Casino Royale - Best 007 movie in years [some spoilers]

[Hand of Evil]

Just to keep up on the numbers: Cost: 150 Million

Domestic: $94,223,000 (42.4%) + Foreign: $128,200,000 (57.6%) = Worldwide: $222,423,000

It is doing better than other Bond movies released at same period, having a very strong second weekend. See www.boxofficemojo.com for details.

...snip...
Down 24 percent, Casino Royale was as impressive as Happy Feet, holding better than James Bond's previous Thanksgiving titles, GoldenEye, The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day, which each fell over 31 percent on this weekend. Casino Royale captured an estimated $31 million and, with $94.2 million in 10 days, has sold nine percent more tickets than GoldenEye, the last Bond reboot, through the same point.
...snip...

Oh, the last Bond movie Die Another Day (cost 142 Million):
Domestic: $160,942,139 (37.3%) + Foreign: $271,028,977 (62.7%) = Worldwide: $431,971,116

 

[glass]

Yeah, it was baccarat. I was a little disappointed that it was a poker game. Baccarat is a pretty simple game but I'm sure with the poker craze in recent years it was to be expected they would change that. By my original comment, I meant that the casino play with Le Chiffre was a huge chunk of the book, not that they were playing the same game. Sorry if I was unclear.

No problem.

FWIW, I really enjoyed the poker sequences. I didn't think they were too long at all, partly because I was playing along, trying to figure out people's hands before they were revealed. I don't know how to play baccarat, so I don't know if that would have been as enjoyable.

OTOH, it might have been; there was plenty going on in those scenes apart from the cards being turned over. I especially like Vesper's comment about

Spoiler

her cover's anger about Bond losing being similar to her own

. Can't remember the exact wording, unfortunately.


glass.

 

[Pbartender]

I don't know how to play baccarat, so I don't know if that would have been as enjoyable.

They'd likely have explained it for you, since it's a fairly simple game, like they did in the book...

Baccarat is similar to playing Blackjack... except that you are trying to get a score of 9, instead of twenty one. Aces are one point, face cards are zero, all other cards are face value. Dealer and player each get two cards, face down. You may ask for one more card, face up. Only the last digit of your score counts (for example, a 5 and an 8 gives a score of 3, not 13). The higher score wins, ties are replayed.

In the novel, Casino Royale, the game was Baccrat Banque, with Le Chiffre as the banker, and Bond, Leiter and several other incidentals playing against him.

 

[Cthulhudrew]

As for continuing the franchise, I concur with the suggestion that the Moore movies get re-done. For that matter even some of the Connery ones could be re-done.

Interestingly, I've heard rumors that the next title may be Risico, but I can't imagine what the storyline would be, since Risico was basically the story behind For Your Eyes Only (the movie; Risico is one of the short stories from the anthology For Your Eyes Only).

(As an aside- FYEO- my favorite Moore Bond movie.)

 

[Nuclear Platypus]

Interestingly, I've heard rumors that the next title may be Risico, but I can't imagine what the storyline would be, since Risico was basically the story behind For Your Eyes Only (the movie; Risico is one of the short stories from the anthology For Your Eyes Only).

(As an aside- FYEO- my favorite Moore Bond movie.)

The movie FYEO was also a mixup of like 3 short stories - the revenge angle, the code breaker (also used in FRWL IIRC) and something else, the mob guy?. Yeah, I have fond memories of that one like the car chase after Bond's car alarm went off and the chase on skiis a bit earlier with what sounded like the Wide World of Sports theme playing.

FWIW, my fave Bond movie is Goldfinger for the laser table scene ("You expect me to talk?" "No, Mr. Bond. I expect you to -die-!").

But I've love for the other Bond movies like the pre gun barrel sequences mainly or things I could see my PC doing like rolling up the window before driving through fire in License to Kill aka "Uh... do I get a bonus to my save?" or the St Petersburg chase scene in Goldeneye.

 

[Arnwyn]

Well, you'd probably want to take that up with Ian Fleming, since the casino sequence and the torture/hospital recovery are two scenes that are more faithful to the book.

No, I will (quite properly) "take it up" with the filmmakers. I'm sure we are all quite aware that what works in a book may not work in a movie, and vice-versa (not like that hasn't been discussed all over the internet a billion times...).

Different strokes, I guess

'Nuff said.

 

[Joker]

Actually, I heard the next game they were going to play was Happy Hippo.

Speaking of toys, did anyone else think that that defribilator looked like something you would find next to all the other "spy gadgets" in Toys 'r Us?

 

[billd91]

I just saw Casino Royale yesterday, and found it to be a very good film. It's a fine Bond film in the tradition of From Russia With Love (which I consider to be the best Connery Bond flick).
<snip>
About the only thing I am sorry about in the franchise is that Brosnan never had a chance to do a really good Bond movie like this one.

As for continuing the franchise, I concur with the suggestion that the Moore movies get re-done. For that matter even some of the Connery ones could be re-done. At a fairly early point in the series there came to be a massive divergence in plots between the books and the movies. They could easily many of the books into movies, and it would be fresh and new.

I just saw Casino Royale today and came out saying "This is what I've been waiting for for 30 years!" I thoroughly enjoyed it.
But I would say that my regret is that Tim Dalton never got a chance to make a Bond film of this caliber. I've always liked him as an actor much more than Brosnan.

I would mind seeing some re-makes. Daniel Craig brings a very different presence to the role than Moore's patrician demeanor. He's more military-SAS than Oxbridge-high society. I think that would make for some very interesting remakes of the Moore or even Connery movies.

 

[Hand of Evil]

Just to keep everyone on the money...
Domestic: $115,863,000 (47.4%) + Foreign: $128,760,555 (52.6%) = Worldwide: $244,623,555

from www.boxofficemojo.com
...snip...
Casino Royale collected an estimated $15.1 million for $115.9 million in 17 days, and it matched GoldenEye's third weekend drop of 51 percent and held better than The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day among the previous Thanksgiving-oriented James Bond pictures. In terms of attendance, Casino still trails the last three Bonds, though it is gaining on them and continues to track ahead of GoldenEye, which as the previous franchise reboot is the most apt comparison for Casino.
...snip...

 

[Klaus]

And notice that Casino Royale hasn't opened yet in several worldwide markets (in Brazil it only opens on the 15th, for instance). Casino Quarter-Pounder looks poised to surpass previous 007 movies.