I think that the mainstream public under rates this film even though it has achieved cult status. It is a slightly older film but it is wonderfully acted and has a unique story line. This has a great cast including John Cusack, Dan Ackroyd, Minnie Driver, Jeremy Piven, and Joan Cusack. It is a whacked out comedy about a hit man who goes back to his hometown for his ten-year high school reunion a job and tries to win back his old high school flame. I absolutely love this movie the scenes where Martin Blank (John Cusack) talks to his psychiatrist are hilarious. The movie is great a little bit of action with great humor and some quirkiness. I have to say that if you have not seen this movie yet and you have had nearly ten years to view it go do it now. It is well worth it to go to the video store and shell out a couple bucks to see this great film. I think it is more a story about going back and seeing the changes that reunions force you to go through the people who were cool then may not be now and the people who weren’t are possibly the most successful. It is about moving on with your life and changing a little yourself but don’t expect the humor to be very sophisticated. I can’t say this enough it is a wonderful movie that is a pleasure to watch. I could go on and on about this movie but I would give too much away and possibly ruin some funny moments for you. I have but one question to ask you. What are you doing still reading this go watch the movie already?
I am watching the new James Bond movie Casino Royale and it has very impressive cinematography. I liked the beginning sequence of the movie quite a bi,t but I was a little disheartened when I saw James Bond driving a Ford rental car shortly thereafter. Fortunately he picked up a Land Rover and crashed it into a Jaguar after depositing the Ford.
The opening scene is a combination fight scene and chase scene. It was very reminiscent of a Jackie Chan movie almost with less judo. I thought it was pretty cool actually and was very impressed by the guy that was being chased by James Bond. The sequence was definitely original.
I was also very impressed by the women in this movie. The Bond girls were very hot. The swimsuits, dresses and bikinis were all pretty damn hot too.
One of the most intriguing differences about the new version of Casino Royale versus the old version is that you can understand what is going on in the new version. The first version was a psychedelic walk-through a Euro trash playground mixed with hallucinogens. This version is very sophisticated despite the fact that they play Texas hold him in Europe as opposed to bacara. Texas hold them is actually very popular in Europe.
So as I watched the rest of the movie, I was struck by the complexity of the plot line that was put together within this movie. Recent James Bond movies have been very shallow and all boast bubblegum like. This was definitely not a shallow movie. The action Candy at the beginning of the movie was a nice way to get things going and hook you but the twists in the plot pulled your brain through the rest of the movie at a nonstop pace. I wouldn’t call this an action-packed movie but definitely packed with suspense. This movie did have that raw gritty feel that was reminiscent of the early James Bond movies with Sean Connery. I think it had less to do with the actor and more to do with the way the movie was filmed.
I think Daniel Craig as the new James Bond did just fine. I was definitely a Pierce Brosnan fan before he became James Bond. However his witty sense of humor was almost too funny in retrospect for James Bond. Watching Casino Royale I’m struck by what has been missing from James Bond for quite a few years possibly since the early James Moore films.
Having a serious James Bond again is definitely what was needed to renew the series of movies. It’s probably why Peter Sellers never made it as James Bond in the first Casino Royale. If comedy could have succeeded in the James Bond series, then Peter Sellers would’ve been the person to carry it off. The reality is that James Bond has to be serious. He can play a little bit at his work but a jokester James Bond eventually doesn’t pass the reality test.
The complexity of the plot line and all the twists and turns that were taken on this plot line also help to add reality to the world of international intrigue, spy rings, governments and terrorists. When there are so many factions involved, things will always be extremely complex. Attempting to view a complex situation through the eyes of one person or a camera following one person will always yield many turns on the road. The straightforward path to answers in the past James Bond movies in retrospect also made the series a great deal weaker. The plot lines in the past movies suffered at the expense of nonstop action with a little comedic relief on occasion. But in reality things are not nonstop action and plot lines don’t continue nonstop either. They have fits and starts just like this series of movies has had fits and starts over the years.
It would appear that Casino Royale is a start and not a fit.