Quantum of Solace | Marc Foster, 2008

James Bond’s rip-roaring return to the screen just a few years ago brought praise from all quarters, and with the help of seasoned director Martin Campbell a great franchise was raised from its knees once more. This year, once the dust has settled, those involved will be able to gaze down once again upon a legend of the screen reduced to a supporting role in his own film. Last time it was Halle Berry, simulating the memory of a dripping Honey Ryder and acting just empowered enough to merit a prominent place upon the Die Another Day promotional material. Here it is Europe’s latest hot property that can be seen trotting side-by-side with Mr. Bond on the widely distributed Quantum of Solace posters: Ukrainian ex-model Olga Kurylenko, who plays Camille, a Bolivian assassin whose main motivation is to control a burning revenge to bring justice to those who tore her family apart many years ago. Unfortunately this is where the clichés end plot-wise, for Quantum of Solace owns by far the most contrived, convoluted, and downright confounded Bond plot I’ve seen in quite some time: its unnecessarily bloated form can be boiled down to one major point; that a cheeky Frenchman has somehow waltzed off with Bolivia’s entire water supply and plans to sell it back for a nice profit. A concept that might well be offensive if it wasn’t so ridiculous. The Frenchman in question is played by Mathieu Amalric, whose pasty form and suitably haughty accent fit the part rather well and certainly represent one of the film’s few highlights.

Of course, it isn’t unusual for a Bond villain to take his role past the point of insane cackling and well-placed monologues. However it’s an entirely more depressing affair when one finds themself pointing towards this villain as the standout performance. Daniel Craig does well enough once again as 007 Mark VI, but Marc Forster seem only too happy to push Craig’s muscles to the limit instead of actually taking advantage of the Brit’s natural ability in the role. The idea no doubt being to portray Bond’s post-Vesper rage and emotional struggling. Less dialogue, less humour, less of the real James Bond and instead a character/role perhaps better-suited to an ex-wrestler. The better parts of Casino Royale revolved smartly around Bond’s poker face and utilised Craig’s smirking ability to obtain the last laugh from most conversations. His train scene opposite a beautiful Eva Green exuded everything about Bond and his persona; that charm we have come to know so well and exactly how much trouble it can get him into. If Green’s character Vesper Lynd was a giant – and quite understandable, considering the story – step from the disposable Bond girls of old, Kurylenko’s dangerous Camille is a bona fide heroine. Despite the pyrotechnics budget, Quantum of Solace doesn’t really offer one single, defining action spectacle that helps unhinge the jaw in the way Bond’s construction site chase did in Casino Royale. Here Forster manages to stuff separate car, plane, and boat chases into the plot yet none of these match that high-flying sequence from Craig’s initial outing. It’s a case of business as usual then for poor Mr. Bond, who doesn’t seem to like sequential plotlines one bit.

Our Rating:

It’d be a pretty cold bastard who didn’t want revenge for the death of someone he loved.

– M

The blond Bond is back in the first true sequel in the James Bond franchise, Quantum of Solace. Daniel Craig puts on the impeccably tailored suit again after his explosive debut in 2006’s Casino Royale, which was one of my top ten favorite films of that year.

I was excited to that Daniel Craig would be back. When I heard the reports of stuntmen getting hurt and Craig separating his shoulder, I would worried about the quality of the picture.

Also, when I heard the new title of the picture, I was baffled. What the hell does that every mean?

My expectations dropped considerably when the movie came out in late November of last year. I didn’t want to see it. People were lukewarm to the movie. My suspensions were confirmed.

Last night, I decided to see the movie and I was BORED.  I never thought that a film could be such a yawn-fest.

The movies takes place a couple of hours after the ending of the previous movie. Bond (Craig) is trying to figure out the circumstances surrounding Vespa’s death (Eva Green). He is out for blood.

Bond and M (Judi Dench) learn about a secret society that the MI-6 doesn’t know about. They try to have M killed.

All avenues lead to an environmentalist giant, Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric) who has ulterior motives.

When Bond meets Camille (Olga Kurylenko), she thinks that he is an assassin that tries to kill her.

To repeat, I was bored with this movie. I did not care about the characters, especially the villain. He was so bland and generic. It was painful to watch.

Reprising their roles are Jeffery Wright as Felix, Giancarlo Giannini as René were wasted.

I have never been so disappointed in a movie in all my life.

Get your act together for Bond 23!

Judgment: Avoid this movie at all costs, unless you are an insomniac. This movie will cure you of that.

Rating: **

Seriously?? Bond movie guys, you think you are doing the right thing?

Yes, you wanted to reboot, and you did it nicely, but why the fuck in hell, would you ruin everything you did?

Ten minutes into the movie I know I am gonna be bored. Your new director cannot direct action scenes. That conclusion I reached in 10 minutes. I kept waiting, the next scene is going to change my opinion. That scene never came. What is with the bad editing? Spend so much on stunts and all, and I never get to see a full shot.

I have my checklist (inside my head), which looks pretty sad.

Was there the gun barrel sequence? No.
Was there a catchy song with nude women visuals? No.
Did bond say, “Bond James Bond”? No
Did he get to use cool toys? Oh wait, No. I mean come on. If you are really doing a realistic movie, would it not make common sense, for Bond to at least have a car which has bullet proofing? So, MI6 is so short of funds, it is going let its best agent run around in a Car without even basic safety. That too, when he is escorting a critical lead. Stop bullshitting me.
Was there any smart lines and bedding involved? No.
Is the villain really a villain? No.
Does he even have a scary plan? No.
Was there even a single memorable scene? No.
Is this a James Bond movie, other than the lead characters name? No. I am sorry, it is not.
Was I at least entertained? No. I felt like sleeping, but since I had paid 200 bucks, I was forced stay awake to get my moneys worth.

This movie sucks. I will just assume that this movie was never made. Good luck with the next one.

With a budget of $230 million dollars, I had very high expectations for Quantum of Solace, the 22^nd James Bond movie. I was originally skeptical about the choice of Daniel Craig, but Casino Royale, which absolutely rocked, allayed those fears.

So, here I was, eagerly anticipating the latest Bond installment…and I really didn’t like it at all. The best way to describe it would be to say the movie had a theme, but no plot. Don’t get me wrong, the action was great, the effects were fantastic….but I was disappointed. It started off with a crappy intro, and didn’t really get much better.

So, is Quantum of Solace worth seeing? Absolutely. Is it the best Bond movie since Goldfinger? Not even close. I’ve seen it once, and that will be enough for me.

QUANTUM OF SOLACE

TRAILER 1 :

TRAILER 2:

James Bond Daniel Craig

Also starring

Preceded by Casino Royale (2006)

Followed by Bond 23 (2010)

TRIVIA (courtesy imdb)

It is the 22nd addition to the BOND lineage and Daniel Craig’s second in the lead as Bond.

PLOT :

This is a revenge movie as compared to the previous love story version Casino Royale. It continues hours after the previous movie ended and Bond makes this adventure personal after beind betrayed by his love ,Vesper. The captured Mr. White reveals that the plan of stealing Bond’s casino winning is far more complex and was planned by an organisation , Quantum, along with Mr. Greene whose actual goal is to take control over Bolivia and hand over a piece of land to Mr. Greene in exchange of his help. The land is main source of water to South America.

The movie releases tomorrow (13th November in canada). Visit again to read full synopsis and review of the movie .

After watching the movie I would say that Bond movies are definitely getting better plot-wise and no more its just an action flick. Quantum of solace has the story , effects, action and style . (Cinematography is kinda crappy in some parts, very few short scenes). Olga Kurylenko’s character is hyped too much in media. Daniel Craig is too good !!

Rating : 7/10

B for Vendetta

Quantum of Solace takes off from where Casino Royale (2006) left us with the most stylish Bond ending ever. Bond has just learned his first lesson – one of intense mistrust and callousness. He is shattered by Vasper’s (Eva Green) death and is sets out on a roaring rampage of revenge (sorry Kiddo!). With the help of Eva’s endnote (not another Bond pun!) and Britain’s own forensic service, he traces the whereabouts of Vasper’s extortioner which brings him to Haiti. Almost immediately, he meets Camille (Olga Kurylenko), a borderline femme fatale who herself is on a venture of personal vendetta and intends to avenge the death of her father. Bond finds out that she has close relations with an environmental activist Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric) and employs her to get to him.

Greene says to Bond in one scene: “You make a fine couple – you are both, what is the expression? Damaged goods.” and that is what it is. Camille is Bond’s female counterpart in all sense of the term and equipoised as far as emotional state and instability is concerned. Both of them have lost the ones that they loved the most and both of them are determined to kill for personal relief. They feel tangled in a game they desperately want to finish. Bond helps alleviate Camille’s anxiety but she is unable to reciprocate, in spite of her wishes to free him from the vicious circle of survival and death. With the help of Camille, bond comes to realize that there is more to Greene’s plans than meets the eye. He tracks down Greene’s contacts, which reveals his unimaginable reach only affirming Bond’s now-natural suspicion.

Almost as a generalization, it is the megalomaniacs in Bond films that make them most interesting. Of course, there have been genius inventions such as Goldfinger and Scaramanga and gross mishaps such as Dr. Kananga and Gustav Graves. But it becomes their unwritten duty to make the films quirky, perhaps even lovably cheesy and essentially make them disparate from contemporary franchises such as Indiana Jones or Die Hard. Though the character of Greene is grossly underwritten (like Renard of The World is Not Enough (1999)), it is a very interesting one. He is not a man with steel teeth or huge underground lairs. For heaven’s sake, he does not even carry a gun. But his short stature, the slight hunch and mafia-like charm has enough to make him seem formidable. But as they say in the business world, it is the result that matters. And Greene’s character remains underdeveloped and green (I’m really sorry for that one!).

It is fascinating to see how the franchise has grown in the 46 years of its cinematic existence. From the incessant thriving on cold war and relationship with the Soviets in the Connery era, to chemical warfare and the space race in the Moore era, moving on to the post-Soviet world and the media’s intrusion in world affairs in the Brosnan era and the contemporary issues of terrorism and ecological threats with Craig, the humungous series has reinvented itself time and again to suit and sometimes succumb to the changing face of world culture and politics. The sexist tag on Bond has been discussed, M, a person with immense political power, has been made a woman, and Felix Leiter is now an African American, for crying out loud. All this is evidently a response to the gradual opening up of social outlooks of this mercurial world.

In Quantum of Solace, Greene doesn’t even care about the exhaustive oil race, but for something more rooted in the future and something more dreadful to the human race as a whole – a global issue that has been getting worthy attention in a lot of films off late – although the plot isn’t even relished explicitly by the baddie and not even its consequences stressed upon (another uncharacteristic quality of a Bond film, where the evil plot is usually the driving force for the narrative). Bond finds out Greene’s plans which he executes with the help of the legal privileges of Medrano (Joaquin Cosio), a general who has been trying to overthrow the Bolivian government and the watchful eyes (or rather the absence of it) of the CIA. And like the narrative, Bond does not care much about it and his sole intention is propelled by his need for vengeance.

The film’s basic premise reminds us of the Timothy Dalton starrer Licence To Kill (1989). Both follow Bond’s adventures as he sets out on a personal revenge in order to avenge the death of a beloved. And in both, the grim Bond is considered out of control and his licence to kill is revoked. However, in the older film, Bond never tries to kill almost throughout the whole film. Licence to Kill maintains a kind of tense atmosphere where the upper hand is gained by deceit and espionage and brutal action is but a luxury. And this is where Quantum of Solace itself goes out of control. Mr. Bond thinks by his gun and his primary objective remains dodging the next bullet.

Much talk is going on about how this film is so uncharacteristic of Bond and how un-Bond the franchise has become (yes, I know. No “Bond, James Bond”. No Q, No Moneypenny. No “Shaken, Not Stirred”, No puns…). So has Bond lost his suavity and panache? Yes and No. One should see that the age of Connery thrived on the elegance of the lead and his funny but daring escapades. The style part of the film arose because of the way the character was written and the uninterrupted shots that filmed him. The franchise was more of a spy series than an action till the age of Brosnan after which there has been a marked difference in the way Bond has been catered to the audience. Probably, fuelled by the financial debacle of Licence to Kill, Eon productions was hesitant to perpetuate the series and it was not until 1995 (GoldenEye) that they realized that the character should be marketed differently, perhaps as an influence of the CG wave. And now, the style aspect of the film rises from the progressive technology and the way it is utilized to furnish the high mojo quotient to the series. So it is true that Bond now isn’t what Ian Fleming imagined him to be, but only as a inevitable necessity owing to the changing times. But having said that, there is definitely a scope for marriage of the two eras and decidedly a possibility of restoration of Bond’s lost magic.

With a filmography that is highlighted by films such as Finding Neverland (2004) and The Kite Runner (2007), one wouldn’t place the odds in favour of the debutant Bond director Marc Forster. Perhaps, Forster himself was out on a mission – to prove that he is capable of experimenting with genres. The film seems Coppola-esque in a couple of scenes and Inarittu-ish in another, but maintains a Michael Bay-ian mindlessness almost throughout. High on action, with almost every alternate scene being a high octane automobile chase or a hand to hand combat, the average shot length for most part of the film is perhaps less than half a second and is at times (actually, many times) distracting. It feels like having no space to think or even breathe and of course, no quantum of solace. All of it seems acceptable when one is introduced to the third act. It looks as if the director has chopped off a good twenty minuets off the last act and as a result the whole showdown at the Bolivian desert feels abrupt and hurried.

All said, what is the bottom line? Another high-flying action extravaganza in this year’s tryingly long queue is satisfactory. Not as refreshing as Casino Royale and definitely not as pathetic as Die Another Day (2004), Quantum of Solace is a good film to watch for people who are new to Bond and they wouldn’t have any reason to complain (By the way, the film has a snazzy title track by Jack White and Alicia Keys). But for guys who have been boasting about Bond countdowns and ranting about the best and the worst of Bond, better stick to Connery!

Verdict:

P.S: This brings me to the end of the long and mostly enjoyable Bond marathon. Hope you enjoyed it too.

-FILE CLOSED-

Wosh! Äntligen är man hemma igen från staden. Det va riktigt trevligt måste jag säga. Biljarden gick väl kanske inte så bra för min del. Eller man kan säga att det gick riktigt uselt för bådas del, men Robert gick vinnande ur striden. Resultatet blev 2-3 till Robert, men egentligen vann han bara en match då vi i de andra fyra lyckades peta ner den svarta alldeles för tidigt. Illa illa! Jag skulle behöva gå på träningsläger. Måste få bort alla mina idiotiska toppsträffar. Vet inte hur många det blev ikväll….

Sen var det bio. Bondrulle #22 väntade på att få bli uttittad. “Alla” säger ju att den skulle vara dålig, men ingen av oss tre kunde då hålla med om det. Jag tycker den funka bra. Den är ju nästan en timme kortare än förra filmen, men det tror jag var tur då jag i slutet blev allt tröttare. Nu måste jag få sova! Nää, men det var en bra film. Daniel Craig tycker jag sköter rollen som Bond väldigt bra. Å i den här filmen var det en hel del dödande som stod på hans dagsplaneringar. Sen fick ju Emmii syn på Forden, lr Fordarna kanske man ska säga. Tittar man noga så är stora delar av alla bilar som är med i filmen Fordar eller nåt annat märke som ägs av Ford. Förra filmen var det ju lite mer kvalitet i då man iaf fick se skymten av en Ferrari F430. Grrr!!

Hemresan blev en resa fylld av reggae från P3 Rytm. Inte riktigt min musik, men den va rätt skön att lyssna på. Men jag störde mej instrumenteringen i Fiaten. Den lyser ju så förbannat startk. Speciellt när man har på hellyset och indikatorn lyser blått. Går inte ställa ner ljusstyrkan heller. Där skulle man ha haft en Nightpanel-knapp á la Saab. De vore mumma!

Borsta tänderna å krypa under täcket är vad som gäller nu!

Craig gets his second outing of 007 but sadly it’s a lacklustre movie which has so many problems.

Remember this will be a SPOILER review.  Click read more for the review.

I so wanted to write a positive review for the film.  I adored Casino Royale, for me it was a brilliant fresh start for a franchise that was severally being drowned by nonsense such as CGI and corniness.  It filled me with hope that the future of James Bond films would be taken seriously, that Bond was truly going to be represented like he was in the original novels.  A Bond that bleeds and hurts, he ain’t Superman, he’s human and he has feelings.  This is the Bond that I want to be invested in and Craig brought that Bond to us in Casino Royale and he’s once again done that for us in Quantum of Solace but sadly the weak script and hamfisted directing undoes all his great work.

You might think that I hated the film but I don’t hate it.  I’m going to start with the criticisms first because it’s always nice to end on a nice note and I will have some nice things to say.

The minor criticisms first but it was the first one of the film and that’s the gunbarrel sequence.  I couldn’t believe the film opened without the gunbarrel sequence, what the fuck was that about?  We have over forty years of Bond and you throw away one of the main aspects of the movies.  I know it’s only a little sequence that has no influence on the film itself but it’s a staple of the movies.  Though then they throw it at the end of the movie, which to me makes no sense at all.

The second minor criticism which has no real effect on anything but it really nagged at me, was the title song and title sequence.  I had already heard that song by Alicia Keys and Jack White and hated it.  The instrumental parts were genius but the dialogue and execution is terrible.  I thought going in that maybe the song would be bearable with the title sequence but behold the sequence itself was devoid of charm or originality.  The Bond films have always had brilliant title sequences, I loved Casino Royale’s one, it differed that it didn’t have images of women in it.  So I’m thinking when watching the sequence that we’re ten minutes into the film and it hasn’t even remotely felt like a Bond movie.

Now on to the two factors that damage the film, the first being the script.  It’s so lacklustre and pointless that it was hard to care for what was going on.  The plot is minuscule, the only real story is Bond trying to find out more information about the organisation.  The whole story of the oil and water wasn’t fascinating, try and find a plot in the film and you’ll come up with nothing.  I think the word pointless sums up for story perfectly because there is no resolve at the end.  All Bond does throughout the film is kill a lot of people, finds out the name of the organisation and realises that Vesper did love him. That’s it, nothing else, he doesn’t get resolve.  The film ends unfinished, feeling like a second chapter of a trilogy but a chapter that’s not The Empire Strikes Back of chapters.  Just a second act of a film which then suddenly ends and you’re thinking, what the fuck happened?  It’s over?  What’s the point?  That’s what I felt when the movie ended, the film is a bridge to a conclusion of a story but it’s a bridge that’s really unsteady and might break apart any second.

The other main problem is the villain of the film.  I think because the villain is extremely weak and non villain like that the plot seems so bare.  There is no menace behind him, I wouldn’t be scared of him and I’m terrified of everything.  This is just another element which strips away of what a Bond film should be.  These films always have extravagant villains but to call this guy a villain would be insulting to the great villains of the Bond films.

The worst offence of the film, the thing that most pissed me of most was the direction.  Marc Foster is the director and I try not to be harsh but he can’t direct action for shit.  It’s like he decided that because Casino Royale was compared to the Bourne movies, he’d watch the Bourne trilogy and decide that the action of QoS should look exactly like the Bourne movies because apparently that’s the way action should be filmed nowadays.  You got to be a moron to believe that action scenes should be filmed with shaky cam.  I for one am not a Bourne fan, I have never liked the movies and I do not like the shaky cam approach to action.  You can’t tell what’s going on and it’s so distracting.  It’s like Foster knew he didn’t know how to film action so he just told the cameramen to zoom about really fast and focus on close-ups of everything.

The car chase at the beginning is the perfect example of a scene that should be spectacular but due to awful camerawork, it’s sadly lacking.  I was really hoping for a decent car chase but it never delivered on originality or excitement.  I also have a problem with most of the action films throughout the film.  There were a lot but all suffered the same problems.  Now if the action was exciting then I probably wouldn’t have been too harsh because I would have been entertained but when you have a weak plot and weak action then I can’t help but criticise.

Enough of all the negativity, after reading that you probably do think that I hate the film but I don’t despise it.  It’s just very average, there’s nothing really special about it.  What I like the most is Daniel Craig, he is Bond.  He’s the perfect representation of Bond, he has a mix of Timothy Dalton’s hard edge and Sean Connery’s charm.  He showed what he could do in Casino Royale and with what he was given in this, he excelled.  The other person of mention has to be Judi Dench, she is a fantastic M and she was given a lot to do in the film which I adored.  I’ve always loved Dench’s M and her relationship with Bond, so it was great to see the relationship get a chance to develop.

Actually that’s about all the good I can say about the film.  I honestly thought there would be more but thinking about it, there isn’t much else.  Though Olga Kurylenko was a decent Bond girl, she was competent and quite likable, not a patch on Eva Green though.  It’s such a shame that this review has been so negative, since Casino Royale I had been looking forward to where the franchise was going but if this is where it’s heading then I don’t want to know.  Don’t try and imitate another franchise, go back to the roots of what Bond made fun but still retain this new realistic edge.

James Bond 1962 – 2002

Firstly, let me stress that I am a huge Bond fan.

Secondly, let me say that Quantum of Solace actually makes me angry to think about.

The film picks up minutes after Casino Royale limped to its climax – finally, a sequel to a story. Fleming wrote each novel as a direct sequel to the one before – it’s just taken over forty years for the films to catch on to this trick.

The problems become obvious mere seconds into the film – the directing and editing are both awful and conspire to produce the most migraine-inducing, poorly viewed car chase ever filmed. But by the end, Bond has escaped (somehow – it’s difficult to tell) and presented Mr White to M.
Then, in the most obvious see-it-coming twist ever, one of the Mi6 agents turns rogue and goes gun happy before fleeing, leaving it up to Bond to do more bloody free running and chase him down.

He does, eventually. Then things go all CGI as they fall through a glass roof and somehow get tangled up in a rope pulley system (that’s how it appears anyway – the camera’s refusal to show us what’s happening leaves it all up in the air as to what’s actually going on.)

The core of the film sees Bond tracking down the mysterious Quantum group, who have managed to infiltrate every major organisation across the world, somehow. Ignoring the fact that overthrowing governments from within is the CIA’s job, Bond tasks himself with finding out what they’re up to.

Unfortunately, as everyone around keeps CONSTANTLY reminding us, Bond is still in love with Vesper and really pissed off that she died. Is anyone else? No? Huh.

This is the main crux of whether or not you’ll like Quantum. If you truly believed that Bond fell in love with Vesper in Royale, then you will have no problem believing that he’d want vengeance for her death. If, however, you thought that their romance was the most contrived out of all the Bond films to date, it’s a bitter pill to swallow.

This is where the film truly begins, as Bond trots the globe and kills people and gets into lots of barely-visible scraps with various goons, gradually getting closer to Dominic Green, who has A Very Evil Plan ™ involving stealing water. Yes – it’s sunk that low.

One of the worst parts about this ‘new’ Bond is how little both movies feel like a Bond film. This one is especially awful on the action stakes – each chase scene feels forced into place just for the sake of it. And at no point do they feel breathtakingly original, like good Bond action ought to feel. There’s a strange sense that we’ve seen it all before – sometimes, we have. Many moments are cribbed right out of other Bond movies, with a few borrowed from other, better action movies.

Crashing cargo plane. The Living Daylights. Bond throwing bad guy off roof. The Spy Who Loved Me. Aerial fight between planes. Tomorrow Never Dies. Bond out for revenge. Licence To Kill. Bond fighting enemy armed with fire axe. A View To A Kill. Girl dead on bed covered in something. Goldfinger. Bond takes out two cops with no trouble. The Bourne Identity. Bond fights his way out of arrest in a lift. Mission: Impossible III.

It doesn’t even visually look like a Bond movie. At one point, when Bond is sitting on a boat in an exotic location – the constant title cards tell all here, for no good reason – it is impossible to not think what a smug shit he really is. Everything is either slightly too luxurious, slightly too clinical or slightly too gritty. Part of this can be blamed on Dan Bradley, former stunt co-ordinator and second unit director for the Bourne movies.

And here we have to raise to issue of the other super spy with initials ‘JB’. If anything, it feels like a rejected Bourne movie. Bond has an arc that feels completely contrived beyond all reason, while the incredibly bad editing feel like outtakes from The Bourne Supremacy (the one where you can’t see anything). Hell, the ending is basically the finale of Supremacy, right down to the Russian apartment it takes place in. Bond has basically become Bourne in a tuxedo, and in doing so, he’s shed everything that made him so unique for so long.

Gone are the double entendres, the humour, the smirks, the stiff upper lip, the quintessential Englishness. This Bond fucks shit up, and that’s about it. There is no character here – he was fully formed in the first five minutes of Royale. All the supporting characters are just as blank. Camille is basically Bond in a dress, except she gets knocked out within fifteen minutes from her introduction (score one for advancement of the sexes), while M is little more than a mother figure, appearing more times on screen here than ALL THE M’S IN EVERY BOND FILM PUT TOGETHER. Seriously, what was so hard about her giving Bond his mission and disappearing until the end?

Dominic Green is destined to be forgotten as a villain. With no motivation (he wants money! MY GOD WHAT A BASTARD!) and nothing distinctive, he will vanish into the ether of forgotten Bond villains, alongside Stromberg and Largo. He randomly changes archetypes as well – going from insane cackling villain to really strong (he breaks a stone balcony!) to really shit fighter, who manages to get one over Bond because it was contrived.

Worst offender is Agent Strawberry Fields (no, really) – she’s appalling. Not only is Gemma Arterton a terrible actress, but Bond manages to shag her with the line “I can’t find the stationary. Care to help me?”
And while we’re on the subject of Agent Fields, what in the name of fuck happened to her? She was drowned in oil. And placed back on the bed.
Just think how in the hell this was achieved. Did they take the barrel of oil to her room? Did they take her to the barrel of oil? How is the room so pristine given the nature of her death? She’s covered in OIL for god’s sake!

Here, Bond breaks the first rule. “Men want to be him, women want to be with him.” Sure, women want to be with him, but who the fuck would want to be him? He’s stroppy, sulky, moody, unable to sleep and constantly has the shit beaten out of him.

The main blame for this apparent travesty can be laid in several directions.

Firstly, to producers Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.

Their apparent lust to drive the franchise in new directions has seemingly forgotten what it is that makes him such a memorable character.

This is the third time they’ve tried to kick-start the franchise, with Licence To Kill and GoldenEye coming before. Licence To Kill is phenomenal, probably the best of all the Bond films. You know what? It adheres to the formula and still works.

In spite of this reboot, though, it is utterly bizarre that they would keep the two writers who drove the franchise into the ground.

Secondly, to director Marc Forster.

It is incredibly obvious that he cannot handle the kind of action required by Bond – why else would there be so many edits?

His style feels stale, overdone and lame. Bond needs a better director than this man.

Thirdly, to writer Paul Haggis.

Mr Haggis gave us painfully awful Oscar winning bullshit in the shape of Crash, and as a result, his festering hand is all over the final product this time. The forced emotion, the bolted-on ‘depth’ to characters – hell, even the ending. It doesn’t make sense.

Purvis and Wade can clearly write Bond and can write action – they wrote all of the Brosnan Bonds – hence why all the emotional bollocks feels so tacked on.

Fourth, to Daniel Craig.

Even though the writers have given Bond absolutely nothing to go on, there is no excuse for his flat portrayal of the character. He pouts, looks moody and punches men. That’s it. Even when he’s asked to be charming, he can’t muster it up. It always seems like women do favours for him purely out of fear. His character is completely inconsistent – “I’m so upset about Vesper… fancy a shag?” His is a very weak Bond – Dalton still reigns supreme.

Finally, I blame myself.

I went into this expecting a Bond film. What I got was a generic action movie about a broken man out for revenge. I should have seen it coming – that Casino Royale was that start of something new.

Now Bond doesn’t get the girl, the movie doesn’t end with the base exploding and Bond never wins. What we have is a series of action scenes with Bond twisting and turning in between them. Had I been more prepared for the shift, maybe I would be more receptive to this film. Next time, perhaps.

I just miss the old days. The puns, the jokes, the humour, hell, even the gadgets.

But the way these things work is very simple – they go in cycles. Soon enough the world will grow tired of hyper-realism and aggression and Bond will once again have to change to keep up with the times. And that will take us full circle.

For now, Bond is dead. All hail Jason Bourne in a tuxedo.

No stars.

-Adam Mason

tl;dr? Film shit.

P.s, and the holo-table was shite too.

The Times Online caught the new, highly-anticipated, James Bond film at the London film Festival.  It’s got some good things to say about it — RIGHT HERE.

It’s relatively spoiler-free, so you don’t have to worry overmuch about your QOS virginity.

POSTSCRIPT — the BBC just weighed in with their review HERE.  And another good one it is!

Daniel Craig chose the name of the forthcoming James Bond movie Quantum Of Solace – because he didn’t want a grisly title with “death” in it.

The British actor rejected several potential names during a brainstorming session with producers – before insisting they go with the title of a short story by Bond creator Ian Fleming.

And he is adamant it was the right move – even though some movie critics have panned the name.

Craig tells Britain’s GQ magazine, “I was involved in making the decision. Names were coming out, some ludicrous stuff was going back and forth – I can’t remember exactly, but you know the sort of thing: ‘The Blood On Your Face’.

“I knew I didn’t want ‘death’, ‘die’, ‘bleed’ or any of those things in the title.”

But the actor admits that in the great tradition of Bond movies, the film’s title is often meaningless.

He adds, “As soon as it came out, people were saying, ‘Ooh, it sounds like Harry Potter’. No, it’s Quantum of Solace. I was saying, ‘It’s a Bond title!’

“The name of a Bond film is not about anything. Live And Let Die? Octopussy? What does it mean? It means very little.”

Quantum of Solace

Starring: Daniel Craig, Mathieu Amalric, Judi Dench, Gemma Arterton, Olga Kurylenko, Rachel McDowall, Jeffrey Wright, Stana Katic

Director: Marc Forster

Release Date: October 31st, 2008

Studio: Columbia Pictures

Synopsis: Quantum of Solace continues the high octane adventures of James Bond in Casino Royale. Betrayed by Vesper, the woman he loved, 007 fights the urge to make his latest mission personal. Pursuing his determination to uncover the truth, Bond and M interrogate Mr White who reveals the organisation which blackmailed Vesper is far more complex and dangerous than anyone had imagined.

Read more, view the Movie Trailer and comment on Quantum of Solace at Walrus Films

News Source IMDb

It’s very exciting to see Bond this bitter and twisted. The title a “Quantum of Solace” refers to “a measure of comfort” – the theory espoused by Fleming in the short story upon which this film is based is that two people can co-habitate indefinitely, even if love and affection has long since died, as long as one does actively desire the demise of the other. Fleming’s story is a sardonically amusing one about marital infidelity and upper-class British social customs. And judging from the trailer, the only connection between the short story and this film is the theme that “A man with nothing left to lose is a very dangerous one indeed”.

Very exciting stuff. And from all the malice and gall, with just a hint of sadism, I can see on display in this trailer – it think it is safe to say that Daniel Craig is fast shaping up to be the best Bond ever.

Alicia Keys is adamant Amy Winehouse should have been included on the new James Bond theme tune – insisting she would have “loved” to record with the troubled star.

Winehouse was in the running to land the official song for the new 007 movie Quantum of Solace, but the honour eventually went to Keys, who duetted with White Stripes frontman Jack White on the track.

The Back to Black singer was furious at the snub, mocking movie bosses for opting for a “clean-cut and boring” line-up.

But Keys insists that Winehouse should have been allowed to sing on the track – and adds that she would have happily shared the vocals on Another Way To Die.

She says, “I would have loved for her to do it – it would have been awesome. All three of us should do it.”

Quantum of Solace

Starring: Daniel Craig, Mathieu Amalric, Judi Dench, Gemma Arterton, Olga Kurylenko, Rachel McDowall, Jeffrey Wright, Stana Katic

Director: Marc Forster

Release Date: October 31st, 2008

Studio: Columbia Pictures

Synopsis: Quantum of Solace continues the high octane adventures of James Bond in Casino Royale. Betrayed by Vesper, the woman he loved, 007 fights the urge to make his latest mission personal. Pursuing his determination to uncover the truth, Bond and M interrogate Mr White who reveals the organisation which blackmailed Vesper is far more complex and dangerous than anyone had imagined.

Read more, view the Movie Trailer and comment on Quantum of Solace at Walrus Films

Daniel Craig hated taking his clothes off for sex scenes in upcoming James Bond movie Quantum Of Solace – because he was surrounded by strangers.

The British actor had to bare all for several steamy scenes in the eagerly anticipated 007 movie.

But Craig admits it was hard to feel all loved up because there was a group of unfamiliar people watching his every move.

He says, “You can never feel comfortable. You’re still in a sex scene where there are 10 people in the room who you don’t really know that well.

“So you’re not exactly feeling sexy. Unless you get a kick out of that! Some people do, but I don’t.”

Quantum of Solace

Starring: Daniel Craig, Mathieu Amalric, Judi Dench, Gemma Arterton, Olga Kurylenko, Rachel McDowall, Jeffrey Wright, Stana Katic

Director: Marc Forster

Release Date: October 31st, 2008

Studio: Columbia Pictures

Synopsis: Quantum of Solace continues the high octane adventures of James Bond in Casino Royale. Betrayed by Vesper, the woman he loved, 007 fights the urge to make his latest mission personal. Pursuing his determination to uncover the truth, Bond and M interrogate Mr White who reveals the organisation which blackmailed Vesper is far more complex and dangerous than anyone had imagined.

Read more, view the Movie Trailer and comment on Quantum of Solace at Walrus Films

Great day for Bond fans, here are two amazing TV spots and you can hear for the first time, the theme song ‘Another Way To Die’ by Alicia Keys ft. Jack White.  The song fwas eatured on Radio 2 today here in the UK. You can listen to the song via youtube or listen to it via BBC iPlayer.  If you are listenting to it via iPlayer skip to around 2 hours and 27 minute mark, that’s when the song plays.  The iPlayer one won’t be up for too long, that’s why the youtube video was included as well but the quality is much better through iPlayer.

TV Spots

Theme Song ‘Another Way To Die’

Listen via BBC iPlayer (2hr27min)

Pues si ayer os hablaba del retraso de 6 meses para el estreno de Harry Potter y el Misterio del Príncipe (pincha aqui) , hoy le toca a James Bond retrasarse en su fecha de estreno. Pero no os lleveis las manos a la cabeza, porque parece ser que como 007 tiene licencia para matar, su estreno sólo se retrasará en los cines una semanita. Es decir, pasamos de que se estrene el 7 de Noviembre a que se estrene el 14.

¿Por qué? Pues ni idea. La MGM y Columbia Pictures han dado la razón de que así esta más próxima a las Navidades. Hombre, claro!!!!!!! ¿Cómo no he podido caer yo en eso? Si es que últimamente las productoras y distribuidoras se estan pasando demasiado con los pobres telespectadores que nos dejamos el dinero en ver sus películas.

Fdo: Karelia  

Eram la cinema, la avanpremiera la Hancock si dintr-o data apare un trailer la un film a carui melodie de fundal mi-a placut la nebunie. Dupa vreo 2 secunde de vizionat mi-am dat seama ca este vorba de noul Bond, Quantum of Solace, care apare pe 31 octombrie in Anglia (cred ca acolo e premiera ) si pe 7 noiembrie la noi. Filmul este continuarea la Casino Royale din 2006. Si am zis ca trebuie sa le vad.

Filmul e foarte bun, este teoretic un fel de James Bond Begins, adica e filmul in care James Bond primeste codul 007. Actiunea este captivanta, actorii sunt alesi cat de cat bine… Daniel Craig il interpreteaza pe James Bond iar Eva Green pe Vesper Lynd. In prima sa misiune, James Bond trebuie sa-l opreasca pe Le Chiffre, un bancher al organizatiilor teroriste ale lumii, sa nu castige un campionat de poker, care are loc la Casino Royale in Montenegro.
De obicei, fetele Bond erau femei cu o frumusete mai aparte, Vesper Lynd nu e cine stie ce. Este al 21-lea titlu al francizei.
imdb rating: 8.0/10 (eu l-as fi bagat la 8.5 dar merge si asa)
imdb link: Casino Royale ( 2006 )

Trailer:

Surse:

www.imdb.com

www.youtube.com

Chegamos a metade de julho, grandes estréias já aconteceram, mas tem muita coisa boa por vir até o final do ano, por isso fiz uma lista com as grandes estréias até dezembro, com filmes para todos os gostos. Clique no no nome do filme para ver seu trailer(alguns não possuem ainda) em negrito a data da sua estréia.
Blockbuster/Grandes estreías
Arquivo X 2– Depois de 6 anos fora do ar, Mulder e Scully voltam ativa, os fãs da série não aguentam de ansiedade, faltando quase uma semana. 25 de julho

The Love Guru– Nova comédia de Mike Myers, recebeu péssimas críticas lá fora e fracasso de bilheteria, mas vale a pena dar uma conferida e ainda tem Jessica Alba.25 de julho

A Múmia 3- Brenda Frasier volta ao papel agora junto com seu filho, em uma nova aventura contra uma múmia chinesa. Uma pessíma substituição no filme sai a brilhante atriz Rachel Weisz e entra Maria Bello no mesmo papel. 1 de agosto

Tropic Thunder– A comédia dirigida e estrelada por Ben Stiller e com grande elenco, vem chamando atenção, e tem tudo para ser a comédia do ano, principalmente pela participação hilária de Robert Downey Jr. 15 de agosto

O Procurado– Os trailers são ótimos e com muita ação, a história é uma adaptação de uma das melhores HQs já feitas e ainda tem Angelina Jolie, eu não perco. 22 de agosto

Baby Mama– Com a excelente comediante Tina Fey, interpretando uma mulher de sucesso profissional, descobre que é infértil e contrata uma barriga de aluguel (Amy Poehler) Sucesso nos EUA de crítica e público. 29 de agosto

Hellboy 2– O gênio Guilhermo del Toro volta as telas com o personagem vermelhão, estreou lá fora essa semana, aqui vai estrear com quase 2 meses de atraso.5 de setembro

Bond 22- Daniel Craig novamente como Bond em Quantum of Solace, se o primeiro trouxe novos fãs e deu uma animada na série, o segundo promete muito mais.7 de novembro

Harry Potter e o Enigma do Príncipe– O esperado penúltimo filme da série, tão aguardado para os milhares de fãs do bruxinho.21 de novembro

Punisher War Zone – O anti-herói das HQs tenta mais uma vez fazer sucesso no cinema, agora com Ray Winstone no papel principal, nada animador pelo trailer. 5 de dezembro

Madagascar 2– Alex, o Leão descobre sua família na selva africana, bom para quem gostou do primeiro.12

Não sei você, mas eu não perco
Mamma Mia!- Baseado no brilhante musical com mesmo nome e com músicas do Abba. Na trama uma noiva tenta descobrir seu verdadeiro pai antes do casamento, embalada pelas músicas do Abba.Com Meryl Streep e Pierce Brosnan.15 de agosto

Funny Games– Remake de Violência Gratuita, com mesmo diretor do original, Michael Haneke, o original é muito interessante. No elenco Naomi Watts.15 de agosto

Be Kind Rewind- Jack Black e Mos Def têm que reencenar clássicos do cinema dos anos 80 para abastecer uma locadora de VHS que perdeu todos seus filmes, finalmente vai estrear aqui.5 setembro

Pineapple Express– Judd Apatow como produtor, novamente uma comédia com Seth Rogen e James Franco acusados de um crime que não cometeram.10 de outubro

Zack and Miri Make a Porno– Novo filme de Kevin Smith e estrelado por Seth Rogen também. Um casal de amigos tenta resolver os problemas financeiros filmando um porno.31 de outubro nos EUA.

Rocknrolla – Guy Ritchie volta com mais um filme de aventura malucas envolvendo criminosos de Londres, imperdível! Com Gerard Butler.14 de novembro

Findet ihr nicht, dass der erste Trailer zum neuen 007 etwas an die richtig gute Bourne Trilogie erinnert?

und hier oder hier in richtig guter Qualität. vimeo rockt derbe.