Bond - Growing old gracefully

Let me share my new movie crush.

Last weekend, I had a moviegoing epiphany.  I went to see Skyfall, not knowing what to expect but guessing I would be somewhat underwhelmed.  I should nail my Bond colours to the mast.  I was convinced the new Bond needed to be Clive Owen.  Tall, dark, handsome, suave, sophisticated, the ability to carry off shaken but not stirred with an air of superiority - you know what I mean.  

I didn't get Daniel Craig.  He looked and felt all wrong to me.  Like everyone else on the planet, I saw the clip of him in his first Bond outing, emerging, scantily clad and dripping from the ocean in a scene cleverly reminiscent of  Bond girls Ursula Andress and more recently, Halle Berry.  I thought he looked great but unBondlike and I was sure Bond had been Hollywoodised but not in a good way.

No-one was more surpised than me when I left the movie theatre declaring my love for Daniel Bond Craig.  He's even taken over Roger Moore as my all time favourite.  Already.  And I've only seen Skyfall.

I'm not familiar enough with Ian Fleming's vision of Bond to know whether he is more or less like he should be, but I know this - I loved Craig's portrayal of the character, I loved his interplay with the other Bond stalwarts and I loved the look and feel of the movie.   Sam Mendes has done a magnificent job.  For me, the movie looked fresh, exciting, stripped back and uncomplicated but was still edge of your seat adventure stuff that had me gripped from start to finish.  I found it atmospheric, beautifully shot and quite old fashioned looking.  It felt like an attempt to move away from the gadget weilding, presposterous plot Bond.  And how!  What he's allowed Daniel Craig to create is a believable, mean, gritty, human, ageing, less than perfect, hard as nails Bond that I absolutely adore.  Now I can see that Clive Owen wouldn't have worked.

He looks and behaves like a man in his 40s, struggling to keep up with the rigours of being a fearless, trained killer.  His lettered enablers, M & Q, play crucial parts in the story, but there are twists in this particular plot that make them vitally important.  Q's back to basics approach to gadgetry is refreshing and works perfectly with our ageing hero.  We only get to see his true technical wizardry as the plot emerges and young Ben Whishaw plays this part brillliantly.  What a find, he looks born to play the role.   If you remain one of the only people who still haven't seen Skyfall, I won't spoil it for you.  Suffice to say, Bond's relationship with M is played out beautifully with professionalism but enough tenderness to melt even the hardest heart.

Not only is this a must see action and adventure movie,  I think it is one of the best Bond movies I have ever seen.  I'm sure it cost squillions to make but the special effects are very light touch - the only fireworks on show were the 12a version of Bond's sexual climax.   

For me, Bond finally has a realistic context - we can see how old he is, we are not that far removed from the world he inhabits and we get to watching him navigate his way, with extreme difficulty, through the path of the baddies.  Casting Daniel Craig was a stroke of genius and watching him come to terms with his age  was a real pleasure.


Isn't that what we all want - to grow old gracefully..?

Go see it.  Now. 

DanielCraigoutof10? - a definite 10.

This is what I imagine James Bond listens to on his ipod when he's contemplating his next job. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7la0SndoCI

The New Gary Numan

I thought Muse were the new Gary Numan, the natural successors to his throne.  Until recently that is.   Little did I know, Gary Numan is the new Gary Numan.

I made my way to my first Gary Numan gig with caution.   Being in my mid 40s, I’ve seen a few old heroes in recent years whose music just doesn’t sound relevant or exciting anymore.  And I left those gigs feeling a bit sad.  I’ve always thought the point in experiencing music live was to be excited by it.  Otherwise, why not listen at home?  I was aware that he had become darker and more industrial sounding in the years following his biggest commercial success, but that had largely slipped under my radar.  I also wondered how my old favourites -Down in the Park, We are Glass, Are Friends Electric?- would sound. With a mixture of excitement and trepidation I opened the door to catch my first glimpse and make sense of the pulsating beats I had heard as I climbed the stairs.

Dressed in black from head to toe, naturally and with a magnificent stage presence, Gary Numan live was already a sight to behold.  I admit to letting out a little scream, my initial reaction being much more powerful than I had expected.   I watched, at times mesmerised. He was graceful, lithe and feline, in turns reminding me of Bono and Dave Gahan.  Even although I found it difficult to take my eyes from him, I couldn’t help but notice the band.  Young, gifted and dressed in black would sum them up in a sentence.   For me, they were so much more; two keyboard players straddled the drummer, as usual, making up the rear guard.  It thrilled me to see one of the keyboard players so engrossed, I could feel his excitement as he gyrated, waiting for his intro.  The bassist, stage right of course, was a vision.  Tall, black skinny jeans & cravat, replica Numan hair and radiating cool; that young man plucked and slapped his bass like it was a lover.  I suspect you only get that good, that young,   if you’ve spent your formative years locked in your bedroom caressing your guitar.  In my head, he learned his craft listening to Numan records.  Collectively, they sounded exceptional.

Whether by accident or design, the sound levels were perfect for me.  I believe the technical team knew just how to hit the musical nail right on the head for our 40-something ears.  And Numan bravely kept his microphone loud enough to ensure he was the main event.  I wanted to hear him, really hear him, and I wasn’t’ disappointed.  His dramatic, emotional, strong voice sounded as good as it did on vinyl some 30 years ago.   The overall effect was a wall of sound so sophisticated I could pick up every note. 

But what really blew me away was the way he has evolved his sound to construct live music that you only get to hear on really special occasions.  I wondered how his softer, synthesiser-driven early stuff would translate next to the meatier, ‘down and dirty’ newer creations.   What Numan and his band delivered was a blistering set of songs, with only us old fans being able to distinguish the old from the new.   They have turned Down in the Park, Cars &  We are Glass into brand new songs with a sound I would describe as  Kraftwerk meets The Foo Fighters.  And then, in a masterstroke, they closed with Are Friends Electric?  What started with a very slow, quiet, electronic intro unleashed into a frenzied but precise chorus of heavy, bass driven, thumping noise that made me and I suspect just about everyone else, gasp.  He smiled, waved an accomplished salute and was gone.   Sometimes, just sometimes, you’re lucky enough to experience music in a way that is so powerful you can feel it inside.   Gary Numan, I salute you right back. 

I would bet my last bottle of black nail varnish that Matt Bellamy fantasises about being Gary Numan.    Why wouldn’t he….?

GaryNumanoutof10?   10!

here's what all the fuss is about.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zn-I_3s8A4w&feature=related