James Bond was, up until a day ago, always produced by the Broccoli family - all of the many canonical films since the early 1960s... for better and worse. Their control was legendary, and often, usually, yielded good or superior results. Their choices for Bond have been always good or better, a few times inspired, and their attempts to select villains who had won Oscars, was notable. They also tended to be loyal to British writers, directors, and actors, and kept the franchise stable, ongoing, and reliable. The worst James Bond is still worth a telly rewatch on a lazy Sunday afternoon; the greatest are some of the best action movies ever made. Now, it is in the hands of Amazon MGM - an American company not known for its quality control... it has hits and misses, but plenty of cash. Fans are anxious; I am, as a fan, very concerned. I am unsure the new films will remain firmly-rooted in the canon, or be as British - with all the eccentricities and potential flaws that entails. Bond is b...
The other day I thought it could not get worse, when this blog commented on Trump's almost-first-month in office for 2.0. Then, he apparently sided with Russia, claimed Ukraine had started the war (it hadn't), that its leader was a dictator (he isn't), and later that evening, called himself THE KING on social media. Since then, he has continued to berate the Ukrainians, discuss the idea of getting rid of income tax entirely, and numerous other unsettling things. The main concern for the world, now, is that we have a totally ignorant madman at the helm, who feels comfortable lying about the most momentous historical facts, insulting allies, and allying himself with dangerous enemies. It is, to say the least, bleak. At least Canada won the hockey game against the USA, eh?