Last weekend, the holiday movie season officially kicked off in a with Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa. But this weekend, there’s only one name to be heard:
Bond. James Bond.
Daniel Craig is back as a grittier, gruffer double-0 agent in Quantum Of Solace. While the title may sound kinda odd, it actually comes from a short story written by Bond creator Ian Fleming. In a first for the franchise, the story line picks up just moments after the conclusion of the previous movie, 2006’s Casino Royale. With a huge box office opening, Quantum of Solace should prove to be the most popular movie of the entire holiday movie season. One other new offering comes to select theaters this weekend: Slumdog Millionaire, an ‘08 Toronto Film Festival winner.
Quantum Of Solace - In perhaps the most action-packed Bond film ever, superspy 007 is out for revenge. After seeing the only woman he has ever loved perish before his eyes, Bond kicks his Aston Martin into high gear in pursuit of retribution. Noah Berlatsky of the Chicago Reader digs 007’s new gritty feel: “A few years back, the easy sexism and narcissism of the James Bond series looked dated to the point of obsolescence, but ‘Quantum Of Solace’ proves that a revenge motive is just what’s needed to rejuvenate all the Bond clichés.” And Daniel Eagan of Film Journal International raves, “Bond barrels his way through expertly staged set-pieces and brutal action scenes.”
Not everyone likes this new leaner, meaner Bond, however. “James Bond is not an action hero!” exclaims Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times. “He is too good for that… Leave the action to your Jason Bournes.” Joe Neumaier of the New York Daily News declares, “The result isn’t bland, but it’s not exactly Bond either.”
Other critics praised Daniel Craig even if they were lukewarm towards the movie overall. Jeffrey Westhoff of the Northwest Herald says “With his cool blue-eyed gaze and assured athletic moves, Craig holds this insanely uneven movie together.” David Ansen of Newsweek writes, “Craig is still the right guy for the job,” and Matt Pais of Metromix.com concludes, “Craig continues to find something graceful and suave in 007’s sturdy exterior. No matter how hot the situation, he’s so very cool.” With all that being said, you know you’re in for a thrill ride, so the only question remains: does 007 get the girl in the end? Find out this weekend.
Also in limited release this weekend is the first holiday-related film of the year, A Christmas Tale, a French film of three siblings whose attempts at reuniting their estranged family devolve into feuding and drunkenness. It stars the great Catherine Deneuve and current James Bond nemesis Mathieu Amalric. Also potentially near you is FUEL, the Sundance award-winning documentary examining biofuels and how they may cure our oil dependency.
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