James Bond in the Quantum of Solace. I know what that means (By Caiphas)

Let me start by saying what a ride this film is for anyone that sees it. The film gives the viewer one second before it kicks into overdrive and doesn’t stop until the credits roll at the end. Some of the action in the film has to be seen to be believed, some parts cannot be believed when seen and some scenes have to be believed to be seen in a believable way. Essentially, the film suspends your disbelief as far as it can be stretched and, as a result, does drop it at some points. But at the rate this movie moves, you can’t discuss it until the end.

Daniel Craig was an excellent choice for bond and does the series credit with his performance. Unfortunately, the majority of that performance is taken up with the action. There is very little of the sweet talking, smooth operating and always dashing Bonds of old. The girls are kept to a minimum and the gadgets are nonexistent. I didn’t see any and my cohort, who can spot a McDonalds chip bag in a frame of film, couldn’t find anything that they didn’t have themselves. And even with all the action that goes on in the film, can we be reminded that the star is Bond, James Bond? Not too much to ask for.

The title throws most people. “Quantum of Solace”, according to an interview with Daniel, is a moment that all humans have in which they decide which choice is the right one. But in its actual Latin translation, it roughly comes out as “A part of solitude”. Since the film doesn’t mention either of these facts, the title is completely useless to anyone trying to guess what the film is about from the title. The only useful thing about it is that people look at it and think “Oh… that sounds deep and complex. Must be a good film” this works to a degree.

The story is both complex and intrinsically linked with the precluding film “Casino Royale”. Unlike the other Bond films, where the only thing you had to know was that he was a spy called Bond, James Bond, this film is a direct sequel to Casino and therefore requires viewers to have a comprehensive knowledge of the predecessor to have any hope of holding onto the mad bull that is Quantum. Only one of my friends hadn’t seen the previous film and got through by forgetting the parts of the film that were connected to Casino. So he missed half of the story, he still got his fix of action.

Score:

4/5: A rip roaring ride that could have had a bit more sentimentality and a less complex plot, but otherwise comes out as a Saturday night well spent.

“Brisingr.” Politics, Gore and Politics (By Caiphas)

As well as doing movie reviews, I have started to do book reviews. Obviously they will get better as I learn more.

After three weeks of reading, I have finally finished Brisingr. For those not in the know, Brisingr is the third instalment in the Inheritance Trilogy (Now the Inheritance Cycle) which is essentially the “Twilight series” for guys, not story wise, but success wise. Unfortunately, for the unwise, this book tries to be too wise most of the time and looses the true flair it had when “Eragon” first hit the shelves.

The story begins with a synopsis of the previous two books, which should be the make or break point for any reader that has no patience. The synopsis actually makes it possible to start with “Brisingr” without reading the other books, but then you loose the true power of the story, which is what makes the third book interesting.

When I say interesting, I don’t mean interesting to people who aren’t into that sort of stuff. The series relies on a LOTR style backdrop, with magic, dragons, a lost race of super heroes, a mad evil king, elves, dwarves, mountains, swords and politics. Yes, there is a hell of a lot of politics in this book. These encounters with the structure of all the races leaves very little time for exploring the world or for any real action.

All the action in the book is gory. That is the book’s greatest flaw. Its action relies on the readers ability to visualise decapitation, evisceration, mutilation and all three at the same time. But even this action is sparse. With in 750 pages, not a lot of action is put down. Most of the time is spent on the politics. In fact, the book follows a pattern. The pattern goes:

politicspoliticspoliticspoliticspoliticspoliticspoliticspoliticspoliticspoliticspoli

ticspoliticsGOREpoliticspoliticspoliticspoliticspoliticspoliticspoliticspoliticsGORE

politicspoliticspoliticspoliticsTRUTHGOREDEATHEND.

But for those that have read the other books, the last few chapters really have a profound effect on the reader. Pity there are so many chapters.

Rating: 3.5/5. long but rewarding. plus Chris has a way with his stories that you never really can stop reading, no matter how soporific.

Despite all I have said about how bad the book is, I still enjoyed it. Just not as much as I had hoped I would.

Return of the Mummy…again. (By Caiphas)

Let me say this right of the top, Mummy 3 is a flop. It has tried to re-create the hype felt over the first two (Brilliant) movies but right from the start you can tell it is dead on its feet. I was warned not to go see it, that it was a waste of money and time. It is a waste of time, but not entirely a waste of money.

All of the actors are obviously past their prime (With the exception of Luke Ford (Jonathan) who was always a presence in the other films. He lives up to his normal, self preserving self and does it with the same old energy that made him so like able to me.

Brendan Fraiser is past his prime. And the fact that they couldn’t get Rachael Weitz (Sorry if that is spelt incorrectly) to play the feminine lead means to me that she obviously was the smart one in the group. The son is woefully predictable in his emotional ties, as is everyone else (Save Jonathan). Yet, even though a lot of the film is focused on the romances that occur, it doesn’t explore them in any detail other than “I love you, but we can’t be together.” Even thought i am not a fan of Soppy films, it needed to be a little more soppy.

Jet Li. Not enough of him. good that he only spoke Chinese (Which by the way is highly inaccurate) but not enough of him. And as for every second character changing language every third word, it is confusing and pointless. What else is pointless is that every time something happens, the Movie has to explain what is happening. It is so demeaning that it even makes you dumb while you watch it, so much so that Ozzyfrog actually asked me why so and so wanted so and so dead.

The CGI was also a let down. From the past films, and indeed from the fact that we are in the 21st century, one would expect that the CGI would be believable. This is not the case in the Mummy 3. I would say that the CGI from the first two films is superior to this film in every way possible.

While the film does have some saving moments, Jonathan proposing to a yak and the Yeti helping the good guys, the sheer failure to live up to the predecessors makes it a “Must not see”

Rating:          1.5/5. Drawn out yet not long enough and no where near as exciting as i hoped it to be.

Other possible titles: The Mummy returns…again. But this time, because we can’t get Chris Vosloo to play the mummy, we hired someone who probably didn’t know what he was getting into when he sighed on