I've heard that there have been 2 opposing reactions to the movie, depending on what you expected/what you like. People are either saying, "I liked the parts where Robin Williams was being Robin Williams, but then it gets all politcal. Not enough Robin Williams," or, "Eh, it started out with Robin Williams being Robin Williams which I could have done without. Then it gets all political, which I dug, but with so much time wasted on Robin Williams, there wasn't enough political stuff."

I disagree.
;)

I really liked the Bond film. Here's my caveat: I don't see a lot of action films, I LOVE Bond, I don't expect a tight story and plausible sequences, and I know all of the Bond films and his history to appreciate the little references.

Daniel Craig is a different sort of Bond. He's beefy, and muscled - almost too much so - but he's rough around the edges. He pulls off the suave but his athletic scenes are great and over the top.

There are few gadgets - but, remember, this is supposed to be EARLY Bond, just after his promotion. He gets much more emotionally involved that any other Bond except in OHMSS (the only film where he gets married). I can see how Bond developed from this point into the Bond we all know and love.

But, it definitely has a different feel to it. It's not as silly-gadgetey as all the rest and it is a lot more serious. If someone had told me that prior to the film, I wouldn't have thought I would have liked it. But, I really did.

Bond is one of life's great escapes and this film didn't disappoint. However, I can see why others don't or won't like it.

Thanks to NM for taking us along on this ride.


Edit: I do NOT like the Chris Cornell (Soundgarden) song but I LOVE the Dave Arnold takes on the Bond theme.

I'm off to see it in a couple of hours. I like how we have Judi Dench as "M" - continuing her role, but have Craig as Bond just acquiring Double Oh status and having his first mission as such, in the present day. This goes along with the way I've groked having so many different actors in the role, and yet each remaining pretty much the same age as a sexy ladies man over a span of 40 years.

I think of them each as new agents acquiring the name and number when the last Bond retires (or exits more permanently). I just can't go along with the notion that Bond is ageless, and has these periodic face changes and strong personality shifts.

This one pretty much departs from that retardedness by having this be Bond's first mission. It gels with my notion of the series, and I appreciate that fact going in.

Review to follow. (Perhaps at 4 o'clock this morning!)


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Argh! Am I crazy if I ask for seperate threads for brand-new movies? It's like we have a whole forum for nothing.

I wholeheartedly agree, CP.

If I can figure out how, I'm gonna move the CR posts to a new thread in the Beatnik forum ... and enforce an old-movies-only policy in this thread.

Yep. It's called Games & Word Play. :D

This week I saw:
Kronk's New Groove - An ok straight to video movie that was like an animated series that they decided to pull togeather as a movie. It was ok. Nothing like the Emperors New Grove, which was a scream. 5 Bornieo's out of 10

American Dreamz - I liked this one but didnt love it. It had such an odd tone to it and the humor was there but most of it I didn't feel like laughing at, even though it was funny. It was well done and worth renting, IMHO. 6 Bornieo's out of 10

Junebug - I've heard rumblings about this film in this thread so I rented it last night. I thougth it was a good film. I think the beginning was a bit slow and I think under another director it would have been better. Some of the direction was just too jaring IMHO. The acting was great. It was good to see the lead actor, whom I liked in Laural Canyon (Great movie) and the actress who was in Army of Darkness, of all things. There was a bit of predictability in it, but what movie doesn't have that now-a-days. I was very satified after watching it. 8 bornieo's out of 10

Casablanca & Maltese Falcon - Big (not huge) screen. Love it! Those movies never get old. Was excellent to see on a larger screen. Some interesting audience reactions to Sidney Greenstreet and Peter Larre's roles in Falcon. SOme odd giggles in Casablanca too. It was something to see with an audience for sure.

I would love to see both of those films with an audience on a big-ish screen. Awesome.
:)