Posts Tagged ‘Daniel Craig’
3 items.
I can’t tell you how long I agonized over how to write this strip. I think I came up with 5 or 6 different treatments and felt like the “silly name” approach was the least complicated. For example, I read a review for Quantum of Solace that said it had another parkour chase sequence similar to what was in Casino Royale and I was trying to find a way to make a joke out of that. No dice.
So I ended up racking my brain trying to come up with a Bond parody title that wasn’t a direct reference to either Quantum of Solace or any other Bond film like Dr. No or Goldfinger. It was really hard, for some reason. I was bugging Cami about it. I even turned to the people following me on Twitter. At one point Cami said “You’re putting WAY too much thought into this” and she was right. But my mind was on a loop and I couldn’t get out.
This is where it would be extremely advantageous to be part of some kind of comedy-writing team. You could take a completely terrible idea and bounce it off of others until it became completely medicore idea. Hey, it works on MadTV.
I made a joke about Quantum of Solace earlier in the year and really wanted to use the line “it sounds like a math problem again” because, to me, it really sounds like one. But I’ll make due with an Ignar Bergman reference instead.
The title really isn’t a sticking point for me, though. It’s just the most obvious thing to make fun of without having actually seen the movie. First appearances count for a lot, do they not?
For what it’s worth Quantum of Solace was a title that Bond creator Ian Fleming used for a short story that was part of a collection of short stories titled under For Your Eyes Only. Of course, people recognize the title of For Your Eyes Only as that of the 1981 movie starring Roger Moore. The point is that Quantum of Solace wasn’t plucked out of thin air during some marketing meeting, but is actually a throwback to the original Fleming stories as a means to honor the franchise in a similar manner to Casino Royale in 2005.
I think that’s a good thing. Obviously stripping things down worked for them in Casino Royale. I’ve read in reviews that Quantum of Solace literally picks up right were Casino Royale left off. So they’re not taking any chances with the franchise flying off in another direction.
But, at the same time, I kind of miss the tongue-in-cheek randiness of the Roger Moore era. I mean, Octopussy is actually a very terrible title, but it’s also very evocative. Not so grim and serious. I guess I just find it interesting how Bond continues to reflect the tone of society throughout the years. Daniel Craig’s version is much more angry and self-destructive. I’ve read a few articles that explore that as well as the wider phenomenon in modern action movie that don’t project the ideal of physical strength and brutality like they did in the 80’s. But, instead, reflect the inner torment of driven individuals. The next great war will be one of the mind. How does Bond – a relic of the Cold War – fit into that New World Order? Easy. Make him Jason Bourne.
Ooo! Snap! I WENT there!
Anyway, that’s it for me. Just wanted to encourage you guys to check out Monday’s recording of The Triple Feature. We talked about Role Models, JCVD and Kung-Fu Panda (now out on DVD) and I thought we put together a really good show. Lively discussion and hit on some great topics. Had a blast recording it and I really want you guys to check it out. You can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes as well, if you’re interested. But if you haven’t listened before, give it a try!
Later!
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If my inner 10 year-old is right (and he almost always is) bodily function jokes are hilarious. I hope you enjoyed the burping, stink lines and all!
Quantum of Solace was the big box office winner this weekend, crushing the competition with a near $71 million take. What’s more surprising is that it raked in another $30 million on top of Casino Royale. So I guess we can consider this a mandate from the people – Daniel Craig is the balls.
I went to see QoS by myself on Friday night. I can’t remember the last time I went to a movie on opening night. At least not since Henry was born. These days, I catch a lot of matinees. Which kind of sucks because you don’t get the same community movie-going experience. But, on the other hand, you have to put up with a lot less crap.
My showing was sold out and since I was flying solo, people we bouncing me around all over the theater asking if I could move down one, move over here, move over there… I’m usually pretty accommodating. But after the third time, I stayed put. Don’t ask me to move after the the movie has started. Get here early next time!
Even though Cami liked Casino Royale, she wasn’t interested in seeing Quantum of Solace. I asked her why and she said she felt like she had no stake in the movie and that it wasn’t advertised to her at all. She had no idea what it was about and no interest in seeing it.
She wasn’t dismissive toward QoS, just not involved. And I think this is very telling.
Obviously MGM had a reason to promote Casino Royale to everyone and their grandmother two years ago. They had a new Bond and it was essentially a reboot of the franchise. Spread the message far and wide. But I think the studio was a little complacent advertising QoS, perhaps relying a little too much on Casino Royale’s reputation to put them over the top. I talked to a few other friends whose wives and girlfriends weren’t interested in seeing QoS for similar reasons.
I guess the gamble paid off if the movie did $30 million over Casino Royale’s opening weekend box office. I just thought it was an interesting observation.
As for the movie itself, I’ve read several reviews that have called it “brutally efficient” and I would say that is the most apt description. Several of the action sequences take after the Bourne movies and force you to “eat the action” with a lot of hand held close-up shots. That’s fine if the action sequences are staged well. Here, they look like a monkey humping a coconut. It’s hard to tell what’s going on.
Daniel Craig is excellent as Bond. His steel blue eyes dare you to look away lest he snap your neck.
Not a lot of gadgets on display. The movie seems content to “push” existing technology into a more fantastic realm. Super powerful mini-cameras tied to a criminal database, GPS, that sort of thing.
Even the Bond women are toned down a notch. Not a lot of sex or innuendo. One quick roll in the hay and it’s over. This Bond is all about kicking ass and chewing bubble gum and he’s all out of bubble gum.
I have more to say about the plot of the movie. Specifically the ending – how it works while you’re watching it, but left scratching your head afterwords. If you’re interested to hear more, tune in to The Triple Feature podcast tonight at 9:00PM CST over at Talkshoe.com.
I mentioned this last week, but Joe, Gordon and I all have several big anniversaries to celebrate this week as well. Gordon hit #300 at Multiplex last week and Joe Loves Crappy Movies crossed the #400 strip milestone as well. Wednesday, I cross #900 and collectively, the three of us are inching up toward #100 recorded episodes of The Triple Feature. Seems like a good opportunity for a little introspection if there ever was any. Be sure to tune in tonight for the lowdown on that.
One last thing… In anticipation of Wall-E coming out on DVD tomorrow, I’m going to be posting all sorts of little bits and bytes to get you excited about the movie. Today, I have a half dozen clips from the film and they’re all great. So check them out and don’t forget to buy Wall-E on DVD this Tuesday.
Also don’t forget to come back to the site tomorrow when I post my full review of the 3-disc Special Edition! It’s good stuff!
Anyway, the clips. Enjoy and I’ll see you here tomorrow!
Treasures & Trinkets
Elbows (Bonus)
Reason for Bots (Bonus)
Building the Worlds from the Sound Up (Bonus)
Eve’s Entrance (Film)
Trailer
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