Quantum of Solace

So, yeah – I fancy myself more than just a casual 007 fan. I haven’t seen all of ‘em, but I’ve seen all of the ones with Sean Connery, and I know a little about the franchise. Daniel Craig, in spite of his blond hair and blue eyes, has grown on me, and I looked forward to the latest installment in one of the most venerable franchises in American cinematic history.

I’ll keep it brief and say that Quantum of Solace didn’t do much for the franchise. It was beautifully filmed, featuring exotic locales and accents to match, but I found the storyline to be dry and thin at various places. This was disappointing considering the script was partially written by acclaimed scribe Paul Haggis (Crash, Million Dollar Baby). This latest chapter finds our favorite MI-6 agent dealing with the loss of Vesper at the conclusion of Casino Royale. He promises M that he won’t seek revenge, but remains confused about the circumstances surrounding her death. He finds a kindred spirit in Camille, a young woman entangled in high-stakes espionage, seeking revenge for her family’s death. 007 plots are always somewhat nebulous, and Quantum of Solace is no exception. Vaguely it is revealed that a secret organization wishes to gain control of the water supply in the mid-east, and Bond is charged with uncovering the identity of those individuals involved in the transaction. What? Yeah, whatever. I can barely recite the plot to you. I appreciated little things throughout, such as the rugged, much less corny portrayal offered by Daniel Craig. Despite not looking the part of a more traditional Bond, Craig manages to convey an effortless sophistication even when bruised and battered. He has the right swag, and I appreciate his embodiment of the character. Judi Dench is always a pleasure, and the movie had a smart, sleek feel – it was just empty in spots. There was an homage to Goldfinger, when one of Bond’s female allies is drowned in oil, her sprawled and naked body covered in the black liquid just as Goldfinger’s victim was covered in gold over 20 years ago. This was pretty obvious, and it didn’t go unnoticed by all the Bond buffs out there, I’m sure. Nice touch.

While not a “must-see” by any stretch, Quantum of Solace makes for a passable day at the movies. If you’re a fan of the franchise you probably should see it off GP, though be forewarned that you will be underwhelmed with certain aspects of the movie.

RocknRolla

Is it better to be really good at one type of thing, or marginally good at a lot of different things? I’m trying to describe director Guy Ritchie’s movie-making style. He’s sorta like the cinematic version of a one-hit-wonder, having the most success with a certain type of movie. Ritchie excels at the frenetic ensemble crime drama, but has faltered when he’s ventured beyond his comfort zone in the recent past. In RocknRolla Ritchie returns to what he knows best, and that’s just fine with me. Versatility be damned.

His latest effort is in the same vein of Lock, Stock and Two Smokin’ Barrels and Snatch, both of which featured a hodgepodge crew pulling off a heist/caper of some sort. RocknRolla’s cast includes Gerard Butler (300) and Idris Elba (The Wire, American Gangster), who star as One Two and Mumbles, respectively. The pair owes money to a London businessman/gangster named Lenny Cole, played with relish by Tom Wilkinson (Michael Clayton). Lenny has an architecture deal pending with a Russian immigrant, and when the Russian’s money is stolen, the deal is in jeopardy. Unbeknownst to Lenny, Mumbles and One Two are unwittingly responsible for the theft. They were tipped off by the Russian’s accountant, and lifted the money in order to repay Lenny and settle their debt. In other words, they are paying Lenny with his own money. Meanwhile, the Russian is getting suspicious, and everything is inter-connected. The plot details aren’t important, as the movie has a life of its own, spinning from one scene to the next before you can catch your breath. Movies that rely heavily on inter-connected storylines sometimes require a suspension of belief as the characters’ lives overlap, but RocknRolla’s plot is plausible in that all of the characters operate in the same underworld, even if only tangentially. The movie had one silly sequence involving some very persistent hit men, but other than that everything was largely believable. Gerard Butler showed comedic flair, which was an impressive departure from his role in 300. I also enjoyed watching Idris Elba speak in his natural accent. He was so good as Stringer Bell on The Wire that you might forget he’s not American. I’m partial to British gangster movies, so I viewed RocknRolla through the prism of my own preference, but I thought it was good. If you liked Ritchie’s earlier work, you won’t be disappointed. I guess if it’s not broke don’t fix it. Fast paced, funny, and just plain cool, RocknRolla is one to see.

This article first appeared at Poptimal and can be found at http://poptimal.com/index.php?s=rock. It was reprinted with permission.

I.O.U.S.A.

Some topics are just over my head, and I feel no shame in admitting that fact. The nuances of economics often leave me befuddled, and I'm happy if I can just get a broad understanding of the issue. Having said that, I.O.U.S.A. was an informative, very important documentary that was actually relatively easy for me to understand. For those of you with no designs on the Wharton School of Business, I think you'll be able to understand it as well. The film offers an in-depth examination of America's crippling debt, highlighting the financial crisis as one of the most important issues of our lifetime, the handling of which will shape the futures of our children. Economics is not a sexy topic, so despite the film's gravity it probably will not be viewed by the average person looking to enjoy an afternoon at the movies. The film begins with a brief overview of the history of our national debt. Our founding fathers placed an emphasis on eradicating debt and were successfully able to pay down our significant debt in the wake of the Revolutionary War. World Wars I and II increased our debt, but we again were able to pay it down significantly through the purchase of war bonds and other methods. The 1980's bought inflation, and our national debt increased. Under the Clinton administration, the national debt decreased significantly and we actually had a surplus when he left office – no small feat by any stretch of the imagination. As a matter of fact, the surplus was the first we had in over 30 years. Ahh, but that was then and this is now. Our national debt is somewhere around 10 trillion dollars, an astronomical figure that will not change unless we make significant changes here at home. The film outlined the biggest drains on the U.S. economy, the largest of which is the money being eaten up by Social Security and Medicare. It also discussed our dependence on foreign nations, and it's not simply those nations in the Middle East, as you might think. Apparently China practically owns the U.S. We heavily rely on the importation of their goods, while very few other nations are clamoring for any of our products. Even if we stopped spending money on the war in Iraq, fixed Social Security, and eliminated earmarks, we'd STILL be in the hole. I started to feel pretty depressed as I sat through this movie. I appreciate the severity of our current financial situation, but it would have been useful if the movie offered a more detailed look at what everyday folks like you and me can do to help the economy. After 78 minutes of informative but very bleak data, the movie spent the few remaining minutes offering a glimmer of hope. The only problem is that it wasn't enough. You wanna know what we can do to help diminish the national debt? Save money. Don't buy what you can't afford. After sitting through a sophisticated financial tutorial, that's the conclusion the film boils down to? I was a little disappointed. The movie also mentioned that leadership was important, which is very relevant considering that election day is upon us. I just would have liked a more sophisticated discussion of how we can fix the problem. Overall, I.O.U.S.A. was an important film, but the nature of the topic makes for a rather dry night at the movies. It was interesting, but painted a somber picture. I guess the truth hurts.