Casino Royale

DVD, Casino Royale (2006) film

Like the monochrome opening sequence, this film is in hard and stark contrast to what’s gone before. If your idea of Bond is a sit-round-at-Christmas family experience, then you’re in for a rude awakening. Bond is no longer ‘cuddly’ and safe, he’s now more edgy, with less of the classic one-liners and more of the pugilist put-downs. Mind you, after all the rigours he gets put through here you can allow him some degree of grumpiness. And to be fair, he does portray the humour and charm we’re more used to but in a quieter way, letting his fists do the talking...

He’s never found true happiness and he’s probably not going to do so this time. In fact we find out the reason he’s so hard to know in the later stories, with a more vulnerable Bond than has been seen before. Ian Fleming’s original novel’s influence, the first story about the English spy, is felt heavily and apparently stayed close to the story, right down to the famous card game. One criticism that has been levelled at the film is that sequence which is a large part of the story, and perhaps loses some of the momentum unless you are familiar with the intricacies of the game, though some interesting events occur during the recess: Bond’s return to the game is more heroic than you’d expect...

Bond’s first mission is more about the physical rigours of an agent than more familiar elements of guns, gadgets and girls - indeed, there are a lot of changes for long-term viewers, but also a few nods to the past. While the well worn theme tune is practically nonexistent, the soundtrack is buoyed by the stirring ‘You Know My Name’ which is as good as any before it, particularly striking up during the action sequences. The opening credits sequence is worth mentioning too as it goes back to the classic 60’s designs, with less of the psychedelic and more art nouveau animation, and makes for an impressive opener, especially with that rousing theme. There are knowing uses of the traditional elements of Bond (including a fancy car, which was destroyed during the rolling sequence and actually broke the world record for barrel rolls!), and a chance to see Bond’s first meeting with recurring character Felix Leiter, CIA. Dialogue is only cringe-inducing during the forced product placement when characters blatantly draw attention to brands; it mars the rare scenes it occur in.

I felt more detached from the character because of the unusual vulnerability and lack of charm of this ogre of a gorilla, which seemed to lessen the character a bit, where the previous, Brosnan Bond, gained a lot of sympathy through his witty words and sharp suits. Perhaps he’s more a working man’s Bond and Daniel Craig certainly works hard to show the reality in the painful situations he faces, and proves a fine action hero. It was just the subtleties and humour I missed, but perhaps they are even more subtle this time?

The villain Le Chiffre was okay, but skill on the card table isn’t one of the most evil machinations I can recall, and he lacked a strong presence, with events occasionally out of his control, thus lessening his threat status and diminishing Bond’s heroic, though he does have plenty of villains to deal with. (And he didn’t have a vast underground lair, but that’s just a quibble).

Realism of settings and events is much higher compared with the sometimes cartoony, borderline sci-fi of recent films - no room for invisible cars here, which perhaps is a shame, but does give an excuse to put Bond through the wringer with less reliance on gadgets and “no cavalry coming over the hill” as one character puts it. This is assisted by the lack of CGI effects to overshadow the story as many modern films end up using them to their detriment. Here they’re used sparingly, with Craig in there doing the stunts in most cases, making for a much more involved experience for the audience, not being taken out of the action by a hokey computer shot. However, as seems to have become common in recent years, fight scenes, while fairly brutal, tend to be too juddery on the camera moves and less about the graceful hairsbreadth escapes than in the past, though this style suits one scene well: as Bond fights a machete-wielding assassin on a stairwell, tumbling, leaping and defending himself and his girl. Bond is as always best when dealing with nefarious types, and my favourite moment was probably the desperate fight in the driving seat of a petrol tanker on course for a plane (look out for the director who made a cameo as the guy who gets killed filling up the tanker).

The film justifies it’s 12A rating with the infamous torture scene, that manages to keep on the right side of acceptability by Bond’s gallows humour, but it doesn’t hold back on his suffering. And suffer he does in this film, he’s put through all kinds of pain, from crashing through walls, to a constant pummelling from the baddies. The most impressive being the ‘free running’ sequence an unstoppable race after a villain - every few moments smacking into something or leaping to the ground, relentless despite injury: beaten, bruised and bludgeoned, poisoned, punched and pleased to get a holiday by the end, no doubt. Called a blunt instrument by M, with whom he shares an interesting association, much like the Brosnan-era of not doing things the way she’d like. M seems a harsher character, and after being unsure whether he should have been promoted to ‘00’ status, only at the end does she tell him he finally understands the position.

Bond has always been a bit grey in the morals department and this is lightly skimmed over in the film, but after the closing credits he’s definitely become a different man, his ‘armour’ forever up to everyone, making for a downbeat ending. However the threads that run through of a mysterious organisation called Ellipsis make you want to see the next one soon to find out what it’s all about. It's just a shame the sequel 'Quantum of Solace' took a lot of backward steps while also, like every action film since the mid-noughties, trying to be Bourne, but making it an editorial jumble. It doesn't tarnish this film's quality, but when you know the annoying way they tied up the story, it doesn't have that anticipation that we were left with before the sequel came out.

***

State of Flux

DVD, Voyager S1 (State of Flux)

Shocker! Seska in double agent shock! Read all about it! It really was an episode to pull the rug from under your feet. Seska as a Cardassian, what a brilliant concept, seeing as they are the polar opposite of the Bajorans she was supposed to be a member of. It added a depth and complexity to the series that gave it something extra, to add a layer over the usual standalone episodes. One of the best things is the way she escapes out of Janeway's grasp at the last minute and a definite statement of intent comes out that they will have to deal with her another time!

It was a positive move to bring back a familiar race from the Delta Quadrant or the area can begin to seem shallow. The Kazon look pretty good and Cullah makes an effective debut. But the episode is really Chakotay's, his disbelief that Seska could be a traitor, hard to bear, but it shows the roots she had formed deep in his and our conciousness. She and Carey are the only two recurring characters seen thus far, so for one of them to so successfully manipulate events... she was a typical Cardassian. Efficient, ruthless and charming. She had always been a dissenting voice, and don't forget it was Seska who had talked them into trading for the Sikarians spatial trajector in the previous episode. She always had that disobedient tone to her, yet she was smart and professional enough to cover herself.

It is funny when Chakotay asks Tuvok if anyone on the Maquis ship was working for it's Captain at all, since the Vulcan was also a spy, and you get a feeling that the animosity over that has dissipated by the episode's end, when they talk together in the mess hall. All the characters are integrated, with Neelix having fun as a guide on the planet, Kes and the EMH discovering the details in sickbay and the others contributing in some way. It's a classic moment when Janeway tells Torres to get something done by the end of the day, and she responds with "no, Captain". Usually the engineer in Trek says their estimate, the Captain tells them to quarter the time, and they agree, but Torres bucks the trend, and it's a kind of in-joke to say that Voyager is different!

****

Treachery, Faith and The Great River

DVD, DS9 S7 (Treachery, Faith and The Great River)

The pieces are falling into place for the end of the series. The revelation of the Founder's illness, the duality Odo feels, even Weyoun Six' suggestion that Odo could undo the damage of his people, they are all steps towards the inevitable. Not that it was inevitable at the time. I never really guessed what was going to happen, because the story is always wide open in Trek, and anything can happen. Like Nog pulling through and saving O'Brien's bacon.

The fun B-story was a bit at odds with the deep defection story on the Runabout (the good old Rio Grande doing the job again), and had the feeling of Season 5's 'In The Cards' where again it's Nog trading things to get a desired item, only that time there was the whole Jake/Nog thing which added a lot. This episode suffers because of the lack of such things, and would have been an ideal situation to bring Jake into. It does introduce the closest thing to religion for Ferengi, however, typically to do with material goods! Wonder why Nog didn't talk about that when he was trying to get the baseball card...

The episode as a whole doesn't quite gel well enough, although it was a solid opportunity to see Odo get out and do something. It can get a little tedious to see him and Kira in every scene, as if they've lost all contact with their jobs and other friends. So to pull back a bit, while giving us some pointers to the future of the War, was a good move. I don't know, somehow Odo and Weyoun, together in a Runabout should have given some heightened drama, but they're both so unsure of their allegiances, or at least, the knowledge that their actions will cause trouble for their own people, that nothing much is really gleaned from the interaction, other than a sort of origin story for how the Vorta came to serve the shapeshifters. That was interesting enough that I wished we could have seen it in flashback, but at least we were treated to some exciting chase sequences, and in a comet's asteroid field!

CGI had really moved on for TV, as these elaborate, 'Star Wars' type moments present. It was only that once the initial surprise at seeing Weyoun and then his defection, is over, the drama is pretty much done too, and not enough emotion was injected into their sorrow at two heritages. And Quark still hasn't been used enough, only really being important to a couple of episode so far. This episode was perhaps the least satisfying so far, but it was still good enough to enjoy.

***

Chrysalis

DVD, DS9 S7 (Chrysalis)

Not exactly a happy ending, but perhaps a more realistic and fair one. It was so easy for Serena to simply stay on the station in a safe environment, but she has a brilliant mind that needs new vistas and experiences and learning, to grow, and Bashir couldn't offer her that. It was a good decision to bring back the genetically engineered troupe from Season 6, because they were such great characters and personalities that they deserved a comeback. They seem ever so slightly more subdued than last time, but it's probably a sign that they've progressed in their treatment after a year. And what a brilliant idea, to focus on the catatonic one and bring her out of herself as the story.

It was incredible how different she seemed, and a very joyful realisation that she has such possibilities before her. But it's also sad that the others can't follow her into the world (or, I should say, galaxy), and it breaks up their little family. The only disappointment of the episode is that the others didn't get a goodbye scene, and it leaves them at odds with Bashir a little, but apart from that it's a delightful tale, with Bashir once again getting carried away. Reminiscent of Season Two's 'Melora' which also featured a patient he hoped to cure and fell in love with.

There are some little quirks to remember, such as Morn has seventeen brothers and sisters (I'm not sure if we knew that before), and Bashir calls out for Broik the Ferengi waiter, a background character in Quark's bar that's often been there, but this might just be the first time he's been referred to by name. And Ensign Jones (Randy James) the frequent Starfleet background guy tries to help the GM group with directions. "That's a stupid question!" Season 7 hasn't quite managed to trump the previous season's highs, but it has still kept a consistent high standard, and episodes like this where they bring back a popular aspect of the past is a generous act and one that's full of story potential. Well done.

****

Mission: Impossible 3

DVD, Mission: Impossible 3 (2006) film

The third, and what might have been final, film in the series based on the sixties TV spy drama, starts with a clever sequence that leaves you wondering what is going on and why. It also illustrates the much more brutal feel of this film compared to the other two. Not to say they weren't violent and action-packed, because they were, but this one trades off of the Bourne style that made 'realism' the desire of all action film makers. No longer content to give us the balletic, 'Matrix'-like stunt action, where everything was incredible and seen in minute detail and slow-motion, now we always have to be in the thick of the action, even in the midst of it, so we can 'be there'.

But that isn't the point of films. They aren't interactive like computer games, they are telling a story and/or trying to wow us with spectacles, and while 'M:I3' partially succeeds on both fronts, it never does it in such an impressive way as the previous two films did, although it isn't as bad in the visuals department as 'Quantum of Solace', the worst offender of shaky-cam and millisecond cuts, so far (but there's sure to be worse). That is one of the inherent problems of this film - they are using the Bourne 'realism'-ometer of style, but still trying to do unreal things. Bourne was always based in reality, 'Mission: Impossible', at least the films, were always based on hairsbreadth escapes and completely unbelieveable, but hair-raising and brilliant to watch, stunts. The two ideaologies conflict, making the film seem like a cartoon.

The other problem is in the directorial decisions and the plot. Instead of the grand visual opening of 'M:I2' as Ethan scales a rocky peak in a free-climbing extravaganza, we are treated to a mundane engagement party, and while it is clever how the passage of time in the party is shown, as viewers we have no attachment to any of the new characters at all, and some come across as just annoying. You can say the scene contrasts with the shock and simmering violence of the opening, and it does, but these films work best when real life doesn't interfere, and it's so obvious how they were trying to ape the success of Bourne when they should have been playing up their own attributes, that Bourne couldn't get away with.

This is why we feel rushed into the first action scene. We haven't had any, so we need to get to something before people wonder if this is what they thought it was, or they've wandered into a soap. I also failed to get excited by the mundane real world location for his mission briefing. 'M:I2': puts on shades on top of a mountain top. 'M:I3': meets his boss at a convenience store and gets his mission from a disposable camera. See the difference in style? Subsequently, because of the strange insistence on the real world, when I first saw this film I became confused. First he's at home, then he's off with the familiar gang hanging around some old warehouse or factory. Was this a training facility where they would work out how they were going to rescue Farris?

I assumed the film as a whole was going to be about this rescue, and add to that they seemed to be calmly setting up some massive guns right in front of the building. If it was a base for the baddies then surely it would have better eyes and ears around the place? But no, it soon transpires that this is the real thing, and degenerates into explosions and half-seen shootouts. It's fast and frantic, but there's no grace to it, and it seems too easy. The only positive is that Luther Stickell is brought back - it wouldn't be 'Mission: Impossible' without him and Ethan working together. Unfortunately the other two assigned to the team don't have the charisma or interest of previous team members. The Irish guy seems to gripe or be laddish, and the asian woman is just there to look pretty. She probably gets the better of the limelight with her red dress and bright orange car.

That middle sequence was by far the most riveting and shows the team at their best. From the scaling of the Vatican wall up to the shock plane attack and rescue of Davian on the bridge, has to be the best part of the film with plenty of split second escapes and attachment to the action on several levels, something the early raid to get Farris didn't have. And to go back to that, I was also disappointed with the wind farm helicopter chase sequence. For one thing it takes place at night, perhaps to disguise the CGI, and the camera jerks all over the place. So from such a superb concept as helicopters firing at each other and a daredevil race through a field of rotating blades, it gets watered down to a barely viewable sequence that you feel caught up in, but can't connect with. True, it was about Farris dying, but a better director would have skillfully brought the concept to life and provided something never seen before.

The story was the other problem. All the films have unbelievable plots and moments, but perhaps because of the realism and mundanity quotient they are more obvious and become more contrasting scenes. I never really warmed to Julia (and again, on first viewing I didn't get who was who because Farris had the same length hair, and Julia looks quite different to the opening scene when she's tied to a chair), or the bosses. It's Morpheus! To be fair Lawrence Fishburne was fine, and I never had the problem of identifying him with 'The Matrix' because he's very different here. It doesn't help the film that he's much more sympathetic in those other films.

Musgrave, I'm not sure how early I knew that he was the villain, but it's usually the nice one who turns out bad, and the unpleasant one, the opposite. Perhaps they've run their course in having the baddies be part of IMF. It begins to make the personnel manager look a complete fool after hiring so many bad apples! In the first one it was Jim Phelps himself who was the bad guy. In 2 it was an agent who'd decided to work for himself. And in this one it's the director! Who's next, the office cleaner?

Owen Davian was quite a good villain, and was the best role aside from Ethan and Luther. Phillip Seymour Hoffman exudes self-assurant evil from every pore, and little things such as how he gets information out of Hunt when he's tied to the aeroplane chair, is chilling. Perhaps the only negative for him was that you hardly ever see him do anything bad. He doesn't get his hands dirty often, and it's mostly all talk about what he has done, what he could do, what he plans to do. Aside from killing his security advisor and beating Ethan, of course. Then again, maybe that helps his mystique and power. He uses words to hurt, knowing he has the resources to achieve whatever he wants, making a more thoughtful villain. He also has that air of world-weariness and understanding all the cliches so well that he has a kind of blunt non-humour, and a self-satisfied, unflappable air. Even when he's just been held outside of an aeroplane.

The film at least manages to use CGI to it's fullest and give us things we'd never seen before in the 'M:I' mythos. It's a huge crowd-pleaser to see how they make the face masks, and the intensely dexterous visual of turning Ethan into Davian on camera! Well, it shows the kind of heights they could reach. The way Hoffman moves when he's supposed to be Ethan in disguise - athletically climbing through the rafters, and his whole bearing shows that it's not the real thing. Okay, so maybe it was a body double for some of the more kinetic scenes, but the body work and timing is very good. Also very good is Benjie, played by Simon Pegg, who imbues such a tiny role with huge quality and makes you want him back for the next one. Every syllable is perfectly played, it's no wonder JJ Abrams brought him back for the role of Scotty in 'Star Trek'.

I'm conflicted about the score. Michael Giacchino sometimes gives great tension to scenes, and strong emotional tones to others, but his big crime is in not using the 'Mission: Impossible' theme enough, or creating a new variation worthy of what's gone before. Both previous films made a unique recreation of the title music and used it, especially number 2, amidst the action. The beats would pound out and it raised your adrenalin, and reminded you that this is 'M:I' and nothing else. The theme was somewhat lost, relegated to a short opener and a bit in the end credits, and nothing made it unique. It helped to erode the identity of this film as compared with other action films, and I didn't like more 'silly' tunes such as when Ethan escapes from IMF and holds down the transmit button so Brassel can't give orders to stop him. I suppose that kind of music suited the more casual and humourous tone.

They've always had humour, but the situations are so dire that it's not always as evident as in this film. Little lines started to bother me: "Humpty dumpty sat on a wall," Ethan says as he looks into camera. I felt sometimes that the dips back into stylistic behaviour didn't suit the hard-edge of this film, and played up to the dumb action hero image. In fact Ethan's image itself has lost something that it did have in common with Bourne. They were both, to some degree, pacifists. If they could get by without killing or harming, they would, but here, Ethan has no qualms about gunning all the time. Yes, the tone is different, and the stakes are personal, but it seems odd that something the film had in common with it's Bourne inspiration is less in evidence now.

I will say this for it. It ends on a high, with a good old-fashioned happy ending. I wondered if they would have the guts to kill Ethan off, and make such a daring move permanent, but I'm glad that they didn't, and that another film is on the way. When I first saw it I assumed it would probably be the last, but I suppose Bourne's success has paid off, and it did pretty well. Unfortunately, it's likely to be made by the same team as this one, and I can only hope they try to take it back to being it's own thing and not trying to be Bourne. The thing is, each film has been directed and made by a different director, writers, and so on, and that was in the spirit of the TV series. It's supposed to have a different look, a different sensibility, a different style. Can JJ Abrams do something radically different? I'm not sure.

I just hope Ethan, Luther, and now Benjie, all make their comebacks, and that the camera will learn stillness, and that the score will be rejuvenated, and that their won't be something so obviously a gimmick as the maguffin of the Rabbit's Foot. That was one of my biggest disappointments - that the film's story rests on an unexplained, vague item, the size of a flask of tea, that is never built up or used except as a motivation for action without reasoning. It felt like the writers realised they didn't have an idea for something new that could motivate the story and simply decided not to come up with one and to have a non-entity instead. Bad writing.

Six years is too long to wait for a story that is a little bit by-the-numbers. Hopefully something more intelligent, or more action-packed, to paper over the cracks, will be in order next time. It seemed a little too much 'True Lies', the rubbish Schwartzenegger film where he's a spy and his wife gets dragged into it. I would have preferred it if Ethan had been married to Nyah from 'M:I2' and I can only assume she died somehow, as they were a perfect match. If not, bring her back for number 4, please. And more references to the other films (like they mentioned Langley being a cakewalk), and Ethan must once again drop from a descender wire. It wouldn't be 'Mission: Impossible' if he didn't!

***

Moonshine

DVD, Starsky & Hutch S4 (Moonshine)

Of the episodes so far in Season Four, this one is the most fun and exciting. It has an amusing tone even though there are some harsh moments, such as the two hillbilly moonshiners dying after a chase with the Tomato, or the news that the friendly agent who popped into Dobey's office to give them a heads up, had been killed by the crazy guy. Actually there are a lot of crazy guys in this, and that's what makes the series stand apart from run-of-the-mill cop TV. This time we get all the hick stereotypes with the big man that becomes friendly at the bar - incidentally I feel sure both he and the barman had played roles in previous episodes - and the moonshiners themselves.

At the bar I was sure I could hear music sung by that Country singer from last season! The twanging banjo tunes and twanging dialogue all add up to a twang of a good time. One of the best scenes is when Hutch poses as 'CW' a country music star and gets caught up in a talent contest, giving David Soul a chance to do some performing as he was always good at. The self-deluded, but dangerous pair of brothers contrast with the 'good' honest moonshine liquor makers, who don't resort to strong-arm tactics and think it's a crime to turn good drink into poison by mixing it with wood alcohol.

I suspect this episode was one of the inspirations for the 'Starsky & Hutch' film of the mid-2000's, with their fake accents and costume, riding bikes and getting up country people's noses! There's something quite funny about that little bike buzzing through the empty countryside, even though the actual plot is desperate as Hutch tries to find Starsky. Everything comes together to make an episode with enough excitement, laughs (another good end scene), and general good-humoured jollity that makes it a fine one to watch.

***

The Battle

DVD, TNG S1 (The Battle)

A good mystery which uses the Ferengi much better than their debut did, mainly due to the fact they're not creeping around and bobbing up and down like monkeys! The first officer even becomes sympathetic. The story is a little uneven in places however, with odd moments such as Crusher needling Picard that she can give him orders, then later she meekly does what he says "under protest". What happened to her medical authority? And the biggest clunker must be Deanna being able to sense feelings from the Ferengi, yet it is established that Betazoids can't read the species.

The story keeps you interested as Picard gradually loses himself to the device, and as well as introducing us to some history for the Captain and his old ship, there are some effective sequences involving ghostly imaginings of the Stargazer's crew. I'm not sure if Starfleet wouldn't already have come up with a solution to the Picard Manoeuvre, so it seems odd that Data would be called upon to create one. Despite the mistakes there's some good drama and strong work from Patrick Stewart.

***