James Bond and the Quantum of Solace: So it's not even in theaters anymore (unless you live in Eugene and it's at the $1.50 theater!) but I just have a couple things to say. The first thing I said when the credits rolled was, 'Well, I kinda loved it." Having had more time to mull that over, I must confess that while I loved the experience of watching it for the first time, it's not a film I'm eager to revisit. I loved it for the emotional continuity (after 20 films where Bond beds girl after girl, it was nice to see him mourning the loss of Vesper for more than a day and being scolded for his disregard for the women he carelessly seduces), the credits were in the old-Bond style and that's always fun, and reminiscient of Bourne or not, I highly enjoyed the action sequences. But this isn't going to stand out as one of my favorite Bond films, whereas Casino Royale will. Quantum of Solace was fun, but as many critics pointed out, is relied too heavily on the quick-cutting action and the less than memorable plot to be really recognizable as a Bond film. I liked everything about this movie in theory - the second it was over I could name all the cliches I was pleased they avoided and the continuity they included was much appreciated. However the overall effect of the film hasn't stayed with me when it should and I was more impressed with these positives on a checklist than I was in practice. I have no problem with the fallible hero showing more emotion, but I think next time they're going to have to bunker down and embrace just a little bit more of the campy side of Bond. A funny name or two, a kick-ass Bond girl, and a more memorable villain's scheme. (Like the poker game of Casino Royale, which had a great villain, was definitely in the realm of reality, and yet was more thrilling to watch than the water-supply scheme of Solace.) Both Ebert's and The Cooler's reviews were throughly disappointed in the Bourne similarities (Ebert shouted, "James Bond is NOT an ACTION HERO!!!), while Stephanie Zarachek of Salon.com praised Daniel Craig's more emotionally resonant Bond. I've linked each of these reviews which are all great reads, regardless of whether the film is out of theaters now.- "Gossip Girl" Makes Entertainment Weekly's Best Performances of the Year Section: Every year EW comes out with an issue devoted to top 10 lists - movies, TV shows, episodes, singles, albums, pop culture moments, and performances. The performances list is not limited to film actors, but to online, television, movie, concert and music video offerings. This year (among Beyonce's tour, Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight, and Tina Fey on SNL) they also singled out Chuck and Blair from "Gossip Girl." As much as I am a fan, I wouldn't presume to place the show in the top tier of television programs, even though it's addicting and soapy fun. But week in and week out, I love to watch the performances of Leighton Meester and Ed Westwick, so I think it's great that the performances of actors on a "teen drama" are being recognized for the heartfelt entertainment they are. This is what EW had to say:
"Who knew a non-romance between sworn non-daters would be the sexiest thing to nearly overheat our televisions this year? With their relentless flirty games, Gossip Girl's Blair (Meester, 22) and Chuck (Westwick, 21) twisted their high school soap into a delectable hour of romantic torture. Indeed, who could blame Blair — after months of not quite admitting that the two were in love — for taking matters into, um, her own hands? ''You can't put a finger on what makes two characters connect,'' says Westwick. ''It's just chemistry. We have it. We feel it.'' We do too."
- Burn After Reading: I can't understand why so many critics gave this a poor review. Yes, it's a little darker than I was expecting (if I hadn't been warned beforehand, the deaths would have really shocked me), but it's one hell of a funny black comedy. It boasts a top-notch cast including Frances McDormand, John Malkovich (the way he speaks is just perfect), Tilda Swinton (she just screams "BITCH") and a sublime cameo by J.K. Simmons. McDormand's performance in particular is perfectly calibrated on the
edge of the ludicrous. But the standouts were George Clooney and Brad Pitt. We know they can be funny, Clooney most memorably in other Coen Brothers fair like Intolerable Cruelty and O Brother Where Art Thou, and Pitt in 12 Monkeys and The Mexican, but they have never made me laugh like this before. Clooney boasts a cheesy grin and dandies about cruising the Internet for dates with a lascivious gleam in his eye. Later in the film his character becomes unbearably paranoid and the image of Clooney's eyes bugging out of his head in petrified fear is not something I'll soon forget. Pitt plays an airhead fitness instructor with a bodacious quaff of blond hair, a limited vocabulary, and an enthusiastic regard for doing pumped up dances to music. His character is the perfect blend of empty moron and lovable doofus. I was surprised by how 
much I came to like his character. And he has one moment in a car where the expression on his face carries the entire scene: He's trying very hard to be serious (obviously having just watched some gangster films for tips) but's he is so stoked to be in this situation he can't keep his face straight and his narrowed eyes keep slipping up. Add these performances to a story about a stolen CIA memoir that somehow includes plastic surgery, the Russian government, and an experimental sex toy and you have one pretty inventive ride.
- Commercials I Hate/Love/Am Creeped Out By: I suppose they must be dealt with. The following are the most memorable outings I've seen lately.
LOVE: If this were supposed to be serious, it would blow. But any commercial that goes to these lengths to mock speed commercials, and then calls it's creation "the rabbit-panther thingie" deserves some serious praise.
CREEPS ME OUT: I just can't look at their hands. It makes me hate texting and all who text. SHUT UP!!!
The Visitor on DVD: Rent this movie, please. There's now much greater incentive with Richard Jenkins' brilliantly nuanced performance being nominated for an Academy Award, but the film as a whole is a delicate and empathetically told story about isolation and the fragile bonds we forge. It presents obviously political views about illegal immigration, but grounds them in an entirely human story - no one ever feels like they're preaching or acting from a script; their actions are entirely motivated by genuine emotions. Jenkins, who has long been a dependable "Hey, it's that Guy" character actor, anchors the film without seeming to do much. He's remote, but accessible; still and quiet but able to communicate huge changes in the character with subtle facial expressions. He is aided by a colorful and sturdy set of supporting actors with engaging personalities, the greatest of which is Hiam Abbass as a Syrian mother who forms a tentative and tender friendship with Jenkins emotionally distant professor. Please check it out.
- I'm Ashamed That... : 1) I think Brody Jenner is hot. I'm sure he's a spoiled brat player, but I can't deny that his smile is adorable and his bod is tight, and I perk up when he meanders over to "The Hills" to give Lauren some tough love. I am however, happy to report that I don't watch "Bromance" no matter how attractive the lea
d douche is. (Not watching "The City" either! Yay!) 2) I am in love with this incredibly cheesy Nickelback song "Gotta Be Somebody." I know most of their songs sound alike, maybe this one too, but it's so fun to listen to on repeat. I even made a Chuck & Blair shipper vid to it - which turned out pretty damn good, considering my crappy technology. 3) Why do I still watch "The Hills"? To be fair, it might be over, so no temptation now, but it's usually pretty boring, Audrina is dead inside, and if I hate Spencer and Heidi as much as I claim, how can I justify watching their skanky asses every week? 4) I never watched "Pushing Daisies," by all accounts a lovely and whimsical show deserving of millions of viewers and starring celebrity crush Lee Pace. And now it's canceled. It will probably be one of those shows I fall in love with on DVD and bemoan never having watched when it was ne
w and I could make a difference, just like "Veronica Mars" and "Freaks and Geeks". Damn me! 5) I still haven't jumped ship on "Grey's Anatomy." Izzie's sleeping with a ghost, George is hardly ever around, I don't care about any of these new people or Meredith and Derek's ridiculous relationship, and even the ever-awesome Bailey and Christina are starting to grate. About the only thing good is Mark and Callie's awesome friendship. Yet I continue to watch. - New Critic: I've discovered a new film critic I can't stop reading over at Salon.com. Stephanie Zacharek is someone I'd heard of before, but I had never actually taken the time to read her reviews. In Entertainment Weekly they have a graph showing a list of new releases and the grades 8 critics have given them. Zacharek rarely grades anything higher than a B, and frequently lower. I couldn't understand how she didn't like anything, so I never clicked over and read the reviews. That was stupid of me. After all the time I've spent reading Ebert's reviews, I should know by now that the grade or star rating given to a film has little to do with the what a critic really sees and thinks about a movie. And that's what Zacharek's reviews proved to me. (To be fair, the review that finally made me check her out was the entry on Twilight; while most critics gave is a modest dismissal, Zacherek gave it a B+ - huge for her. Had to see what that was about.) I can't say I agree with all her unfavorable reviews (she seems to have great disdain for all the films directed by Sam Mendes, she's sick of Judd Apatow - maybe she's got a point there, and she didn't like Titanic or L.A. Confidential) but the reasons for her disregard are usually reasonable. She's very articulate about the reasons for her discomfort and sites many principles of filmmaking and technical guffaws that undermine both the meaning ans story of a film. She also notices lots of small moments that influence her readings of the films, and those are what touch me the most. Agree or not, her reviews make me appreciate film more than I did before reading them. I also love that her reviews are never the same length. They're often 1 page (online) but when she finds a film that inspires her own memories (like Milk) or inspires her (like all of Sofia Coppola's films) she goes with it. There are riches to be found there and I have spent the better half of the last 2 weeks mining the site for old reviews.
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