Casino Royale
Casino Royale is an utterly, spankingly brilliant movie.
And so I take back whatever Hokkien curses I had sputtered when the producers announced Daniel Craig to be the new James Bond. I think Pierce Brosnan was consummate in the role of 007, but he was let down by the how the previous two outings were conceptualised and directed.
Casino Royale, in comparison, seems an unconventional movie. It does stray somewhat from the standard Bond formula. No Moneypenny, and no Q. No computer-generated special effects, and – unfortunately – no catching theme song as well.
What we did find was a very gritty and human portrayal of Bond by Daniel Craig. He sweats. He bleeds. He gets tortured and beaten up. Yet he remains menacing, although occasionally betraying traces of emotion and tenderness. Craig pulls it off rather well. But what’s with the very beefed-up physique? A marketing ploy? Men have always been attracted to the Bond series – with the cars and the gadgets, the girls and the adventure. Women were perhaps more ambivalent. Eva Green in her role as Vesper Lynd was great. She’s really pretty. But this must be the first Bond movie I’ve watched where I think the man was being objectified, not the woman. All those lingering shots of Bond’s sweaty, sinewy muscles had little impact on me. I can’t say the same for some of my movie companions…
Where my heart did ache was the moment when Bond’s Aston Martin DBS was roundly smashed up. While swerving to avoid hitting Vesper Lynd, Bond caused the car to summersault and flip several times, breaking it into a million pieces. It was utterly appalling. What a waste of a fine machine…
I caught the movie with a group from the hall at the Cineworld multiplex in Canary Wharf, located in the London Docklands area. This is an urban regeneration success story. A generation ago, one saw disused and derelict warehouses. Today, it’s a thoroughly modern area, home to many top banks and investment houses, clean, sleek, and looking more like Raffles Place than central London.
A word about where we dined tonight as well – Browns Restaurant and Bar. It’s located on West India Quay in an old warehouse, and forms part of a chain with branches across the UK. I had a nice time there, and I think the Singapore Doctor did well in recommending the place for dinner. Very discerning of him. The setting was relaxed, yet not entirely casual. The food was an eclectic mix of cuisines. I had a very satisfying linguine in an interesting spicy tomato sauce which came even with cut chilli slices. Check out the complete offerings here. I need, surely, to go dine at Browns a second time. There’s an alluring Leffe Battered Fish and Chips on the menu.
And so I take back whatever Hokkien curses I had sputtered when the producers announced Daniel Craig to be the new James Bond. I think Pierce Brosnan was consummate in the role of 007, but he was let down by the how the previous two outings were conceptualised and directed.
Casino Royale, in comparison, seems an unconventional movie. It does stray somewhat from the standard Bond formula. No Moneypenny, and no Q. No computer-generated special effects, and – unfortunately – no catching theme song as well.
What we did find was a very gritty and human portrayal of Bond by Daniel Craig. He sweats. He bleeds. He gets tortured and beaten up. Yet he remains menacing, although occasionally betraying traces of emotion and tenderness. Craig pulls it off rather well. But what’s with the very beefed-up physique? A marketing ploy? Men have always been attracted to the Bond series – with the cars and the gadgets, the girls and the adventure. Women were perhaps more ambivalent. Eva Green in her role as Vesper Lynd was great. She’s really pretty. But this must be the first Bond movie I’ve watched where I think the man was being objectified, not the woman. All those lingering shots of Bond’s sweaty, sinewy muscles had little impact on me. I can’t say the same for some of my movie companions…
Where my heart did ache was the moment when Bond’s Aston Martin DBS was roundly smashed up. While swerving to avoid hitting Vesper Lynd, Bond caused the car to summersault and flip several times, breaking it into a million pieces. It was utterly appalling. What a waste of a fine machine…
I caught the movie with a group from the hall at the Cineworld multiplex in Canary Wharf, located in the London Docklands area. This is an urban regeneration success story. A generation ago, one saw disused and derelict warehouses. Today, it’s a thoroughly modern area, home to many top banks and investment houses, clean, sleek, and looking more like Raffles Place than central London.
A word about where we dined tonight as well – Browns Restaurant and Bar. It’s located on West India Quay in an old warehouse, and forms part of a chain with branches across the UK. I had a nice time there, and I think the Singapore Doctor did well in recommending the place for dinner. Very discerning of him. The setting was relaxed, yet not entirely casual. The food was an eclectic mix of cuisines. I had a very satisfying linguine in an interesting spicy tomato sauce which came even with cut chilli slices. Check out the complete offerings here. I need, surely, to go dine at Browns a second time. There’s an alluring Leffe Battered Fish and Chips on the menu.
1 Comments:
Dear Rampant my fren,
know that your weak heart will bleed upon seeing your dream car being crashed. i must agree that Eva Green was gorgeous and seriously, i would still prefer Pierce Brosnan than Daniel Craig. Somehow, the character of 007 in this movie seems to be ...ahhhh...hot-tempered. Was that supposed to be the amateurish Bond?
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