"James Bond FAQ: All That's Left To Know About Everyone's Favorite Superspy" by Tom DeMichael

Bond is back....again. The fiftieth anniversary of Ian Fleming's suave secret agent has spawned the highest grossing Bond film to date, Skyfall, an upcoming reunion of all six actors who have played James Bond onscreen at this month's Academy Awards, and a new book, James Bond FAQ: All That's Left To Know About Everyone's Favorite Superspy (Applause), by Tom DeMichael. Every official (and unofficial) Bond film is featured, from Dr. No to Skyfall, in great detail. Of course, without beautiful women (Bond Girls), nefarious villains, cool gadgets, fast cars and an unforgettable theme song, Bond just would not be Bond. Thankfully, everyone and everything gets their due in James Bond FAQ.

The author examines Ian Fleming's books that spawned the film series, the six actors who played Bond, from Sean Connery to Daniel Craig, and even pays homage to the composers who helmed each film. One of the most fascinating chapters focuses on the various tools of the trade that James Bond utilizes to thwart his many adversaries. From firearms to ridiculously expensive (and creative) automobiles and from jet packs to yo-yo saws, all of those gadgets add something substantial to the legendary superspy. In addition, the chapters focusing on the various supporting cast members, including allies, love interests and heavies, not only provides information about the characters, but also includes information about the actors who portrayed them. Those mini-biographies often contain interesting and little known information about the countless actors who have populated the world of James Bond for the past half century.

The nearly 400 page book also features many black and white photographs of movie stills, posters and publicity shots and even includes a chapter on the people behind the scenes, such as Albert Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, who shepherded the film series from the beginning. While I do not consider myself an expert on James Bond, there was a great deal of information that surprised me, especially concerning the older Bond films, which I have either not seen in many years or have yet to watch for the first time. For instance, I was unaware that actor Donald Pleasence portrayed the villainous Blofeld in You Only Live Twice. I have always admired Pleasence for his work in the Halloween film series, as Dr. Loomis, who tried to stop the rampage of Michael Myers. 

One of the most fascinating stories featured in James Bond FAQ centers around Pierce Brosnan, whose road to play Bond was riddled with potholes, thanks to his ties to the television series Remington Steele. While I recall a dispute between the actor and NBC at the time, I did not realize that the implications were so dramatic. Not to be outdone, Timothy Dalton and Roger Moore's quests to play Bond are equally enthralling. As exciting as the James Bond films usually are, they are sometimes trumped by what transpires behind the scenes, which only adds to the mystique around the unique, legendary, vastly successful and unforgettable Bond franchise. 

James Bond FAQ: All That's Left To Know About Everyone's Favorite Superspy, by Tom DeMichael, is now available.

Movie Recommendation: Bond is Back in "Skyfall"

Photo Credit: Columbia Pictures

The third time is the charm for Daniel Craig as James Bond. Skyfall is terrific entertainment and is one of the best Bond films I have seen, not to mention a vast improvement over the previous installment, Quantum of Solace. Director Sam Mendes relies on familiar spy themes, including dangerous pursuits, gun play, exotic locales and a dastardly villain to construct a memorable film that fits perfectly into the Bond legacy.

Skyfall wastes no time getting to the action. The opening scene features Bond and Eve Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) pursuing Patrice, a rogue who has stolen a hard drive containing classified information on undercover MI6 agents, which could threaten national security. While Bond and Patrice fight atop a moving train, Eve is ordered to shoot and hits Bond by accident. He is presumed dead, but is actually thinking about retirement until a former MI6 agent, Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem), puts a plan into motion that he hopes will take out his former superior, M (Judi Dench), who is feeling pressure to resign after Bond's untimely "death." M declares that she will stay in her position until the job is done, but soon faces terrible obstacles that Silva has put in her path. Regardless, M remains steadfast and clears Bond for duty once he returns home, even though he fails all of his mental and physical evaluations.

Bond's first objective is to find the hard drive, eliminate Patrice, then locate Raoul Silva and return him to M for interrogation. Along the way, Bond finds romance, as well as plenty of danger, but appears to be at his best, despite recent setbacks. Eventually, he is captured by Silva, who reveals his ghastly backstory and appears smitten with Bond. However, Silva has a goal in mind, so he allows himself to be captured and taken back to MI6 headquarters, where he once again faces M and then proceeds to unleash a grand revenge scheme that culminates at Bond's childhood home, Skyfall. Bond, M and Skyfall's caretaker, Kincade (Albert Finney), find themselves doing battle with Silva and his many minions in a memorable and life changing showdown.

While Daniel Craig is the star of the film and continues to deliver physically impressive work, Judi Dench receives a great deal of screen time and she makes the most of it, as you would expect. Dench delivers a terrific performance as the aging, but still quite capable leader of MI6 and if she must leave her job, it will be on her terms. Another key component to Skyfall is Javier Bardem's portrayal of Raoul Silva, who is surely one of the great (and macabre) Bond villains of all time. Bardem has a gift for playing villains, which appears to be so far removed from his calm and peaceful public persona. The supporting cast, including the aforementioned Naomie Harris and Albert Finney, as well as the always superb Ralph Fiennes, as Gareth Mallory, M's superior, and the perfectly cast Ben Whishaw, as Q, the computer genius, conspire to make this one of the finest ensembles ever assembled for a James Bond film.

The screenplay by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and John Logan is clever, exciting, creative and pays homage to Bond's creator, Ian Fleming. The music, cinematography and special effects are also outstanding. My only complaint is that Skyfall may have been a bit too long, which is the result of a couple of scenes, including the one featuring a stand-off between Bond and Silva on the island, which seemed to meander around. Otherwise, Skyfall is a memorable, action packed and extremely well acted film that has already become a worldwide hit since its debut several weeks ago. Bond is, indeed, back.