Travolta, Thurman Chill Out for 'Be Cool'
LOS ANGELES - They went on one of the coolest movie dates ever, at least until she OD'd and he rammed an adrenaline needle through her breast to jump-start her heart. Eleven years after "Pulp Fiction," John Travolta and Uma Thurman are back on the dance floor in "Be Cool," a follow-up to Travolta's 1995 crime caper "Get Shorty."
Travolta returns as super-smooth loan-shark-turned-producer Chili Palmer, this time abandoning the fickle movie industry to try his hand in the music business.
Thurman plays Edie, owner of a small record label where Chili brings his latest discovery, a singer-songwriter with the voice of an angel and the face of a cover-girl pop diva.
While Chili's not the wholly respectable type and Edie's record company has its shadier sides, the two are model citizens compared to addict and hit man Vincent and coke-head Mia, whom Travolta and Thurman played in Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction."
Vincent and Mia's evening out progressed from cozy dinner at a kitschy restaurant, to an off-kilter take on "The Twist" in a dance contest, to Mia's misstep in snorting Vincent's heroin, believing it's cocaine.
A more conventional romance develops between Chili and Edie, who do share some time on the dance floor, spinning to the Black Eyed Peas' cover of a 1960s tune by Brazilian songwriter Antonio Carlos Jobim.
Travolta, 51, and Thurman, 34, sat down together with The Associated Press to discuss the new flick and reminisce about old times.
AP: What was it about Vincent and Mia that made them work so well together?
Travolta: Certainly, Quentin's imagination.
Thurman: And she is a speed freak and he is a junkie, so there's no conflict. Nobody's trying to take up anybody else's space.
Travolta: Those characters, I say they were hellbent for death, and these characters are hellbent for life. I think these guys really want to survive. And the difference is, we're both higher than a kite during the whole film in "Pulp Fiction," and when we went up to dance, we're doing novelty dances, gimmick dances from the '60s. Here, we're doing something much more traditional, which kind of adds to that.
AP: Did the two of you find you had instant chemistry?
Thurman: I wouldn't even have thought sitting with John when we met, I was kind of a gnarly little 23-year-old, I wouldn't have known that we had such screen chemistry.
Travolta: I don't think it's something you can even predict. It's innate.
Thurman: And a lot of times, people have intense chemistry in life, like people who are infatuated with each other and become lovers, and they end up not having screen chemistry at all. They're dead to watch, in a way. Couples often are very boring to watch.
AP: Were you able to fall right back into your old chemistry when you started "Be Cool"?
Travolta: I have to say, I wasn't aware. I have such innate affinity for Uma. I get happy when I'm around Uma. I can't wait to talk to her, I can't wait to catch up. I'm comfortable. So what the effect of that is on others while watching, I don't know how to explain that, but I know how I feel — that I'm just excited to be with Uma, whether we're acting or talking. A lot of the time, the takes were interrupting our conversations.
Thurman: It's absolutely true. What was really a lovely thing about getting to step into this movie was to start from a place of so much more trust, a sense of the bond and time. Someone who really did know you 10 years ago. Something about it I find very touching, and it reaffirms life for me in a way to reconnect.
AP: Uma, dancing with the guy who did "Saturday Night Fever," were you intimidated?
Thurman: Always. When I'm luckiest, I spend the best part of my time being intimidated and inspired. That's when I'm doing good. It means I'm picking the right partners in life. ... I never had any advanced level of dance training. I'm just a huge fan and always fantasized about dancing, though I'm very shy about it. I don't really like to dance socially, but whenever I get a chance to dance where I feel like it's my job, gotta dance, I'm so happy, and the fear factor as soon as I start to dance goes away.
AP: You're co-starring with Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane in the remake of Mel Brooks' "The Producers." Do you get to sing and dance?
Thurman: I'm dancing every day now. I'm in heaven. I'm in absolute hog-pig heaven. I'm really, literally having the best experience.
Travolta: Are you dancing alone or with people?
Thurman: I have a big sort of Ginger Rogers number with Matthew, which is kind of like the whole shebang.
Travolta: Is that a movie-within-the-movie dance number?
Thurman: It's kind of a love-scene dance number. He kind of sings the song to himself, and she, the big, dumb Swedish bimbo, is trying to get his attention. She's very comfortable, she knows who she likes, and she likes him, and so she's trying to get his attention, and they have this sort of big, magical dance sequence.
Travolta: I'm envious. I would love to be doing that.
Thurman: It's to die. You've done it, so you know.
AP: Chili's warned that music is a tougher business than movies. John, you've recorded albums. Which is harder?
Travolta: Music is tougher. It's more fleeting. You can be here for one hit. I think that everybody in the movie industry, if they have a hit, gets about two more chances. I think in the music industry, that's it.
Thurman: You have a hit, and what they say is, thank you, really. Right?
AP: And show you the door?
Travolta: Yeah, it's always been that way. So I think it's a tougher business, and it is more gangster, it's more Mafioso. We exaggerate it in this movie for entertainment's sake, but there is a truth to that. I think the movie industry is much more white collar. It's much more mainstream, Wall Street.
Thurman: Corporate, in a way. You feel its corporateness, whereas you feel a maverick quality in the music business more.
Travolta: Because it's everybody's game.
Thurman: Kind of lawless.
Travolta: It is lawless.
'NYPD Blue' turns in badge
Would there be a Sopranos without NYPD Blue? Faggedaboutit.
NYPD Blue, the gritty, award-winning ABC drama, goes quietly into the sunset tonight with its final episode, Moving On (CH, ABC, 9 p.m. ET).
Ratings for the 12-year-old series slumped the past few seasons to the point that only a partial season was ordered. ABC isn't even bothering to end the series during a February or May sweeps.
As a result, NYPD Blue isn't getting enough credit for putting a realistic, adult spin on prime-time network drama.
Last month, executive producer Steven Bochco met the press on the Fox lot in Los Angeles. With him were fellow producer Mark Tinker and cast members Dennis Franz (Det. Andy Sipowicz), Gordon Clapp (Det. Greg Medavoy), Bill Brochtrup (John Irvin), Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Det. John Clark), Henry Simmons (Det. Baldwin Jones), Bonnie Somerville (Det. Laura Murphy), Jacqueline Obradors (Det. Rita Ortiz) and Canadian-born addition Currie Graham (squad boss Lt. Bale).
Bochco, who created the series with David Milch (Deadwood), wanted to turn Blue blue with language and nudity to stem the adult audience flow to HBO. ABC nervously agreed and, suddenly, there were bare butts on TV.
Bochco downplayed the notion that NYPD Blue broke the mold, although he agreed that you "couldn't launch it today." Fines following Janet Jackson's 2004 Super Bowl fiasco have sent a chill throughout Hollywood still being felt today.
Just this season, scenes of partial nudity (including Clapp's bare butt debut) were blurred after the fact.
When the show debuted in 1993, Bochco gave it a month. ABC was skittish about the language and nudity. Some affiliates and advertisers bailed on the edgy pilot.
The buzz, of course, helped turn the show into an instant hit. Then came the bombshell: After a year in the spotlight, original co-star David Caruso (Det. John Kelly) thought he was a movie star and abruptly quit the series. Caruso predicted that the series would tank. Instead, Blue soared with replacement Jimmy Smits (Det. Bobby Simone) and Caruso was laughed out of Hollywood after two flop films. (CSI: Miami brought him back from the dead.)
While Bochco didn't rub it in, he didn't mince words about Caruso, either. He blames the actor for creating a hostile environment on the set. "Life's too short for that," he said. "We learned we could pretty much survive the loss of anyone."
As a result, Blue had one of the busier revolving doors in television, with Nicholas Turturro, James McDaniel, Kim Delaney, Sharon Lawrence, Amy Brenneman, Sherry Stringfield, Gail O'Grady, Rick Schroder and Esai Morales all coming and going.
The series won 20 Emmy Awards (scoring 27 nominations in its first season alone), including four to Franz for his portrayal of seen-it-all detective Andy Sipowicz.
When he read the first script, Franz, a carryover from Bochco's Hill Street Blues, feared no one would ever "give a damn" about squad screw-up Sipowicz. "You will find a way to make him likable," Bochco predicted.
Don't look for Sipowicz or any of the other regulars to exit on a slab in tonight's finale. Bochco wanted it to feel like "a well-earned end to the show."
None of the stars from years past are back (although Charlotte Ross, who plays Sipowicz's cop wife Connie, was invited). "This is our core group," Bochco said, pointing to the cast on stage. "I'm happy to dance off into the sunset with these folks."
The finale will be preceded at 9 p.m. by the one-hour special -- hosted by Smits -- NYPD Blue: Final Tribute.
The Couch Potato Report - March 1st, 2005
This week The Couch Potato Report has Bambi, Bob, and Ed Grimley, well that's certainly decent don't you know?
Walt Disney's classic film BAMBI was originally released on August 13th, 1942.
Let me say that again, BAMBI was originally released 63 years ago on August 13th, 1942.
The new PLATINUM EDITION of the classic film doesn't show it's age, instead the film has never looked or sounded better.
But the fact that it has been given a digital makeover still won't change the fact that the youth of today probably won't be able to appreciate this film the way that I, and my generation do.
The movies of today - animated or otherwise - are just so faced paced, and the edits are so quick and swift, that there is precious little time to just watch something and let it sweep over you.
And BAMBI certainly isn't fast paced. It is just a well-crafted, leisurely view of one year in the life of a young deer.
In the course of the movie's 69-minute running time, that one year measures the life cycle itself, from birth to adulthood, and from childhood's freedom to grown-up responsibility.
There is a lot of territory covered in BAMBI - parental love, loss and grief; friendship; loyalty; risk versus need; living in harmony with Nature, and romantic love - but the film never force feeds you anything.
BAMBI is storytelling in it's purest, basic form.
Plus, the film has been completely digitally restored for DVD and almost every trace of dirt and damage is gone and the sound is incredible.
Since the film is being released as a PLATINUM EDITION 2-disc set, there is a wide array of bonus features.
They include a look at the authentic art materials stored in the vaults, a making of feature; a Disney Time Capsule from 1942; facts about the real animals that are portrayed in the film and a "dramatic reenactment" reading of early discussions of the film between Walt Disney and his team.
Patrick Stewart, of STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION fame, hosts that latter segment.
No, BAMBI doesn't move with the speed of THE INCREDIBLES, contain as many colours as FINDING NEMO, and isn't as funny as the SHREK films, but I hope this generation of kids will be able to enjoy it.
It is an elegant work of art that belongs on the shelf beside all of those films in your DVD library.
In a time when the world "classic" gets used too often, BAMBI is the definition of that word.
Want proof? Watch the movie.
I'm not sure if anyone will be saying THE SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS MOVIE is a classic when that film celebrates it's 63rd anniversary in 2067, but as I sit here today, I know many kids - and an adult or two - who believe it to be a modern day classic of the highest regard.
To quote an old soap commercial, "And I like it too!"
If you don't know who SpongeBob is, please allow me to explain:
"SpongeBob SqaurePants" is an animated television show.
Deep down in the Pacific Ocean in the city of Bikini Bottom lives a square yellow sea sponge named SpongeBob SquarePants. SpongeBob lives in a pineapple with his pet snail, Gary, loves his job as a fry cook at the Krusty Krab, and has a knack for getting into trouble without really trying.
When he's not getting on his cranky neighbor Squidward's nerves, SpongeBob's usually smack in the middle of a strange situation with his best starfish buddy, Patrick, or his thrill-seeking squirrel pal, Sandy Cheeks.
Like the TV show, THE SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS MOVIE has some jokes that operate on different levels for kids and adults.
In the movie, SpongeBob and Patrick take leave from the town of Bikini Bottom to track down King Neptune's stolen crown.
It isn't Dostoyevsky but it is sure fun to watch!
No, the film isn't as great as the best of the TV episodes, but THE SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS MOVIE is a silly, goofy movie that is fun for both children and adults.
And to paraphrase an old soap commercial, "Yes, I like it too!"
I also like SCTV and SCTV - VOLUME 3 is the latest release of this classic Canadian show.
Inside the 5-disc box set are nine 90-minute episodes that were originally broadcast in 1982.
In addition to the work of John Candy, Rick Moranis, Dave Thomas, Andrea Martin, Catherine O'Hara, Joe Flaherty and Eugene Levy, this set contains the introduction of the great Martin Short as a cast member.
By the time these episodes aired in 1982, the show had built on it's cult following and was flirting with mainstream success.
They had won an Emmy Award for writing and there was worldwide "Hoser-mania" triggered by the surprise breakout success of "The Great White North" segments featuring Bob and Doug McKenzie.
But SCTV managed to stay fresh and innovative and gave Bob & Doug their own special called "The Great White North Palace" and brought Tony Bennett in to guest star.
This set also includes "The People's Global Golden Choice Awards," "The Battle of the PBS Stars," "Chariots Of Eggs," and the introduction of the soap-opera parody "The Days of the Week," as well as the Schmenge brothers.
Plus, Martin Short joins the legendary ensemble, and makes an instant impression, with such masterful bits as his devastating "Jerry Lewis Live on the Champs Elysees," and gives us the unforgettable Ed Grimley.
Plus, Bill Murray, Carl Perkins, Jimmy Buffett and Hall And Oates offer classic performances.
The set's bonus features include commentaries, a John Candy profile and photo gallery, a retrospective, SCTV at the Museum of Television & Radio, a bonus audio CD: From the Second City Stage and a 16-page booklet
Yes, in a day and age when the world "classic" gets used too often, SCTV remains a classic television show and BAMBI is a classic film.
And to the kids today, THE SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS MOVIE is a classic as well.
All three of those classics are available now at a movie store near you.
COMING UP IN THE NEXT COUCH POTATO REPORT
In LADDER 49 a trapped firefighter reevaluates his life and priorities. John Travolta , Joaquin Phoenix and Morris Chestnut star.
Academy Award winner Cliff Robertson stars in CHARLEY. This 1968 film that was adapted from Daniel Keyes's novel Flowers for Algernon is finally being released on DVD.
And so is THE RUTLES 2 - CAN'T BUT ME LUNCH. Yes, the Pre-Fab Four are back, and severely earnest television journalist S.J. Krammerhead is hot on their story once again. This is a welcome sequel to Monty Python star Idle's 1978 mockumentary THE RUTLES - ALL YOU NEED IS CASH.
I'm Dan Reynish and I will have more on THE RUTLES, and those other releases in seven days.
For now, that's this week's COUCH POTATO REPORT.
Enjoy the movies and The Oscars and I'll see you back here next week on The Couch!
Cuthbert humbled by support
TORONTO -- For the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation it's all about money. For Chris Cuthbert it was never about money.
It was about the work. It was about sports. It was about being part of a team.
And when he initially began his CBC odyssey 21 years ago, it was about something as simple as a jacket.
"That was my goal in my career, to wear a powder-blue jacket," said Cuthbert referring to the old Hockey Night In Canada uniforms that were so popular when he broke into the ranks in 1984. Despite looking like something comedian Will Ferrell wore in "Anchorman," the coat was as much a symbol of sporting excellence for journalists, as the Maple Leaf was for hockey players. "I wasn't hip and I wasn't much of a fashion guy, but if I could wear that powder-blue jacket everything was going to be good in my career and that's why it's heartbreaking to think that that part of it is over."
If you haven't heard, Cuthbert's contract was terminated this week. After more than two decades of loyal service, the 47-year-old award-winning broadcaster was unceremoniously dumped. He wasn't even given the courtesy of a phone call. Instead he had to hear of his dismissal from his agent and in a letter, written by boss Nancy Lee, delivered surreptitiously via courier to his Brampton, ON home.
For Cuthbert it was worse than a punch in the gut.
"It was a kick a little lower than the gut," said the Saskatchewan native, who read that his newly unemployed status was due to the NHL lockout, that has cost the CBC millions in lost revenues. Lee, who was conveniently an ocean away in Italy when Cuthbert was sacked, finally got around to calling her former employee a full day later.
"We obviously disagreed on the merits of her decision," downplayed Cuthbert, who admitted his head is still swimming. "She insisted it was the most logical financial decision that she could make because of the lockout and what I was trying to point out was that in my contract we had anticipated a lockout and there was a renegotiation clause there that was the answer to that problem. The worst-case scenario was for me to be asked to go away and come back when hockey resumed and I could take a sabatical and it wouldn't have cost them anything."
Sounds reasonable, so why didn't the network see it that way? It's hard to imagine the CBC risking the mutiny of an entire sports department over a few hundred thousand dollars. Especially after morale was already at an all-time low from the loss of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and 30 other layoffs in the department.
It was reported in the Globe and Mail that Cuthbert makes a little more than $300,000. While Cuthbert refutes the Globe's figure, he admits he was well compensated.
"I do make a great living and part of the reason I do earn a high salary is that I'm technically a contract freelancer for CBC Sports and I've had opportunities to do other work and they have denied me access to that work, invoking exclusivity, and so they have actually paid me not to do other things.
"That salary could have been a lot lower, had they allowed me to do work elsewhere. You get what the market gives and they were the ones that actually ramped it up to satisfy their demands of exclusivity."
Sounds eerily familiar to the NHL situation. And like hockey players, Cuthbert was even willing to give back some of his salary during these economically depressed, hockeyless times. And it's not as though Cuthbert didn't make significant sacrifices for the job. You try being on the road for 45 of 52 weekends a year and see if it doesn't take a toll on your family life. Over the years his wife, Dianne, has basically had to raise their two kids, Jennifer and Justin, by herself.
"There's been an investment for her too, a trust that has been breached and I think from her perspective that's something that she has a right to be as angry about as I do. We're fine, but it certainly resonates hard."
What seems clear is that his employers don't care and just wanted to trim some fat and for whatever reason his head was first on the chopping block.
Some have suggested Cuthbert made himself more of a target because he voiced his opposition to the brass's decision to cancel the popular Hockey Day in Canada segment. Or maybe he just wasn't hip enough for a public broadcaster desperately trying to appeal to the internet generation.
"If you were telling me George Stroumboulopoulos is replacing me, then yes, George probably could do it," laughs Cuthbert. "It's a funny question, because on HNIC I'm one of the younger guys, which maybe is a statement about the show. I hate to speak condescendingly of my teammates at HNIC, but the only guy who may be hip among the whole group is Cherry."
One thing is for sure, Cuthbert's ouster has severely affected the mood of his colleagues at the CBC, especially in the embattled sports department.
"I think most of us are devastated to be honest with you," said HNIC analyst Greg Millen, Cuthbert's partner in the booth. "I'm disappointed, but my hope is that there's some sort of a window and he can come back on our team, but at the moment that's not the case."
Millen, who has been toughened to the business side of sports from his days as an NHL goalie, was still reeling from his friend's dismissal. He likened it to when former teammate Ron Francis was traded from the Hartford Whalers.
"I've played with a lot of players and I've been blessed to work with a lot of terrific people, and in terms of character and passion and work ethic and commitment to his job, to his employers, to his fellow workers, he's right up at the top of the list," insisted Millen, who travelled constantly with Cuthbert during the NHL season and even without hockey still talks to him two-three times a week. "We've shared a lot of different things together over the years, personally, and have been very close in terms of our families. We have kids the same age and we've certainly compared notes and it's been a wonderful experience for me."
To that end Millen is not surprised by the outcry over Cuthbert, on behalf of the media, players and fans. Millen described Cuthbert as possessing a rare ability - for someone who never played hockey professionally - to understand the sport's intricacies and nuances. It was that ability and Cuthbert's trademark humility, that made fans out of players like Millen.
It's what made prominent sports people like former CFL star Chris Walby, Olympic medallist Adam van Koeverden, Ottawa Senators CEO Roy Mlakar and NHLPA executive chairman Bob Goodenow send their condolences in the days since Cuthbert was let go.
"They say when you give, you often get it back at some point. He's given an awful lot and people are giving it back," said Millen, who needed a day to compose himself emotionally before responding to any media requests about Cuthbert. "It's a tough business right now. It's not been pretty for anybody and this is just another example of it."
Cuthbert has been heartened by the outpouring of affection towards him and credits it with helping him get over the hurt. He was especially honoured by CBC major duomo Peter Mansbridge making a terse mention of the termination on Tuesday night's National newscast.
"For him to think that my story warranted even 15 seconds on the national news, was a real honour. I would have preferred not to have been a news story, but for him to think it was of that significance meant something to me for sure."
He also has appreciated HNIC pals, in particular Ron MacLean and Scott Russell, vocalizing their displeasure with his firing in a staff meeting. Scott Oake and Kelly Hrudey also called as soon as they heard the news.
Cuthbert described the last 48 hours as "uplifting" and said he has even begun entertaining new employment offers. The broadcaster's comfortably nasal delivery has become a staple for sports fans across the country and it's hard to imagine Cuthbert will be out of work for too long. While it's still a ways away, Cuthbert would be a perfect choice to lead the CTV/Rogers/Bell Globe Media Olympic coverage in Vancouver. The irony would almost be too cruel for the CBC, who suffered a crushing defeat when they were significantly outbid for those Games earlier this month.
"There's a lot of different stuff that could happen and hopefully I'll have a little time to digest it all and make the right decision," said Cuthbert, who has had three job propositions already, one of which he will have further talks next week. "The first hour you get it, you aren't sure you're ever going to work again, but by the end of the first day I had enough people step up and reassure me there were going to be opportunities."
You'd think the CBC would have learned something from the Ron MacLean and Don Cherry fiascoes, but it seems incapable of learning from its mistakes. Hockey broadcasters in Canada have a cherished history among the masses. Generations of Canadians have grown up to the familiar calls of Foster Hewitt, Danny Gallivan, Dick Irvin, Dave Hodge, Bob Cole and Cuthbert. Their voices have become as much a part of the cultural landscape, as the beaver, a grain elevator, a fishing dory or the maple leaf.
To mess with them is to mess with us.
In a year where the Stanley Cup will not be awarded for the first time since 1919, we need reminders that the game is still special and untouchable. We don't need any more reminders that it's just a business.
ORBACH'S LAST SCENE
Ailing Jerry Orbach made it through his final scenes with a little help from his friends.
The brave actor's last appearance on TV will be seen this Friday night on NBC in the second episode of the new "Law & Order" spinoff, "Trial by Jury."
In his last words on camera after a lifetime in show business, the 69-year-old trouper exclaims, "They got him!" following the conviction of a cop killer near the end of the episode.
The moment is particularly poignant in light of the effort it likely took for Orbach to raise his voice to say those three words.
That's because the actor's voice that day was particularly weak from ongoing cancer treatment, an NBC spokeswoman recently revealed.
But Orbach's fellow actors would not allow their courageous friend's raspy voice, which was barely above a whisper, derail the filming of his last scenes.
In a touching example of the generosity of actors, Orbach's colleagues — including co-star Kirk Acevedo — agreed also to whisper in the scene, the spokeswoman disclosed.
And since the scene takes place in a hallway just outside a courtroom door, the dialogue conducted in low voices will seem natural to viewers who are unaware of the heartbreaking story of loyalty and friendship behind the scenes.
Orbach, the Bronx-born Broadway song-and-dance man, died Dec. 28 following a decade-long, private battle with prostate cancer.
He had left "Law & Order" last season with the retirement of his character, Det. Lennie Briscoe. But he was brought back, as Briscoe, to help launch the new "Trial By Jury," starring Bebe Neuwirth as a tough, shrewd New York City prosecutor.
Partnered with Acevedo's character — D.A. investigator Hector Salazar — Briscoe is once again doing detective work for the district attorney's office.
Orbach filmed two episodes before he became too sick to work — the premiere episode airing this Thursday night at 10, and the second episode airing Friday night at 10, the show's regular time period.
The second episode — titled "Forty-One Shots," about the shooting by police of a suspect who fatally shot a police detective — was filmed just a few weeks before Orbach died.
His death — and Briscoe's — will be dealt with later on, in the fourth or fifth episode, according to executive producer Walon Green.
"We are actually handling Jerry Orbach's death and handling the character's death very much in the same way Jerry handled his own death," Green said last week. "Jerry and, in this case, Briscoe, was somebody who kept on the job and who worked until the final hour."
Casino Royale - James Bond Begins?
"Casino Royale", the 21st James Bond film due out in 2006, will be taking 007 back to his roots according to an interview with director Martin Campbell.
"Casino Royale" was Ian Fleming's first Bond novel, and it seems the film series will be rewinding back to 007's early career when he first started out in the Double-O section.
Speaking to the New York Daily News, Martin Campbell (who also directed the 1995 Bond film "GoldenEye) revealed the concept behind "Casino Royale" and how the character will be unlike anything we have seen before...
"There are things that will have to be changed from the original novel. The Cold War elements will have to be reconfigured, for example, but 'Casino Royale' will be a grittier, tougher and more realistic Bond movie. We'll be getting away from the huge visual effects kind of films."
"In the new film, Bond is essentially starting out in his career, and has just recently become part of the double-0 section. The idea is to put a bit of the dash back in Bond. By the end of the movie, the character will have been forged into the wiser, harder Bond we know."
"The door is open for Bond, emotionally. "He's in love with Vesper [Lynd] and he sees there's another side to all of this, that life might be far more pleasurable, more gratifying, than being a secret agent. And ultimately that door is slammed in his face, which makes him the tempered steel kind of guy that we know."
On the subject of the graphic torture that Bond suffers at the hands of Le Chiffre, Campbell said "I don't know what we're going to do about that. It ranks up there with the teeth-drilling scene in 'Marathon Man.' I'm looking forward to humanizing Bond a bit. In the novel, Bond smokes 70 cigarettes a day - unbelievable. And he gets a little drunk."