Quantum of Solace

I can be kind of weird when it comes to movie reviews. I know this must shock you (or not ;D) Sometimes I can't wait to see what's going to be said by other reviewers about movies I intend (or not) to see and in the same way sometimes I'll avoid all reviews until I've seen the movie myself.  When it came to the new Bond flick it was a case of the latter. I love James Bond, and after 'Casino Royale' I was fairly certain there was no way I could be disappointed, and I wasn't I loved 'Quantum of Solace' (even the verbose title is growing on me). However, when I decided to hit up Rotten Tomatoes (for the uninitiated, it's a review aggregator and it's pretty awesome) I was shocked to discover that the reviews are all over the place, especially from critics that I usually agree with and respect. So if you'll allow me, (and you will if you keep reading) I'll tell you why I think this new Bond was pretty awesome.

First and foremost I will admit that the critics are right in that the plot in 'Quantum of Solace' is a slightly convoluted. It's a little bit all over the place: moles in MI6, Bond gone rogue(or has he?), Bolivian coup d'etat...etc. However, keeping in mind that there's another on deck to complete this 'trilogy' that's breathing new life into the franchise I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt. If things don't get tied up in the next film, well then I might have some things to say. 

Despite the slight non-cohesion of the plot, 'Quantum of Solace' has lots going for it. I must say the introduction of the titular super secret QUANTUM was fantastic. They come off much creepier and far more powerful that SPECTRE ever did in the older Bonds. The meeting done at an avant garde opera was amazingly beautiful and served to demonstrate exactly the kind of power and influence this new orginisation wields. Also the action in this movie is ridiculous, and by ridiculous I mean awesome. The stereotypical chase at the beginning is fantastic. A cool and collected Bond weaves through traffic on a mountain road in his Aston Martin, wonderful and exactly what I've come to expect from James Bond. 

However, it's apparently this action that the critics (Roger Ebert, I'm talking to you!!!) have taken real offence to. Stating that Bond is not an action hero, which is something that I find baffling. How can you be a spy and NOT be an action hero. Go back watch the older Bond films, there are car chases, boat chases, gun fights, hand to hand combat on a train...does this sound like someone who isn't an action hero, yeah I didn't think so. They all seem to say that James Bond should stop trying to be Jason Bourne. There would be no Jason Bourne without James Bond, for heavens sake! Sorry, I must calm myself...The real complaint from these critics I suppose is that this Bond is nowhere near the suave and debonair spy we were introduced to in the sixties. And to that I say THANK GOD! While the smooth lines and endless flirting suited my favourite Bond, Sean Connery, and the era they were made in to a T, they became sillier and sillier as the franchise continued, turning the suave spy into a line-slinging fool. (Roger Moore nearly killed Bond for me...)  Why do you think they called this a reboot or reworking of the franchise?! Because Bond needed to be updated for the times. 

With his second turn in the role, Daniel Craig has truly cemented himself as my second favourite Bond. (no one can supplant Connery) He plays this Bond as cool and ruthless, but is also as suave as they come. He looks just as comfortable in a tuxedo as he does in his chinos and can kick ass in both. Having a killer physique and piercing blue eyes don't hurt either, especially while wooing your supposed MI6 handler (whose Bond girl name is Strawberry Fields! Love it!). While is certainly not the most verbose Bond there is, I'm finding him to be the most resourceful. This may be due in large part to the fact he doesn't rely on the gadgets of Q (who is absent from the new series so far) like so many of his predecessors did. 

There is a wonderful 'Goldfinger' homage in 'Quantum of Solace.' To those of us who are familiar with the older Bond it causes a little thrill of joy and just looks plain cool to any who aren't. And replacing the gold with oil is especially relevant to the current Bond era. 

My favourite little tidbit in this movie comes right near the end and is only really relevant to us Canadian viewers. When Bond finally tracks down the supposedly kidnapped boyfriend of his doomed lover, Vesper Lynd, from 'Casino Royale' he's already moved on to a new girl, a Canadian. Now I don't know about you, but seeing as how rarely anyone is Canadian in a movie, any time the country is even mentioned causes me pure joy. There are a few wonderful things in this scene. Bond has a great line "Go tell your people to check their seals, 'cause you've got a leak." Then there's the assumption that there is some kind of information that CSIS must have gathered that is actually worth something to QUANTUM(!). The final, and possibly best part, is when Bond lets the girl go before starting his 'interrogation' of the boyfriend, as she walks out the door, she turns back and says "Thank you." I kid you not, even in the dire circumstance when being released by a spy we're polite!  Fantastic.

On the whole, I find any deficiency in plot is wholly made up for by the action and the promise of more to come. Also, sorry that this turned into a little bit of a rant in some places, but I get a little upset when people refuse to accept that movies, ESPECIALLY, franchises need to move with times. Until next time keep it reel!

Nochnoi Dozor

Next up, as promised, is 'Nochnoi Dozor,' or for you non-Russian speakers, 'Night Watch.' This is one of the coolest movies I've ever seen. And I wouldn't have seen it if it weren't for my friend Chris. He's a huge horror fan and I have, as previously mentioned, a strong aversion to horror. When he told me he was going to watch a Russian horror movie all I could see in my brain was Eisenstein's 'Battleship Potemkin' with more blood and gore. NO THANK YOU. We were both working at a video store at the time and when it came out on DVD, after much cojoling he convinced me to give it a go. Thankfully Chris is fairly convincing or else I would've missed out on Timur Bekmambetov's lovely distopian creation.

Timur Bekmambetov has brought a dark and grimy Moscow to the screen and I must admit, it's fairly beautiful in its grittiness. Unlike so many other movies of this kind ('Underworld' and the like ) where the world in which the supernatural beings exist is dark but slick and glamourous, 'Night Watch' is decidedly the opposite. Bekmambetov makes no attempt to gloss up his city for the movie, all the dirt and grime are left on the surface and add to the overall atmosphere of the movie. 

Within these grimy circumstances the movie revolves around Anton Gorodetsky, a member of the titular Night Watch. Anton is an Other, someone with a supernatural gift of some kind. The Night Watch keeps tabs on any rogue Dark others and they have counterparts in the Day Watch who look out for any bad moves on the Light side. Anton (Konstantin Khabensky) has chosen to use his talents as a Seer for the Light Others. He can tell who is an Other just by looking at them, and drinking blood enhances this talent, despite the fact that he clearly despises drinking it. Khabensky is wonderful as the scruffy hero. Through him it becomes painfully apparent that while Anton believes in what he's doing with the Night Watch, the job really takes a lot out of him. 

While the archetype of the plot, good vs evil, is one of the simplest that exist in film, there's a lot going on in the movie. So much so that I feel that even trying to go any more into the plot would extend this post exponentially and who wants that? Not me, that's for sure. Also, while mentioning plot I should mention that this movie is based on a Russian trilogy of sci-fi books, which I haven't read. I know, a movie based on a book and I haven't read it, I'm shocked too...but in my defense, it is a Russian book. (although I'm pretty sure it's been translated)

One last indulgence from me I have to mention are the visuals in this movie. The action is amazing, Bekmambetov mentions that the Wachowskis (maybe you've heard of them) are inspirations of his and it shows, especially in the cuts and in the innovations that Bekmambetov has made is this movie. However, there are no crazy wire stunts in this movie, but the fights that are in it retain the realism that Bekmambetov established in the setting of the movie. Another great touch are the subtitles, they are wonderful. Unlike boring old subtitles that sit on the bottom of the screen these ones scroll across and then fade away, lurk in the corner and turn red. Foreign filmmakers take note! All subtitles should be like this! 

Alrighty, that's enough I think, enough to hopefully tease you into going to try some awesome Russian cinema! Here's the trailer and until next time keep it reel! 

(a little post script here, if you want to watch the whole movie in two minutes, it's been condensed on the official website here...it's awesome both ways.)