I've failed

iaian7 » blog John Einselen, 19.11.06

As a movie goer. Completely failed.

Halfway through Casino Royale, someone’s phone rang. Multiple times. As I sat their wondering what idiot could have left their phone on in a theater, my own phone rang… and wouldn’t shut up! So as I sat there wondering just how long the theme from Boondock Saints would play till the phone finally paid attention to my attempts to send the call to voice mail (so sorry Adam!!), I ended up trying to muffle it in my pants. Seemed to work ok.

So save for the public shame, the movie was just incredible. I’ve not been a huge James Bond fan in the past, they’ve always been a little over the top and very sexual, though the entire espionage thing really gets me. This 007 movie, however, starts over. Literally, it’s the start of James’ career as a “double O”. Beginning in grainy black and white, he takes his first two major kills… finally earning elite status among spies.

May I point out the opening sequence is beautiful… stylish… elegant. Blocky vector style characters run through stylized backgrounds, and as each one dies, fall apart into showers of hearts, diamonds, spades, and clubs. Much like the visual feast of Lemony Snicket’s end credits, it’s an awesome treatment of the style and subject of the movie in a kinetic motion graphic piece. After which, well…

There follows some of the most impressive action I’ve ever seen in a movie. With a few nods to Parkour, we’re rid of the preponderance over ridiculous contraptions, and stripped of the unnecessary baggage, are free to fly… (Sebastian Foucan, of Parkour fame in France, plays a fleeing bomber with ineffable talent). Through buildings, over cranes, fighting and chasing, jumping and falling, moving at a speed that’s breathtaking.

Sure, there’s the obligatory Bond girls (and plenty of offscreen sex), but we’re also witnessing the tragic hardening of a man who used to be able to love. To anyone that may have enjoyed James Bond in the past, I can not recommend this enough (though do beware a particularly brutal torture scene), and to those few that might enjoy a bit of action… man, you can’t go wrong!

Oh, and the beautiful cars… so pretty…

I've failed

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