March 24 movie: Casino Royale. I haven't done anything except lie on the couch and watch TV for the past few days. Which means I have a lot of movies to write up!
Georg and I both enjoyed Casino Royale very much. I'm not a Bond expert but I have seen quite a few of them at this point, and I would call this one of the best. Probably the best since On Her Majesty's Secret Service. We both felt that the new guy -- what is his name, Daniel Craig? -- is much closer to the Sean Connery style of playing Bond than anyone in a long time.
Although the time-warping aspect of the movie was a bit odd (it's about Bond as a new agent, pre-Connery, but set in the present day) I very much liked that the movie had something to say about Bond's character and motivation. I'd seen a couple of the Pierce Brosnan Bond movies and they always came off like generic action movies with a somewhat effete star. This movie felt like it was specifically about James Bond. It wouldn't have worked as well if the main character had been Generic Action Hero Guy.
What, they're starting a -new- Bond cycle? (I look forward to seeing this movie.)
No, I don't think they're actually starting a new Bond cycle. At least if they are they haven't announced it anywhere that I can tell. The next movie (as yet untitled) is based on a short story that's part of the collection THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS (which I think mostly gave a title to the movie but little else)