Wednesday, June 23, 2021
District 9
- Commentary: I really enjoy this movie and am so pleased to finally have a copy of it. The unwitting hero, thrust into a situation that existed long before he became involved, is an average-man government drone. He starts bumbling long before he figures out that he is, indeed, bumbling and what needs to be done. He changes sides the way a self-conscious teenager changes clothes. He wants to do right by everybody, but, turns out, he's the only person involved in this scenario that is thinking in terms of what is right for the aliens as well as the humans. He spends the entire time portrayed in this movie either in misguided attempts to "do right" or exasperation. Then he starts getting to know the "prawns", and, rather than things getting better, they get worse. He learns that the plan of his alien friend is far better than any other plan but it's also fraught with extended problems for everyone, aliens and humans alike. He becomes infected with alien substance and begins transitioning to the alien species. He learns that, like all the other aliens, besides the two who manage to get the ship working, he's going to have to stay on earth and complete his transition. And, he carries with him a devotion to his wife, family and species that is truly heartbreaking. You know that, even when his alien friends return, his life will never be easy or make any sense. At the end of the film, you sense that he knows this, too.
Just a marvel of a film, with unresolved complications cropping up all over the place. I can't recommend this movie enough.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Sharlto Copley Wikus van de Merwe Jason Cope Christopher Johnson (Little CJ?) David James Col. Koobus Venter Mandla Gaduka Fundiswa Mhlanga Eugene Wanangwa Khumbanyiwa Obesandjo Vanessa Haywood Tania Smit-van de Merwe Nathalie Boltt Sarah Livingstone Louis Minnaar Piet Smit
Here's the Wikipedia write-up for this movie.
Release Date: 2009
Directed by Neill Blomkamp.
Labels: aliens, popcorn-and-soda6, science-fiction1
Casino Royale
- Commentary: Under Construction.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Daniel Craig James Bond Eva Green Vesper Lynd Mads Mikkelsen Le Chiffre Giancarlo Giannini René Mathis Judi Dench M Jeffrey Wright Felix Leiter Tobias Menzies Villiers Simon Abkarian Alex Dimitrios
Here's the Wikipedia write-up for this movie.
Release Date: 2006
Directed by Martin Campbell.
Labels: don't-ask-me-why, james-bond, judi-dench, mads-mikkelsen
Quantum of Solace
- Commentary: Under Construction.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Daniel Craig James Bond Olga Kurylenko Camille Montes Mathieu Amalric Dominic Greene Giancarlo Giannini René Mathis Gemma Arterton Strawberry Fields Anatole Taubman Elvis Judi Dench M Jeffrey Wright Felix Leiter
Here's the Wikipedia write-up for this film.
Release Date: 2008
Directed by Marc Forster.
Labels: don't-ask-me-why, james-bond, judi-dench
Skyfall
- Commentary: Under Construction.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Daniel Craig James Bond Judi Dench M Javier Bardem Raoul Silva Ralph Fiennes Gareth Mallory Naomie Harris Eve Moneypenny Albert Finney Kincade Ben Whishaw Q Bérénice Marlohe Sévérine
Here's the link for the Wikipedia write-up for this movie.
Release Date: 2012
Directed by Sam Mendes.
Labels: don't-ask-me-why, james-bond, judi-dench
Spectre
- Commentary: Under Construction.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Daniel Craig James Bond Christoph Waltz Ernst Stavro Blofeld Léa Seydoux Madeleine Swann Ralph Fiennes M Ben Whishaw Q Naomie Harris Eve Moneypenny Andrew Scott C Dave Bautista Mr. Hinx
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up for this movie.
Release Date: 2015
Directed by Sam Mendes.
Labels: don't-ask-me-why, james-bond
No You Didn't!
- Commentary: Yes I did.
I was trolling through the movies at Amazon on Prime Day, just in case, not expecting to find anything I wanted, let alone something at a price that was truly Prime Day pricing. So often, "Prime Day pricing" doesn't really exist, or is so little less than normal that taxes (I live in a "tax Amazon orders" state) evaporate the difference. Well, I found one truly spectacular buy: The Daniel Craig Collection of James Bond movies (4 at this point), at an astonishingly low price! So, yes, Virginia, I bought it. I'll bet you would have never guessed that I enjoy Bond movies. I do, but only the Daniel Craig ones. In fact, of all the other actors' turns as James Bond (there are, so far, 11 Bond actors, in all) I've seen only one other Bond movie, Goldfinger. I was 12, at the time, it was one of those nights when my parents decided they wanted some alone time, so they dropped us off at the movies, and the only things I remember about that movie are the golden woman and the slicing hat brim. Otherwise, it left no impression on me. I did not find it entertaining. However, having a different slant on the Craig-Bond movies, now, I've even instituted a new label category, in the hopes that the rumors of Craig having one more Bond movie in him are true: james-bond.
Update 6/22/2022: I watched No Time to Die about a week ago on a subscription channel. Wasn't thrilled. I won't be adding it to my Bond by Daniel Craig collection. I haven't even thought enough about it to tell you why I didn't enjoy it and can't imagine owning it. That's how little it captured my attention.
I bought one other movie, as well, one for which I've had a hankering for a long time, but forgot about it when I wrote my Movies I've Seen, Do Not Own but Can't Forget post. Noticing it as a Prime Day choice reminded me of my affection for this movie and re-whetted my appetite for having it in my collection. It was discounted a little, but not nearly as much as the Daniel Craig package. You'll see it as the first of my postings for this date.
Right now, I'm going to list all five movies above, without Commentary. A good "Commentary" memory of the movies escapes me, so I'll have to watch them again before writing them up. I've seen all of them before ... I think ... I may have missed one of the Craig-Bond movies. If so, well, that will be even more fun!
So, after a long afternoon of cutting back the out-of-control pyracantha in the yard, I think I'll prepare some dinner, and then, guess what I'll be doing this evening!?!
