Quantum of Solace

What's It All About?
Looking for revenge after Vesper's death, James Bond uncovers a secret evil organisation who are making dodgy deals with third-world governments and the like. But are his feelings getting in the way of his ability as a double-o? M certainly thinks so.

Pre-Thoughts
This was the follow-up to my favourite Bond film, and it promised more of everything. This was going to be twice as action-packed and twice as gritty. What more could you wish for?

Post-Thoughts
A real case of 'be careful what you wish for'. It is twice as action-packed, but to the point of action for action's sake. It is twice as gritty, but to a point where the lightness has been vacuumed out.

So the film is dark. Understandable, really. Bond is heartless and on a mission for revenge. He's allowed to be dark. The problem is that the film-makers haven't embraced this darkness. Perhaps to avoid comparisons to the Bourne franchise, glimmers of the old, quippy Bond can be seen.

Notable amongst these are the frequent trips back to M and her assistant and a second Bond girl played by Gemma Arterton. The first recalls every police chief in every 'cop on the edge' movie, cursing the heavens that they ever let such a maverick on the force. They even find time to include the requisite 'fired from the case' scene, just before he manages to solve the whole thing.

Gemma Arterton, as Agent Strawberry Fields, is a whole other level of cliché. The prissy, straight-laced, Fields has stepped right out of an older, camper Bond that I'm surprised her names wasn't more of a rude double entendre. And well all just know that Bond would bed her from the moment she uttered her first perfectly formed syllable.

Let us not blame Miss Arterton though. She plays the role with style and skill, and perhaps seven years ago she would have been welcome amongst Bond's ensemble. But in this age of no-frills Bond, she stands out like a three-piece suit at a nudist convention.

Thank the heavens then, for Olga Kurylenko as the feisty Camilla. Like Vesper before her, Camilla isn't just a girl for Bond to use and abuse. She is his equal, with a story and a personality to boot. It'd have been great to see more sparring and banter between the two of them, but the little that exists is sparky and well-written.

The film would have been amazing if not released when it was. Because it is when held up to Casino Royale that Quantum falls. The story feels more schizophrenic, thanks to the plot's tenancy to only stay in one country long enough for a chat and a fight. Casino Royale was leaner and held an arc.

And perhaps my biggest gripe is the lack of any low-point. Again, the comparisons to Casino Royale don't flatter. Bond fails in that film: he loses, he gets poisoned, he gets tortured, and he gets betrayed. Here, he hardly breaks a sweat. It robs the film of jeopardy and leaves it feeling rather flat.

But...

I feel bad leaving it at that, on a negative note. The film delivers, when the chips are down. Daniel Craig once again proves doubters wrong, and is well on his way to being the best Bond ever. The fights are kinetic and brutal. And it is still Bond done well.

And what more could you wish for?

A-Z of Film

Another list. But then, I WAS challenged. And boy was this whole thing challenging.

It is currently early in the morning, so there are still links to put on this post. I'll do them later. If, however, you are reading this later, well, you won't be reading this bit. Does that make ANY sense?!

Anyway...

The Rules

1. Pick one film (your favorite film) to represent each letter of the alphabet.

2. The letter "A" and the word "The" do not count as the beginning of a film's title, unless the film is simply titled A or The, and I don't know of any films with those titles.

3. Return of the Jedi belongs under "R," not "S" as in Star Wars Episode IV: Return of the Jedi. This rule applies to all films in the original Star Wars trilogy; all that followed start with "S." Similarly, Raiders of the Lost Ark belongs under "R," not "I" as in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. In other words, movies are stuck with the titles their owners gave them at the time of their theatrical release. Conversely, all films in the LOTR series belong under "L" and all films in the Chronicles of Narnia series belong under "C," as that's what those filmmakers called their films from the start. Use your better judgement to apply the above rule to any series/films not mentioned.

4. Films that start with a number are filed under the first letter of their number's word. 12 Monkeys would be filed under "T."

5. Link back to Blog Cabins in your post so that I can eventually type "alphabet meme" into Google and come up #1, then make a post where I declare that I am the King of Google.

6. If you're selected, you have to then select 5 more people.

So here goes...

Almost Famous (Because the main character is like me)
Brick (Because he takes his shoes off!)
Casino Royale (Because this is how Bond should have always been done)
Death to Smoochy (Because Ed Norton hasn't played a better character)
Etre et Avoir (For the cute kids)
Finding Neverland (Because Johnny Depp. That is all.)
Good Will Hunting (Because Matt Damon and Ben Affleck can write! Who knew?)
Horton Hears a Who (Because I left the cinema with a smile)
In America (For heartbreaking little Irish girls)
Jesus Camp (Because it scared me)
Knocked Up (Because I forgot about Kiss Kiss Bang Bang)
Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Because I couldn't vote for the whole trilogy)
Monsters Inc. (Because Boo is awesome!)
Notebook, The (Because they kiss in the rain)
Once upon a time in Mexico (For getting me into Robert Rodriguez)
Prestige, The (For being smarter than the average bear)
Quantum of Solace (Because I haven't seen any other films beginning with Q)
Romeo + Juliet (Because Shakespeare will never age)
Shaun of the Dead, Spirited Away, Spiderman 2, Serenity (Because all my favourite films begin with S)
Twelve Monkeys (Because the ending made it all make sense.)
Usual Suspects (For repeated viewings and amazing twists)
V for Vendetta (Because I can't think of any more films beginning with this letter)
Wall-E (Because of the robot love)
X-Men 2 (Because it was just like the comics)
You, Me and Dupree (Because *See V*)
Zoolander (Because *See Y*)

I'm meant to tag people in this, but I'm not really sure who reads this and who cares enough to do it themselves. If you do one of those two things, feel free to play. Let me know too.

Enjoy.

:D

51 Things To Do Before You Die

If you wanted them to, books can tell you 1001 amazing places to travel to. They can give you a list of 1001 films to see before you die, or 1001 songs to listen to. They can suggest 1001 meals to try, and 1001 cocktails to sip. They can tell you the buildings to see, the paintings to admire, and tell you all the exciting things you would ever need to do in your life.

And your life would be hollow.

The market for these books are growing. Some kind of 'Carpe Diem' movement is sweeping the nation, and this faux-mid-life-crisis means that people want to read about where to swim with dolphins or which beer is best.

And yet, every one of these books is missing the point. Living life in the moment isn't about living big. It is about noticing the small things, and cherishing them. It is about finding the extra in the ordinary, and rooting it out.

I'm sure the 1001 suggestions may be entertaining, but nothing can beat laying in bed with a pretty girl, or drinking a pint with your friends.

So, in honour of being hypocritical, let me present 51 things to do before you die (because I don't have the time for 1001):

1. Stay up all night for no reason at all.
2. Give a stranger money for the fare home.
3. Kiss someone in the rain.
4. Buy the whole pub a round of drinks.
5. Down a pint.
6. Throw up after downing too many pints.
7. Invent your own sandwich.
8. Cry at a film.
9. Go a different way home.
10. Pee outdoors.
11. Dance in the street.
12. Get the wrong train.
13. Go on a journey just for the sake of it.
14. Play footsie with someone.
15. Stay in bed all day, without the excuse of being ill.
16. Tell someone your worst secret.
17. Break the speed limit.
18. Walk down the street with your eyes closed.
19. Win something.
20. Lose something, and be happy about it.
21. Ring a friend to say hi.
22. Break a bone.
23. Make a speech.
24. Read a book that changes your life.
25. Meet a hero of yours.
26. Kiss a stranger.
27. Trash a hotel room.
28. Share an in-joke.
29. Sing karaoke.
30. Text someone whilst drunk.
31. Pet an animal.
32. Find money on the floor.
33. Make drink go up your nose whilst laughing.
34. Eat spaghetti.
35. Cook a huge meal for friends.
36. Lose a phone.
37. Walk through a scary, dark place.
38. Go on a roller-coaster.
39. Go to the funfair.
40. Receive a postcard.
41. Walk into a lamppost.
42. Go on a plane.
43. Spoon.
44. Wear a suit or a lovely dress.
45. Ride in a limo.
46. Talk to someone for over twelve hours, without getting bored.
47. Swim a length underwater.
48. Get sunburned.
49. Play truth or dare.
50. Walk around naked.
51. Make a list of 51 things to do before you die.

:D

http://iici-ieii.deviantart.com/art/Carpe-diem-25681620

Don't Vote!

Sex, Death and Imaginary Things

I learnt something interesting about myself the other day.

It all began with a stroke to my ego. A friend of a friend needed a script and I was recommended by said-friend. It's always nice when something like this happens, that I've made an impression on someone well enough for them to recommend me to others. But that isn't part of the story.

I sent a script, all about a guy who can click his fingers and control anyone. He uses it to sleep with, and later abandon, lots of gorgeous women, until he falls in love with one of them.

She liked it, but it wasn't within their budget to make. Did I have anything else she could look at?

Well, I did. Sort of. My computer is filled with half finished, or rough first draft, scripts. I couldn't send her a completed script, but I listed the ideas I had that I'd be happy for someone else to make.

There's the story of a group of friends reuniting a year after their friend's death, and telling stories about what life was like when he was alive.

And one about a person writing a story in a costume shop, about a murder.

Another about a couple falling in love, and the girl being a muse.

And another about a boy meeting death at a party, and talking about love and sex with her.

And one about a girl about to die, who takes one last trip to live the life that she'll never have.

I had lots of half-written ideas, and I sent her the list via Facebook. Then I looked back at it.

There were patterns there. Some of these scripts were written years apart. The muse one was written four years ago! But themes were emerging.

There seems to be an obsession with imaginary things: muses, tooth fairies, stories.

Love and sex appear enough to create a pattern.

But almost every single script seems to play with the idea of death and dying. I think back to other scripts I have written, and they all seem to follow the same trend. Sex, death, imaginary things, or a combination of two or three. My scripts and my themes.

Also, the title of my autobiography.

:P

http://hapycow.deviantart.com/art/Playing-with-Death-57162711

Saturday Night's Alright For Television (NOT For Fighting!)

I stand up (well, I'm sitting down) and say this (well, type this) without a tinge of embarrassment (well, maybe just a tinge): I like cheesy Saturday night television.

Stuff like X-Factor and Strictly Come Dancing. Sure, they're cheesy and filled with enough ego to inflate several hot-air balloons, but they are fun. You pick someone. You cheer them on. The fact that it is just the same programme as last year is forgotten.

Anyhow, here is my "team"; the two people that I'm rooting for on Saturday nights.





:D

Points for Smiling (Or 'Why the Queen Shouldn't Have a Goatee')

"Last week's takings were just over last week's budget."

This was good, I thought, without much knowledge of what it really meant.

"This is good.' My new boss said 'but we need to work harder today. The budget is low today, but it looks miserable outside."

It did, I thought. She was right. Do people not read in the rain?

"We've also had another fake twenty-pound note accepted. You look at it, and it's really obvious to see. The paper feels thicker. The ink has smudges. And the face of the queen watermark, it's so bad that it looks like the queen has a goatee. The queen has a goatee guys! We have to be more careful!"

I would try, damn it! I hadn't been at all careful, since I hadn't been taking twenty-pound notes, so it wouldn't be hard to be more careful than that.

I certainly wouldn't allow any bearded ladies on my shift.

"And lastly, I'd just like to introduce everyone to Chris, the new guy. I really should have said that first, shouldn't I?"

And with that, the room of people turned to wave and tell me their names. There was blonde girl, and what's-her-face, and that guy and...

...yeah, I wasn't too good at remembering names. I remember there was an Alice and two Daves, but the rest are just nameless faces to me.

My new working life had begun.

* * *

Dave turned to me. At least, I think his name was Dave. I tried extra hard to not say his name, just in case.

"I think you'll be fine trying this on your own now."

I'd been watching him work the till for the last fifteen minutes. He'd talked fast, and pressed buttons faster.

But the next customer looked easy enough. She was a small weedy woman, shrunk into herself. I could help her with whatever she wanted. I WOULD help her!

"Hi. How may I help you?"

"Do you have any books on domestic abuse? Because my husband commits domestic abuse and I want to understand him."

You can't make this up.

I froze. I ummed and ahhed until Dave strode right in and took the reigns from me. He was confident and smiley and he ordered her the book that she was after.

I just watched and thought about slipping her the phone number of a charity or something. Was she serious? She said it with such straight-forwardness, that I was looking for a hidden camera or something.

My first customer, and I'd failed her.

* * *

"Do you have one of our points cards?" I said with all the smiles a question like that deserves.
"Um...no?" the customer said, with the unnecessary question mark included.

Earlier, this would have been the end. I would have run the total and asked for the money and sent them on their merry way. Not this time. Not on my watch!

"Would you like one?"

They thought for a moment. They looked at me. I smiled a 'You should really get a points card' smile.

"Sure. Yeah. Why not?"

Success!

I had convinced a customer to trust us enough to accept a piece of plastic. That meant they were more likely to shop here again, which earns the company more money which means I was finally doing my job well.

The customer looked at me quizzically whilst I thought this. Then: "So, um, what do I need to do?"

Ah.

"Dave? How do I give a customer a points card?"

So, maybe there are still things I need to learn.

:P

http://krecha.deviantart.com/art/BOOK-SHOP-63585746

Presidential Candidates

So let us talk about politics.

I'm from the UK, but I'm not interested in the political issues over here. It is all boring people, in old rooms, talking in unexciting ways about stuff I don't care about. It's small and sneaky.

American politics, on the other hand, is a BIG event! It's rallies and picking sides; it's slander and image; it's grander, and more entertaining, than anything we can hope for.

Also, a very important election will be taking place and whilst I can't vote in it, I'd like to throw my hat into the opinion ring.

Vote Obama!

I'm going to make several points in the coming paragraphs, but it all comes down to that simple statement.

Vote Obama!

Seriously, you should say that sentence after each point, just to reinforce the theme.

Vote Obama!

That will be the last time I say that.

The current situation, as I see it, is this. One side is all about hope. They are preaching a better future, retreating out of Iraq, and freedom of choice in regard to sex, love androck'n'roll.

The second side is running on a campaign of staying the same, clamping down on that pesky sex education that's getting taught in schools nowadays, and dirtying the name of the opposite side.

McCain has called Obama 'elitist' on several occasions, in a derogatory fashion. That's right, the rich white guy, with several houses, is calling the other side 'elitist'.

What he really means is that Obama is too smart for his own good. 'Elite', in this case, means that Obama thinks he is better than the common man. Good! I want someone smarter than me running a country. I don't want someone who is an every-man, because it is the every-man that went to see Mamma Mia more than The Dark Knight over here. The every-man are idiots!

I want someone in office that knows big words and isn't afraid to use them. I want someone who isn't afraid to look smart because they might alienate stupid people.

Another criticism against Obama, one which can be seen advertised here, complains that he wants to teach sex education to kindergarten children. Which, in a very skewed way, is true. It is true that Obama signed a bill that decreed that children from kindergarten upwards would be taught, and this bit is very important, "age-appropriate" sex education.

We're not talking the whole condom-on-cucumber, or the videos of naked people with arrows pointing at bits. Not yet anyway. We're talking about introducing young children to the idea of sex and sexuality.

But even if that wasn't the case, what is the problem with small children learning about sex? How would it possibly affect them? Do the Republicans think that suddenly there will be an outbreak of children sleeping together?

The reality of it is that children will dismiss the whole thing as "yucky" and stick with the belief that all girls have cooties. Hell, I STILL believe this!

By introducing children to sex early, you give the (correct) impression that sex is a natural part of life. It is what humans are born to do, and drives many decisions in life. Also, it's fun! Plain and simple.

Without going off on too much of a tangent, the American sex education system fails when teaching abstinence only. It is outdated to teach children that not having sex is the only option. It doesn't stop them doing it, and just leaves them open to unplanned pregnancies and deceases out of ignorant practises.

So, even if the bill really meant Obama wanted to teach kidergarten kids all about sex, this extreme is much better than the alternative.

And maybe that is what this election is about: Obama is better than the alternative.

Because let me have a moment of honesty here: Obama isn't perfect. He could be described as a balloon: really good at lifting people up, but ultimately full of hot air. And he's very young for the job.

But the alternative is someone who would choose to keep America the same. Someone who would choose to keep fighting a war that was lost as soon as we entered it. And someone who is so old, chances are high that he wouldn't even reach the end of his first term.

And if and when McCain croaks it, who do we have to take over? A hockey-mum stunt casting who is pro-hunting, anti-abortion and believes the world was created by design and that the earth is only 6,000 years old.

Let me get the latter out of the way first. Whilst a lot of humour can be garnered from the way she believes was made, it doesn't serve as much of an arguement. So, sure, let her keep her idiotic views that go against centuries of scientific evidence. Just don't let those opinions make it to the White House.

And certainly don't demand that schools teach it as a proper alternative to Evolution. As a myth, maybe, but don't dumb down the next generation because a group of people don't understand the difference between fact and a good story.

Anyway, that was off-topic.

Palin, McCain's running mate, has also spoken out about abortion. She believes that even if the baby is the sprog of someone who raped the girl, she still doesn't have the right to have it aborted.

Rubbish!

Look, have that opinion if you like. Believe that feotus are tiny pieces of God and that they shouldn't be harmed. But DON'T make it illegal for the whole country to disagree with you.

In the current system, you are free to choose. You think abortion is murder, you are free to not do it and free to teach your kids the same. You disagree, than go down to your local abortion clinic and deal with it that way.

Making it illegal to make that second choice is taking away the freedom to choose. Am I the only one that thinks this would be a HUGE step backwards for any country?

And don't get me started on the hypocricy of being pro life and hunting. I take it that God loves unborn children more than he loves moose?

Sarah Palin is a terrible choice for vice-president. She was a knee-jerk reaction to Obama not picking Clinton. McCain's team must have believed that by simply choosing a woman, they would win over the votes that Obama lost by not doing so.

This just sums up his campaign. Don't offer discussion about the important issues, just knock the other guy. Hell, why not call him out as Muslim? His middle name is Hussain, and we know how much the American public hate that name.

It is infantile, and certainly not the way you want the leader of a country to act. Obama may be floating by on speeches about hope and a new America, but at least he's offering more than insults to the other party.

Come November, the choice seems easy. A man of hope and opportunity, or a man of old-fashioned values? The change America needs, or the same problems for another five years?

Vote Obama in 2008! (Yeah, I lied when I said I wouldn't mention it again.)

:D

http://brothervirgil.deviantart.com/art/McCain-Magic-Card-78831592
http://brothervirgil.deviantart.com/art/Obama-Magic-Card-78831704

Word of the Week...

Concur

–verb (used without object), -curred, -cur·ring.

1.	to accord in opinion; agree: Do you concur with his statement?

2.	to cooperate; work together; combine; be associated: Members of both parties concurred.

3.	to coincide; occur at the same time: His graduation concurred with his birthday.

4.	Obsolete. to run or come together; converge.

Dumb-day Tuesday

I'm not a grade-A student. I don't know pi past 3 decimal places, or know the capital of Kazakhstan, or know the chemical equation to turn lead into gold. Any achievement I manage in my time here on earth will not be the result of a shining, academic intellect.

I'm not an idiot either, despite what some "witty" comments might say if they weren't put off by this very message. I know where to put a semi-colon in a sentence; and I know how to add, divide, subtract and multiply; and I know never to trust a drunk man with a sandwich whilst you take a toilet break.

I'm good at the inane facts. For example, I can tell you that a cat will survive being dropped from any floor above the seventh. I can quote a Shakespearean monologue. Also, I can name all of the colours in Joseph's technicolour coat. This is useless knowledge.

Which, you would think, would tide me well in a pub quiz type scenario. You'd be wrong.

Every week, a couple of friends and I take part in the pub quiz at our local. It involves questions on celebrities and music and film and general knowledge. Our average position: second to last.

Sure, we're about forty years younger than the rest of the competitors, which puts us at a disadvantage when asked the number 2 hit in the summer of '69.

But every time we lose, I die a little inside. I should be smarter than this. I should know the five countries with a population greater than China!

Yet, I do nothing about this. I don't revise and I just head back in for the humiliating defeat.

But never again. I've read wikipedia, you see. And I'm watching the news and listening out for new songs by bands I haven't heard of.

Soon, victory shall be mine!

Mwhahaha!

:D

http://heile.deviantart.com/art/thirst-for-knowledge-78556782