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11-17-2008
Quantum of Solace
The latest James Bond movie opened on Friday night and for the first time in the franchise this was a direct sequel to the previous film, Casino Royale. I would suggest if you are planning on seeing Quantum that you watch Casino first, the plot carries forward and picks up about an hour after the end of Casino.
Daniel Craig is back as Bond, Judi Dench is M and Jeffrey Wright reprises his role as CIA agent Felix Leiter. The two newest Bond Girls are Olga Kurylenko (see HBYNO special) as Camille and Gemma Arterton as Strawberry Fields. Mathieu Amalric plays villain Dominic Greene and Giancarlo Giannini also returns as Mathis.
As I said, this is a sequel to Casino, so the plot of the film is already set up for us. Picking up in Quantum, Bond is still following the leads he has on the group that used Vesper Lynd against him and was behind Le Chiffre. He's led to Dominic Greene who is setting up coups and government changes in South America in order to corner the market on natural resources. The organization that he works for is so secret that MI6 doesn't even know about it and that causes M to call Bond off the chase. But in true fashion, he ignores her and goes it alone both to bring down Greene and get revenge for Vesper's death.
As with Casino, Quantum of Solace is a very gritty depiction of Bond. Still gone are Q and the gimmicks, the Bond Girls are strong and capable rather than just being arm candy, the action in the film is very real and dirty, and Bond pulls no punches as the bodies pile up fast.
Not that it’s a bad thing, but the two newest Bond films have less intrigue and more pure action. Sometimes Quantum, and even Casino, feel more like a Bourne movie than Bond. I’m not going to hold that against either film, however, as agents tracking down terrorists and corrupt corporations is easier to relate to than a guy building a fleet of space ships or underwater living environments.
My main gripe with the film is the same as I’ve had with a lot of films lately and it’s one that I’ve mentioned here many times and seen many times more than I’ve written about. That being the terrible tendency to film action sequences up close and then edit them together with cuts fast enough to send the most stalwart viewer into a seizure. It’s a waste of time, money, choreography and my $10 for a director to film a minute-long street fight from 40 different angles and then use every single angle during the editing process. Whoever is teaching these directors to do this, stop it! Now!
In Casino Royale the introduction to Bond showed him chasing a bomber through construction sites, neighborhoods and an embassy in Madagascar. The sequence was spectacular, watching the bomber free run through all types of obstacles. Most of the other action in the film was equally well filmed. Quantum of Solace has none of that. It’s all fast cuts and close-ups and tells me that Marc Forster may not have been the best choice of director, especially if this is the direction you want to take a Bond film in.
That aside, Quantum of Solace is a solid film and a worthy finish to the story begun in Casino Royale. I really like Daniel Craig as James Bond and hope to see him keep that role for several more films. Quantum is a film I would recommend seeing on the big screen so get out and give it a try. I hate to trash an otherwise good film for it’s shortcomings in editing but I have to take a point for it just because I can’t encourage other directors learning from Forster’s mistakes. I’m giving Quantum of Solace three and a half wheels of cheddar.
11-14-2008
I'm sorry, sir, but I don't think that means what you think it means...
What happens when you invite the Arizona State University Men's and Women's Track Team to the White House for the 2008 NCAA Sports Champions reception? A shocking photo op! Is this the appropriate time for a "pwned" comment? I think maybe.
11-10-2008
Halloween Party
Okay, I know it's been a week but I've had a few requests for updates on the 2008 Halloween party. First, it was a huge blast. Much liquor and beer was served, pounds and pounds of spiedies were grilled and there were even some hot girls and awesome costumes. But don't take my word for it...
I stole all the photos from Finley's MySpace. Thanks, yo!
11-5-2008
Zack and Miri Make a Porno
Monday afternoon I took time to go see Kevin Smith's latest film, Zack and Miri Make a Porno, and was not disappointed in the least.
Nearly all of Smith's movies revolve around a love story and Zack and Miri is no different. Zack, played by Seth Rogen, and Miri, played by Elizabeth Banks, are high school friends who are roommates living in Monroeville, PA. Both are down on their luck, making minimum wage and struggling to get by.
When they find themselves with bills piled up and both their water and electricity turned off, they begin looking for a way to get out. A chance meeting at their 10th high school reunion puts the idea of making a porno film into their heads.
They round up an old friend, Deacon, played by Jeff Anderson, to film the movie, and one of Zack's co-workers, Craig Robinson as Delaney, to produce. They hold auditions and quickly find Bubbles, Lester, Barry and Stacey (Traci Lords, Jason Mewes, Ricky Mabe and Katie Morgan respectively) to co-star with Zack and Miri in the movie.
After several wild ideas for the theme are explored, events throw them together in the coffee shop where Zack and Delaney work, filming the movie at night using the shop as the backdrop for the story.
During the course of the venture, Zack and Miri realize that they have deeper feelings for each other and that having sex together for the film is the trigger that brings those feelings to the surface.
All of the usual things you find in a Smith movie are here including the foul language, witty banter and gratuitous pop culture references. But beyond them, as always, is an honest look at relationships even if they are slight caricatures of real life.
Seth Rogen does a fine job as the lead in the film. With Knocked Up and Pineapple Express already under his belt, he shows once more than he can lead a film. He's fun to watch on screen and, let's face it, gives all us geeks a hope we too could land the hot girl! Elizabeth Banks is fun as Miri. She's hot but in the girl-down-the-block kind of way...again, making us think we could land someone that hot! Justin Long has two short scenes as Brandon St. Randy, a gay porn star, that almost steal the film.
Fans of "The Office" know Craig Robinson as Darryl but it's nice to see him in an expanded role. He has some of the funniest lines of the film. Jason Mewes didn't have his Jay persona to rely on in this film but whenever he's on screen you have to watch him just to see what he's going to do. Besides, a Kevin Smith film without him would be like a Michael Bay film without an explosion.
Traci Lords hasn't done any films or talked much recently about her past adult film roles but her role as Bubbles is the perfect funny role to poke fun at that past. One of the most fun things about any Smith film is the cast, you never know who will show up but they will always be funny. From Tom Savini as the shady property renter to Gerry Bednob as the foul mouthed boss to Tyler Labine as a drunk customer or Brandon Routh as the now-gay former high school football star, they are all funny and add just that much more depth and enjoyment of the movie.
I won't even pretend that I'm not biased when I rate a Kevin Smith movie, I readily admit that I'm 100% his target audience and I look forward to everything he does. But I can honestly give this film 3 1/2 wheels of cheddar out of four.
11-4-2008
Fanboys
New trailer out for Fanboys this week. It ran in front of Zack and Miri Make a Porno this weekend. While the trailer is funny, it's still missing three very key pieces of info; nowhere does it mention the cancer plot, Kristen Bell isn't mentioned even though they show here in a couple of scenes, and there is no release date. It's listed as "coming soon."
Oh, and the other day I may have said that January was the release month for Fanboys but I've since found out that it's actually pegged for February right now. We'll see.