

The name of the track is “Writing’s On The Wall” and its written by Smith and Jimmy Napes. If you’ve been following Smith’s career so far, then the Napes name should ring a bell. The Grammy-winning producer assisted Smith with writing many songs from Lonely Hour including the popular single “Stay with Me.” Napes was also there during Smith’s Nirvana EP days, and he was also commissioned by Disclosure to co-write the Sam Smith-assisted hit “Latch.” Speaking of Disclosure, the English electronic brothers disclosed on Twitter that they, too, had a hand in producing “Writing’s On The Wall.” Full circle, indeed.

With permission granted, Smith hopped back onto Instagram to reveal the track artwork (see above) and share this message with his fans: “This is one of the highlights of my career. I am honoured to finally announce that I will be singing the next Bond theme song. I am so excited to be a part of this iconic British legacy and join an incredible line up of some of my biggest musical inspirations. I hope you all enjoy the song as much as I enjoyed making it. You can pre-order ‘Writing’s On The Wall’ on CD or vinyl using the link on my profile, or on iTunes from midnight.”

SPECTRE producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli added, “Sam and Jimmy have written the most inspirational song for Spectre and with Sam’s extraordinary vocal performance, ‘Writing’s On The Wall’ will surely be considered one of the greatest Bond songs of all time.”

The countdown is on; “Writing’s On The Wall” drops September 25. CD and vinyl singles can be preordered here. As soon as it releases, I’ll amend this post to include the highly anticipated track. SPECTRE hits theatres November 6.

[Via 007]

Christoph Waltz steps out of the shadows in latest ‘SPECTRE’ sneak

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The first full-length trailer for Bond 24 aka SPECTRE has arrived. Sam Mendes directs Daniel Craig as the actor suits up to portray the British Secret Service agent 007 for the fourth time. All of the major players get some screen in this extended look at the action-packed movie, even Bond’s new getaway vehicle, the Astin Martin DB10. Christoph Waltz’ Hannes Oberhauser remains shrouded in mystery, but at least we get a better look at him here than before. “You came across me so many times and yet you never saw me. What took you so long?” And then: “It was me, James. The author of all your pain.” Waltz (Inglourious Basterds) has perfected playing sinister. The official film synopsis follows:

A cryptic message from the past sends James Bond on a rogue mission to Mexico City and eventually Rome, where he meets Lucia Sciarra (Monica Bellucci), the beautiful and forbidden widow of an infamous criminal. Bond infiltrates a secret meeting and uncovers the existence of the sinister organisation known as SPECTRE.

Meanwhile back in London, Max Denbigh (Andrew Scott), the new head of the Centre for National Security, questions Bond’s actions and challenges the relevance of MI6, led by M (Ralph Fiennes). Bond covertly enlists Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) and Q (Ben Whishaw) to help him seek out Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux), the daughter of his old nemesis Mr White (Jesper Christensen), who may hold the clue to untangling the web of SPECTRE. As the daughter of an assassin, she understands Bond in a way most others cannot.

As Bond ventures towards the heart of SPECTRE, he learns of a chilling connection between himself and the enemy he seeks, played by Christoph Waltz.

SPECTRE hits theatres November 6.

Movie trailer round-up: ‘SPECTRE’, ‘Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation’ & ‘Entourage’

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In December, director Sam Mendes introduced to the world the next Bond film, SPECTRE, with the cast and car in tow. Today, we get our first look. Daniel Craig is back as 007 for the fourth time and his past comes to haunt him here. Dangling threads from Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, and Skyfall come to a head in SPECTRE and Bond is forced to face the sinister Hannes Oberhauser, played already to perfection by Christoph Waltz. Though Waltz is credited as portraying Oberhauser, I had speculated that he’d end up being Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the actual head of the SPECTRE organization. (SPECTRE, remember, is an acronym that stands for SPecial Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion.) In the teaser, Waltz’ Oberhauser tells Bond, “It’s been a long time. And finally, here we are.” In Bond lore, Oberhauser served as a mentor for Bond before he mysteriously vanished; so perhaps Waltz really is Oberhauser and Blofeld’s portrayer is still being kept under wraps? So much speculation to be had here. It’s just so exciting how serialized Craig’s rendition of Bond has become in terms of his past meeting up with his present to propel the story forward. Watching this latest mystery unfold which has so much to do with Bond’s origins and his connection to SPECTRE and Oberhauser is going to be a fun ride, to say the least.

SPECTRE hits theatres November 6.

Jump after the break to view more trailers. Continue reading Movie trailer round-up: ‘SPECTRE’, ‘Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation’ & ‘Entourage’ →

First look at next Bond film ‘SPECTRE’ (video inside)

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That’s Daniel Craig back in his spy gear for the next film in the 007 franchise. That snowy mountaintop is the Austrian Alps, one of many locations the film will travel to this time around. In addition to shooting here and at Pinewood Studios in London, Bond 24 aka SPECTRE will visit Rome, Mexico City, Tangier, and Erfoud.

Want to see more? Jump after the break to watch a behind-the-scenes clip featuring Craig, co-stars Léa Seydoux and Dave Bautista, and returning director Sam Mendes as well as other members of the production. The video teases “one of the major action sequences of the movie, a jewel in the crown so to speak.”

“The thing Sam and I talked about was how we are going to top Skyfall”, says production designer Dennis Gassner. “We are going to continue the history of the Bond films, making things that are exciting for the audience to look at and what could be more exciting than to be on top of the world.”

SPECTRE releases November 6. Click here to learn more about the movie. Continue reading First look at next Bond film ‘SPECTRE’ (video inside) →

‘Bond 24’ gets a title, release date, official synopsis, cast & all-new specifically designed Astin Martin car

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Bond, James Bond returns in the 24th film in the long-running espionage franchise. On Wednesday, returning director Sam Mendes (Skyfall) hosted an unveiling event that revealed the film’s shrouded title, among other tidbits. Bond 24 is name SPECTRE and it aims to release November 6, 2015. In case you’re not ‘in the know’ when it comes to all things 007, SPECTRE is a fictional global terrorist organization featured in a number of James Bond novels written by Ian Flemming. It’s also an acronym: SPecial Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion. The head of the organization is evil genius Ernst Stavro Blofeld; the character is featured in a number of Flemming’s novels as well as many 007 films. He was perhaps portrayed most famously by Donald Pleasence in You Only Live Twice (1967). The character would go on to spawn Mike Myers’ Dr. Evil, of course.

With SPECTRE at the center of the new film, you’d think Blofeld would serve as Bond’s main antagonist here. Interestingly, the cast announcement left his name out entirely. Obviously Daniel Craig reprises 007 for the fourth time running; other returning cast includes Rory Kinnear as Tanner, Ben Whishaw as Q, Naomie Harris as Miss Moneypenny, and Ralph Fiennes as the new M. Joining the cast is Andrew Scott (Moriarty from BBC’s Sherlock) as Denbigh, Dave Bautista (Drax from Guardians of the Galaxy) as Mr. Hinx, Monica Bellucci as Bond Girl #1 Lucia Sciarra, Léa Seydoux as Bond Girl #2 Madeleine Swann, and Christoph Waltz as Hannes Oberhauser. Now, Oberhauser is an actual character plucked from Bond lore; he served as a mentor for James before he mysteriously vanished. Even then, why can’t I stop postulating that this is merely a ruse and Waltz will indeed portray the sinister Blofeld? (Star Wars did it when they cast Benedict Cumberbatch as “John Harrison” and we all know who that ended up being.)

SPECTRE will shoot at Pinewood Studios in London, as well as in exotic locales like Rome, Mexico City, Tangier, Erfoud, and the Austrian Alps. Principal photography begins this Monday at Pinewood with Mendes at the helm and Interstellar‘s cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema and editor Lee Smith beside him. Skyfall writers John Logan, Neal Purvis and Robert Wade have also penned the SPECTRE script.

As in all Bond movies, 007’s method of transportation here plays an important, flashy role. Mendes dramatically revealed Bond’s latest ride at the press event: it’s the all-new Astin Martin DB10. Little is known about the high-performance vehicle, expect for the fact that it was designed specifically for the movie and limited production is underway.

What else? Here’s a log line: “A cryptic message from Bond’s past sends him on a trail to uncover a sinister organization. While M battles political forces to keep the secret service alive, Bond peels back the layers of deceit to reveal the terrible truth behind SPECTRE.”

So pretty much all that’s left is to find out who will be performing SPECTRE‘s theme. Recent rumblings point to talented British crooner Sam Smith. For now, jump after the break view the official teaser poster. Continue reading ‘Bond 24’ gets a title, release date, official synopsis, cast & all-new specifically designed Astin Martin car →