Casino Royale

have you ever felt the exquisite discomfort of needing to pee very badly in the middle of watching a movie (onwards), but couldn't tear yourself away, even tho you're bladder's like a yangtze-river-flood waiting to burst forth, crushing the damn-dam, becoz the movie was just too exciting and filled with non-stop surprises?

well, i suffered and suffered gladly, and i have Casino Royale to blame for my bladder-issues. Bond was an arrogant and egotistical dick. Bond pouts every opportunity he gets. Bond just got updated in this prequel set in the year 2006, when he had just gotten conferred double-O status = ie. this is not your father's/grandfather's or even your old Bond, this is a new updated fearless action-man and full of raw-animal kills and alpha-male oozing out of it's celluloid-pores. /// IS IT REALLY SHAKEN & NOT STIRRED?

dude doesn't even have much lines/dialogue, does he? and mayhap that's good in a way, coz "James Bond" the character has become such a cliche - altho an icon, the kitschness+cheeziness he possessed needed a change (altho longtime fans might disagree) and Daniel Craig is the result. a good looker he is not and inastead of oozing with charm, he's but pumped full of action and silent gruff, i don't really care much myself, IMHO. altho we might be seeing a My-Fair-Spy-Lady-transformation in the obvious sequels to come? ...anyways, just gimme the Bond Babes ...

in a nutshell, if you haven't deduced that Eva's the Bondgirl that (broke Bond's heart) and her attempts at intelligence were pausible if not coerced ... Eva Green looks gorgeous without makeup on (hotel bathroom scene), while the regular overkill eye-shadow and gorgeous glamourous gowns make her look like a starving vampire about town hankering for a suck'o'blood, IMHO.

Martin Campbell (director) worked it and worked it well, with loads of cheeky Bond-references flung about and some sensible and unpredictable Bond-action/reaction-pieces, bolstered in tremendous form by the decent to fabulous/lush cinematography = pushes Bond to the forefront of modern-cinema excess = makes for great eye-candy, yeh?

other than that, i'd give away not the plot and would recommend you go watch it and form your own opinions instead. personally, as bland as the characters provided me, it was still quite an enjoyable movie-exprience, IMHO ... and seriously im just thankful they didn't go cast a young actor to re-start the franchise, innit? plus someone should consider using this movie to brand the upcoming casinos Intergrated Resorts in Singapore, innit? *heh* :p

[first reviewed circa 17.11.06]

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