"Skyfall" Blu-ray

The newly-released Skyfall Blu-ray made it to my collection yesterday and it is one that fans of the 50-year-old franchise must get.

Besides the Blu-ray disc, the package also includes a second disc that includes DVD version of the movie along with software and instructions for streaming/downloading for portable media players.

The Blu-ray picture quality and sound are fantastic.  I already posted at how gorgeous the night scenes of Shanghai, China are, but the Blu-ray really makes them stand out (other night shots of London and Macau are equally as impressive).

There are plenty of extras, including the theatrical trailer, making of Skyfall documentaries (locations, music, M, Judi Dench, the Aston Martin and many others) and commentaries.  Great stuff!

The folks at Eon Productions, MGM and Columbia Pictures really made Bond's 50th Anniversary something very special. Skyfall is one great 50th Anniversary movie.

My grade: A+.

"Skyfall" Blu-ray & DVD Coming February 12

Just when I get a copy of Skyfall on an awards screener DVD, the Blu-ray and DVD editions are coming out.  (At least the price was right: free.)

The latest James Bond 007 adventure will be hitting stores on February 12 in English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround).

The movie stars Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fienne and Naomie Harris.

Skyfall has to be one of the best in the 50-year-old franchise.  Seeing it (and Casino Royale) makes me think that the producers wasted so many years putting out junk like Moonraker, A View To A Kill, Die Another Day and others of that quality (or lack thereof).

My only quibble is that the familiar gun barrel sequence that opened the pre-Daniel Craig Bonds has been relegated to the end of the movie.

I'll be getting the Blu-ray edition.

My Favorite Movie of 2012

Okay, enough of politics (at least for now).

Shifting gears, I thought I would mention my favorite movie of 2012.  This is an easy one as the genre is one of my favorites (which dates back to around 1963 when I saw a double-bill of Doctor No and From Russia With Love).

Obviously, my favorite movie of 2012 is Skyfall, the fiftieth anniversary James Bond film with Daniel Craig as James Bond, Judi Dench as M and Javier Bardem as Raoul Silva, one of the best and slimy villains in quite a long time.

Daniel Craig is now my second-favorite Bond actor, second only to Sean Connery (number one) and Timothy Dalton (number three).

The set pieces, pacing, direction, locales, acting and story made this movie memorable for me.  A lot of other people seem to agree as Skyfall reportedly has made $1 billion worldwide.  That is quite remarkable for an entry in a half-century-old movie franchise!

Oddly, my least-favorite movie of 2012 also starred Daniel Craig: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.   It was just a dumb movie.

Hopefully, Eon Productions can keep making James Bond movies of this quality and Daniel Craig stays as Bond for several more.