ALL SCI-FI

[Bud Brewster]

Possibly my favorite Pierce Brosnan Bond film, and therefore probably my favorite James Bond movie (tied with Goldfinger), this one has the right blend of action, humor, imagination, and sex. The motorcycle chase some of the most amazing stunts imaginable. However, the flaws in that great sequence are all those shots of a helicopter hovering a few feet above street . . . while it's tilted at a 45?? angle!

The story, however, is flawless. Big Jim takes on a cocky, brilliant, and crazy-as-hell billionaire media mogul who wants to mold the masses with his mastery of the worldwide web. The premise is plausible enough to be scary — in fact, it probably been happening for years!

IMDB has 114 trivia items. Here's the cream of the crop (the text in blue).
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Just before shooting the scene where Bond and Wai-Lin get on the motorcycle, Roger Spottiswoode took Pierce Brosnan and Michelle Yeoh aside - each without the other's knowledge - and told each of them not to let the other get in the driver's seat. The result is in the final film: Bond and Wai-Lin fight over who gets to drive before getting on the bike.

Note from me: Remember this one the next time you watch this movie. What we see isn't acting! It's "creative confusion"!

The original title of the film was "Tomorrow Never Lies", which makes sense when you consider media mogul Elliot Carver (Jonathan Pryce) was creating the next day's headlines in advance, then causing those events to happen. But a typo on an early script draft was adopted by the producers, and Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) was used instead.

Note from me: So, I'm not the only one who makes typos! In this case, a title that made sense became a title that used "die" yet again. How many movies can you name with "die" in the title?

The stealth ship is not a fictional invention. Lockheed secretly constructed and demonstrated one in the early 1980s, but the US Navy finally decided they didn't want any. The prototype, called the Sea Shadow, was 160 feet long and the movie's ship closely resembles it in shape.

Note from me: I pretty sure we've got a thread or two about that vessel — which IS being used by the military now, I believe.

Anthony Hopkins was cast as Elliott Carver and joined the production, but walked after three days because it was so chaotic and there was no completed shooting script; due to the pressure on Eon Productions to finish the film on time, new pages of the screenplay were being delivered every morning. He opted to star in The Mask of Zorro (1998) instead.

Note from me: I'm glad they made this casting change, simply because the character of Carver is supposed to be smarmy and unlikable . . . and I like Anthony Hopkins in everything I've seen him in.

Pierce Brosnan and Teri Hatcher feuded briefly during filming due to her arriving late onto the set one day. The matter was quickly resolved though and Brosnan apologised to Hatcher after realising she was pregnant and was late for that reason.

Note from me: Okay, the scene with Pierce dropping Terry's evening gown and revealing her in a black garter belt and stockings is sexy as hell . . . until one finds out she's pregnant. That kills the mood as quick as being told you just kissed your cousin!
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[MetroPolly]

This is pretty much the only "modern" Bond film I like. Not really sure why; maybe cause it's not as violent as the Dalton ones, and not as ridiculous as the Roger Moore stuff.

BTW, Seriously, Tony Hopkins was gonna be the baddie? Sorry, just don't see that. He's too... quiet and sophisticated, this part needed somebody who could get excited and show it. Pryce was a much better idea.

Incidentally, am I nuts for thinking the character was supposed to be kind of a Steve Jobs gone to the dark side?

[Bud Brewster]

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Gee, I never thought of it that way, but it makes sense. Interesting idea!

One odd thing about this movie is that is has TWO theme songs, one at the beginning of the movie and one during the closing credits.

The opening credits theme was fair . . . but the closing credits song was one of the best Bond themes EVER, second only to Goldfinger. The melody of the closing credits theme is the one you hear most often during the movie. It's gorgeous!

Enjoy it here.

__________________ SURRENDER - K.D. Lang


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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[MetroPolly]

Personally, I preferred the title song. It's in my range, and I can sing it, given a chance to get my key.

Matter of fact, I think it's the only Sheryl Crow song I can sing without my voice cracking!

[Rick]

I'm glad you can sing the song, Pam. It's just too bad that Sheryl Crow couldn't sing it.

I'm sure Ms. Crow is a lovely, talented woman, and kind to dogs, but her performance is probably the lamest of any Bond song singer ever. The song itself is okay, but, as Bud said, KD Lang's closing song is much better. And Ms. Lang can sing, big time.

This movie is a source of amusement to my kids because they always remember that "Dad REALLY liked Michelle Yeoh." And, yes, it's true. Dad did really liked Michelle Yeoh.

It's easy for me to rank Brosnan's four Bond films because each one was less good than the one before. From the pretty darn good GOLDENEYE, to the not-bad TOMORROW NEVER DIES, to the not-always-entirely-bad-but-pretty-much THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH to the execrable, hopeless, but often hilarious DIE ANOTHER DAY.

Sorry, Bud, the movie is not bad and Michelle Yeoh is terrific, but this one wouldn't crack my top ten Bonds.
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Man need not kneel before the angels,
Nor lie in death forever,
But for the weakness of his feeble will.

[Pow]

Always thought that Terri was a beautiful Lois Lane. Not a big fan of Lois & Clark: The Adventures of Superman, but I sure liked her.

[Bud Brewster]

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Yeah, I guess Teri is kind of petty in an OMG-I-Love-Her sort of way.


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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Custer]

Nice costume that - while this one seems familiar:

[Bud Brewster]

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Ah-ha! That's from The Outrageous Okona, a TNG episode in which the Rocketeer seduced Lois Lane!





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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[The Spike]

The distance between insanity and genius is measured only by success.

Tomorrow Never Dies is directed by Roger Spottiswoode and written by Bruce Feirstein who uses characters created by Ian Fleming. It stars Pierce Brosnan, Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Price, Gortz Otto, Teri Hatcher, Ricky Jay, Judi Dench, Colin Salmon, Desmond Llewelyn and Geoffrey Palmer.Music is scored by David Arnold and cinematography by Robert Elswit.

Bond 18 and 007 is called in to investigate media magnate Elliot Carver who appears to be instigating disasters to cause a war between the UK and China.

After GoldenEye had broke records and Pierce Brosnan was firmly accepted as the new Bond to usher in the approaching millennium, Eon wasted no time in getting Tomorrow Never Dies into production. Once again another studio had to be built since Leavesden was being used for the Star Wars sequels and Pinewood simply wasn't big enough! A sign that Brosnan's second film was to be gloriously high in production value? Further snags came and went, Vietnam refused permission to film in the country at the last minute and Brosnan got injured but thankfully pulled through to avert further delays. With a script being rewritten daily by Feirstein it appeared to be a jinxed production, the budget went over $100 million, a new record for a Bond movie. Was GoldenEye going to be a false dawn? Was Tomorrow Never Dies going to end up with the bottom feeders of the franchise?

As it happens, Bond 18 was a roaring success at the box office, it made $334 million even though it went up against James Cameron's Titanic upon release. Reviews were, and still are, mixed, yet it's one of the Bond films that actually rewards upon revisits if you can forgive the clunkiness of the script in the latter half of the picture. The gigantic budget is up there on the screen, great locations, great casting, amazing stunts, hi-tech gadgets/vehicles and outlandish action sequences. A dynamite score from David Arnold helps as well, unashamedly a big John Barry fan, Arnold brought back some traditional Barry strains whilst putting his own energetic composition into the mix. Sheryl Crow's title song is one of the best of the modern Bond bunch and K D Lang's Surrender is also a fabulous addition to the production. There's great spectacle here, a nice blend of traditional Bond with new age Bond, were it not for missteps in the scripting and unrealised character potential, then it surely would have a better reputation.

Michelle Yeoh (Wai Lin) is a fabulous Bond girl, she kick ass, is very pretty and rivals Bond in every department, but she is incredibly underused. The one great ass kicking sequence we get from her only serves to make us lament there's not more. Teri Hatcher (Paris Carver) has all the tools to be another in the line of worthy Bond girls, but she serves only as a plot device to get Bond broody and moody, she's utterly wasted. Pryce is a class act who dominates every scene he is in, but his Elliot Carver's motives and means are weak, and once again we find ourselves with a larger than life villain who we can't accept can give Bond a run for his money. The henchmen score better, though, with Otto's Aryan brute Mr. Stamper a real muscular threat and Vincent Schiavelli's amusing hit-man offering up genuine peril for Bond. Dench continues the good work in Golden Eye as M, Llewelyn as Q gets another round of sparring joyously with 007 and Samantha Bond gets some well written lines as Moneypenny.

It failed to live up to the Bondian standards set by GoldenEye, but it is still a great action movie full of vim and vigour and dotted along the way are some truly great scenes. Bond and Wai Lin on a bike, Bond and remote controlled BMW, Bond and Stamper face off and Bond sitting in chair brooding whilst knocking back neat vodka. These are great Bond moments. It loses its way once 007 gets to Vietnam (Thailand standing in) and the gun toting finale is more akin to a Stallone/Schwarzenegger movie, but there's still plenty here to enjoy and be thankful for. 7/10
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The quality of mercy is not strnen.

[Krel]

[Bud Brewster]

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The government must love the fact that Revell sells model kits of military vessels that the Russians can buy and study while they figure how to blow them up!
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Krel]

Back in the 70's, the Soviets came up with a new alloy. Intelligence Agents were trying to figure out how to get a sample, when it was discovered that because of a production overrun, the Soviets used the alloy to make clothes hangers. They had an Embassy member put his clothing on the hangers in his luggage when he flew back to the United States.

David.

[Bud Brewster]

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Oh boy, I'll bet a few Russkys got fired over that little blunder!
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)