‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins
November 21, 2019 · Skyfall (2012) · Action · Adventure · Thriller · 1:34:30 · ▶ Listen on Spotify
Categories
Most Rewatchable Scene
Amanda DobbinsM reading Tennyson while Daniel Craig sprints through London, the Skyfall sequence with Kincaid planning ('Some men are coming to kill us. We're going to kill them first'), and the train fight sequence where Bond adjusts his sleeve▶ 21:44
Chris RyanFive scenes: Shanghai skyscraper shootout, new MI6 Churchill's tunnels Bond training sequence, Silva and Bond meet for the first time/William Tell scene, the tube chase, and the church scene at the end▶ 19:10
Sean FennesseyFirst meeting with Q at the Turner painting, Mallory and M's philosophical conversation about working in shadows, plus appreciation for smaller dialogue-driven scenes over big action sequences▶ 20:32
What's Aged the Best
Amanda DobbinsThemes of waning British empire and Brexit parallels, movies about middle-aged men being washed up, the cast overall, and Ben Whishaw's sweater plus various costume design elements▶ 43:33
Chris RyanJudi Dench's performance, Adele's song, the locations (Istanbul, London), the cinematography by Deakins, and Daniel Craig's tracksuit outfit during training▶ 41:31
Sean FennesseyThe idea of casting a prestige director (Sam Mendes) to make a franchise movie, which influenced later films like Ryan Coogler doing Creed and Black Panther▶ 44:16
Casting What-Ifs
Amanda DobbinsSean Connery — Agrees Sean Connery casting would have been like 'Marvel interconnecting universe' approach which doesn't fit Bond movies, also mentions 'Release the Peter Morgan cut'▶ 58:26
Chris RyanSean Connery — Discusses Sean Connery being considered for Kincaid role but agrees with decision not to cast him as it would be distracting stunt casting▶ 57:04
Sean FennesseyKevin Spacey — Mentions Kevin Spacey was originally approached for Mallory role and agrees Connery casting would have been distracting, praises Ralph Fiennes' performance▶ 57:23
Apex Mountain
Amanda DobbinsDaniel Craig — Daniel Craig's apex mountain is Skyfall in terms of actual power, despite his later creative choices. Javier Bardem's apex mountain was after winning Oscar for No Country for Old Men▶ 1:00:52
Chris RyanDaniel Craig — Yes for Daniel Craig - Skyfall era (Olympics, $1 billion Bond movie considered the best ever). No for Sam Mendes (earlier peak after American Beauty) and Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men was his peak)▶ 1:00:15
Sean FennesseyDaniel Craig — Agrees Daniel Craig peaked at Skyfall despite later good work like Knives Out. Sam Mendes peaked right after American Beauty. Javier Bardem peaked with No Country for Old Men▶ 1:00:26
Joey Pants Award
Chris RyanHelen McCrory — Helen McCrory (who plays the minister questioning Judi Dench and later Polly Shelby in Peaky Blinders)▶ 1:03:24
Sean FennesseyHelen McCrory — Suggests Rory Kinnear would be the pick for most people, also mentions Ola Rapace (Patrice), but defers to the Helen McCrory consensus▶ 1:03:31
Half-Assed Internet Research
Amanda DobbinsMade connection between 'Once Upon a Spy' alternative title and Tarantino's 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood', saying 'it's all coming together'▶ 1:13:46
Chris RyanAlternative titles were Silver Bullet, A Killing Moon, and Once Upon a Spy. Golden Dragon Casino interior shot at Pinewood Studios. Production visited China, Turkey, locations across England, London, and Scotland Glencoe. Silva's Island shot off Macau but based on real abandoned mining town Hashima off Nagasaki coast.▶ 1:13:34
Picking Nits
Amanda DobbinsTakes 3-4 months for hackers to decode one list is stupid; NATO agents list being on one hard drive in 2012; hackers posting reveals on YouTube; Q doing top secret work on giant screen in headquarters; questioning if you can strangle someone with your knee underwater▶ 1:22:18
Chris RyanBond wearing khakis in bed after sex is weird; Bond doing scorpion tricks at the bar while pretending to be dead breaks his cover; being mad about them selling his apartment while he was 'dead'▶ 1:19:08
Sean FennesseyJames Bond always tells everyone his name and is incredibly conspicuous for a secret agent - villains should just shoot him in the face instead of elaborate schemes▶ 1:25:04
Probably Unanswerable Questions
Amanda DobbinsResponds that M's explanation of trading Silva for six agents was likely perfunctory - the relationship wasn't deeper than standard spy business▶ 1:30:08
Chris RyanWhat was Silva's relationship to M beyond being an agent she screwed over - what caused their deeper connection and what transpired between them▶ 1:29:40
Who Won the Movie
Amanda DobbinsBarbara Broccoli — Barbara Broccoli / the Broccoli family and James Bond franchise▶ 1:31:56
Sean FennesseyInitially said Sam Mendes/the director, but ultimately agreed with James Bond/the franchise▶ 1:32:00
Movies Referenced (58)
| Title (year) | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 (2009) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Chris Ryan, Amanda Dobbins, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 1:20 |
| Casino Royale (2006) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins | ▶ 3:12 |
| Spectre (2015) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 2:12 |
| American Beauty (1999) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan | ▶ 44:29 |
| Quantum of Solace (2008) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Sean Fennessey | ▶ 5:17 |
| Away We Go (2009) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Sean Fennessey | ▶ 44:21 |
| Casino (1995) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan | ▶ 9:41 |
| Jarhead (2005) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan | ▶ 44:38 |
| Knives Out (2019) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Sean Fennessey | ▶ 1:00:26 |
| Moon (2009) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Amanda Dobbins, Chris Ryan | ▶ 49:00 |
| No Country for Old Men (2007) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 1:01:23 |
| Orphan (2009) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan | ▶ 46:56 |
Directors Referenced (5)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Mendes | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 13 | Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan | 1917, Road to Perdition | ▶ 1:34 |
| Christopher Nolan | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey | Tenet, Interstellar, Inception | ▶ 2:26 |
| Danny Boyle | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Chris Ryan | 127 Hours, 28 Days Later | ▶ 23:04 |
| Woody Allen | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan | Annie Hall | ▶ 1:01:47 |
| Quentin Tarantino | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Chris Ryan | Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, From Dusk Till Dawn | ▶ 46:11 |
Actors Referenced (55)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Javier Bardem | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 22 | Chris Ryan, Amanda Dobbins, Sean Fennessey | Skyfall, No Country for Old Men | ▶ 3:02 |
| Daniel Craig | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 21 | Amanda Dobbins, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan | No Time to Die, Casino Royale, Skyfall | ▶ 3:31 |
| Judi Dench | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 16 | Chris Ryan, Amanda Dobbins, Sean Fennessey | Skyfall, Shakespeare in Love | ▶ 6:01 |
| Sean Connery | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 10 | Chris Ryan, Amanda Dobbins, Sean Fennessey | Dr. No, The Untouchables, The Rock | ▶ 3:14 |
| Ben Whishaw | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 8 | Chris Ryan, Amanda Dobbins, Sean Fennessey | Skyfall, The Lobster | ▶ 6:17 |
| Rory Kinnear | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 7 | Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey | Quantum of Solace, Skyfall | ▶ 6:17 |
| Albert Finney | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins, Chris Ryan | Erin Brockovich, Big Fish | ▶ 15:04 |
| Ralph Fiennes | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Chris Ryan, Amanda Dobbins, Sean Fennessey | The Constant Gardener, Schindler's List, The Grand Budapest Hotel | ▶ 6:01 |
| Richard Madden | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Amanda Dobbins | Rocketman | ▶ 1:15:39 |
| Tom Cruise | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins | Top Gun, Minority Report | ▶ 22:52 |
| Christoph Waltz | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey | Inglourious Basterds, Django Unchained | ▶ 8:55 |
| Definition of Sound | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Chris Ryan | ▶ 2:17 |
Writers Referenced (4)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peter Morgan | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 8 | Amanda Dobbins, Chris Ryan | The Last King of Scotland | ▶ 11:24 |
| Jez Butterworth | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins | Edge of Tomorrow | ▶ 2:02 |
| John Logan | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey | Skyfall, The Aviator, Rango | ▶ 1:56 |
| Ryan Coogler | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Sean Fennessey | Black Panther, Creed | ▶ 45:50 |
Cinematographers Referenced (2)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roger Deakins | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan | Blade Runner 2049, Skyfall, No Country for Old Men | ▶ 5:28 |
| Robert Barcelona | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Sean Fennessey | Elysium, Venom, Jurassic World | ▶ 1:01:43 |