The only things that I am excited about is the music…
Directed by David Fincher, music by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. I loved what they did for The Social Network; get the soundtrack or the free 5 track sampler EP. If you agree with my musical inclination you should check out How to Destroy Angles.

To my mind Joe Anderson‘s performance in Across the Universe is a resume submitted for the roll of Kurt. He has the look, the proper age, and the voice—see for yourself.

So, do you agree?

If you will allow me, I’ll throw out a few director examples for your edification.

Kevin Smith

Kevin, born and raised in New Jersey, brought us great movies such as Clerks and Mall Rats. Each movie explored the angst of New Jersey youth using fantastic — now cult classic — characters, comic books, and great comedic timing. I’m sure a lot of people don’t like his work but a lot of people do and that is the important part.

These days Kevin is entangled in the Hollywood machine and is treading a dangerous path. Clerks 2, his latest big movie certainly has a higher production value but has none of the raw edge that made the original great. It became a vehicle for shock based comedy which really didn’t take the viewer anywhere substantial. Kevin also acts and was one of the only decent parts of Catch and Release — the most recent Jennifer Garner flop — with his goofy portrayal of a grieving friend. This movie seems to have been destroyed in the editing room so I can’t fault his choice but it worries me for his future none the less.

Robert Rodriguez

I had already seen Desperado and picked up El Mariachi expressly because it was by the same, relatively unknown, director. The fact that it is a Mexican subtitled movie didn’t hurt either especially when I heard it was filmed in two weeks for only $7000 USD. Of course the movie is brilliant which is why Quintin Tarentino sought him out to partner on the sequel and a few others since.

I was extremely excited when Once Upon a Time in Mexico was announced, partly due to the title — a play on the title of a set of great Jet Li movies — but mostly because it was a sequel to Desperado. Unfortunately it was not to be, between the terribly muddled plot and the so-so performances of the cast this movie was not what it could have been.

Another strike for Robert is the Spy Kids sequels. I loved the original, let’s leave it at that. Thankfully, Sin City was an amazing return to form with well chosen, well directed actors — you can’t beat Mickey Rourke as Marv, ever, no way, no how, and I could rant off on that topic for an entire post. But I have to worry about Sin City 2 and 3 which IMDB says are in the works.

Quintin Tarentino

Let us run the list: Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, and Kill Bill Vol. 1. Pulp Fiction is among my favorite movies of all time since the first time I heard the line: “Any of you fuckin’ pricks move and I’ll execute every motherfucking last one of you.” Tim Roth is great and don’t you forget it — Yes, I know that isn’t his line I’m just saying he is great. Also, even though it isn’t a movie, it is worth noting that Quintin’s CSI episode is absolutely breathtaking to watch.

Kill Bill Vol. 1 was a tour-de-force for both Uma and Quintin each proving their mettle in their respective fields. When O-Ren Ishii’s back story was introduced via an Anime sequence I knew I was watching a master at work. My excitement for Kill Bill Vol. 2 was as palpable as it was for Once Upon a Time in Mexico but again I was disappointed. The only enjoyment I took from the movie was the short scene between Beatrix and Bill where he talked about Superman’s secret identity. Even Tarentino’s signature music choices — another subject for an entire blog post — failed to add any flavor to this bland film.

Michael Bay

Pre-Pearl Harbour I would pay good money to go see a Michael Bay movie and I did. I own all the greats on DVD including Bad Boys, The Rock, and Armageddon. Post-Pearl Harbour this guy can’t do anything right. The budgets he commands for his movies guarantee that there will be way too many ridiculous special effects with very little attention paid to the plot or the actors performances. I was especially frustrated with Bad Boys 2 due to my love of the original. When cars started rolling and nearly missing the stars they lost my interest. Oh ya and did I mention that cadavers a plenty were flying about and being run over?

I’ve yet to see Transformers but based on the marketing machine thus far I predict that it will seriously suck. They even went so far as to get MTV to give them an award the other night under the guise of a new category: “The best movie of the summer you haven’t seen yet”. It is such transparent marketing that MTV is lucky the majority of their viewer base hasn’t hit puberty yet.

This post has become exceeding long so in hind sight I am sorry for the wall-o-text. I hope that you will discuss directors, actors or movies that you’re disappointed with. I could write an entire post on how pissed I was over The Matrix sequels but I probably won’t since V for Vendetta was so awesome. Thanks for listening! End rant.

Do not squander time, for that’s the stuff life is made of; how much more than is necessary do we spend in sleep, forgetting that the sleeping fox catches no poultry, and that there will be sleeping enough in the grave.
– Benjamin Franklin, The Way to Wealth

It is certainly an odd quote which likely made a lot more sense when it was written. I assume the fox reference speaks to the background of Franklin but I admit that I only know as much as was detailed by the kid in Big Daddy. The message, however, is still clear; stop procrastinating and you will be successful.

If it was as easy as that we would all be in perfect shape due to our new years resolution. In fact, after a few years we would run out of stuff to resolve to do over the course of a year. It would probably run something like this: lose weight, read more books, learn martial arts, learn to cook, lose weight, learn to cook healthy, learn piano, write a book, make a million dollars, ?. At the end you are essentially Batman and just need to figure out a costume. But the moments of motivation pass, and quickly, so you do what you can and wait for the next wave.

Another great source of inspiration are movies, particularly those with a self-building plot line. A good example of this is during Batman Begins when Bruce Wayne is learning vigilante techniques from the League of Shadows. If you have seen The Last Samurai then you will likely remember when Algren (Cruise) starts to learn to use a katana eventually becoming quite proficient. Movies using this theme really motivate me to get to work or get out and exercise but only for a few days. I need to put together a montage to watch as needed, then I can be a highly motivated individual. What works for you?

The first was while watching The Prestige with Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale (Sara’s favorite since Little Women). Jackman’s character arrives at a train station on his way to meet Nikola Tesla in order to bring David Bowie into the movie, just kidding. While standing on the platform Jackman looks up at a light street light in wonder and then toward the near by city all alight as the camera pans. It really is a perfect moment that serves to remind the audience that electricity is magic to most during the period of the movie.

The second was yesterday while watching The Muppet Christmas Carol with Michael Caine and the extensive Muppet gang. The movie is a great rendition of Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol with lots of comedy. The scene where Scrooge enters his house and makes for his bedchamber up a length of stairs with only a candle in hand gives the audience the suspense needed for the following encounter with the ghosts.

However, I am not from that era and take for granted light as much as anybody else. The only exception is of course when a bulb dies and I need to replaced it. Our apartment has multiple dome light fixtures per room with dual 40-watt bulbs in each (a lot of light bulbs to be sure). Due to the fact that bulbs are the furthest thing from my mind it is always an after thought to buy them and thus I usually pick them up at the grocery store (when Sara reminds me). Sobeys sells super cheap Our Compliments brand bulbs and I have had nothing but problems with them. The bulbs die constantly, sometimes within a week and other times within a month. I’ve even had dead bulbs come right out of a fresh package.

I am going to make a special trip to Canadian Tire to pick up some Noma bulbs this week and will never buy another grocery store one again. I suggest you do the same, for your own sanity. After all I enjoy taking light for granted, don’t you?

I mentioned in my last post that I wasn’t at all worried about the chosen Bond. Daniel Craig was amazing in Layer Cake and not surprisingly he is amazing in Casino Royale. So we can skip over discussing that aspect of the film. Although one note guys, my girlfriend said I need a torso like his thus you may find that seeing this movie might be followed with prodding to head to the gym.

Let us start at the beginning; the action teaser was very subdued in comparison to pretty much every other Bond movie. In the past we’ve seen skydiving, plane wrecks, multiple murders, explosions, etc. not so this time and it is an interesting and welcome twist. The next surprise was Chris Cornell singing the opening theme during the titles. I was blown away, being of exactly the right era to feel nostalgic about Soundgarden while still enjoying Audioslave. The titles themselves were excellent with a very interesting graphic style and casino theme. There were no naked women this time; instead we were treated to fight sequences and deaths which very much set the mood for the new brutal and gritty Bond style.

If you have read Casino Royale you can’t help but remember how the main plot line of the card game was covered in detail. It can be said that you could use the book as a How to play Baccarat manual which makes it sound boring, instead it is fascinating. I heard from a friend that they had changed the game to No-Limit Texas Hold-em which is that one you see on TV all the time. At first I was angered that they would change something so integral to the story. Bond only ever plays Baccarat when cards come up in the series (except for a game of solitaire in Dr. No). Much to my surprise I found myself barely noticing the difference and quickly accepting it as a necessary change. Bond movies target audience would know the ins and outs of poker and thus would alleviate the need for lengthy explanations. This also helps to better involve the audience who (at least in my theatre) gasped and cheered at the various hands. I still think Baccarat is a real mans game compared to Hold-em as it is so much more about the players and their skill in bluffing.

It has been quite a while since I read the book but as far as I could remember they did quite a good job at using the relevant pieces and ignoring the bookish cruft. The fighting and gun play were spectacular as well as the Free-running during the first after titles action. Watching Bond wantonly murder is what makes this Bond great, there is true dispassion in his eyes.

Now for the issues:

• Too many ads, although thank god for no Microsoft Windows ads
• Reference to 9/11 which set the time/date very precisely
• Bond is Bond because he was a cold-war spy, now the dates don’t work
• Bond is somehow a computer genius who can get M’s password?
• Umm… Why would she do that at the end, you know with the key?

Go see it as soon as you are able, you won’t regret it.

“No Mr. Bond, I expect you to die.”

I love movies and have since I was about 16 when I first started plowing my way through the extensive collection of my girlfriends family. They had over a hundred titles in almost every genre but to me the Bond movies were my stand out favorites. I even went so far as to borrow the entire set and watch them marathon style. (Just to get this out of the way, Sean Connery is the best Bond.) Ever since those days I have been a frequent flyer at Blockbuster and Rogers Video watching a lot of the old stuff and of course the new as it arrived. I’ve reveled in Comedy, Drama and especially Action. I’ve dabbled in Foreign, preferring the Asian masterpieces such as Seven Samurai or The Emperor and the Assassin (by the way if you can afford it you should really have the Kurosawa set in your collection). While my favorite movies are inconsistent in genre the Action packed Bond series are an easy pick. Everything from the cool gadgets and cars to the insane villains and suggestively named women are great to watch. Most people would have to agree there are some low points in the series like George Lazenby and Timothy Dalton combined three movies and (the most heart breaking) the recent three offerings from Pierce Brosnan. I loved the return to force that was GoldenEye but the follow-ups are terrible.

Quite a few months ago now I heard rumors of Parkour being used in a movie and more specifically that a few of the more prolific free-runners were going to be in it. I then found out that the movie was going to be the next Bond movie and was going to star Daniel Craig, who? I ran out and rented Layer Cake since the Internet recommended that as his most impressive work and was blown away by the dark grittiness of his character and personality. I no longer had any problem that he wasn’t Dark and Handsome (as are the cries from the peanut gallery currently) and started counting the days until November 17th. It has now come and gone and I still haven’t gone to see it, but I will be once I get paid. Stupid theater charges and arm and a leg for a ticket these days all in the name of piracy. I can’t wait! Only a few more days!

For now I have started working the classics (that I have on VHS) into my viewing rotation. Queue the Bond theme!

You know you want the entire set!! Stupid thing is you have to buy it in a hundred pieces, well 4 but still.