Will The Next Bond Film Be Daniel Craig’s Last?

Daniel Craig has served as one of the best James Bond’s of all-time, but could he be about to put down the gun following the released of the 25th Bond flick titled ‘No Time To Die’ in 2020.

The rumours have been ripe that it will be Craig’s last, but there has been no other Bond in the history of the franchise that can claim to have had as much box office success at the Layer Cake star.

Craig’s Bond Films

‘No Time To Die’ will be the fifth film that Craig has played Bond, and the success that the previous four have had will highlight that next year’s release is going to be an overwhelming success. His tenure at Bond started in 2006 with the release of Casino Royale, and 14-years is the longest that anybody has ever played Bond. Of course, the record of playing 007 the most still falls on the lap of Roger Moore, but the argument over who was the best will continue forever.

But, the box office figures certainly don’t lie. The 2012 release of Skyfall is by far and away the most successful Bond film of all-time in terms of the box office, as it earned over $943 million, which was almost double what the pre-Craig best was. The second most successful of all-time was the most recent release of Spectre in 2015 which brought in just over $725 million.

What It Takes To Be A Great Bond

Bond is one of the most beloved characters in the world of film, and any British actor would love to play the part. However, since the first film, only seven actors have been able to utter many of the countless Bond catchphrases that have become a common part of pop culture. But, should Craig leave his role, then that void will open up for a new opportunity. However, not all actors have the desired traits about them to deliver.

The secret service agent oozes cool, and the next actor must excel at being able to walk into a casino and look like the most confident man in there. Craig has excelled at this, as who could forget his scene in Casino Royale when he is in a battle of poker against the villain in the film- Le Chiffre. The films famously feature poker and casino scenes but the battle between the two in Casino Royale was possibly one of the best Bond scenes of the Craig era.

However, it wasn’t the only impressive casino scene as the Skyfall sequence when Bond walks into a Macau casino. He looks a million dollars and looks like he is about to get down to business as he tries to track down Patrice. The scene eventually ends when Bond has overcome two strong adversaries before he tells Moneypenny to put a briefcase full of cash on a game of roulette.

Who Are The Front Runners?

The betting markets for the next Bond are one of the most competitive around online, and there is a host of big-name actors being spoken about. Tom Hiddleston has been one of the favourites since the talk surrounding the long-term future of Craig has been in the air, while Sam Heughan is one of the big market movers.

Heughan rose to fame in ‘A Very British Scandal’, before becoming a household name in ‘Outlander’. His move to the favourite in the betting would be a shock to most, but he is likely to have a significant breakout moment in 2020 when ‘Bloodshot’ hits the cinemas. Other popular selections include James Norton, Idris Elba and Tom Hardy.

Cillian Murphy was also a front runner earlier in the summer, but his price has drifted after he admitted that he wouldn’t fit the role of Bond. Murphy would have been a popular pick among fans after his portrayal of Tommy Shelby in ‘Peaky Blinders’ has seen the show go on to become one of the most beloved dramas across the world.

However, whichever actors picks up the baton after Craig will have big shoes to fill. But, regardless, the Bond franchise will live on forever and will continue to produce box office smashes consistently.

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: Commentary Tagged With: bond, craigs, daniel, film

Is “Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ” written by Daniel Goleman a masterpiece?

We are all aware of the fact that having high IQ is important. It helps us understand a lot of things faster, makes us better learners at school, college or university and comes in handy when we are trying to land that new job. However, we do not know much about EQ or emotional intelligence. This is the subject which the book ‘Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ’ is dedicated to.

Why will reading this book be so useful to everyone? Well, you will find out more about emotional intelligence, as well as figure out a way to develop your EQ. In other words, you will definitely be learning a lot while reading this book. What is more, having acquired all this new knowledge, you might start teaching your friends about emotional intelligence as well.

Daniel Goleman has managed to acquire a lot of valuable knowledge in such fields as psychology and neuroscience to be able to come up with an impressive and a very detailed book on the issue of emotional intelligence. Our mind is both rational and emotional. So far, we have managed to find out as much as possible about the rational side. However, the potential of the emotional side is not as widely discussed as it should be.

In his book, Daniel Goleman presents five key skills of emotional intelligence and provides vivid examples to support his theoretical findings. Viewing the issue of emotional intelligence in detail helps us understand how is determines our relationship with other people, the steps we take to achieve success, as well as how it influences our physical well-being. It may sound rather unconventional but there is a direct link between our thoughts or emotions and our physical health. The happier you are, the healthier you will be. Therefore, being smart does only only represent the ability to get excellent grades and demonstrate quick wit. It means the ability of a human being to understand their emotions and feelings, to talk about them to others, as well as to explain why a certain emotional situation influences what the person is feeling at that particular moment.

The good news is that the so-called emotional literacy is not fixed. It may be something you have not been born with but you are luckily able to work on it during your whole life to develop your emotional literacy. Any human being on the planet has the possibility to develop their EQ to any level they want. It will take time and a lot of effort but it is possible.

All in all, the book ‘Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ’ by Daniel Goleman covers the topic of emotional intelligence and highlights the fact that it is a much more reliable indicator of intelligence than IQ. A detailed description of every emotion we feel and its influence on our actions helps a reader better understand why they act a certain way. What is more, the experiences a person has had during their childhood and infancy years are of great importance when it comes to defining one’s EQ. Being able to analyze our emotions and feelings, as well as learn from those findings will definitely give a person more advantages not only in the business world, but also in personal life as well. One cannot say that this book is a masterpiece but it is definitely very useful to every single person on the planet.

You can also be given the task of writing a book review of ‘Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ’. Dealing with such assignments as writing a review or a social justice research paper are very common when you are studying at college. If you are looking for assistance from an experienced paper writer to help with social justice essay, take a look at a few essay writing services. Familiarize yourself with testimonials and look through samples of their work. If you find a reliable paper writing assignment, googling what is social justice essay will no longer be something to worry about.

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: Commentary Tagged With: daniel, emotional, goleman, intelligence, iq, masterpiece, ...

Is Daniel Craig the Best Bond Ever?

For some, the latest James Bond movie, Spectre, was another triumph for the franchise. For others, it was a bit “meh”. However, for Daniel Craig, it appears to have been a harrowing experience.

Earlier this year, the British actor stated that he would rather do anything than reprise the role. Naturally, with Craig on the verge of handing in his gun and locking away the Aston Martin, the big wigs at the production company were forced to take evasive action and reportedly made an uncharacteristic play for Craig.

According to reports, Craig was unhappy at the amount of time it takes to shoot a Bond movie so, in a bid to keep him on board, the bosses apparently offered him a back-to-back deal which would have cut down the amount of time he was away from his family.

As yet it’s unclear whether or not Craig has acquiesced to any modified deals, but that hasn’t stopped the bookies from setting lines on the most likely man to replace him. Idris Elba and Damian Lewis are currently the hot tips among Bond fans and industry insiders, but it looks as though they’ll only get to don the famous tuxedo if Craig heads off into the sunset.

So why the love for Craig? With Casino Royale set to turn ten years old later this year, we thought we’d take a look at three reasons why he could be the best Bond ever.

Craig Made Bond Modern

One of the main reasons Craig is lauded by Bond fans is that he helped bring the character into the 21st century. Pre-Craig, the franchise had become stale and outdated. Although Pierce Brosnan embodied the charm and charisma of Bond, he didn’t have the rugged edge that many modern movie heroes have.

This rugged edge was then expertly combined with the always cool casino motif. Images of slick gamblers in flashy suits wagering huge sums of money on games such as poker and blackjack has always captivated the imagination of audiences, so when Bond took on Le Chiffre in a high stakes poker game it became an instant hit.

To make the poker scenes as believable as possible, director Martin Campbell hired professional players such as Casper Berry to help make Craig’s moves authentic. This ability to capture the moment, give off an air of authenticity and still make James Bond an aspirational figure was a major reason for Casino Royale, moreover, Craig’s success as Bond.

In fact, the connection between Bond and the casino world has lived on ever since. When the film was released in 2006 the online gaming boom was at its peak and, spurred on by the popularity of Casino Royale, a host of operators decided to use Bond imagery to enhance their products. James Bond-themed slots such as Double 0 Cash and Spy Game sat alongside classics such as blackjack and roulette.

With everyone wanting to become the next James Bond and bring down the house, online casinos like Titan Casino Online are giving new players a chance to join the action without spending their own money. Today, the online gaming industry is still going strong and even though Craig’s Casino Royale is a decade old, his image is still be used to show off the “cool” aspects of the industry.

Craig Brought in the Big Bucks

Despite initial fears that people wouldn’t take to Craig in his role as Bond, the numbers don’t lie. After breaking box office records in its opening week, Casino Royale went on to gross $594 million in movie theatre revenue and a further $210 million in home movie sales.

As if that wasn’t enough, Quantum of Solace went on to take $591 million in box office sales. However, as impressive as those figures are, Skyfall managed to almost make more than those two combined with a staggering $1.1 billion in international box office sales.

To top it all off, Spectre banked an impressive $879 million back in 2015 to take Craig’s box office earnings as Bond beyond the $3 billion mark.

Craig’s Body Did the Talking

At 5 foot 10 inches, many said Craig was too short to play bond. However, following his famous beach scene in Casino Royale, many quickly changed their tune.

Craig was not only buffer than the average Bond, but his frame actually made his fight scenes a lot more believable. Although many male fans will deny that this changed their opinion of Bond, there’s no denying that he was one of the more athletic Bonds in recent years and that helped turn the tide.

Is Craig the best Bond ever? Quite possibly and even if he doesn’t reprise the role, we can certainly look back at some impressive performances as the world’s greatest spy.

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: Commentary Tagged With: bond, craig, daniel

DVD Review “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood: Daniel Tiger’s Happy Holidays”

Actors: Daniel Tiger and Friends
Directors: Fred Rogers Company
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: PBS (DIRECT)
DVD Release Date: November 4, 2014
Run Time: 100 minutes

Our Score: 5 out of 5 stars

I love the idea of the show “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood” because it really help kids learn a lot and is still alot of this. “Daniel Tiger’s Happy Holidays” includes 7 Grr-ific Tales! Snowflake Day! (a special holiday double episode); “Katerina’s Costume”; “Dress Up Day”; Something Special for Dad”; “I Love You, Mom”; “Thank You, Grandpere Tiger!” and “Neighborhood Thank You Day”. Plus it comes with a Daniel Tiger figurine that has movable head and arms. That was the first thing that my daughter says “DADDY!! IT MOVES!!”. If you love the show, this is a must buy and priced very right!

Official Premise: Hi neighbor! Meet Daniel Tiger, and welcome to his neighborhood! Four-year-old Daniel Tiger invites young viewers directly into his world, giving them a kid s eye view of his life and making them feel like one of his neighbors. As they follow Daniel s everyday adventures, preschoolers and their families learn fun and practical strategies and skills necessary for dealing with everyday experiences, like showing appreciation to friends and loved ones, dressing up for Halloween, and celebrating holidays.

I remember watching “Mr. Rogers Neighborhood” when I was a kid. Now it is kind of a trip for me to have my own kid watch the new generation of that show with “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood”. I also like that this show keeps the legacy of Fred Rogers alive and working for today’s children. The music in this series is very catchy and a lot of fun. I found my daughter (trying to) whistle along it days after watching. I have a feeling that “Snowflake Day!” episode is going to be getting a lot of play over the next few months.

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews Tagged With: daniel, dvd, happy, holidays, neighborhood, review, ...

Interview with Brad Neely & Daniel Weidenfeld

Brad Neely & Daniel Weidenfeld are the guys behind Adult Swim’s new show “China, IL”. Brad is the writer, producer and star of the show and Daniel is the executive producer. The show just started airing on Adult Swim every Sunday, be sure to check it out. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with the guys about the new show and what we can expect.

Mike Gencarelli: Tell us about the journey for “China, IL” starting as web series to airing on Adult Swim?
Daniel Weidenfeld: I had worked with Brad on the shows at Super Deluxe. We had been talking about doing a four part episode. We wanted to do a television show however Super Deluxe wanted it to be a web series. We had this super complex story where we had a  four part show but in each part there were three acts. It was a very confusing. About a year and a half later, Adult Swim came to Brad about doing the show. I came on a short time after. Together we did a pilot titled “Professor Brothers”. The show ended up being picked up for series and Adult Swim wanted to develop it further. We made the show more about the world and added pupils to the characters which gave them a little more life. We also changed the name to “China, IL” and that’s where we are today.

MG: Brad, you not only write and produce the show but also voice the main character, How do you juggle those roles?
Brad Neely: It’s fun! You have to just put on different hats. Of course it’s not all just me either. While I am in doing voicing, Daniel is on the other side of the glass directing me. We have a lot of people working on the show that have editorial input.
DW: The crew here adds a lot to each frame of the show. It’s really great and we are very lucky.

MG: How did you get involved with Titmouse and Tommy Blanca who voiced the Mayor?
DW: Shannon and Chris (Prynoski) have been friends for a long time. They have done a lot of work with Adult Swim. There was a time when it looked like the show was going to be picked up just based on the written scripts. They were the first people we called.
BN: They were actually the first people I ever met with. I couldn’t imagine doing the show elsewhere. They presented a studio that had a booth in house. They were also able to do revisions and pickups on the fly. We were able to make everything run like a well oiled machine.
DW: With Tommy for the episode “Dean vs. Mayor” we had initially wanted to get Macho Man Randy Savage to go head to head with Hulk Hogan. However we couldn’t find him at the time and that was prior to him passing away. The next person we called was Tommy who used to be the head writer for the WWE. We knew he could bring that spirit to the episode. The voice he brought killed it! You’re going to be seeing a little bit more of the Mayor in the future.

MG: Tell us how Hulk Hogan came aboard to voice The Dean?
DW: It was tricky but we got him. We had to appeal to him in a way where it wasn’t about the money. He cares about doing awesome stuff! We sent him the script and he told us it was the weirdest thing he had ever seen in his life and  he wanted to be a part of it. It took some massaging and to this day we are still massaging.
BN: He has a comedy personality in him. He doesn’t just come in and do his lines. Hulk is a funny performer.

MG: Any other guest voices to keep an eye out for this season?
DW: Oh yeah!
BN: One of our favorite things about the show is the voice talent. We have Jason Alexander doing a voice in episode four.  We have Jeffery Tambor playing Baby Cakes’ dad.
DW: We also have Natasha Leggero and Chelsea Peretti doing voices. We are trying to stack the deck as much as we can. It’s been awesome!

MG: How long does each episode take from script to screen?
BN: It’s different with each as the writing process is unique for each episode.
DW: We started production in October of 2010.
BN: Right now we are finishing the tenth episode. While everyone is working on the first episodes we are writing the second half.

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: Interviews, TV Interviews Tagged With: brad, daniel, interview, neely, weidenfeld

Interview with Daniel Licht

Daniel Licht is the composer of the new TV series “Body of Proof” which premieres on March 29th on ABC.  Daniel also does the haunting score for Showtime’s “Dexter”.  Movie Mikes had a chance to chat with Daniel about his work on the TV series as well as the differences between each genre.

Mike Gencarelli: Tell us about working on the new TV series “Body of Proof”?
Daniel Licht: Well, I got hired last Fall.  I did the first thirteen episodes, but I think they are only going to broadcast nine this year.  It is a very interesting show. Dana Delany’s character on the show solves crimes by doing autopsies.  Once again, I am writing music with lots of dead bodies around [laughs].

MG: What were your inspiration for that score?
DL: A lot of it is very emotional actually.  It is a procedural, which means a crime is introduced in the beginning of an episode and solved at the end.  But it is always like an emotional wrap up because these are crimes of passion.  Dana’s character manages to get people to make confessions.  The music is just really emotional.  I wanted to do something interesting instead of the standard string with sad piano lines.  I mutated the piano samples and tried to give it an interesting sound to it, sort of a futuristic sound.

MG: What was your biggest challenge when working on that score?
DL: Well it is always challenging trying to find a sound for a show…or a movie.  That is always the biggest challenge.  You have to get the theme and find the key to the show.  The dramatic part is usually pretty straight forward.  The comedic elements are always the hardest to find the right tone for.  It took me a while to find just the right tone.  There is some comedy involved as well, not slapstick though.  So, that took a while to get the tone and comedy mixed together right.  But hopefully I got the write sound [laughs].

MG: Tell us about working on the score for “Dexter”?
DL: I have been doing “Dexter” for five years.  It certainly has been a great show to work on, well acted…well written…well shot.  It really makes writing music for it a real pleasure.  The key was finding the right tone.  The show has a little ironic twist to it.  Parts of it are just very dark comedy.  It has just been great though.  I tried to create the feeling of Michael C. Hall as Dexter floating through this dark reality.  It is like a slow motion eerie carnival sound.

MG: Do you find that working on “Dexter” today differs from when you first started?
DL: Yeah!  I try and keep it moving.  I try and bring in new things but obviously there are the classic themes that come back and are a part of the show.  I rearrange them sometimes and sometimes I bring them back exactly as they were but I extended or shorten them.  I have tried to get into different sounds for this season.  The last season you had Julie Stiles and her character, so I started using strings and woodwinds.  Woodwinds is not a sound that is used a lot in “Dexter”.  The season before that featured Jon Lithgow and we used a lot of smashing sounds, like beating on the inside of a piano and some more techo elements as well.  That whole season, they wanted the music driving from the beginning of the episode until the end.  It is like a pulsing sound throughout the episode.  I just try and keep it interesting.

MG: You have done quite a few feature films in the horror genre, is that a favorite genre for you?
DL: I liked to have a little variety for what I work in and write.  But if I had to just to one…like if someone said to me “You can do light comedy or this or that”…I would want to do something dark, if I had to do only one style. I like to get emotionally involved with the music when I am writing.  I want to get the deep emotions from it.  I find that challenging for myself.  Part of it is just getting an opportunity, the first film I got offered was a vampire film and that is what you become…an expert on what you have done.

MG: Do you find that it differs for each genre you compose for?
Oh absolutely.  I will do research if I am working on a film that takes place in a certain location.  I will reach the music.  I will do out and buy specific instruments.  Even mood-wise, working on really dark stuff all day will make you kind of moody.  I have also done some more comedic stuff as well and you fell lighter as it affects you mood throughout the day.

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: Film Interviews, Music Interviews Tagged With: daniel, interview, licht

Daniel Stamm talks about directing "The Last Exorcism"

Daniel Stamm is the director of the new documentary style horror film “The Last Exorcism”. The film opened at number 1 with over $21 million in its first weekend. Daniel’s career is going to blow up real fast due to this enormous success of the film. Movie Mikes had a chance to talk with Daniel to discuss the film and his passion for filmmaking.

Click here to purchase “The Last Exorcism” DVD or Blu-Ray

Mike Gencarelli: How did you get attached to direct “The Last Exorcism”?
Daniel Stamm: Originally the writers were going to direct it. They had committed to another movie and they had to contractual do that instead. Strike Entertainment and Eli (Roth) were looking for another director. I had made another movie called “A Necessary Death” and it is the same style. It wasn’t horror but it was pseudo-documentary style. We had the won the Audience Award at AFI and they really like it. Eli loved it. They asked me to come by and read the script. I loved it and we were good to go.

Mike Gencarelli: What was the hardest part of filming “The Last Exorcism”?
Daniel Stamm: What you are doing with the fake documentary is you are not creating an artificial movie reality. So you don’t have your own rules to play by. You actually have to play by the rules of the real world. That means your audience that lives everyday in the real world is verse to these rules. What look looks right. What sentence seems odd. Suddenly you are up against reality which is a scary thing. If there is one moment in there that feels fake the whole building collapses. That is something you have to shoot for. Sometimes you have thirty takes to get that one genuine sentence that you need. You know you need it so you can’t go on without it. You are at the mercy of realism to happen in your film.

Mike Gencarelli: Did you feel pressure following the footsteps of documentary style films like “Paranormal Activity”?
Daniel Stamm: It is almost the opposite. Do I feel any pressure in avoiding it completely? People think handheld and think “Blair Witch”. I think it is such a rich style and I hope it will involve into an actual style and genre and not as gimmick. These movies are so different. If you look at “[REC]”, it is completely different from “Paranormal Activity”. Both which I loved. “[REC]” is such a brilliant exercise in timing and anticipation, though it is not entirely based on its strong performances. “The Last Exorcism” is all about the performances and not about timing. All of these movies are all very different. People react to handheld in the same way and say “Oh it is the same, I have already seen this before”, but it is really not.

MG: Tell me about the ending change, why did that take place?
DS: The question was “How open ended do you want to go?” It’s funny because right now there is a lot of controversy even about the script, that the ending in the film is too open ended. Our original ending was even more open ended. People are saying that they are having problems wrapping their heads around this one. I am glad that we changed it though. To me it is important that it is open ended because we are working with the question of faith vs. atheism. Who am I to give an answer to that in 90 minutes. I cannot give you an answer to that if you gave me two years. So the best I can do is create the best answer I can. [WARNING: SPOILER ALERT] Everyone then needs to leave theater wondering whether or not God will come to Cotton’s help. If we would have shown him die, then obviously God wouldn’t have helped him or forgave him for not believing.

MG: Do you think there will be “The Last Exorcism 2”?
DS: No, there are definitely no talks about this yet. People think that producers will follow the money. Strike Entertainment and Eli Roth aren’t that way at all because first and foremost they are storytellers. They are directors themselves. I think unless someone comes up with a brilliant script that needs to be told and that the story of Cotton Marcus wouldn’t be finished without it. I do not think that there is going to be a sequel.

MG: What will your next film be?
DS: I have a very good idea and I couldn’t be more excited about it because it is produced by one of my favorite filmmakers in the world. The problem is they are negotiating the specifics of the deal right now. So I am unable to talk about it at the moment. But it is going to good. It’s scary how big that project is going to be and how different from “The Last Exorcism”. I do not even want to think about it right now because I will just panic. I just want to enjoy “The Last Exorcism” for now and then deal with the next project.

Click here to purchase “The Last Exorcism” DVD or Blu-Ray

Read Complete Article
Filed Under: Film Interviews, Interviews Tagged With: daniel, interview, stamm
Page 1 of 1