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Cary Fukunaga

No Time To Die – Cary Joji Fukunaga (2021)

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We got to see the ‘corona Bond’ just before evening lockdown. Postponed a couple of times and now when the new 007 plays in the cinemas, they have to close at 5 PM. So we and a few others made it rainy afternoon movie.

Bond is retired, but of course not really. “No Time To Die” brings back many familiar faces, which is pretty amusing. Fukunaga also introduced the follow-up of Daniel Graig. 007 In “No Time To Die” is not only black, but also a woman: Lashana Lynch. Even though a tough girl, she is still a bit of a sidekick to Graig, so I wonder how they are going to make her the hero of the next Bond.

Storywise there are no real surprises. Well, perhaps some small ones. As we are used to, there is a villain with bad plans for the world and Bond sets out to stop him.

The cliffhanger is pretty much over-the-top, but overall “No Time To Die” fortunately did not become a complete shootout. There are some amusing scenes. Of course there are pretty ladies (Ana de Armas presents one of the sexiest fighting scenes of late) and a cunning plan to decimate mankind.

“No Time To Die” is an amusing film. I do not know if it will become a Bond classic, but of course, it being the goodbye film for Daniel Graig, there is something to remember it for. The goodbye is rather lengthy and dramatic by the way.

True Detective (series, season 1) * Cary Fukunaga (2015)

A story that could have fitted in the length of a film is spread over 8 episodes; a story not untold in the film world either. Two detectives try to find a brutal serial killer with a satanic approach. Still, the series are highly regarded. Currently IMDb.com has it rated on 9.3! Now of course that happens more often with series that are new, but with about 160.000 voters and having heard a lot of compliments about the series, I decided to watch a series that is not yet finished. It is said that each “True Detective” seasons stands on its own, even with new main characters for every season (and a new director?). That was another reason for me to get season 1.
A story that could have been told in a third of the running time, that tells you that “True Detective” must be very slow, right? It is! Very slow. The creators took their time to make lengthy, moody shots and a story that unfolds slowly. Here we immediately have the biggest strength of the series. It is extremely moody. It has that ‘Scandinvian bleakness’ with touches of darkness.
The story is about two detectives Marty (Woody Harrelson) and Rust (Matthew McConaughey) who have completely different characters. Marty is the usual cop; a hard worker with a lot of experience. Rust is the younger of the two, but he is a too well-read misanthropist who does have a way of finding out what he wants. The story is told in different ways, in interviews with Marty and Rust and in flashbacks. What is well done is that the two sources of the story do not always overlap, but the viewer seems to be able to make the picture as it should be. The story is told in such a slow pace, that is was not really necessary to build in surprises, yet still there is a slighly dull ‘whodunnit’ suggestion towards the end.

So indeed, “True Detective” is a great series! The sympathy-raise for both main characters works most of the time. The atmosphere and camera work is superb, the music fitting. The story is not really original, but at least the creators did not use the usual brutal violence of the usual serial killer story. Their suggestion works a lot better than that!
Do not read too much about “True Detective”. Just get it and watch it. It is only 8 episodes.