CASINO ROYALE
Rating: M (15+), 144mins, Sony Picture Classics
Review by Tramp
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| Interesting cinema. I really enjoyed watching the show, but afterwards reflecting on the film was quite disturbed by it. It is impossible not to be engaged by the fantastic action sequences. At the start of this feature there is an extraordinary foot chase which sets the standard for all the following mayhem. Neatly connecting these set pieces which take place all over the globe is the character development of Bond. Daniel Craig does a terrific job nuancing the role of a killer thug into the urbane, cool secret agent that we all know and love.
This refreshing, re-imagining and re-inventing of the franchise is a modern re-telling of the bloody birth of 007.Interestingly the screenplay is set in post 9/11 present day. This is the most graphically violent of all the Bond films and well deserves its M rating. There is very little eye-candy and even less sex in this prequel. I am sure this was because the producers wanted to avoid the more restrictive MA rating which would have cut into its adolescent audience. I think that it is important for James Bond to enjoy some gentle female diversions, otherwise one is left with the unsettling impression that he enjoys the violence and killing a little bit too much. Two writers and a 'Script Doctor' produced the screen-play. This unnatural collaboration is evident in the uneven pacing of the script, especially where they 'upsize' the action from the original novel. However Daniel Craig's bravura performance carries the day and his insightful exploration of Bond's inner journey smooths over the jagged edges of the convoluted plot-lines.
Eva Green plays Bond's love interest. She is not your usual Bond bimbo. She is amazingly beautiful but slim and almost demure. She cares more for his heart than his body. Amidst all the cruelty and violence, her love for him almost redeems his gore splattered soul. Several of the set action pieces go on too long. These seem to be a sop to the PlayStation and X-Box generation who are used to long combat scenarios. This Superior Bond would give Batman, Anita Blake, Blade and Spiderman a run for their money. He endures savage beatings and accidents which result in only a few fast healing scratches. However the denouement in the collapsing Venetian palazzo is superb. It symbolises the social cost of fighting terror. As the beautiful palazzo slides into the Grand Canal one cannot help but think of all the traditional values and codes of honourable conduct being swamped in the latest crusade for peace.
The original James Bond was a by-product of WW2. The countless millions of deaths and casualties produced by competing ideologies produced an understandable backlash in popular fiction. Bond was one of the many loner anti-heroes created out of the maelstrom of global carnage. This new interpretation poses the question on 1000s of movie screens. Is this the new style of hero that our chaotic world needs now? This is a bold and courageous bid to re-invigorate the oldest franchise in the business. And God help me, I liked it so much.
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Asterix and Obelix take on CaesarCinema: February 3rd 1999, Rating: M, 109mins, Tri PicturesReview Bite by PestilenceSix years ago I downloaded the trailer for this movie on a very slow dialup connection. It took the better part of two hours. It was just a taste and in french but I was hooked! So I waited. And waited. And waited. It was never released in Australia and in fact didn't make it outside of Europe. Last week I tracked it down on ebay. This morning I watched it. Asterix and Obelix is brilliant! But of course, I'm a fan and have been since primary school. Over the years almost all the books have been made into animated movies and the move to Live action was great. The movie was a major release in Europe as was its followup Asterix and Obelix: Mission Cleopatra. Gerard Depardiu plays the Indomitable Obelix and Christian Slavier is Asterix. And Italian Robert Benigni as Detritus, the Roman agent bent on replacing old Julius as Caesar. Depardiu and Slavier The plot: The year is 50 B.C. One small village holds out against the might of the Roman Army. A magic potion brewed by their druid Getafix, imbues its drinkers with superhuman strength and gives them the edge they need to survive. The movie successfully manages to meld together the humour and the various storylines from the books and not lose sight of the source material. The puns are there, all the main Gauls are included and the English dub track, adapted by Terry Jones of Monty Python fame, is spot on. The debate over Unhygenix's fish makes an appearance and Old Geriatrix shows us that senior citizens get the girl and beat the Romans. The Soothsayer tricks them and of course, Chrismusbonus, the roman commander, does his best not to get his men beaten up by the Gauls. For those familiar with the adventures of Asterix, it'll be enjoyed immensely, for outsiders it might be slightly confusing but still enjoyable. For fear of the sky falling on his head, by Toutatis!, Pestilence foresees a 3 and a half for the brave Gaulish warriors.
  ProofCinema: 2 February 2006, Rating PG-13, 99 Minutes, Miramax FilmsReview Bite by RanaberryGwyneth Paltrow, Anthony Hopkins and Jake Gyllenhaal star in this gentle drama of insecurity, self discovery and Math. I found myself enjoying this film as a simple ? look at the confused, beautiful people in pain ? sort of way. This feels like many films made in the 90's, with little to add to the genre but at the same time, not badly done. Proof is a safe film, with predictable characters and a 'paint by numbers' story. It is strange to watch a film and suddenly realize that even though it has a stellar cast and as a direct result, a cinema release, it really is best described as a TV movie (or in the case of my viewing, an almost the perfect air travel flick) It will offend no-one, but the beautiful people keep you captivated anyway. The only truly amusing part of the film is when Jake Gyllenhaal describes himself as a geek and then attempts to say that geekiness is ok as he still manages to get 'laid' occasionally. Surely the director, if not the actors themselves realized that the suggestion that Jake had trouble finding regular bed partners, stretched beyond the bounds of audience suspension of disbelief. Gwyneth surprises by putting in a serviceable performance as the prot?g? daughter of an insane mathematical genius (Anthony Hopkins). However, despite her efforts her terror and hope of turning out like her father is flaccidly explored through double entendre discussions where the director thinks he is being far more clever than he actually is. Given his recent spat of exceptional showings, Jake's performance is surprisingly the least interesting of the ensemble and Anthony is clearly walking through the role, but just as we can watch Jake for his beauty without tiring, we also watch Anthony for his presence. And most likely this is not either actor's fault as there appeared to be so little for them to work with. Ultimately, Proof has no moral, no cause and no point. And as Blair (the fellow sitting next to me on the flight) surmised, it is only watchable for its cast and one cannot help but wonder what they are all doing in this film that couldn't be described as anything more than bland.
Prey for Rock and RollCinema: January 20th 2003, Rating R, 104mins, Mac Releasing LLC, DVD Release: March 2004Review Bite by TrampThis is a film about an all-girl LA rock band. It is based on rocker Cheri Lovedog?s auto-biographical rock musical. Gina Gershon is terrific as Jackie, the song-writing, lead singer of a punk rock band. The story opens just before her 40th birthday and poses the dramatic question, is 20 years of playing the same gigs in the same clubs enough? Gina?s niche as an actor is the role of a creative survivor. Who can forget her performance in 'Showgirls'? She nails the complex mix of passion, thwarted ambition and street savvy that characterises the life of a struggling, career performer. Most of the band hold day jobs to supplement the starvation wages that they earn as grunge musicians. The musical scenes in the clubs and rehearsal rooms neatly balance the desperate lives that exist to support their passionate dreams. I enjoyed all the songs especially the very evocative 'Every six minutes'. Two of the four band members are survivors of childhood sexual abuse. This disturbing percentage underpins the low-rent underground scenario which suggests that an alternative life-style is seldom a completely free choice. Teasingly-drawn adult characters combine with a multi-layered plot to deliver an involving screen-play. Supported by fine performances, this film is a very enjoyable glimpse into one of the iconic building blocks of modern western culture.
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