| Monday, January 15, 2007 |
| We have a winner: "Casino Royale" |
It had been years since I'd seen a James Bond movie -- in fact, I missed the entire Timothy Dalton oeuvre. Even though the series was still wildly profitable, the films just seemed preposterous and convoluted to me. And no one was ever going to be as good as Sean Connery; I had seen those old Bond flicks several times back when ABC used to run them regularly in prime time during the 80s. Even when I was a kid, it seemed obvious that Connery was James Bond and the others were merely pretenders to the throne.
Until now, that is. After seeing "Casino Royale," I'm a total convert to Daniel Craig as Bond. Craig is probably the best actor ever to wear the tuxedo, and he makes the part his own. And though he's not really my type, I appreciate the fact that this is perhaps the first Bond film where the agent is objectified more than any woman he shares the screen with -- Craig's glistening, muscled torso must have been displayed a good 20 times.
"Casino" has two of the most jaw-dropping action sequences I've ever seen: one in which Bond chases a man through a high-rise building under construction, and another set on an airport tarmac involving a gas tanker rigged to explode headed for a collision with a jumbo jet. But even when Bond isn't running around chasing and shooting at people, the film is really good. Eva Green as Vesper Lynd is a very interesting and complex character in her own right, and Judi Dench is cool and authoritative as M. There are plenty of surprising plot twists. All in all, "Casino Royale," like "Spider-Man 2" and too few others, is that rare Hollywood blockbuster made by people who actually care about making a good movie. At the very end of the credits, the words "James Bond Will Return" appear on screen; I can't wait to see what happens next.
For the record, "The Pursuit of Happyness" and "Volver" tied for second place in my survey and "Dreamgirls," "Miss Potter," "Notes on a Scandal" and "The Painted Veil" got two votes each. One critically praised 2006 film that I do not plan to see is "Pan's Labyrinth," because that monster with the eyes on its hands freaks me out every time I see it. I'm sure the film would give me nightmares for weeks. |
posted by 125records @ 9:19 AM  |
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| 2 Comments: |
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So it wasn't a "guy movie," after all, despite what my sister said. By the way, the eyeless monster in PAN'S LABYRINTH is only around for a short time, but there are other sights in the movie that are equally jolting -- most of which happen in the non-fantasy portions of the film. The woman sitting next to me at the screening actualy shrieked out loud a couple of times. It's exceptionally well-made, but I think you'd have a tough time with it.
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I liked the movie, but I could have done with the torture sequences, but I guess the movies have to keep pace with what Jack Bauer puts up with and dishes out every week.
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So it wasn't a "guy movie," after all, despite what my sister said. By the way, the eyeless monster in PAN'S LABYRINTH is only around for a short time, but there are other sights in the movie that are equally jolting -- most of which happen in the non-fantasy portions of the film. The woman sitting next to me at the screening actualy shrieked out loud a couple of times. It's exceptionally well-made, but I think you'd have a tough time with it.