The first direct sequel to a Bond movie, it starts about 15 minutes after Casino Royale ends. Bond’s in a high-speed car chase in Italy. Then we get a rooftop chase scene in Siena, during the Palio horse race.

Quantum of Solace

I point out just for the record that since there are two Palio horse races in Siena a year, each lasting about 90 seconds, the chances of Bond just happening to get into a chase across Siena rooftops at the same time as the horse race are approximately 85,000 to 1, if my back-of-a-napkin calculation is accurate. This isn’t a criticism of the movie, just pointing out how James Bond is some kind of force who affects probability at a quantum level in his universe.

But where was I. Oh yes, Bond gets into a bizarre trapeze-fight with a bad guy in a Siena church in the midst of restoration, killing said bad guy in the process.   Soon there’s a revelation that there’s a new super-secret bad guy organization that MI6 knew nothing about. Some damn thing (maybe an address on a book of matches, who knows) causes Bond to fly to Haiti. There he kills another guy who attacks him when he enters his hotel room.

Bond seems to spend most of the rest of the movie like this, finding random clues that lead him back and forth across the Atlantic, not really knowing who he’s pursuing or why, but pretty confident that if he just keeps racking up frequent flier miles and defending himself against (and killing) whoever attacks him in the next place he visits, he’ll get a clue and another international flight.

Somewhere in there his boss M declares him rogue and cancels his credit cards and passports and such, but this almost seems more like she’s doing it as an incentive to make him work even harder.

Of course, Bond encounters beautiful, damaged women (if they weren’t damaged before he knew them, they soon are). Gemma Arterton as Ms. Fields (and to the movie’s credit, I don’t think they ever reveal her first name on screen, but, if you know Bond girls, and a certain Beatles tune, and her hair color, you can probably figure it out), and Olga Kurylenko as a woman seeking revenge.

Eventually Bond discovers that the main bad guy is a business mogul trying to buy up seemingly useless land in Bolivia, posing as someone championing the environment but actually doing the opposite. It seems like some of the locals might have noticed his scheme, but it takes Bond crashing a plane in the middle of nowhere to figure it out.

Then there’s a showdown in the Bolivian desert at a fancy hotel that seems to be built out of explosive bricks (Actually filmed at the Paranal Observatory in the Atacama Desert).

So, it seems like a plot that even Bond doesn’t so much figure out as just play an elaborate, violent version of Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego.

The movie seems to be trying to emulate the Bourne movies, in the frantic pace to the action sequences and the sprinting from one international location to the next with the main character not really knowing why. So… for Bond 23: Stop!

But, despite all this, the movie is never boring, and it’s very stylish, getting Bond into all sorts of scenic locations for the next chase/fight/etc. And it’s very atmospheric.

A lot of people seemed bewildered by the title, wondering what a Quantum of Solace was. It’s a Modicum of Comfort. Now you know.

DVD extras: There’s a regular edition of this and a 2-disk Special Edition.

Regular:  “Another Way to Die” Music Video,  Theatrical Trailers

Two-disc Special Edition:  The above, plus on the second disk:  “Bond on Location” 24-minute documentary, plus 5 short (5-minutes or less) Making Of bits (Start of Shooting, On Location,  Olga Kurylenko and the Boat Chase, Director Marc Forster, The Music), and about 50 minutes of Crew Files, basically excerpts from a web video blog during the making of the film.      Unfortunately, there’s no commentary track on the film.

The latest in the trend is The Golden Compass, a rather ambitious affair based on the literary works of Philip Pullman. On thing it immediately showed that it had going for it was a young lead actress that was NOT obnoxious or overly precocious. Newcomer Dakota Blue Richards does an exceptional job in the lead role of Lyra Belacqua, a young girl that becomes the focal point of a world-wide conflict in a universe that is similar to…but not quite like our own.

Imagine that things on earth progressed more or less the same up to the late 1800’s. But then, instead of an industrial revolution based on new technology, the newest advances were due to the harnessing of magic-like energies. “Primitive” cars and zeppelins roam the streets and skies of the cities while the elegant spires and ornate exteriors of the buildings make for a beautiful cityscape.

At the heart of the conflict is a mysterious device called a Golden Compass. There used to be several, but now there is only one. Young Lyra comes to be in possession of the device which is purported to be able to provide answers to any question posed to it. At roughly the same time, her uncle Asriel (Daniel Craig), a thorn in the side of the political leaders of the time, is captured and held prisoner in the far north. He believes that there are infinite parallel worlds to their own and they can be accessed via a special particle that is simply called ‘dust’. To the political establishment, however, these statements are pure heresy.

Lyra meets a beautiful but very cold woman named Marisa Coulter (Nicole Kidman) who, its later found, is working with the magistrate but who also has a secret much larger than that. Along the way, Lyra meets other groups and individuals, including Lee Scoresby (Sam Elliott), a Texan who happens to own a powered airship and Iorek Byrnison, a HUGE but alcoholic polar bear who works as a blacksmith in exchange for liquor. Then there is Serafina Pekkala (Eva Green), one of hundreds of witches who enter the conflict and John Faa (Jim Carter), the king of the Gyptians.

Needless to say, this is some high adventure. But despite some good (and sometimes brilliant) performances and a very cohesive vision of the world of Pullman’s imagination, it has its flaws. The biggest one is perhaps the film maker’s willingness to gloss over some fairly important material from the book. It’s not a fatal flaw, but had there been much more of it, then parts of the movie would have been incomprehensible. As it is, I’m left with the very distinct feeling that I am unaware of some vital information that would have been present in the book.

But all-in-all, this is a very good film that deserves a look if you get a chance. If nothing else, you’ll need to see this one in order to know whats going on in the sequels. What? You didn’t actually think they’d have a nice, tidy ending with everything resolved, did you?

What you have in this version is something that is a lot like a zombie movie except without all of the things that make a zombie movie fun to watch. They actually aren’t zombies, they are bodies that have been genetically reprogrammed, and now inhabited by, aliens. They get into your bloodstream and then reprogram your DNA during REM sleep. The whole “dont sleep!” thing happening on the screen is more likely there to plant a subliminal message to keep the audience awake.

The aliens don’t eat brains or anything cool like that. Instead they have desires to create this Hillary Clinton-esque world where individualism is totally dead. This means no war, no fights, no anything. In short, it sounds boring.

Nicole Kidman stars in a perfect role for her as she often gets to play an emotional character who cant show emotions. Daniel Craig is also in the movie. I would like to get my rope with the big knot in it to talk to him about better script selection.

This movie was shot in 2006 and in 2007 prior to release, the distribtor brought in the Wachowski Brothers from The Matrix to write some additional scenes and pnch the story up a little. Either they ruined or they couldn’t save it, take your choice. This puppy is 2 stars, skip it unless your other choice is an F-Troop marathon. No, I take that back….watch F-Troop, we love Larry Storch.

That’s the question I wanted to ask during the opening minutes of Casino Royale, the umpteenth James Bond adventure to make it to the big screen. But by the closing credits, I really didn’t care what happened to the old James Bond.

Director Martin Campbell decided to shake things up for his second Bond picture (he directed 1995’s Goldeneye) and he paid no honor to the sacred cows of Bond-dom. Casino Royale goes back to the very beginning of Bond and the opening scene (which is NOT a mega-action spectacle) shows our man James earning his “00″ status.

From there out, things get gritty, sweaty, and downright nasty. Gone are the cute one-liners. Gone are the one-night stands w/ beautiful women (though there is at least one close call). Gone is Q and his wonderful gadgets. And gone are some of the most beloved Bond cliche’s. One of the more notable changes is that Bond, at least his early days, had no preference for how to mix his martini.

But in place of these missing institutions of Bond are some things that we’ve only been able to wonder about for years and now they are finally revealed to us. For instance, now we know how he got that fabulous 1964 Astin Martin to drive. And we also get to meet that one woman that we only got hints to in the other Bond movies.

The action is great, but the grandiose special effects are gone. In their place are some very frenetic scenes performed mostly by stunt men instead of computers. And let me just say that they are DAMNED ballsy stunt men, too. No disclaimer is needed to prevent you from wanting to try those stunts at home!

There are a couple of nits to pick, but thankfully they are only just nits. Firstly, the movie is a bit too long. At 2 hours, 24 minutes, I could have benefitted from about 15 minutes of trim work. Secondly, the actual villain and his story are a touch weak. But then again, you wouldn’t expect M to throw her newest “00″ agent into world-shattering situations, either. You’d expect her to start a new “00″ off with a couple of somewhat important missions but certainly nothing TOO huge so, as disappointing as that was, it shouldn’t be too unexpected.

Overall, however, it gets a very solid 4 stars from me. If you like Bond, go see this new incarnation. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

The main character (Craig), known only as XXXX, is the above mentioned wannabe-retiree and the story weaves in and around his involvement with what seems like the bulk of the British underworld. XXXX is waiting to pick up the profits from his latest score (and disappear) when he is approached by Jimmy Price and asked to do him a favor. Jimmy needs XXXX and his crew to locate the daughter of a business associate and return her safely, and he doesn’t care how it gets done, just that it get done quickly. Which as we all know from these kinds of films, this is never a good thing for the guy who’s asked to do it. Oh well, live and learn!

XXXX accepts the offer and sets out to find the missing girl and her crack head boyfriend, while at the same time attempting to broker a deal for a very large quantity of Extacy that he is about to procure. Moving and shaking at every turn, you have to know it will not end well.

Things do not go as planned, and then the real story kicks off. XXXX’s contact that was supposed to ‘buy’ the X decided instead to steal it, and during the robbery accidentally killed an associate of the Serbian mafia that ultimately leads to the entire crew having to dodge bullets from a hitman that’s been hired to eliminate those responsible. And, anyone involved with them, including our unlucky hero and his crew. Enuff of that just watch it!

Guns, gore, drugs and headless bodies pile up as double cross after double cross leads the viewer through a constant maze of confusion and deception. In a good way, I promise!

You will dig it if you like British crime flicks like Lock Stock and Snatch – Did I mention this film is directed by the same guy that produced those other two? If not, I am now. And, Matthew Vaughn in my opinion is better at story telling and direction than Guy Ritchie so if you had to call the three films a trilogy this is the best of the three, IMNHO.

Lastly, the acting is excellent and if the performance Daniel Craig gives in this film is any indication, he will be a kick arse Bond, even if he is Blonde. Sienna Miller is as fine as she ever was and the rest of the cast is great so there is no reason not to own this movie.

In short – Layer Cake is an old fashioned caper film with multiple twists and turns, that tells one heck of a story and anyone who is a fan of good crime flicks *MUST* see this one.

The entire story surrounds around a young Mossad (Isreali Intelligence) agent named Avner played very, very well by Bana I might add, and his special mission to avenge the death of the slaughtered Olympic athletes. Avner is recruited by Ephraim (Rush) and then Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meier to lead a team of specialists in the removal of several Black September agents and any sympathizers that get in their way. Avner gathers a group of dedicated soldiers all with different skills and areas of expertise (sounds a lot like Mission Impossible but it isn’t) and they set off across Europe to do what has to be done.

Daniel Craig as the hard liner vengeance is mine ’shooter’ and Ciarin Hinds as the cleaner are absolutely incredible, and the two of them alone make the movie even better than I expected. The action is fast paced when it needs to be and the dramatic pauses are top notch Spielberg at his best, combine that with superior acting and ask yourself… How could I possibly give this movie only 3 out of 5 stars? Well that answer is simple; Munich is all about the regret of doing what everyone knows needs to be done regardless of the circumstances. Take the actual events of the Munich games in 1972 and you know someone/anyone who was responsible for this travesty must pay. Now, add in the guilt of being a human being first and Isaeli seeking vengeance second and you get the reason it gets only 3 stars.

Whether or not the guilt and ultimate remorse Avner feels is justified is inconsequential to the fact that Mossad although deliberate in their actions, are justified in punishing the guilty. The overall theme of Munich is nothing more than an introspective into your belief on revenge. It makes you ask yourself, how much blood and death will even the scales. You believe you are right and so do they, so if the person or group that wrongs you believes whole heartedly in their actions how many of them dying or dead will make your pain go away or make them see you perspective? Spielberg asks those questions all the while reminding us Mossad are the good guys and Black September are the bad guys but the guilt felt by both sides is equal. This works for some it didn’t work for me!

I don’t like to be preached at when I watch a movie so I had to ding it for that but the story is good, the direction is excellent and if you have about 3 hours to dedicate to some serious internal evaluation see this movie but be prepared to be pissed off no matter which side of the coin you believe is the right one.

The movie makes a few passing remarks to the adventures she’s gone on in the game series, but the story stands on its own for those who aren’t into the games. Honestly, it doesn’t take much to follow or figure out the story in this movie, everything is paint by numbers, but it still works out to be a pretty picture.

After an opening action sequence and a shower scene (gotta keep those teenage boys drooling) we’re introduced to the bad guys who are after an ancient artifact which gives the possessor the ability to control time. Seems that this artifact arrived on earth a long time ago in a meteor and a city sprung up at the crash site where people worshipped the gods or something. Eventually they decided the object was too dangerous so they split it in half and hid it at opposite ends of the earth.

OK. Right. So the bad guys (those pesky Illuminati) want the artifact so they can go back and time and make history look like they want it to. It’s up to Lara to find pieces first and save the Universe! I warned you not to expect a great story here.

The saving grace in this film is the wonderful special effects and action sequences. We’re treated to attack robots, stone monkeys, an assault by some professional thieves that look like a swat team and great looking set in the ancient city. Oh yes, we also get to see Lara run in slow motion, which I found to be highly amusing.