n">(Reuters) - James Bond is back and better than ever, according to early reviews on Friday, as the latest movie featuring Britain's smooth-talking, martini-drinking super-spy soared with critics and audiences after an advance screening in London.

Newspaper critics rushed to print and celebrities took to Twitter after seeing "Skyfall," with many calling it the best Bond film in the franchise's 50-year history.

Reviewer Robbie Collin at British newspaper The Telegraph said director Sam Mendes' Bond was comparable to Christopher Nolan's darker, grittier "Batman" from the "Dark Knight" franchise.

"Mendes is unafraid to let the quieter dramatic moments breathe ... and ace cinematographer Roger Deakins makes the wildly ambitious action sequences the most beautiful in Bond's 50-year career," Collin said.

Geoffrey McNab at the Independent gave "Skyfall" four out of five stars, criticizing the film for being "occasionally ... repetitive." But he praised Mendes for "throwing in far greater depth of characterization than we're accustomed to in a series of films that are often proudly superficial."

"Skyfall," the 23rd film in the Bond franchise, opens in UK theaters on October 26 and in the United States on November 9. It is Mendes' first time directing a Bond film. The British filmmaker won a best director Oscar in 2000 for "American Beauty."

The 22 Bond films have to date amassed $5.1 billion at the worldwide box office according to The-Numbers.com, which tracks box office performances. The last film, 2008's "Quantum of Solace," grossed nearly $600 million globally.

"Skyfall," produced by privately held studio MGM, will be distributed in the UK by Sony Pictures Entertainment and in the United States by Columbia Pictures, both units of Sony Corp.

"Skyfall" sees actor Daniel Craig return as the suave agent, on a mission to bring down a dangerous villain, played by Javier Bardem. Judi Dench returns in the role of "M" along with co-stars Ralph Fiennes and Ben Whishaw, while Naomie Harris and Berenice Marlohe became the latest Bond girls.

Baz Bamigboye at the Daily Mail gave "Skyfall" five stars on Friday, calling it "pure classic 007 fare, back on firm footing after the less than memorable 'Quantum of Solace.'"

Reviewers on Twitter praised the explosive action scenes, Mendes' directing, Dench's darker portrayal of "M" and Bardem's turn at playing a Bond villain.

British GQ magazine tweeted: "Just seen #skyfall. Daniel Craig is magnificent - you will not be disappointed." The Times film critic Kate Muir tweeted that she gave "Skyfall" five stars, calling it "a return to classic form and a great British bulldog of a movie."

BBC Radio 1's film critic Rhianna Dhillon tweeted: "WOW! You have a massive treat in store for you! Don't want to review it on air in case I give anything away! It's just so good!"

British comedian Graham Norton, who hosts a TV talk show on BBC 1, tweeted: "Skyfall is perfection!!!!!"

(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy in Los Angeles, editing by Jill Serjeant and Eric Beech)

View the original article here

Barbra Streisand performs ''Evergreen'' at the 53rd annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California February 13, 2011.

NEW YORK | Fri Oct 12, 2012 2:05pm EDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Blending photo montages with at times a thick accent and a singing voice still soaring at the age of 70, Barbra Streisand performed on Thursday in her first big concert where it all began - her birthplace of Brooklyn, New York.

In the second show of her "Back to Brooklyn" tour, Streisand performed for nearly three hours at a new 19,000-seat arena, kicking off the concert with the words "I've come home at last!" from the show tune "As If We Never Said Goodbye" from "Sunset Boulevard".

Accompanied by more than 50 orchestra players, she connected with fans through references to Brooklyn and her Jewish background, talking about the borough's docks and knishes. She recalled that the last time she sang in Brooklyn she was 8 years old and it was "on somebody's stoop".

"I left Brooklyn to pursue my dreams, but Brooklyn never quite left me," she told the crowd sprinkled with stars such as actor Michael Douglas and musician Sting. "I am so glad I was born and raised here."

She sang a series of songs by Brooklyn-born composers Alan and Marilyn Bergman including "Nice 'n' Easy" and a love song from her 1983 film "Yentl", called "The Way He Makes Me Feel".

Changing costume several times, she kept the crowd entertained with funny anecdotes and introduced other musical acts including the teenage Italian tenor group Il Volo, trumpeter Chris Botti and her son, Jason Gould.

She paid tribute to collaborators such as Donna Summer with a short, snappy version of their 1979 duet "No More Tears (Enough is Enough)" and composer Jule Styne with a medley of songs from the musical "Gypsy", and later "People" from the musical "Funny Girl".

In a tribute to another collaborator, Marvin Hamlisch, who died in August, she sang "The Way We Were", with his original orchestration, and then "Through the Eyes of Love", which he wrote for the film "Ice Castles".

"He could always make me laugh, which is not an easy thing to do," she said of Hamlisch.

Other hits included Rodgers and Hart's "My Funny Valentine" accompanied by Botti, "Evergreen" and "Lost Inside of You".

Toward the end of the concert she asked the crowd to take seriously the environment, the upcoming U.S. election and to "appreciate the moment".

She recalled not singing for 27 years after suffering stage fright during a 1967 concert in Central Park, before discarding rumors she would be quitting her career after this tour.

"If I learned anything, it's to say 'Never say never' and it ain't over 'til the fat lady sings - and I ain't fat," she said, before finishing the concert with two encores ending with "Happy Days Are Here Again".

(Editing by Patricia Reaney and Dale Hudson)

View the original article here