A Homoerotic 'Skyfall' Poster: PHOTO

Imagining the gay Bond.

(via reddit)

Movies: Skyfall' is Quite a Birthday Gift For Bond

Daniel Craig has returned and will return again as 'Bond, James Bond.' Enjoy him!

BY NATHANIEL ROGERS

YOUR FEATURE PRESENTATION

SKYFALL arrived on US screens Friday with such multiplex flattening hype that you'd be forgiven for thinking the title literal. The Cubby Broccoli estate, which controls the adventures of the super spy, was pulling no stops for the 50th anniversary installment of the granddaddy of film franchises. We've been inundated with Bond Mania for months now. So you'd think at this point that the actual film would be an afterthought. Not so.

The 23rd official Bond film delivers… and not just the five mandatory goodies no Bond film is complete without: Action (Particularly the Opening Setpiece), Theme Song, International Villain, 007 Himself and the Bond Girl. Unlike most modern franchises, the Bond series favors stand-alone storylines with only the five-pronged Bond template uniting them. Even Bond himself changes though Skyfall happily sticks with Daniel Craig's impossible zombie handsomeness and dangerously erotic icy blues.

Five mandatory goodies and Daniel Craig's sexual pull AFTER THE JUMP...

Inside James Bond and Skyfall's Gay Subtext

Apparently Daniel Craig and Javier Bardem (who plays the current Bond villain Silva) have an "erotically charged scene" in Skyfall (above) in which Silva strokes Bond's chest.

Bond reportedly asks the villain: "What makes you think this is my first time?"

Movieline's Frank Diagiacomo asked Craig about it at the press junket:

"What are you going to do?"  Craig replied breezily, getting a nice laugh from the crowd, but then he added: "I don't see the world in sexual divisions."  He then  changed the subject from Bond to to Bardem's wonderfully flamboyant character, Silva. "Someone suggested that Silva may be gay," Craig said with a big smile. "And I'm like, I think he'll f**k anything."

Producers suggest it's all a power struggle. As for Bardem:

Asked how Silva's "sexuality informed [Bardem's] interpretation of the character, the actor responded; "It  was part of the game, but it’s not entirely the game."  Bardem explained that his "main goal" as Silva was creating "uncomfortable situations" for anyone who crossed his path. "Within that, you can read anything that you want or wish," Bardem said. "But  it was more about putting the other person in a very uncomfortable situation where even James Bond doesn't know how to get out of it."

More at Movieline.

It's worth noting that back in 2006 Craig reportedly suggested to producers that they give Bond a gay scene.

Oscar Producer Explains Cut-Away from Brolin - Bardem Kiss: 'No One Knew It Was Coming'

Academy Award telecast co-producer Bruce Cohen, who is gay, explains ABC's cut-away from the kiss and dance between Javier Bardem and Josh Brolin to AfterElton:

"It [the dance and the kiss] was unscripted, and the plan in the truck was always to cut to Penelope in the audience applauding Josh's and Javier’s introduction, so that is what happened, just as they were starting to dance. Josh and Javier’s moment (I saw them start to dance, but, to be honest, I have no idea if they kissed — that’s the first I’ve heard of that) would have made a great TV moment, but since no one knew it was coming, we cut to the gorgeous Mz. Cruz as planned. By the time we cut back from her close-up, James and Javier were walking to the podium."

I know Bruce, and he's a good guy, but I'm not sure I buy his explanation.

Previously...
Did Oscar Producers Get 'Gay Panic' When Josh Brolin and Javier Bardem Kissed During the Telecast? [tr]

Did Oscar Producers Get 'Gay Panic' When Josh Brolin and Javier Bardem Kissed During the Telecast?

Josh Brolin and Javier Bardem exchanged a playful kiss and danced at the Oscars but viewers never saw the kiss and producers quickly cut away from the dance, which is a shame because the producers clearly needed something in the telecast that was entertaining.

AfterElton's Michael Jensen wonders why it was censored:

"Viewers saw the two men walk out onto stage where they engaged in an apparently impromptu dance, though viewers only saw a flash of that before the camera jumped to an extended shot of Penelope Cruz...So why the cut away? On one hand, it seems unlikely that ABC would find a kiss between Bardem and Brolin to be something needing to be censored. After all, back in 2006, the Oscar telecast included a Brokeback Mountain spoof featuring Jon Stewart and George Clooney in bed. On the other hand, the cutaway to Cruz seemed awkward and clearly lasted until the two men had stopped dancing. Frankly, it's hard not to wonder if it might not have something to do with the Adam Lambert imbroglio from the American Music Awards."

ABC told AfterElton it would have no comment on the issue.

FLASHBACK: Brolin and Bardem have a tradition of getting affectionate and playful on Oscar night.

(dance photo source, kiss photo source)

Movies: Sean Penn, Javier Bardem, Golden Globes...and Scooby Doo?

 Remember when Penn was fighting for that Harvey Milk holiday in 2009? Worthy cause.

NATHANIEL ROGERS

...would live in a movie theater if not for the poor internet reception. He blogs daily at the Film Experience. Follow him on Twitter @nathanielr.

NOW PLAYING
You don't really want to talk about Nicolas Cage's Season of the Wig oops Witch do you? I thought not. Let's move on. That's the only big new release. The rest is Oscar-focused screen count scrambling.

BONUS SCENES

Sean Penn will soon be honored with a humanitarian award. No, it's not another honor for his excellent portrayal of gay activist Harvey Milk. This prize is for his excellent work as Sean Penn, being quite the activist himself. He's definitely done a lot for Haiti relief recently. Each year the Producers Guild of America hands out the Stanley Kramer Award. It's named after the producer and/or director of high-minded classics like Judgment at Nuremberg, Inherit the Wind, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner and High Noon. The prize usually goes to a film (recent winners have included Precious, An Inconvenient Truth and Hotel Rwanda) but Penn will be the first actor to receive it. In the PGA's own words:

"We are proud to honor Sean Penn with this award as he truly exemplifies the Stanley Kramer legacy. Sean is a committed activist who has used his extraordinary talents and influence to shed light on powerful stories, causes and individuals—through film, journalism, and global humanitarian organizations."

Meanwhile at the cinema, Sean Penn will next play Brad Pitt's son (ah, the magic of the movies) in the upcoming Terrence Malick film THE TREE OF LIFE. The trailer is a beauty. Can't wait.

Remember last year's Golden Globes when Burlesque was just a crazy dream and not a reality and Cher & Christina Aguilera presented the Best Original Song prize and hit the after parties?

They're baaaa-aaack. MORE AFTER THE JUMP...