Casino Royale
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
“Everyone Has A Past. Every Legend Has A Beginning. Discover How James…Became Bond.”
We were excited to see this one when it came out. We’re huge Bond fans. How huge? Well, our wedding had a 007 theme to it and our first dance was to a mix of “Nobody Does It Better” into “The World Is Not Enough.” And we had a huge 007 ice sculpture, gun and all. Sounds crazy, doesn’t it? Well, it rocked. Everyone had a great time and people came up to us after and said they felt like they’d been to the Oscars. lol… We love movies that much, and we felt like the Bond theme was fun, classy and sexy, and it worked out perfectly. So, yes… we’re Bond fans…
So to go in and revamp the franchise with ‘James Blond’ was a bit disconserting for us when we first found out, but our fears were quelled faster than you can shake a martini when we watched a few of Daniel Craig’s previous movies. Our favorite being Layer Cake. After seeing it we knew he’d do a great job.
So, onto the movie…
To receive ‘00′ status, an agent needs two kills under his or her belt. The movie opens with Bond’s first two. It’s gritty and dark and gives an idea of the mentality needed to be a blunt instrument. But as we all know, our dear James is different from the rest, and the movie demonstrates the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of it.
Bond’s first assignment as a ‘00′ is to go after a terrorist financier that goes by the name, ‘Le Chiffre’ [played in classic Bond villain style by Mads Mikkelsen]. When Le Chiffre loses a chunk of terrorists’ money to a bad investment, he arranges a high-stakes poker game in Montenegro to win it back… to save his own skin.
The story starts out in Uganda with an intense Parkour chace [with Sebastien Foucan, one of the creators of the 'free running' sport], heads over to the Bahamas for some seductive information gathering and then to Monte Carlo for a game of the highest stakes. This movie is a whirlwind with all the right classic ‘Bond’ elements, but updated. Bond works for women now, with Judi Dench coming back as ‘M’ and Eva Green as the enigmatic ‘Vesper’, keeper of the money and assigned to keep an eye on Bond [who has a few secrets of her own]. There’s double-crossing, torture, love and heartbreak… and of course, plenty of Bond action. And they’re back to promoting the gorgeous Aston Martins. Both the original from the 60s, and the DBS.
If you’re a Bond fan, you won’t be disappointed with this one, in fact, don’t be surprised it it instantly becomes your favorite. If you love action, it’s got it in spades. If you haven’t seen Casino Royale, what are you waiting for? 4 out of 5.
~ HELENA
Add’l Info: Released: Nov 17, 2008 • Runtime: 144 minutes • Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violent action, a scene of torture, sexual content and nudity
