“SPECTRE”: A Report About Bond 24

Christoph Waltz

Lea Seydoux

Monica Bellucci

“SPECTRE” is the 24th installment and the latest one in the James Bond, 007 film series.

The title was taken from the name of the organization which is the adversary of the lead character. The expertise of the said organization is to create chaos by staging terrorist attacks around the world.

In the previous James Bond, 007 movies (in particular, the ones which starred Sean Connery and George Lazenby), SPECTRE is an acronym which means SPecial Executive for Counter Intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion.

Its story line was about the search of 007 about the background of the secret and mysterious organization and the leader and the members behind its operations. It also covered the extent of the SPECTRE as to its powerful influence among the selected influential individuals in the business establishments and at the government levels of the international community.

The film was directed by Sam Mendes (who is in his second outing as a director of a 007 movie) while the theme song “Writing’s On The Wall” was performed by Sam Smith.

Daniel Craig is in his 4th portrayal as Ian Fleming’s James Bond, 007 and served also as one of the co-producers of the movie.

Cast of Characters:

• James Bond, 007 (Daniel Craig)
• Gareth Mallory or “M” (Ralph Fiennes)
• Eve Moneypenny (Naomie Harris)
• Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Christoph Waltz)
  
• Lucia Sciarra (Monica Bellucci)
• Dr. Madeleine Swann (Lea Seydoux)
  
• Max Denbigh or “C” (Andrew Scott)
  
• Mr. Hinx (Dave Bautista)
• Mr. White (Jesper Christensen)
• Q (Ben Whishaw)
• Bill Tanner (Rory Kinnear)

After watching the said film, the audience will be able to make a report and will be taking notes of the following ten major details:

1. “Introduction of a Major Adversary of 007.” Blofeld’s real name was Franz Oberhauser. He is the son of a man who adopted Bond as his son after the death of James’ parents. He became jealous of the treatment of his father towards the young James which he carried on for years. He was revealed to be the one responsible for the death of his father in the skiing accident in which Franz was reported to have died, but his dead body was not found. In his adult years, he took the name of Ernst Stavro Blofeld because he said the person named Franz Oberhauser is already dead. He later became the leader of the organization called SPECTRE. He is waiting for Bond to come closer to him for so many years and knew the presence of the latter in the latest meeting of the organization which 007 infiltrated. This said meeting almost cost the life of Bond.
2. “Coverage of SPECTRE” – The organization turned out to be the main one which controlled another organization called “Quantum” in which the well known key members include Le Chiffre (“Casino Royale”), Dominic Greene (“Quantum Of Solace”) and Mr. White (“Casino Royale” and “Quantum Of Solace”). Raoul Silva, who was 007’s adversary in “Skyfall”, and Marco Sciarra, Lucia’s departed husband (who was killed by 007 in Mexico on orders of the previous “M” by a video message before she died in “Skyfall”) were also part and under its jurisdiction with their corresponding organizations. The connections are better illustrated like an octopus (which was the figure in the ring of Marco Sciarra when 007 got it after the former was killed by the latter) which serves as the insignia of the organization.
   
3. “Hidden Agenda” – “C” is an official of Her Majesty’s Government who is pushing very hard for the termination of the “00 Program” under the British Secret Service because the in thing for him is the advanced technology which will make sending secret agents to the field operations around the world already obsolete. He is behind for the imminent implementation of the global surveillance system which will involve the intelligence agencies of the selected nine countries (called “Nine Eyes”) of the world which include the United Kingdom, United States, China, Japan and South Africa among others to share intelligence information among the said countries. However, the down side of this advocacy is that secrets can not be kept anymore. Denbigh was revealed as a traitor because he turned out to be a secret ally of Blofeld. The organization would be able to execute counter actions against the movements of the intelligence agencies of the member countries in fighting SPECTRE because of the wide coverage of sensitive and crucial information available for the agencies which can also be used by the former for its own purposes.
4. “Manipulations of Bond’s Painful Events In His Life” – This describes the character of Blofeld. He told Bond that the former is the main author of all the pains the latter had suffered in recent years. Blofeld had made the encounters between 007 and his adversaries in the previous movies possible. He also took credit for the deaths of Vesper Lynd and “M” (007’s former female superior) and he is very proud of it. Despite these manipulations, Blofeld was fortunate that he was not killed by Bond even if the latter had the upper hand when 007 pointed the barrel of his hand gun to the SPECTRE leader’s head in their latest encounter. The current M, with a group of law enforcers, arrested Blofeld in behalf of the authority of Her Majesty’s Government.
   
5. “007’s New Love” – Dr. Swann is a psychologist who has a clinic in the Austrian Alps. She is the daughter of the MI-6 fugitive Mr. White. Before Mr. White (who is dying of a poisonous chemical) shoot himself in the presence of 007, the former requested the latter to find his daughter and protect her from the people who is trying to kill him (White). He found her. At first, she did not trust 007, but later change her attitude towards him and they fell in love with each other. She turned out to be a reliable protector of 007 when the need arises. This was proven when she helped Bond fought Mr. Hinx when Hinx attacked them in a train and when 007 was being tortured by Blofeld through the use of a high tech equipment.
   
6. “M, Q, Moneypenny and Tanner In Action” – The said characters had their moments also in the movie while helping 007 accomplish his mission against the enemy and the crisis that threatens to dissolve their intelligence service. They gathered crucial intelligence information and prepared logistics to counteract the movements of the enemy and the traitor “C” who fell accidentally into his death from the government building while engage in a fight with M when the former’s cover was blown up.
   
7. “The Fight Scenes” – These said scenes reminded the audience of the several classic action sequences in the previous 007 movies (in which Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan played Bond) particularly the train fight between 007 and Mr. Hinx and the shoot out of 007 with his enemies in the environment filled with snow. As always, the movies about Bond are always full of breath taking actions that will keep the audience glued to their respective seats during the screening time.
   
8. “Locations” – The location scenes of the movie were made in Pinewood Studios (England), London, Mexico City, Rome, Austria, Tokyo, Tangier and Morocco among others. The filming of the 007 movies in various locations around the world is a well known best practice of the people behind its production through the years. There was also a location in the crater of a desert which turned out to be the headquarters of the SPECTRE connected with other buildings as the organization’s facilities.
9. “Opening and Closing Credits” – The movie marks the return of the gun barrel sequence (with Daniel Craig) at the beginning of the movie. This is always present in the 007 movies and the message that “James Bond Will Return” was presented at the closing credits once again.
   
10. “Gadgets” – The movies about the adventures of James Bond, 007 would not be complete without the reliable gadgets, devices and equipment used when he is in field operations. This time, an Omega wrist watch provided by Q to 007 was used as an explosive when needed and had a loud alarm that signals that it is about ready to explode after detonation. The classic 007 car used in “Skyfall” was seen towards the end of the movie with Bond driving and Swann at the front passenger seat. But before that, 007 drove the latest car with the different kinds of weapons without authorized permission from Q. The said car is for the use of 009. Bond found out later that most of the weapons can not be used against his adversaries. Fortunately, one weapon (which was the flame thrower) was ready for use and it turned out to be a very crucial one.
    

The images that were used for this week’s feature post on 007 were taken from selected online sources as references.

That’s all for now.

Until the next feature post.

Happier Days Ahead to All of Us!

Trident: Inside The Submarines

Trident is a three-pronged spear according to online sources. It is used for spear fishing and was also a military weapon. They are featured widely in mythical, historical and modern culture. The god of the sea Poseidon in Greek Mythology or its Roman counterpart Neptune and the major Hindu Lord and God Shiva are all classically depicted bearing a trident.

For this post, which this blogger called Trident, we take look at the movies which settings and story lines are inside the submarines. They are the following:

1. “Up Periscope” (1959) – James Garner played an American naval officer who undertook trainings as a frogman for the special demolition unit of the United States Navy. The timeline of the movie was set during World War II.  After being cleared for security measures (which included the use of charm by an undercover lady naval officer to tell her his military identification number) by his superiors, he joined the crew of a submarine commander who briefed him on his mission: to photograph a code book used by the Japanese Imperial Navy in its military operations in an island which the latter held as a base. During his stay at the submarine, he was instructed by its commander to be silent as to the extent of his mission to avoid leaks about it (only three persons must know about the mission: himself, the commander and the latter’s executive officer), although he mingled with them. He used his time wisely to study the details of his mission while at the same time keeping it confidential. He was able to accomplish his mission without being detected by the enemy as to his presence in the island and leaving it with the negatives of the pictures he shot there in his possession and the submarine commander and the latter’s men waited for him at their point of rendezvous so that he could return safely to the naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii with them. He was launched as a human torpedo from the submarine to reach the target island.
2. “Gray Lady Down” (1978) – An American atomic submarine was hit accidentally by a foreign fishing vessel as it surface from the sea. The accident happened along the territorial waters of the United States. Its crew led by the outgoing commander played by Charlton Heston must endure the risks and dangers of the submarine to sink under the deepest levels of the sea while awaiting rescue from their colleagues. Racing against time, rescue did arrive and various methods were tried and a mini submarine piloted by a naval officer played by David Carradine became a crucial and a major factor in saving the lives of the surviving crew. However, the said naval officer died aboard the said vessel. The other cast of characters were Stacy Keach, Ronny Cox, Ned Beatty and Christopher Reeve among others.
   
3. “The Hunt For Red October” (1990) – The Soviet Union’s nuclear submarine known as Red October is considered state of the art with its modern technology and being larger in size as compared to standard submarines. Its commander played by Sean Connery decided to defect to the United States along with this submarine and its crew. But the higher echelons of the military and the government of his country did not want this, so they sent a submarine that matches the capacity of the Red October to chase it and if possible, destroy it before reaching the American seas. The diplomat from the Soviet Union even told a false information to an American key official that it will make a military strike in American shores. The United States Navy made its move to prevent its (Red October) alleged hostile action. Jack Ryan, an analyst from the CIA played by Alec Baldwin told his superiors and key naval officials that the Soviet naval officer is defecting. He was given permission to join the crew of an American submarine in looking for it. Together with its crew led by a naval officer played by Scott Glenn, they found it. The American crew and their Soviet counterparts in the submarine joined forces in defending the Red October and its personnel from the attacks made by the submarine which was tasked to hunt it. Their cooperation also revealed that there was a saboteur who was embedded with the crew of the Red October in the person of the cook. The cook managed to kill some of the submarine personnel but he was also killed later. The Red October, together with its surviving officers and men, were brought to a secret location in the United States.

The images used for this post were taken from online sources as references.

That’s all for now.

Until the next post.

Happy Days Ahead to All of Us!

13 for ’13 and Onwards: A New Year’s Quotations

Let us open the Year 2013 with the following quotations that are applicable not only for this year but onwards also:

1. “Do not fear a friend with faults, for a friend without even a small one is just a puppet.”

2. “What you don’t like, you can try to change, and what you can’t change, you can try to change your attitude about.”

3. “If you set your mind on looking for something, that will be what you will see.”

4. “Keep your eyes open after the storm, it may be you who will see the rainbow.”

5. “The applause will follow if you focus first on the cause.”

6. “Bad things have a way of showing you the good ones you never noticed before.”

7. “Half the battle is trying not to run away when you’re finally found what you have been looking for.”

8. “Better to fail at something you felt was your truth, than succeed at what has no value for you.”

9. “If you move like you’re happy, you begin to think happy thoughts. Amazing but true, because motion creates emotion.”

10. “In facing life’s ups and downs, let’s always cling to God and dwell on His promises. Let us be like the finest bamboo, bending but not breaking.”

11. “If you learn something and it changes you, you have made progress. But if you learn something and it changes others, you have changed the world.”

12. “Nothing in life can keep us down except our own thinking. If we want a good quality of life, we must have a good quality of thought.”

13. “Life is like a camera: Focus on what is important, capture the good things in life, develop good qualities and delete negative thoughts. Then, do not forget to smile despite hardships. And if things do not work out fine, just take another shot. Because life has many chances and, God is with us always.”

That’s all for now.

Until the next post.

Happy Days Ahead to All of Us!

Happy New Year!

Welcome to Year 2013!

P.S.:

“As we welcome 2013 with positive thoughts, hope, love and happiness, may God be our guide and continue to bless us good health always.”

“Skyfall”: Seven To Remember About Bond 23

“Skyfall” is the 23rd installment in the James Bond, 007 film series. The title was taken from Bond’s family estate in Scotland which was his childhood home. Its story is about the search of the missing hard drive under the custody of the MI6 which was stolen and contains the list of its undercover agents who infiltrated the terrorist networks operating around the world. The film was directed by Sam Mendes while the theme song was performed by Adele. Daniel Craig is in his third outing as 007.

Cast of Characters:

• James Bond, 007 (Daniel Craig)
• M (Judi Dench)
• Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem)
• Gareth Mallory (Ralph Fiennes)
• Eve Moneypenny (Naomie Harris)
• Severine (Berenice Lim Marlohe)
• Kincade (Albert Finney)
• Q (Ben Whishaw)
• Bill Tanner (Rory Kinnear)

After watching the film, the audience will be able to take note and perhaps remember the following :

1. “Field work is not for everyone.” This was the advice given by Bond to Moneypenny after he survived and reported for duty after being presumed dead during their last mission in finding the stolen hard drive. The former was accidentally shot by the latter when 007 was engaged in a hand to hand combat (over a moving train) with the mercenary who has the possession the hard drive. After missing for months, 007 had to be debriefed and must undergo physical and psychological tests, including marksmanship as clearance to return to field work as an MI6 agent.
2. “Cyber Terrorism” – This was the subject matter of the movie. A stolen hard disk which contains the list of undercover agents compromised their actual identities and their respective missions. Every week, the enemy threatened to release five names of the agents with their actual physical appearances and their aliases and how they looked like in their undercover operations in the cyberspace media via You tube. Three of the operatives in the first batch were executed with the third shown in the international media. M’s computer at the MI6 headquarters was hacked and was used in the sabotage operation at their base wherein some personnel were killed. When the Q Branch tried to decrypt the contents of the laptop of the enemy, it caused the system shutdown at the new headquarters of the MI6. The agency’s captured enemy used this situation to escape from its custody. In an earlier scene, the enemy was able to access also the results of the physical and psychological tests made on 007 where it was revealed that Bond failed on these. M just made a clearance for his return to active duty as her judgement call for she knows very well the ability of her operative.
   
3. “Introduction of a New Q” – The two previous 007 movies had no Q character then whose duty is being a Quartermaster for the MI6. Here, Q is a young man who is an expert in computer systems whose appearance may misled a first time observer who will see him just what like happened when Bond first met his young colleague. A new Walther PPK was issued to 007 with his own hand print on the said gun as a control to use it. 007 is the only one who can fire this gun. Q also gave a small radio to Bond so that his colleagues at the MI6 headquarters can trace his location particularly in emergency situations. As a quartermaster, he also relays instructions from M that are related to the agent’s mission and provides passport and other documentations to the assigned operative.  Q told 007 that the agency is not making exploding pens anymore.
   
4. “Agent turned Cyber Terrorist” – This describes the profile of Raoul Silva. He was a former MI6 agent who operated beyond the authority of his agency and turned a rogue operative. Because of this, he was dropped from the agency’s roster of agents. When he was captured and tortured by Chinese intelligence agents, he was not with the MI6 anymore but he blamed M for the said incident and vowed to make revenge against her. He became a cyber terrorist where he engages in controlling illegal deals in the stock markets, making interferences in the operations of communication satellites and manipulating the results of a nation’s election through the highest bidder. He killed associates when he thought that they were not to be useful anymore for his purpose just like what he did to Severine at his hideout in an island he occupied using his brand of terrorism where many people died.
   
5. “Back Story of Bond’s Childhood” – The Skyfall (Bond’s family estate) was the childhood home of 007 in Scotland. He had sad memories of the said place where his parents died when he was still a child. The gamekeeper named Kincade took care of him when he became an orphan teaching him how to use a gun for hunting. M saw this place when 007 took her there so that they can prepare for their fight against Silva with the help of Kincaid by using materials available that can be used as weapons and booby traps. She told Bond that orphans are the best recruits in the intelligence service.
   
6. “M: Superior and Parent” – Since Bond is an orphan, he also considers M as his second parent aside from being his superior. After being presumed dead in his last mission, 007 returned to London when he learned that his agency is under attack and M is being pressured by politicians to resign from her position. He protected her when Silva and his men attacked the public hearing about the MI6 after the former agent’s quick escape from the agency’s headquarters. He also protected her in the two waves of assault done by the same group at the Skyfall estate. Bond killed personally Silva by throwing a hunting knife at the latter’s back when the former MI6 agent tried to shoot the head of M together with his. Silva wanted to die also with M. M was saved from Silva but she died later also because she was wounded already after the first wave of assault. Bond wept the death of his parent figure superior. As to the entire agency, she is also a superior and parent like figure to its personnel. This was shown during the funeral scene where some of its personnel died during an attack at the previous MI6 headquarters. The movie is the 7th and last appearance of Dench as the female M with two different Bonds: Craig in 3 movies and Pierce Brosnan in 4.
   
7. “Changing of the Guard” – Gareth Mallory is a former military officer turned Member of Parliament. He is the Chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee making him the regulator or has oversight over the operations of the MI6. In the recent crisis of the said agency, he was tasked by the Prime Minister to head the MI6 on a transition basis after the proposed retirement of M. After her death, he was designated as the new head of MI6 making him the new M. This is not on a transition basis anymore. Eve Moneypenny is assigned as his secretary while Tanner is still the chief of staff of the MI6. The three were with M during the parliamentary inquiry on the MI6 crisis when Silva and his men (in police uniforms killing first the security men along the way in the parliament building) attacked the hearing which almost killed M. Mallory was with his colleagues in the parliament panel. Moneypenny as the liaison of Mallory with the MI6. Tanner was with M’s side and accompanied his superior to safety when the shooting began. Mallory and Moneypenny helped Bond in fighting the attackers. The former was hit in the arm but it was not fatal. The closing scene of the movie showed 007 reporting for field duty to his new superior M in the person of Mallory for the first time.
   

Most of the settings of the film’s storyline took place in London, England. The opening scenes wherein Bond and Moneypenny were on a mission was in Istanbul, Turkey. Shanghai was the place where 007 saw the mercenary he fought earlier in Istanbul. The mercenary was on an assassination assignment there and was almost captured by Bond, but the former sacrificed his life so that the lead to missing hard drive would not be revealed. However, his death gave 007 the chance to meet Severine who later led him to Silva. The climax of the storyline of the movie where 007, M and Kincade fought Silva and his men using outdated weapons took place in Scotland.

For a change, the gun barrel sequence which is always present in 007 movies was at the end title of this film together with the 50th Anniversary Logo of James Bond, 007 in Cinema and the message that “James Bond Will Return.”

The images used for this week’s post were taken from online sources as references.

That’s all for now.

Until the next post.

Happy Days Ahead to All of Us!

From All Corners of the World, From All Generations

For this week’s post, this blogger is sharing with his readers a recent compilation of quotes received by text messages. If we will take a look at the following, these timeless sayings came from people from all corners of the world and from all generations.

1. “The truth is that there is no journey. You are right now what you are attempting to be. You are right now where you are attempting to go.” (Neale Walsch)
2. “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
3. “A dream you dream alone, is only a dream. A dream you dream together, is reality.” (John Lennon)
4. “May I never miss a sunset or a rainbow because I am looking down.” (Sara June Parker)
5. “Be happy for no reason, like a child. If you are happy for a reason, you’re in trouble, because that reason can be taken from you.” (Deepak Chopra)
6. “We have to take a chance in life. We can’t be 100 percent safe. There’s always a margin of risk in life.” (Juan Ponce Enrile)
7. “In order to understand the world, one has to turn away from it on occasion.” (Albert Camus)
8. “There are better things ahead than any we leave behind.” (C.S. Lewis)
9. “Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.” (Helen Keller)
10. “We have to continually be jumping off cliffs and developing our wings on the way down.” (Kurt Vonnegut)
11. “The mind was dreaming. The world was its dream.” (Jorge Luis Borges)
12. “One day you may realize that you’ve lost the moon while counting the stars.” (John O’Callaghan)
13. “Everyone knows pain. But we are not meant to carry it forever.” (Shane Koyczan)
14. “You don’t need to be wanted, and you don’t need to be appreciated. These are two great sicknesses which you have. You need to be respected.” (Yogi Bhajan)
15. “You should banish any thoughts of how you may appear to others.” (Marcus Aurelius)
16. “The world into which we are born is brutal and cruel, and at the same time of divine beauty.” (Carl Jung)
17. “You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher but your own soul.” (Swami Vivekananda)
18. “It is important to expect nothing, to take every experience, including the negative ones, as merely steps on the path, and to proceed.” (Ram Dass)
19. “Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.” (Kahlil Gibran)
20. “A good traveler has no fixed plan, and is not intent on arriving.” (Lao Tzu)
21. “The deeper that sorrow carves into your being the more joy you can contain.” (Kahlil Gibran)
22. “The fact that you are willing to say, ‘I do not understand, and it is fine’, is the greatest understanding you could exhibit.” (Wayne Dyer)
23. “Happiness is good for the body, but it is grief which develops the strengths of the mind.” (Marcel Proust)
24. “If you are humble, nothing will touch you, neither praise nor disgrace, because you know what you are.” (Mother Teresa)

The images used for this week’s post were taken from online sources as references.

That’s all for now.

Until the next post.

Happy Days Ahead to All of Us!

POTUS SIX: Movies About The Chief

Barack Obama was re-elected recently as President of the United States (POTUS) of America to lead his nation for a second term of four more years. He is the second Democrat to be re-elected, the first being President Bill Clinton.

There were movies where the story lines were about the Presidency of the United States, a few descriptions of how the office of the said leader operates and the duties, perks and risks of being the leader of the said nation. This week’s post revisits the following:

1. “The President’s Plane Is Missing” – An American movie released for television which starred Peter Graves (Jim Phelps of Mission: Impossible) as a TV reporter who is investigating the story of the crash of the presidential plane Air Force One in a desert of the United States. It was later revealed that the President of the United States was not in the said aircraft but was in Camp David, Maryland. The thought that he is dead prompted a key official of his cabinet to advice the Vice President to make a nuclear strike against China. The said official thought that his agenda will succeed but the President suddenly showed up and surprised him. He told him and his other key officials that the erroneous report about his “death” in the plane crash was a blessing in disguise because he was able to find out who among them could be trusted in performing their duties as officials of his administration.
2. “All The President’s Men” – The said movie was based on the events of the Watergate Scandal which involved aides close to President Richard Nixon. Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman played reporters of The Washington Post who investigated the details and information on the said events with various threats and dangers against them. The source of their inside formation was dubbed as “Deep Throat” who advised them: “Follow the money.”
3. “Twilight’s Last Gleaming”– A former general from the United States Air Force turned renegade played by Burt Lancaster, with two of his accomplices, managed to take over a missile base with the threat to launch nine missiles if his demands are not met. The demands include a large sum of money as ransom and the incumbent President of the United States as hostage. The President wanted to end the crisis, so he agreed to be as one. Even if he knew that his own life is at stake, he still did it. He even rejected the advice that an enlisted man posed as him. The snipers were able to kill the rogue general and his man, but the President was killed also, since his captors confused the snipers with unpredictable moves.
4. “The American President” – A widower President played by Michael Douglas is the leader of the nation who tries to practice time management with the affairs of the state, family matters being a single parent to his daughter and his relationship with a lady who works as a lobbyist. The said lady became a collateral target of various issues against his presidency by his political opponent who wants to gain media mileage. However, he was able to hurdle the obstacles that faced his administration by facing them with courage and decisiveness.
   
5. “My Fellow Americans” – A comedy about former U.S. presidents played by Jack Lemmon and James Garner who are political and personal rivals even in their retirement days. The character played by the former is being implicated in a bribing scandal which involved allegedly the incumbent president played by Dan Aykroyd (he was Lemmon’s former vice president) which the latter tries to investigate when his party mates told him that if his mission is a success, this will give him another chance to run as president. However, they joined forces when both of them were almost killed in a helicopter accident staged by unknown people. The bribing scandal forced the sitting president to resign from office and his vice president succeeding him. It was later revealed that all events were masterminded by the successor which was the conclusion of the former presidents. The former told the two that they were late in their action because he would be taking his oath of office already. Months later, he was kicked out from office and imprisoned because the character played by Garner recorded what the successor said. The closing scene of the movie showed to the audience that the bickering between the two main characters is not yet over.  The two are running as independents for the presidential elections but not telling the public yet on who will be the president and the vice president between them.
   
6. “Air Force One” – Harrison Ford played the U.S. president this time. The presidential aircraft was hijacked with the president, his family and some of his officials as hostages. The perpetrators (who posed as reporters) are sympathizers of a jailed dictator of a rouge former Soviet republic. They demanded that the said leader be released from prison in exchange for the safety of the hostages. The character played by Ford was a former fighter pilot of the United States Air Force. This turned out to be an advantage because he was able to run rings around his captors and unmasked the traitor among his people who turned out to be the leader of his Secret Service security detail. The traitor was killed together with the hostage takers towards the end of the movie.
   

The images used for this week’s post were taken from online sources as references.

That’s all for now.

Until the next post.

Happy Days ahead to All of Us!

On Golden Bond

Last October marked the 50th year of James Bond, 007 in cinema. This blogger posted in previous issues articles about the said screen character which was created by Ian Fleming (the photo under the picture of the actors* who portrayed 007 in the silver screen) in his novels which was based on the experience and exploits of his and his colleagues in the British Naval Intelligence during World War II.

The first post for the month of November of this blog is the recap of the above mentioned issues which were categorized under “The Bond Connection”.

If the reader wants to know who is the superior of 007 and the secret agent’s other colleagues in the MI-6 (British Secret Service), he or she can see this link (April, 2012 post) http://www.hughlockwood.wordpress.com/2012/04/23/m-q-and-moneypenny-nobody-does-it-better/.

There were Bond girls who happened to be enemies of 007, they can be found in the May, 2012 post http://www.hughlockwood.wordpress.com/2012/05/22/a-troika-of-femme-fatale-in-007-movies/

To know some of the popular theme songs of the Bond flicks, this post was featured last June, 2012: http://www.hughlockwood.wordpress.com/2012/06/24/another-seven-for-007-another-set-of-theme-songs-and-movies-about-bond-james-bond/.

For 007 allies in the intelligence agencies of the world, they can be seen here (July, 2012): http://www.hughlockwood.wordpress.com/2012/07/22/spies-like-them-the-allies-of-james-bond-007/

To know where the 007 movies were filmed, they are here (September, 2012): http://www.hughlockwood.wordpress.com/2012/09/06/the-bonded-locations-of-the-007-movies-through-the-years/

Thoughts on the recent Bond photo plays where current 007 Daniel Craig appeared as James Bond were in: http://www.hughlockwood.wordpress.com/2012/10/08/double-seven-remarks-on-casino-royale-and-quantum-of-solace/ (October, 2012)

The photos used for this week’s post were taken from online sources as references.

Happy reading.

That’s all for now.

Until the next post.

Happy Days ahead to All of Us!

* First Row, Left to Right: Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore. Second Row, Left to Right: Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, Daniel Craig

The following quotes posted below were in one way or another were connected to the story lines and themes of 007 movies:

1. “Having the courage to fail means you’ll have the integrity to succeed.”
2. “Challenges can be overcome, but to see the truth behind a character, see what he does with power.”
3. “If someone’s work is excellent, their efforts must be recognized and appreciated so that they can be encouraged to maintain it at that level.” (Francis J. Kong)
4. “Wrong turns are as important as right turns. More important, sometimes.” (Richard Bach)
5. “Every setback is like a rub on a piece of metal. In the end, they all make you shine.”
6. “There are things we should be serious about and there are things we can take lightly. Be wise and do what is right all the time.” (Francis J. Kong)
7. “Knowing is not enough, you must apply, willing is not enough, you must do.” (Bruce Lee)

PRAYER

“Dear Lord, please help the people who were the victims of the recent natural calamity to recover from the said crisis. Please also guide the other people and other nations of the world in giving various kinds of assistance to them. This will be possible through global team work and your spiritual leadership through all of us. God Bless All of Us. Amen.”