filmland / By Charlie Myers

Being James Bond

Daniel Craig’s angst-ridden superspy scores again in Quantum

(Nov. 20, 2008) Previews

Opening Friday, Nov. 21, is Twilight, based on the popular young adult vampire novel by Stephenie Meyer. Directed by Catherine Hardwicke (Thirteen; Lords of Dogtown), the film features Kristen Stewart as a teen who falls for a gorgeous guy (Robert Pattinson, Cedric in the last two Potter films), who seems to have extraordinary powers. Sounds a bit like the new TV series True Blood. Rated PG-13 for some violence and a scene of sensuality. 122m. Thursday Midnight screenings at the Broadway, Mill Creek, Fortuna and Minor.

GALLERY >

Bolt is a Disney animated comedy about a German Shepherd (voiced by John Travolta) who plays a superhero in a TV series and thinks his powers are real. Accidentally sent to NYC, he goes on a road trip to rejoin owner Penny (Miley Cyrus) in Hollywood accompanied by a housecat and a hamster. Rated PG for some mild action and peril. 96m. At the Broadway, Mill Creek, Fortuna and Minor.

Reviews

QUANTUM OF SOLACE: If you could cast your mind back about two years ago and imagine yourself watching the final sequence of Casino Royale, you might think the past two years have not actually happened, as Quantum of Solace picks up very close to where the previous film ended. But then you would have missed the recent presidential election, which may be good or bad, depending on your political bent.

Solace itself is a good, thoroughly entertaining film, but it does not reach the heights of its predecessor, which was, for my money, the best Bond film ever. In many ways, the film returns to what the best Bond films have always been: Cleanly edited and exciting action sequences, interesting bad guys, appropriately attractive women and scant attention to character development.

Yet, thanks largely to Daniel Craig in his second outing as James Bond, the film retains some of the angst and moral ambiguity that raised Casino Royale above the genre norm (the genre here being Bond films). And since Solace is a sequel, it has two interesting, somewhat intertwined story lines. The putative main line has to do with the attempt by Dominic Greene (French actor Mathieu Amalric) to control Bolivia’s water supply while pretending to be what his last name implies.

Amalric makes a fine villain, but the more interesting plot line has to do with whether Bond is so intent on revenge for the death of Vesper (Eva Green) at the end of CR that he can’t do his job, and this provides a connection to the latest Bond woman Olga Kurylenko who, as Camille, seeks revenge on Bolivian General Medrano (Joaquin Cosio) for outrages committed against her parents when she was a child. And then there’s the question of whether Vesper betrayed Bond.

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