#he plays an assassin in this movie which is really funny given what bond is

[blindmanbaldwin]

[Barbara] Broccoli insists it was his [Daniel Craig’s] performance as Jesuit priest John Ballard in Shekhar Kapur’s 1998 period drama “Elizabeth” that convinced her Craig was the one. “I remember thinking, ‘Oh my God, he’s the guy,’ when he was in Elizabeth, walking down that corridor. I know that sounds crazy, but that was the moment I felt it in my gut. When your whole life is James Bond, some part of you is always looking for, ‘Who could play the role? Daniel just eats up the screen. He’s truly a remarkable actor.”

Barbara Broccoli on what first made her think Daniel Craig could play James Bond in “Being Bond” (p. 28-30) 

[perksmains]

Bambi and thumper james bond

#Bambi and thumper james bond movie

#Bambi and thumper james bond professional

Blofeld dresses in drag and has his own cat doppelgängers because I guess the Blofeld clones would get lonely? It’s the right kind of funny for me, but the problem is it’s not cohesive. The Blofeld plot, meanwhile, is at the other end of the bonkers spectrum with fake Blofelds and diamond laser satellites. The initial diamond plot is grounded and not at all what we are used to seeing Bond do in these films. No, this film is in conflict with itself. This Bond appeals to us sleazy Americans, and that’s good enough to build a setting around. Fleming writes a stronger gentleman, but the Bond we see on film has the snobbery of class but all of the crooked smiles of anybody playing craps. The American gambling capital may have glitz and glamor, but Bond was meant to be classier than the phony opulence of Nevada. I talked it over with one of my Double-O pals and he thought Vegas was an inappropriate setting for Bond. This is a film that really fails in its script. Pussy Galore is more dignified than that. Plenty O’Toole is probably the most unfortunate name for anyone ever. I think You Only Live Twice had stronger pacing, but my verdict is going to have to be this is better than Thunderball, but not by much. Diamonds isn’t boring and I don’t think it’s necessarily more offensive than a standard Bond film. YOLT was actually really exciting but had bad dialogue and questionable racial themes. I think the big problem with Thunderball was it was really boring. We’ve seen some bad ones, and the contenders here are Thunderball (1965) and You Only Live Twice(1967). To many, this is definitively the worst Connery Bond.

#Bambi and thumper james bond movie

So ranking this movie makes or breaks a Bond opinion. Another joke about diamonds, end credits. They’re attacked by Wint and Kidd one more time, but Bond kills them. Bond takes a crane and throws Blofeld’s escape pod around for fun.įinally, Bond and Case are on a cruise to go back to Britain. The CIA and Whyte attack the base with helicopters and eventually Blofeld is on the run. When Bond gets there, he switches the activation tape out but Case screws that up. It is, but Case is kidnapped and Blofeld seems to hold all the cards. The focal building in all this is the Whytehouse, which is a casino owned and operated by a reclusive Howard Hughes analog named Willard Whyte. We’re going to ignore all that and just say eventually Case figures out Franks is really Bond and joins his side to cooperate with the investigation and not go to prison or die. Kidd kill diamond smugglers and take their diamonds, and Bond escapes death and gets ambushed multiple times because the CIA has given him fake diamonds. They sneak the diamonds onto the real Franks’s body (whom Case thinks is Bond) and go to Vegas for delivery.

#Bambi and thumper james bond professional

He meets smuggler Tiffany Case under the guise of professional smuggler and assassin Peter Franks. They put Bond on the case and send him to Amsterdam. Someone is stockpiling South African diamonds and Britain wants to know how. He tracks him down in a facility dedicated to creating Blofeld doppelgängers and drowns him in weird molding goo. The end of OHMSS is mostly ignored, but Bond is nevertheless hellbent on finding Blofeld. If you don’t want to read too much into this review, basically: it’s another comedy, every previous cliché is not forgotten, and people need to be careful what they wish for. The fear of alienating the giant, international audience of the first few films meant another On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (we’re just going to call it OHMSS for short now) was not going to be in the cards any time soon. The new decade could have promised more of a change for Bond, but it didn’t. Out of the sixties and into the hellfire that is the seventies. Yet I’m strangely compelled to comment on the tie. Okay, this is my last chance to make fun of Sean.

[anorakofavalon]

The Beauty and the Geek: Why Brutasha Makes Sense

(AKA: An Open Letter of [Constructive] Criticism for Joss Whedon)

I wrote an essay in which I parse through my feelings on probably the most controversial pairing of the MCU. I settled on the relationship making sense, thematically, even though the execution was terrible. Sorry if it's a little long, but I'd love to have a discussion about this with any of you willing to take the time to read it.

---

Joss Whedon is great at his job. He’s flawed, like anyone else, but he’s a fantastic writer. I hardly need to remind you of his portfolio, after all. As a matter of fact, his portfolio is so very nearly spotless that his writing flaws come across, at least notably, in only one movie. Avengers: Age of Ultron. You might point out Justice League, but I’m discounting it because while there were flaws there, they weren’t all his, and not all of them were present in unison.

In Ultron, Whedon was pushed to his writerly limits. Understandable, considering that he was burdened with not only following up on the masterpiece that was The Avengers, but he had to do so while taking into account the events of the movies that took place between then and Ultron and where that left the characters. Not only that, he also had to setup the rest of the franchise and introduce a multitude of new characters. Doing any one of those three things is difficult, but doing all of them at the same time while also offering a coherent and enjoyable movie to fans is a monumental task. He did what he could.

One particular weakness of the movie, as pointed out by a large number of people after its release, was the relationship between Bruce Banner and Natasha Romanoff. Recently, people have warmed up to and adapted to it. But the damage is done. It left the impression on just about everyone that it was rushed and clumsily handled. I agree that it was clumsily handled, but I don’t think that it was necessarily rushed.

I’d like to make an argument for the relationship, and in doing so, maybe offer a critique to Mr. Whedon that might be helpful. My argument is the following: Bruce and Natasha’s relationship in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is thematically sound. It’s a natural step forward in both of their respective arcs, and I believe that Mr. Whedon made an excellent, and conscious, storytelling decision when creating the pairing. (He might even have had it in mind since The Avengers.)

But before I go any further on analyzing why I believe this, I think it’s important to dispel a few common and relatively superficial complaints about the couple. Firstly, some people prefer Natasha to have been with Clint, Steve, or even Bucky. I understand the general sentiment there, but I have contentions against any of these people because they don’t make sense in the context of the MCU. Clint is out of the picture because he has a family, and they are simply best friends, practically siblings to each other. Bucky and Natasha have very little screen time together in which they aren’t fighting by the time Age of Ultron happens. Steve is the most sensical of these options. But Steve and Natasha aren’t compatible people, at least not in the sense of a romantic relationship. Why? Because A.) She explicitly prefers more passive, “dorky” men, B.) Steve is still not over Peggy Carter, C.) Putting them together would be, aside from blindingly obvious, harmful to their wonderful friendship because D.) Steve and Natasha have, up to Ultron, had a very strictly professional relationship. They’re friends.

The other big complaint is simply that Bruce Banner seems to be too old for her. This is a, frankly, ridiculous complaint. Mark Ruffalo is one hot dude, and Black Widow is a fully grown woman perfectly capable of having emotions for whoever she damn well pleases. Somewhat older or not.

And speaking of those emotions, people have been quick to point out that they seemingly developed out of nowhere. I disagree, to a certain degree. The seeds of this have been rooted from the very beginning of The Avengers. Their first interaction was tense and interesting. Subtle things were present. Hints of flirtation (granted, at the time she was trying to manipulate and recruit him into helping SHIELD) were present, and there’s a few visual cues. Particularly when Banner says “I don’t always get what I want” while touching a crib. I recommend re-watching it.

And of course, there’s the entirety of Ultron, where they throw quick glances, outright flirt, and seem to have developed a close relationship via “the lullaby”. But the leap from Avengers to Ultron is quite wide, considering that a few things have happened, and besides, wasn’t she deathly afraid of the Hulk during Avengers? The answer to that is yes. And that’s why it was so jarring for practically everyone, including those of us who have embraced the ‘ship. Presumably, all of their bonding happened during Natasha’s stay in Avengers Tower between Winter Soldier and Ultron. The problem? We didn’t see that. We just saw that she could calm down the Hulk all of a sudden and had a good relationship with Banner.

I won’t defend the execution of this. It could have been smoother, without a doubt, but given the duress that Whedon was under with managing the storylines of literally every other character, I can forgive him. But what I can’t forgive him for is the execution of a few other things concerning the two. Namely, how he handled their conversation in the Barton household and the Ultron kidnapping.

The Barton Household conversation could have been positively wonderful. It was a little off-putting instead. I don’t think it’s a bad conversation mind you, it shows that Black Widow is willing to open up to Bruce Banner in a way she doesn’t usually do with others, and it really serves to humanize her further. The premise is this: Bruce Banner isn’t willing to be with her because he believes that he’s a monster and that he can’t give her a normal life (read: children). Natasha counters with the fact that in her view, she’s a monster because the Red Room made her one. And she can’t have children. The issue is clear: these are two separate, parallel, lines of conversation happening at once, and they get muddled, and viewers got confused accordingly. The way the dialogue was framed had disastrous consequences. Rather than achieving its goal the scene left us with the impression that she thought she was a monster because she couldn’t have children when really what she meant was that she was a monster because the Red Room dehumanized her and turned her into a weapon, and in the process, sterilized her.

While awkward, a lot of people later understood what was meant and the outrage died down. But it didn’t help that later in the movie, Widow was used as a literal damsel in distress when she was captured by Ultron for very little reason. Now, I’m a firm believer that strong female characters should be allowed to have love interests. Love isn’t a weakness. But this moment makes Black Widow seem like merely a love interest. She was helpless and a man had to rescue her. And it was, you guessed it, her love interest. This whole concept was a mistake. It could have been any other Avenger. Because if there’s one thing Black Widow is not -- it’s helpless. (And as a side note, that scene at the Avengers party where he fell on her chest? Ridiculous. Whedon pulled the same trick in Justice League and it was equally un-funny. It harmed his cause more than it helped. Comedy could have made the transition into the relationship less jarring for fans but he approached it in the single worst way possible. Also, the ass shots. What the hell Whedon? Like, I get it, but c'mon man. If you're gonna do it, at least be egalitarian and give us some Hulk booty too. Taika did it.)

All of these things combined gave people a less than spectacular impression of the couple at first, since it consumed both of their respective storylines for the entire movie, but I warmed up to it and so did others. Because despite the execution, I think it makes perfect sense thematically.

It begins in The Avengers. We’re going to briefly revisit the scene I mentioned earlier, where Natasha is recruiting Bruce. At this point we know a few things about them: Banner is relatively in control of the Hulk, but he doesn’t want to “Hulk out”, He is not afraid of Natasha, and finally, Natasha is very much afraid of him. At first she acts unfazed, but when he slams his hand on the table to test her there is genuine fear in her eyes and she pulls a gun faster than he can blink. He smiles away the tension, assuring her he was just testing her. But the power dynamic became clear. At first, Natasha believed she could manipulate him like she did Tony, but with Banner that wasn’t the case. He saw right through her. This remains a constant theme. He could read her like a book.

She’s weary of Bruce for the rest of the film, but it culminates when she faces the Hulk. Mr. Whedon lets the camera linger on her after her near death experience. Natasha Romanoff is shaken. This was incredibly humanizing for her because the Hulk is a force that she is truly powerless to do anything about, which must be an unfamiliar feeling for the world’s greatest assassin. Regardless, when Fury calls her to take down Barton, she walks it off. That encounter grew her character. A character that has remained fairly mysterious thus far except for one single moment, a truly wonderful scene where she manipulates the ultimate deceiver: Loki.

Loki thinks he’s got a read on her, likely because she was being very honest when she told Loki “I’ve got red on my ledger, and I’d like to have it clean.” Loki already knows, playing on her apparently emotional side by saying “Your ledger is dripping red, it’s gushing and you think saving a man no more virtuous than yourself will change anything?”

It’s all a trick, of course, because she pretends to let it affect her. But Black Widow knows how to compartmentalize emotions, and she handled the situation wonderfully. But I don’t doubt that what Loki said was true -- to a degree. That is Black Widow’s chief insecurity: that she is a monster, and she can never be a hero like the other Avengers because of her past.

A few scenes later, after the Hulk Out, Banner wakes up in a warehouse, where an old man is looking over him. The very first thing that he asked was “Did I hurt anyone?”. And that there is his chief insecurity: that he is a monster because he is a danger to everyone around him.

So you have two characters who both have terrible pasts that were forced on them by circumstances entirely out of their control. Both admire each other professionally as well as people. Let’s not forget that Natasha’s first interaction with Banner was of him living in an impoverished country in order to help people. Both are looking to become better than who they are, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Natasha was affected by this. Hulk has caused just as much harm as she has, but Banner is making up for it by healing others. She might feel she can’t do that because her skillset has always been to harm others. That’s why I think she’s one of the most compassionate of the Avengers, and always comforting her friends. Be it Steve at Peggy’s funeral, or Clint in Endgame when she’s the only family he has left. It makes total sense that Bruce and Natasha would turn to each other as friends and confidants. I don’t think anyone else in the group could understand their shared and unique type of trauma. And as Natasha said, “all [her] friends are fighters”. But Bruce is not. In her eyes, he’s a perfectly normal, mild-mannered gentleman. She’s not afraid of him or Hulk by the time Age of Ultron rolls around, but boy is he afraid of himself.

And they both want normality. So they propose running away. A bit on the dramatic side, but I can see why Whedon chose to use this idea. It makes the ending of the film more poignant, when she chooses to have Banner Hulk Out (and I suspect Banner understands why), thus sacrificing their fantasy of normality. Because they’re Avengers. The mission comes first. Still, it was far too melodramatic for my taste and out of character for both of them. Particularly Natasha. And again, it makes it seem like Natasha was Banner's love interest when it really ought to be the other way around, from a storytelling perspective and also because of the nature of the characters. That was a lapse in judgement from Whedon that weakened the presentation of their potential relationship.

I don’t think the relationship will remain completely intact by the time Endgame finishes, but I do think they’ll acknowledge it and give them a proper send off. It might not last, but their relationship helped them grow as characters. It allowed Banner to realize that he isn’t really a monster. That he is useful in his own right. And it helped Natasha get peace of mind. She isn’t a monster either, she’s a hero. And for better or worse, that means she has to do heroic things. Even sacrificing normalcy.

And plus, it's just adorable man.

[imagitory]

So I saw Endgame! [spoilers]

To save your feed from nasty spoilers, here's a cut!

Overall, this movie was half-epic awesome and half...well, not.

The Good!

+As always, it was so great to see all of our favorite Avengers interacting and working together, especially at the end. Nebula and Tony playing games in space -- Natasha's friendships with Steve and Clint -- Scott fawning over Steve -- Tony and Steve teaming up to get the tesseract and more of Hank Pym's formula -- Nebula connecting with her past self and Gamora -- PETER REUNUTING WITH HIS PAPA TONY -- these characters and their bonds are what make all of these movies. There are a few I feel that got a bit overlooked, but to be fair, there are so, so many that it's not hard to see why not all of them could be in the spotlight.

+All of the action was well-choreographed and executed. It never felt one-note and it never dragged, at least for me.

+STEVE USING MJOLNIR, HELLZ YES. I cheered like an idiot when that happened.

+Even though I saw it coming, Tony's sacrifice was still well-written and not only fit his character but also the story. RDJ couldn't have asked for a better exit from the Marvel film franchise.

+Scott's reappearance after five years was great too! His reunion with Cassie got me kind of emotional -- such a proud daddy!

+As much as I do have problems with Steve's ending (which I'll come back to), I liked that it saluted the Falcon taking over the mantle of Captain America as he does in the comics.

+That whole bit with all of the ladies charging in after Captain Marvel -- total girl power, man!

+Tony and his daughter Morgan's interactions made me laugh -- who knew Tony could be such a good daddy? I always support good daddies. (And "I love you 3000"? My heart.)

+Thanos accessing Nebula's memories and thoughts because the technology in both her past and future selves are on the same network was actually kind of clever, and I loved how Gamora decided to fight with future!Nebula for the hope that they could really be sisters like she claims.

+All of the comments about Steve's ass made me laugh so hard. Looks like it's canon now, guys: Tony has given Steve's ass and what flatters it notable attention.

+Hey, Carol. Nice haircut. ❤️

The Not-So-Good...

+I must admit, half the reason I dreaded seeing this movie as well as Infinity War was that I knew that any deaths in Infinity War would inevitably be completely undone in Endgame, effectively canceling out any fatal stakes you could assign to the Cinematic Universe. It's something I hate about Marvel and DC comics, that in their long history, there are so many ways to bring characters back from the dead that you either don't believe they're actually dead or are left wondering why they're still dead. At least in Harry Potter, Harry surviving the Killing Curse (both times) was a fluke -- something that only came about by extreme chance that most people wouldn't have, something that could only have happened to Harry. That makes it so we still feel something when people die, and therefore care about what's going to happen. But yeah, sure enough, all the deaths in Infinity War basically get undone, thanks to some time travel and magic stones. It unfortunately almost had to be like this, if this story was going to be told, but that doesn't change the fact that I don't like that aspect of the story. This invalidation of stakes wouldn't hurt as much if this was the last film Marvel ever made, but really, with how much money Marvel could make with the remaining cast of characters, I sort of doubt that.

+The filmmakers try to give some logical explanation to the time travel thing, but in the end, thanks to Steve's decision (which I'll get into), it's kind of thrown into question again. The idea was that they wouldn't be able to change the future by going back in time...and yet I can't see Steve not trying to do anything to hinder Bucky's suffering in the past, if he was back there. Yes, maybe it wouldn't change future!Bucky, but it would still be his best friend. And Steve's return to civilian life in the past would surely influence some things, wouldn't it? Wouldn't him living a life back then involve him getting a job, earning accolades for his past service, making friends, having children...anything? The alternate universe scenario proposed by the Ancient One would inevitably have to happen if Steve stayed behind, which was the whole reason he supposedly went back to put the stones where they were in the first place!!

+Okay, and now finally what I've been leading up to...Steve. As appropriate as Tony's ending was, Steve's was just as inappropriate in my mind. Steve not only had gotten over Peggy in previous films, where he got to speak with her as an old woman and make peace with the life they never got to have, but Steve was actively moving on. He had been dating Sharon Carter. He had developed close friendships with the other Avengers. He had an entire scene where he preached to others the value of dealing with grief productively and growing despite it...only to run back to the past as soon as he got the chance? And this isn't even touching how terrible of a friend this makes Steve, leaving Bucky behind and not even bothering to talk to him about what he was doing. Steve barely even spoke to Bucky in this movie: even after Bucky came back from the dead, Steve never had a proper reaction. They never fought side by side, exchanged affectionate one-liners, hugged, nothing. And this is Bucky we're talking about, the guy who Steve let beat him within an inch of his life -- who Steve protected from Tony -- who Steve openly and painfully grieved during Infinity War. And Bucky not only is left out in the cold by Steve, but Bucky thinks the Falcon should be the sole person to talk to him after his decision becomes clear. Bucky should have confronted Steve. He should have been angry. He should've asked why Steve didn't ask him to come too, didn't ask if he wanted to. Bucky deserved a happy life just as much as Steve did, after all the horrible things they went through. Why did Steve deserve to go back in time and live happily, and not Bucky? Why was Steve okay with the fact that he wouldn't see his best friend for decades? Why was Steve comfortable with the thought that Bucky would have to watch his best friend die of old age not long after just fighting side by side with him? Not only does this ending break Steve's character, but it doesn't match his arc at all. He was adapting well to the present -- he was growing, he was evolving. And yet his ending ended up being running back to when things were simpler, running back to the past like a coward instead of embracing the future. FUCK. THAT.

+I really didn't care for either Clint or Thor's development in the five year time jump. For Clint, as much as I like the parallels the script made between him and Natasha in regards to the awful things they've done, I still have difficulty seeing someone who was so devoted to S.H.I.E.L.D. being a ruthless, lawless, out-of-control assassin, even if he did lose his whole family. But Thor's characterization was so much worse. Thor has always been funny in the movies, as are a lot of the characters, but something I always loved about him in the series was how he balanced humor, sincere emotions and being a total bad ass. In this film...yeah, he's almost entirely there for laughs. He had a few bad-ass moments, but he didn't get the chance for much sincere pathos, when he kind of deserved some. The loss of Loki and how Thor dealt with it is never really addressed after the five-year time jump. Loki in general actually doesn't get addressed after he gets the tesseract either -- that almost inevitably will have to be a spin-off, but...hey, yeah, if Loki's still unaccounted for, then Bruce's promise to not let any alternate timelines pop up is already going to be broken, isn't it? The God of Mischief has a hold of the tesseract.

+As much as I liked the thought of Bruce being able to balance out the two sides of himself, I preferred the execution from what little I've seen of Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, where Hulk is the dominant personality but listens to Bruce more often and is therefore smarter than he was previously. In this version Bruce almost seems out of touch with his Hulk side when he tries to fight at first, even if he's now green all the time. It's just less entertaining, and seeing how Bruce evolved to the point where Banner and Hulk are interacting peacefully could've been an interesting thing to show over the course of several movies rather than something just alluded to after a time jump.

+Does everyone's vision of retirement involve moving out to a farm? Like, seriously, both Thanos and Tony do this. Thanos is almost comical, but Tony's just doesn't make sense to me. He just dropped his whole company, all of his weapons, protecting the world, everything?? Tony is a total control freak who became a superhero because other people were using his tech in a way he didn't approve of, yet he leaves his company and tech presumably in someone else's hands to raise his daughter out in the country? That just seems kind of unlike Tony.

So yeah, this film definitely is feels-worthy! I can see why there are so many strong reactions to it. It was a rather fun ride a lot of the time, but I admit, as an ending for quite a few of these characters, it wasn't all it could've been, in my opinion. Not a terrible way to end the Marvel Cinematic Universe's long run, but it's not an ending I'll have much fun revisiting. Once is more than enough.

Overall Grade: C

[recentanimenews]

Isekai, Ranked

If Anime is escapism, there is no better way to escape than plunging Into Another World, where our niche skills and routine possessions may shake the fabric of reality! From MMO-inspired, to hard fantasy, there are many types of shows on this list but no movies nor series we haven’t seen recently. Bring all disagreements to the comments below!

1. Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World Re:Zero takes Isekai’s love for fish-out-of-water stories on step further: through brutal, expectation breaking blind sides, it makes the viewer a fish out of water too! Dripping with fantastic animation, Re:Zero true strength is the balance of its highly detailed world without over explaining its magic system, time loop mechanic and political systems. It also earns bonus points for  limiting the application of its protagonist’s powerful magic and technological advantages.

2. Sword Art Online (1st season)  In the narrowest of second places, SAO pairs top shelf animation with an approachable cast and easy to appreciate central conflict. Its lovingly constructed MMO setting aside, Kirito’s mistakes and occasional darkness elevate him above his potentially generic good-at-everything character type and Asuka plays the strongest heroine/love interest on the list.

3. Now and Then, Here and There Imagine if Digimon told a bleak about story sex trafficking child soldiers trapped on a waterless world with a maniac king? NTHT’s intense swerve from adorable into darkness is on par with Re:Zero and, much like Natsuki Subaru, HTHT’s Shu must rely on ‘durability’ and ‘heart’ to make it through. While some of it’s later tragic moments are predictable, this f’ed-up little anime scores major points for telling a complete story and having that story grow Shu from simpleton into a conflicted young adult.

4. Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet While Red’s post-earth scifi origin may stretch the common definition of Isekai, being trapped in a primitive culture that treats him (and his AI-driven mech Chamber) like a hero of old does not. Beautifully, Gargantia flips the script and makes Red’s overwhelming power, and killing in general, at odds with the local people.

5. Yōjo Senki / The Saga of Tanya the Evil Give us World War I with magic, a gender swapped villain as our protagonist, and God as our antagonist, and you’ve given us something pretty damn original. Like Gargantia, this reborn in another world captures thinking differently about the world can be as powerful and terrifying as unworldly strength. Without question, Yojo Senki’s cast is the most uniquely imagined on this list.

6. No Game No Life Like Tanya, the Blank twins piss off god and are sent to another world as punishment. However, their punishment is much more stylish and… harem. Underneath NGNL’s acid-soaked panties, over the top protagonists and the psychedelic color pallet, lives a show featuring thoughtful puzzles and imaginative spins on classic gamble to win story telling. Sadly, its story ends unfinished…

7. KonoSuba One part jab at Isekai and one part love letter to the starting town of every fantasy MMO, KonoSuba is all parts ruthlessly funny!  While this reborn in another world (with a goddess!) show is not be as smartly written as NGNL, and it becomes repetitive after a time, the constant frenetic action more than makes up for it.

8. Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash Quiet, thoughtful, and full of sadness, this hard fantasy Isekai doesn’t care if its heroes are reborn in another world or trapped in a dungeon crawl afterlife. Building family bonds and connecting with people who would not normally be friends is all that matters… and it’s lovingly animated to boot!

9. ReCreators As a reverse Isekai, ReCreators distinguishes itself by bringing the other world to us. The experience is fantastically animated and packed with clever dialog that somehow breaths sincerity into a profoundly silly plot. The cast is quite diverse, both in design and personality, which keeps the action fresh, yet somehow cohesive throughout. It’s only major flaw is, the final act, which is way to drawn out.

10. The Devil is a Part Timer No I’m not kidding! This reverse Isekai’s premise that the Devil is trapped in our world and must work at McDonnald’s to get by is charming. While DiaPT’s humor isn’t particularly specific to the devil, the jokes are punchy, and the overall plot develops at a respectable pace. As an added treat, the opening gothic fantasy fight scenes are surprisingly well animated.

11. Log Horizon (1st season) Most exposition heavy, trapped in an MMO themed Isekai featuring ‘top ranked’ players crumble after a few episodes. More often than not, these shows try too hard to sell the coolness of their game worlds, user interfaces, and central characters. Miraculously, Log Horizon gets better mid season with a simple question: if former NPCs have personalities, can grow and learn, and even die, are they more human than the former players that dismiss them as background texture? Still, it takes Log Horizon six episodes to get going and good lord is it gray looking…

12. Overlord (3 Seasons) This transported into an MMO Isekai mirrors its main character: it is competent but not sure what it should be doing at any given moment. Sometimes the protagonists are villains and sometimes they are heroes. More often than not, characters are given lavish screen time to develop, only to be slaughtered whimsically. The resulting narrative is full of call backs and revealed foreshadowing… yet hasn’t gone very far in 3 seasons and hasn’t asked any interesting questions along the way.

13. El Hazard – The Magnificent World (OAV/TV) Predestined paradox, trans-dimensional time jumping high school students (and their drunk gym teacher) are trapped in an Arabian Nights’like land besieged by sentient bugs, a secret tribe of assassins from another dimension, and a death star like eye of god orbiting nearby. If you watched anime in the 1990s it will all be familiar but it still manages to feel original yet cohesive production. The character abilities are wonderful, the tragedy is nice, and plenty is left up to your own imagination to fill in the blanks. A bland, fault free, protagonist and a boy-crazy harem vibe are the only reasons it isn’t higher on the list.

14. Gate: Jieitai Kano Chi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri This invading the other world Isekai flips the script to deliver political intrigue, clash of culture, and commentary on Japanese society. It loses points for being a overly harem, relying on super dumb/super evil antagonists, and a dull protagonist but it’s fun enough to watch.

15. Drifters Stylishly violent, strikingly ugly, historical character filled and utterly bonkers, this reborn in another world Isekai’s uniqueness will hold your attention. Even if you do not want it to.

16. Rise of the Shield Hero (2 Seasons) On paper, this transported to an MMO world Isekai’s “treat the hero like crap,” “watch him accept the role of a slave-buying villain” and ultimately “rise to become the true hero” concept is great. Revealing that the world he’s saving may be less redeemable than the world the invaders are trying to save is also great. Too bad its padded and many of the arbitrary delays and narrative dead ends feel like cop outs.

17. That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime While it lacks the initial hardcore’ness of Shield Hero, this reborn in another world Isekai is pleasantly animated and full of heart. The idea that naming monsters grants them power is a pretty neat mechanic too. It just sort bounces from idea to idea without a sense of purpose of resolution. One minute it’s a story of unlikely friendship, then magic destiny, then town builder, then harem, and onto magic school and isn’t about anything in particular until a hastily thrown together plot ties it up at the end. It scores points for making its hero a slime… although the reborn aspect never feels played with or justified.

18. Angel Beats! If the gun fetish, kids fighting a loli-angel instead of attending school in the afterlife plot weren’t so dumb and drawn out, this rebirth story’s touching moments would push it much higher. There’s a really good tale of life cut short, reunion after death, and again after rebirth here and it gets major bonus points for finishing the story it had to tell. Totally squandered.

19. Death March / Kara Hajimaru Isekai Kyousoukyoku Like Shield Hero, this reborn in an MMO Isekai is actually quite good looking. However, its Gary-Stue protagonist, harem and absurd narrative padding make it far less interesting.  OMG how many episodes are about making lunch?! That’s too bad because the concept of code-like “copy and paste” magic system is pretty neat.

20. Wiseman’s Grandson / Kenja no Mago Despite opening with a modern day man being killed, this reborn into a fantasy world Isekai is more Magic School than Isekai. The only thread that connects the protagonist’s lives is that he can look at magic with an eye for process instead of outcome. The result is harmless easy watching but harem elements, a slow pace and lack of getting anywhere narratively hold it back.

21. How Not to Summon a Demon Lord This summoned into an MMO Isekai starts off as charming, but ecchi-heavy, before abruptly turning dark at the end of the season. We’re talking ‘make a child watch as her best friend is slowly tortured to death’ and creepo ‘finger-bang a loli cat girl in order to give birth to the demon inside her’ level dark. While those elements elevate HNtSaDL above niche appeal of its harm and MMO content, they aren’t so interesting to earn my recommendation.

22. Problem Children are coming from Another World, Aren’t They? The non-ecchi poor man’s No Game no Life features a talking cat that only some characters can understand and dreadful music. TFW smooth jazz? There’s some cuteness to be had, and the solutions to gambling games can be clever, but the overall vibe is low energy. It loses drama points because its protagonist is as smart as a god and physically stronger.

23. Do You Love Your Mom and Her Two-Hit Multi-Target Attacks? This poor man’s Konosuba is occasionally funny, satire of RPG conventions and family relationships. Mama’s skill that interrupts whatever her son is doing, no matter what it is or where he is in the game world, is particularly charming. Unfortunately, there’s no avoiding the creepo factor of sexualizing that family relationship.

24. Restaurant from Another World My mom is secretly from another world and my restaurant’s front door connects back to that world each day is certainly unique, but it’s structured more like a food-porn show than Isekai. While the linkages of each patron become clear over time, few characters are not aware of those connections themselves. The result never feels like it gets anywhere.

25. In Another World With My Smartphone Stories without risk are still watchable when they immerse us an interesting world, or delve into niche details like food or how magic works, or sleeze us with harems and sex appeal. Smartphone fails all of these things. Worse, it does nothing with it’s one idea: protagonist Touya is reborn in a fantasy world with smartphone. Except, GOD GIVES HIM GOD TIER MAGIC FROM THE GET-GO! Ironically, Re:Zero and No Game No Life both use of a cell phones in more interesting ways, and Tanya’s God isn’t even comparable. Unoriginal, unfunny, not dramatic, not sexy, not worth watching.

26. Maou-sama, Retry! This transported to an MMO Isekai’s trash production values, and bizarre characters are hard to take seriously. The results are sometimes so terrible they are funny, such as incompetent background music transitions and detailed horses hiding at the edges of the frame. Sadly, a bland harem and complete lack of narrative objective kill the mood.

27. Isekai Izakaya Imagine a low energy, public access style show, with a tourism theme, that featuring a modern Japanese restaurant that serves fantasy world patrons…

28. Isekai Cheat Magician A loveless summoned to a fantasy world Isekai who’s protagonists are the most powerful and purely good characters could deserve a niche rating. Not this one. The narrative sort of ‘skips the boring stuff’ and, in doing so, skips character development. Hilariously, what the narrative does show is poorly animated, always underwhelming magic battle scenes or people standing around talking.

29. Endride Without dialog, this stumbled into a magic world Isekai’s vibrant color and crisp art would be watchable. The fact that the world is somehow inside of Earth’s core and the sparse use of mythology are unique, but its dumb-as-bricks whiny teen protagonists have the maturity of a small children. There are many unintentionally funny moments like scientists using gigantic laptops or the king’s magic weapon looking like a safety pin. Ultimately, the cast is so unlikeable that the show itself is unwatchable.

By: oigakkosan

[zloyodessit]

Foreign "experts" trying to put out GRU's flaming shame

It appears, someone now has to put out that massive fire of scandals raging around Russia's military intelligence over the past weeks, months, or even years. That's part of the Russian tradition to employ "information firemen" from abroad, in addition to own talking heads, to poor some cool water on the hottest spots or spin necessary narratives.

This is by no means a rare occurrence as the Russian propaganda machine regularly resorts to the services of such freelancers in various occasions. The breaking story of the GRU spy base in French Alps was no exception.

These days, Russian media, which we know are often affiliated with security and intelligence agencies, are increasingly promoting an interview with Alain Rodier, presented as a retired senior officer with the French intelligence, now deputy chief of CF2R, the French Center for Intelligence Research, an expert on Islamic terrorism and organized crime.

This retiree in his comments for Atlantico, a popular French-based online publication, claims that that the report on Russian spies in Haute-Savoie is more like an old James Bond movie, which has nothing to do with reality.

Well, maybe it is the case, and a high-ranking French intelligence officer, albeit retired, knows better. But here's a thing: the original comments published by Atlantico have not a single weighty argument or evidence to back a claim that no GRU base has actually existed in French mountains.

In fact, what the French expert does is offers some vague phrased and claims of nonsense, paranoia and "no traces" of the spy group activity in France. Come on, an intelligence pundit covering a serious topic, trying to be funny and witty instead of providing a single factual evidence to prove his point? I'm not buying it, sorry.

However, the article by Alain Rodier, published on Atlantico on December 9, which, as I'm writing this, has collected just 14 Facebook shares and another eight on Twitter, is becoming the most widely spun piece in the gray information segment of Ru-net.

But there's more.

Not so long ago, in June of this year, I already spoke about a French "ex-intelligence officer", Paul Barril, 73, a favorite of the Russian media, who claimed that Donbas warlord Alexander Zakharchenko had been assassinated by Ukraine's military intel specops unit, trained by U.S. instructors.

Back then, I easily discovered the nasty truth about the past of the retiree whom Russian propaganda calls a "military intelligence" operative. He's no hero in France but merely an infamous war criminal, accused of genocide during the civil war in Rwanda, as well as participating in shady corruption schemes and criminal groups.

However, this never stopped the old guy, who has nothing to do with intelligence and suffers from Parkinson's syndrom, from giving anti-Ukrainian interviews to Russian highly dubious news sites, for some extra cash, of course.

With Alain Rodier, things turned out to be much more complicated. His piece allows concluding that he is clearly a graphomaniac, playing and manipulating people's emotions (quite successfully, I must admit). In turn, his main platform is Atlantico, while numerous Russian sites of the "grey segment" just pick up on the original report.

That is, the "retired senior French intelligence officer" isn't really too popular in local media… How so?

As for the French Center for Intelligence Research (CF2R), whose deputy director the author supposedly is, any of their research pieces mentioning Russia, in any context whatsoever, ranging from espionage ad cyber to Syrian issues, can be noted for an openly pro-Russian stance in the criticism of what they call "unfounded" accusations, voiced by the West (especially the U.S.) against the Kremlin.

Even given the minimum of information available in open sources about the author, his works tell of Rodier's extreme subjectivity in his research. Meanwhile French security agencies should keep an eye on the "French Center for Intelligence Research" and take a good look at their activities. After all, it's Russian intelligence services who traditionally give the organizations they control some loud and pretentious names, which almost always include words like "center", "research", "analytical", etc.

But, most importantly, the very fact of this "talking head" was "activated" and put into a spotlight from oblivion testifies to the fact the Alpine spy base report is truly an information blaze that the GRU is scrambling to put out as soon as possible.

https://zloy-odessit.livejournal.com/2985870.html

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[hagarenmovie]

Paris Japan Expo Press Conference with Ryosuke Yamada, Tsubasa Honda, and Fumihiko Sori

T/N: There were two separate interviews from two different French media that was released after the Press Conference. The two article discussed different questions and answers, but we tried to compile both interviews together so all the information can be put into one post with the same flow of information.There were some new information here that we didn’t get from the Anime Expo press conference. So here you go! 

Present at the Japan Expo to talk about Fullmetal Alchemist, the director and the two main cast of the film answered some of our questions!

At the end of the year, more precisely in December 1st, fans of Fullmetal Alchemist will have the opportunity to rejoice because the live action film based on the phenomenal work of Hiromu Arakawa will be screened in Japanese cinemas. Edward, Alphonse, Winry, Roy Mustang and all the incredible characters that the author had imagined will come to life on the big screen. This film is directed by Fumihiko Sori (Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker), and stars Ryosuke Yamada and Tsubasa Honda who play Edward and Winry. Alphonse of course will be entirely interpreted in CGI. During the press conference, the French media had the chance to interview them about the movie.

Fullmetal Alchemist is a special manga, since there are several stories that can be adapted into a live action film. Was it obvious to follow the story of the manga rather than the first anime?

Yamada: There are many fans of the original story. This is why we were inspired to adapt the scenes from the original manga to film. Especially because this is also an opportunity to introduce the original manga to those who have not read it yet!

Were you aware that Fullmetal Alchemist had met with such great success in the world when you agreed to make the film?

Yamada: There was some film footage that we showed in Los Angeles and here in France, which we have not yet shown in Japan. But after seeing the reaction of French and American fans, we thought that this would definitely work in Japan too. We already knew that the manga was very well known all over the world, but it was only until we really came here and to Los Angeles that we really understood how popular it was.

Mr. Sori, how did you find yourself working on the project?

Sori: There are not many people in Japan who can play roles like Edward Elric, I immediately said that Yamada would be perfect for the role. There really was no complication about this. I discussed it with the author, Hiromu Arakawa, and we  both agreed on the cast. 

What is the biggest challenge in making a live action film about a work that has already been adapted into manga, movies and animated series, even video games? 

Sori: Actually, I thought that it was useless to do the same thing that was already done in the anime, so we tried to introduce a certain originality, not in the story, but in the visual aspect. And that was the most complicated thing to do. 

Mr Yamada and Miss Honda, how do you feel when you have to interpret characters as well-known as Ed and Winry? Was there a pressure in doing it?

Yamada: Oh yes! But neither of us wanted the roles to be given to anyone else, so we accepted it right away!

Honda: Especially, since we were already huge fans of the manga as well. So when we received the offer, we immediately said yes! 

What did you like the most about the manga then?

Yamada: For me, it's mostly the fact that in the manga, we see everyone fighting together to recover the body of Edward's little brother Alphonse, and we return to this subject every time. In other manga, we go directly to the end (of an arc complication), while in Fullmetal Alchemist, there is always, at some point, a trigger that will lead the story to another direction. For me, it's what I really like most about this manga.

Honda: As for me, it is the fact that history really holds the story, and all the characters, even the bad guys, have something good in them. I think that's really nice. And I really like each of the characters in this manga.

Mr Yamada, you seem to be doing a lot of running, jumping, and fighting throughout the course of the film. Your role is obviously very physical. How did you prepare yourself for that?

Yamada: Actually, I have enough confidence in my physical ability, because, with my band, I always sing and dance at the same time and perform other physical acts. So I'm used to doing anything that's physical. On the other hand, Edward is a very muscular person, so I had to do a lot of muscle training and pumped up my muscles to resemble him as close as possible.

You said you did all of your stunts yourself. Which was the most difficult one to perform?

Yamada: Actually, it's not really stunt work, but it's a scene where I have to fight Alphonse. In reality I wasn’t hitting anyone who is exactly two meters tall! So not only was it physically difficult but, in addition, I had to imagine the scene as well. It was an unforgettable experience!

Winry is a hyper and energetic character. How did you approach this character, Ms. Honda?

Honda: Well, actually, I am very cheerful and positive in real life, so it was not really complicated for me to build that role. And I think if Winry is not there, the story would have been really dark. So I did everything I could to bring a little optimism and light into the story! 

As for Edward, he’s a character that is very funny and easily gets irritated, but at the same time he’s also suffering. How did you approach those two polar sides of the character, Mr Yamada?

Yamada: Well, I think a character who is hyper expressive, like Edward, is easier to portray than a character whose thoughts are unknown. So I did not have much trouble preparing for this part of the role. 

Fullmetal Alchemist is a very complex work, with philosophical and almost metaphysical themes. What choices, or what sacrifices, did you have to make, Mr. Sori, when you had to make a two-hour film?

Sori: In the film, we put about a third of the original story. We had to take the essential elements of this first one-third of the manga and we tried to include them in the film little by little, scene by scene, the stories that are essential to the main plot. So it's true that it was quite difficult to do, but it was not a really troublesome element in making the film.

How do you tell a manga of more than 50 episodes in a single movie?

Sori: We can’t put everything into the movie. In the film, we put one-third of the main stories of the entire manga. This does not mean that there will be a "to be continued ..." ending, this film is a complete story (that ends with a conclusion). But if it turns out to be successful, we'd love to do more movies and tell the other two-thirds of the manga.

Are live action movies very popular in Japan?

Honda: Yes! Especially live action movies about manga that take place at school or tell stories of high school students.

Mr. Yamada, this is not your first live action movie. You have already starred in the adaptation of Assassination Classroom, another manga that involves special effects...

Yamada: You see the yellow character in Assassination Classroom? When we filmed the scenes with him, there was a mannequin covered with sensors moving around us. It was so much more easier to film than Fullmetal Alchemist! 

What was more difficult in Fullmetal Alchemist? Handling the green screens?

Yamada: Problems with green screens weren’t as much as handling Alphonse! His armor is entirely made with special effects, which made everything very complicated.

Honda: We were only told that Alphonse’s face will be at a certain height with his face as a sign and tells us “He’s here!”. And he was 2.2 meters tall, so we always had to look at an empty air.

Sori: At first I was a little worried for both of you. You had to speak to an empty space throughout the whole film! One of the most difficult scenes was the fight between Edward and Alphonse. The scene demanded a lot of emotion and moreover Yamada had to fight against an invisible opponent.

The author of the manga, Hiromu Arakawa, was impressed by the quality of the rendering of Alphonse, saying: "the surface of the armor reflects the surrounding landscape. To think that the whole film would be made with this quality of special effects really impressed me ... "

Sori: It took more than a year to process Alphonse in CGI, a first of its kind in Japan. It is the longest production period of special effects rendering for a Japanese film.

Did Hiromu Arakawa participate in the development of the script, or help you in any way to make the film?

Sori: No, Hiromu Arakawa was not involved at all in the making of the film. But on the other hand, she saw the film and was very happy about the outcome!

You were greeted by the screams of fans in France. For you, what explains the success of Fullmetal Alchemist?

Honda: The core of the story touches us all. The manga speaks about family, the fraternal bond between the two heroes, the abandonment of their father, and the death of their mother...

Yamada: It speaks about human beings, with so much philosophy behind it. For me, this is what makes Fullmetal Alchemist so unique.

In a manga, the reactions of the characters are often exaggerated, sometimes almost inhuman. How do you render reactions of the characters in the manga to the screen?

Yamada: We can’t recreate all the reactions from a manga character in a live action film. But I always have the manga in my pocket to inspire me for acting as Edward. One example that I try to include, in the manga Edward runs in a very unique way. A normal person doesn’t run like that. But I trained for hours to imitate that comical run of his. I think I succeeded!

You shot a part of the film in Italy. Can you tell me a bit more about how your experience was filming there?

Yamada: When I arrived in Italy, I was really surprised by the fact that the landscapes of the country really look like those from the manga! And when I arrived in Paris, I felt exactly the same thing the first time I came here. So if we have to make another film, I think that Paris could perfectly serve as our filming location.

Is there a moment during the shooting that really impressed you?

Honda: In Italy, there was no culture of having a Bento [lunch]. While in Japan, normally, when you have a shooting, there’s always bentos that are prepared for the actors. So, I was really surprised when I arrived on set in Italy and I saw that there was none! 

And finally, who is your favorite character in Fullmetal Alchemist?

Yamada: For me, it's Winry!                                                                                    

Honda: As for me, it's Edward!                                                                           

Sori: And I love when Winry and Edward are together (laughs)

Source: French media Melty & Le Monde

[fussingoverfassbender]

LOS ANGELES—“It feels good and bad,” Michael Fassbender quipped about turning 40 last April. He said that with a full-on, teeth-baring smile, eyes sparkling—which should be seen firsthand by more people, if only so they can be carried away by this man’s unabashed glee.

In our latest encounter at the Ham Yard Hotel in London, Michael affirmed that he’s truly one of the most delightful actors to interview—brimming with humor, exuberance and candor.

The man clearly loves life, and he’s having the best time. Or he simply knows how to enjoy this fame thing—with grace and joy.

“I feel good about who I am,” added Michael, in a fashion ensemble by Brioni. “I feel lucky and happy. But I’m getting older (laughs). ”

Asked how he celebrated the big milestone last April 2, the Germany-born, Ireland-raised Michael replied, “I spent it at home with my family and friends in Ireland. My sister arranged a surprise birthday party for me, which wasn’t a surprise because she had to tell me, in order … [for me to be] there (laughs). But it was cool—loads of friends, some of them I’ve known since I was 5, and a lot of friends from high school.”

So mean of him to pry the information from his sister, he was teased. “I’m pretty mean,” he reacted with another chuckle. “The thing is, I could have been in another country, so I was like, ‘Why do I need to be there in Ireland (laughs)?’”

Requested to finish this sentence, “Michael Fassbender is…,” he answered with more guffaws, “I am going to say something really rude. A c*** (rhymes with runt).” Why would he say that? “I don’t know—it just came into my head,” he answered, breaking into yet another laugh.

Credit this extra cheerfulness to the fact that after many years of working nonstop, he’s finally taking a break. But then, we’ve interviewed the man via Skype while he’s in his hotel room in Sydney after a long, exhausting day of filming. Sipping Aussie beer, he was just as much fun to talk to.

“I haven’t done anything since … I finished filming last year,” he happily reported. “So, all of this is downtime—and I am loving it. ”

Promo duties for Ridley Scott’s “Alien: Covenant,” where he plays two androids (David and Walter), prompted this break from his extended time off.

Michael recalled the first time he saw the first “Alien” movie. “I was around 10.” With a naughty glint in his eyes, he added, “It was very much like when I saw ‘Wonder Woman’ for the first time. I didn’t speak a lot. I was transfixed to the television screen and some feeling was happening.”

His costars, Danny McBride and Billy Crudup, told me how tough it was to make Michael break from his android characters’ icy cold facial expression. Michael modestly denied it.

“I corpse (spoil a piece of acting by forgetting one’s lines or laughing uncontrollably) pretty easily,” he asserted. “I am not great at keeping a straight face. It depends on who’s trying to make me laugh.”

Given the messy state of humanity, would he rather be an android? “No, I enjoy feeling things,” he shot back with a laugh. “Don’t you?”

On having played an array of characters, including these androids, a lighthouse keeper, an assassin and a sex addict, and if he imbued these roles with a bit of himself, he said: “There’s a part of me in all those roles because it’s my only reference point, other than stealing from other things I’ve seen in life or other performances. But I would say that I’m not like any of those guys.

“But if there were two films that I found to be challenging, it would be ‘Shame’ and ‘Steve Jobs.’”

In one of our previous chats, Michael admitted that he hasn’t settled into a permanent home. Now that he’s been in a relationship with actress Alicia Vikander since 2014, has he finally found a house they can share?

“I don’t have a flat in Hackney anymore,” Michael said of the modest place he kept before and after he became a star. “I have kind of been homeless for the last two years.”

Growing up Irish and an altar boy in Fossa (his village in County Kerry, Ireland) served him well. “When I was 12 years old, at my assigned month, because there were four of us—and you had your month—I had the keys to the church (laughs). I used to open the church in the morning and then lock it at night.

“It was the Prince of Peace Church. And definitely, one of the first stories that stayed with me was the story of Jesus Christ. When I was 5 years old, that story made a big impression on me. I was like, whoa, this guy was obviously pretty special—and the philosophies of this man! But I did always find going to church kind of boring, to be honest.

“But when I became an altar boy, it was interesting for me because I had stuff to do and, in some ways, maybe there was my first idea of being onstage (laughs). I don’t go to Mass regularly anymore. I still go at Christmastime and, sometimes, if I am visiting certain places, I go to a church and light a candle for relatives or people who have passed away.”

On what lessons he learned about the Catholic Church, he suddenly broke out into a song by The O’Jays. In falsetto: “Money, money, money, money! ”

“Just kidding,” he clarified with a grin that bared again all his front teeth. “If you confess, you can do it all over again (laughs). I guess the good stuff, which is love thy neighbor. I suppose the 10 commandments are pretty good to go by if you were going to have a rulebook. ”

He should do a comedy. “I’d love to do a comedy, for sure. I just have to get the right script.”

Of course, he was the funny one in class. “I was a bit of a class clown in secondary school. That was a tool for me to fit in, much to the detriment of my education. ”

Looking ahead, what does he think about the buzz that he’s one of the top contenders to be the next James Bond? “I don’t think about the future too much,” he declared. Delivered with his infectious laugh, of course.