Quantum of Solace

Quantum of Solace did not disappoint! James Bond is back, and Daniel Craig proves definitively that he is the best James Bond. Some have been harsh on this fantastic sophmore outing, but I disagree. Here's why ...

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Be warned ... SPOILERS AHEAD ...

I thought that this was a very mature and adult Bond film, which played like some of the original Connery Bond movies.

I thought the music was great. Some said that the music was lacking and, at times, absent. I noticed it throughout, and I liked it. It was thrilling when it needed to be and it emoted tension at other moments.

I liked the villain. He was a slimy rodent, but it plays with the theme of the first Daniel Craig movie, and now this one. They are not rushing the plot but gradually playing it out like veteran writers. Dominic Greene was just a pothole on the road to the real masterminds behind the criminal organization named Quantum. He was there to give Bond the next lead which will play out in Bond #23. Greene was slimy, but effective, and intimidating to the right people, like the lesser players in the big plan. His shrieks and wails while fighting Bond at the end were the perfect icing on his weakling cake; and in a real fight, untrained people would shriek and wail when they were fighting the man who could easily kill them. Bond could normally have dispatched him easily, but he had already fought half an army after being chased across the world, on no sleep, which was mentioned several times in the film. And, traditionally, Bond villains have not been powerful physical combatants; they have been scumbags with, sometimes, tough bodyguards.

The opening chase scene was masterful. It gave the requisite Bond action beginning while taking your mind off what was really going on. When everything was played out, it surprised you with the fact that there was a man in the trunk - always a cool element. The chase scene was not essential to the film, which fits with the openings of almost all other Bond films. The assassination attempt in the MI6 secret interrogation room (and subsequent rooftop chase) was very important, so it had to be after the pre-title sequence and the opening credits.

That crazy desert hotel was supposed to be some eco-hotel, just like Brad Pitt is supposedly trying to design. It fits with the theme of Dominic Greene's eco-industry. I can image that he was planning on turning it into a paradise oasis for the rich when if his water scheme worked out.
As for the supporting cast, it was top notch. The Bond girls were outstanding. Olga Kurylenko was marvelous as the determined and dangerous, but torn former Bolivian agent out for revenge. Judi Dench was great as M; she delivered one of the best lines in the film. Gemma Arterton was smoking hot as Agent Fields. I thought Felix Leiter was played exceptionally well. Jeffery Wright was both likeable and intimidating. And I thought that the Mathis character was flushed out enough after both films by Giancarlo Giannini.

All in all, it was a more mature film that did not need to spoon feed its audience. The lack of silly gadgets was refreshing, as it was in Casino Royale, and the espionage, target following, and information gathering played like a spy flick from the day. And it showed that Bond is not only a spy, but an assassin, as seen in the hotel in Port-au-Prince. That was awesome when he held Slate down while he bled out!

I like this one better than Casino Royale. Casino Royale is still my second favorite.

Did I mention that Gemma Arterton was smoking hot?

Quantum of Solace

Quantum of Solace did not disappoint! James Bond is back, and Daniel Craig proves definitively that he is the best James Bond.
More to follow ...

If It Looks Like A Smelly Fish ...

I really liked the 2004 vengeance / action flick, The Punisher. I thought that Thomas Jane did a great job portraying the former Marine turned vigilante named Frank Castle who spends his time hunting down and "punishing" violent criminals. I was excited when I found out about the sequel, entitled Punisher: War Zone (which was the title of one of the Punisher comics back in the day). I was disappointed that Thomas Jane would not be reprising his role as Castle, but I figured that we have been somewhat blessed with repeated casting with recent movie adaptations of comic books, so who am I to complain that Jane decided to pass. Then I watched the movie trailer on Comcast On Demand.

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"See Jane run. Run, Jane, run." And that goes for everyone else. Run ... away from this movie!

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Look, I'm no director, nor am I a movie producer, but I am a comic book fan, and the Punisher has to be one of the easiest characters to portray in a movie. Just do this: former Force Recon Marine ... add a family tragedy caused by the mob ... add guns and lots of bullets ... give the guy a Punisher skull shirt ... and press the kill button. BOOM! Punisher movie. If I wasn't actually watching the trailer for Punisher: War Zone, and if I did not see a quick shot of the Punisher wearing his skull shirt (ballistic vest) at the end of the clip, I would not have known that the movie was about the Punisher.

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I can understand changing superheroes to mirror reality. I don't want to see Hugh Jackman in Wolverine's full-body yellow and blue spandex costume. The leather costume works just fine. But when you start getting so far away from the idea that the idea starts to get watered down, then you should not be making the movie. They claim that this movie will earn an R rating due to the violence. Great, but is has to be about the Punisher, not just some guy shooting other guys. The Punisher would never do that foolish 3000 Miles to Graceland hanging upside down from the ceiling spin-and-shoot thing! That is so tactically unsound it makes my head spin! Have the guy fight like a Marine! Not some foolish super-action star!

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Gross! Unless I get rave reviews (bad trailers happen), I will be running from Punisher: War Zone, just like the very wise Thomas Jane.

What’s Your Favorite Movie?

Common question, and for as long as I can remember my response has been Raiders of the Lost Ark .The next two films in the series definitely make my all time top ten. Despite this (or maybe because of this), I reacted with dread to the news of a fourth installment. The trilogy was, to me, a complete story. When we last saw Indy, he was riding off into the sunset, having discovered the Holy Grail itself (which is synonymous with “no bigger artifact available”). And aside from all of that, to quote the new film –how old is Harrison Ford now? Like 80?

I shouldn’t have worried. While Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull isn’t of the same caliber as the original movies, it’s a nice epilogue to the series, and entertaining.
Spielberg and Ford don’t try to hide the characters age, but embrace it. Throughout the film, Ford appears to be channeling Henry Jones senior (as portrayed by Sean Connery in The Last Crusade). The introduction of Mutt Williams (Shia Labeouf) is the one of the saving graces of the script– not so much due to that character but the foil he provides for the aging Indy.

The film has many flaws, chief of which is the determination to make it as true to the era it’s set in- the 1950’s – as the previous films were with the 1930’s. The pulp serials that inspired Raiders were full of guns, magic and Nazis. The 1950’s still had the guns, but Commies had replaced Nazis, and magic was replaced by flying saucers, aliens and atomic bombs.

Favorite scene: The opening. The thing that separates Indiana Jones from so many others in the action pantheon is that he is not a hero because he can smash a hundred bad guys with his bare hands; it’s the way that he never gives up, taking beating after beating. So it’s fitting somehow that he returns to the big screen by being thrown unceremoniously to the ground.

Worst scene: The G-men accusing Indy of being a communist. This seems to be nothing more than a device to fill the viewer in on what Jones has been up to since the 30’s, and another “Hey! It’s the 50’s! Red Scare!” moment that has nothing to do with the plot. It doesn’t go anywhere.

Kids movie? Nope, too much violence (though I saw Raiders when I was 8 and it didn’t do me any harm. Well not much. Actually, don’t bring any kids under 13).

Date movie? Yeah, as long as your date likes good movies.

If you like this, check out: Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, another tribute to genres of old.

-- Necronomisean

Doomsday

Did you like Escape From New York? Did you like The Road Warrior? If the answer to either of these questions is 'Yes', then you will like Doomsday.

Doomsday is the third full length feature from British writer / director Neil Marshall. His previous two movies, Dog Soldiers (2002) and The Descent (2005) were both excellent examples of horror / action. The Descent is one of my favorite horror movies. (When you scare the moviegoer with claustrophobia and lygophobia way before you even introduce the monsters, you got it going on.) Doomsday differs in the respect that it is more of a sci-fi / action movie, than a horror / action.

The plot of Doomsday is fairly simple. In the near future, a highly contagious flesh eating virus breaks out in Scotland. Great Britain's answer to the plague is to seal Scotland off from the rest of the world. The rest of the world answers by shutting off Great Britain from all aid and commerce, due to the barbaric way that the government deals with the infected. Years later, as London, and most of England, wallows in poverty following a population explosion, the flesh eating virus breaks out in one of London's overcrowded slums. The government decided to send a team of commandos and scientists into the now dead land of Scotland, hoping to find a cure in possible survivors. Things turn for the worse when the government's info isn't as good as they think, and the commandos find Glasgow, Scotland ruled by savage, cannibal punks. And it is up to tough-as-nails and hot-as-hell Major Eden Sinclair (played by tough-as-nails and hot-as-hell Rhona Mitra) to lead the survivors of the ill-fated mission out of the whirlwind of terror.

Rhona Mitra is smoking hot. There. I've said it.

She is beautiful and athletic, unlike certain 'resident' action heroines who are disgustingly skinny. She handles the role well, not taking herself too seriously. Her character is very tough, but not indestructible. And her character is very smart (not the use of her 'camera' to record certain events to 'cover her ass'). And Mitra's Eden Sinclair reminds me of a female 'John McClane': she handles outrageous situations with grace and a bit of tombstone humor, when needed.

Is this a kids movie? Absolutely not. If you take your kids to see Doomsday, you are part of the problem with society. There is a lot of violence and there is a lot of gore. Almost too much, at times. For example, a guy gets cooked and eaten on camera. That reason enough for you?

Is this a date movie? No. See above. The sheer horror that befalls people in this movie outweighs anything that might benefit a dating experience. It will be too uncomfortable in mixed company or with people you are not familiar with.

I loved Doomsday. It totally rocked. Was it outrageous? Yes. But it was fun and exciting and Rhona Mitra was smoking hot. I give Doomsday six severed heads out of six.

National Treasure: Book of Secrets

I am very excited about this movie. It is not often, in today's society, that an action / adventure movie is made so that the whole family can enjoy. Leave it to Disney to do just that. They did it with the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, which was a well-received project that was not only loved by millions, but a boxoffice bonanza. I could go on and on about how fantastic Pirates was, but I won't. Instead, I will gush about the National Treasure franchise.

With National Treasure and National Treasure: Book of Secrets, Disney has taken a sorely overlooked subject, namely American history, and it has forged that subject into a fun set of films. They have also added to the mix a great combination of actors and actresses, who all seem to work well together. Also present are some great, globe-trotting locations to sate the hungry eye. And, of course, there are the puzzles and the riddles. Everyone loves a good puzzle or a riddle, especially one you have a chance at solving. Now, you do not get that chance too often in the National Treasure franchise because the main character, Benjamin Franklin Gates, played by Nicholas Cage, is usually far ahead of everyone in thought, whizzing through puzzles and riddles faster than the mind can calculate. Don't feel bad; this is just part of the recipe. The real treat is watching Cage take the character through the steps of solving, on the spot, one impossible historical puzzle after another.

If youloved the first one, you'll love this sequel. In fact, I liked it better than the first. The characters have already been introduced, and we get right into the meat of the new story.

Kids movie? Certainly. I might leave the little ones at home (as should be done most of the time anyway), but I would bring the kids that would appreciate the fun and the action, yet still not be too bothered by the dramatic elements. There are lots of those, but more along the lines of action and suspense. There is a very low death toll here, folks, and the deaths happen in dramatic ways (and mainly off camera). I would say that there is a death toll of four total in both movies. And one of the deaths is none other than - SPOILER ALERT! - President Abraham Lincoln. Surprise!

Date movie? Absolutely. This is a fun movie with no embarassing or squirmy scenes.

I give National Treasure: Book of Secrets six out of six hidden clues. Enjoy!