Peyton Reed's Yes Man depicts Carl Allen (Jim Carrey) as a reclusive non-committal introvert who retired from social life after the break up of his first marriage. Fortunately, he meets Nick (John Michael Higgins), a 'yes man' who subscribes to Terrence Bundley's (Terence Stamp) cult of the 'yes,' whose members say yes to everything in order to invigorate their lives. Carl reluctantly joins and discovers that life can be more exciting if one opens their mind to limitless possibility. But the excitement is countered by responsibility and the contradictions eventually engender a cathartic crisis.
Reed's comedy mixes reality and fantasy in a simplified narrative layered with internal complexities. Obviously saying yes to everything causes all kinds of problems many of which are absurd yet concretely founded. He didn't have to accept an international pseudo-bride, he could have said no to an alley fight, and there was no need to start learning another language (although he picks it up in something like three weeks). But by opening his mind to these opportunities, he learns when to say yes and when to say no, making several new friends, and beginning a relationship with the quirky musician Allison (Zooey Deschanel).
It's like Groundhog Day meets Along Came Polly while listening to 54-40. Solid performances from the cast congeal with the perspicuous pacing to present a fun romantic comedy wherein the cynic turns affably stoic through ironic hedonism. Jim Carrey's solid and competently demonstrates a wide range of emotion while still providing glimpses of his subdued chaotic sprightliness. Some of the situations don't make much sense, and certain scenes could have been cut to the improvement of others, but the overall affect is uplifting and aptly demonstrates the brighter side of life.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Was working in a remote location when I spotted him. Couldn't believe it was him, had to ask him to make sure even though it was obvious. The odd thing was that he was reading the novel version of the film I had just rented, meaning that we had, against all odds, met in the middle of nowhere while consuming different versions of the same narrative.
There was a formica table and a counter beneath some cupboards within which rested a bottle of Jägermeister and three zig-zagged martini glasses beside a jar of olives. Needed a toothpick. The tap was running in order to fill a glass of water. When ice was dropped in it crackled and after three deep breaths the temperature was subdued. A truck full of odds and ends swept up and loaded drove by with one broken headlight and a sign reading Christies on the door. I was paying attention attentively. School's different when you're older, lots of things are. People with families, responsibilities, they're lucky. I tripped on my boots and spilt my glass on the floor as my shoulder collided with a shelf containing a variety of books concerning psychology and literature. I'd read them awhile back. They hit the floor too and I grabbed a pillow to mop up the stain, then rest. Odd noise outside, sounded like the opening pitch of an orchestra but was just the snowplow's siren; even the snowplows sounded symphonic. Confusion was reigning so I laid my head on the pillow to remain alert and began reading Hawthorne's Disengaged Dismemberment before falling asleep. Woke up and thought I was sweating.
The Day the Earth Stood Still
The latest version of The Day the Earth Stood Still (directed by Scott Derrickson) sees Keanu Reeves (as Klaatu the alien) not trying to save humanity but destroy it. Aliens have decided that the Earth must be saved from us humans and our destructive ways since their statistics state that only a scant number of planets possess the qualities necessary to sustain life (and their projections indicate that life upon ours is irrevocably suffocating). Klaatu attempts to reason with Presidential Representative Regina Jackson (Kathy Bates) but she ain't listenin' to no alien (and neither is the President who never shows up even when the situation becomes catastrophic [a critical chide at George W.'s political awareness]). Consequently, he decides the planet must be terminated but fortunately for Earth's residents determined scientist Helen Benson (Jennifer Connelly) has just enough yip to contradict his forthright yap.
The film's not the greatest. Its format is sound and it unravels in a mildly entertaining fashion but there's no paprika in this bowl of chili and Connelly's good looks don't make up for the lack of structural subtlety (they are constantly highlighted). The actors portray their characters well but David Scarpa and Edmund H. North's by-the-book script leaves them little room to radiate (note James Hong's [Big Trouble in Little China] heartfelt cameo as Dr. Wu however). I liked how the alien 'robot' unleashes his plague nevertheless: army personnel hack away at his almost impregnable frame and sever a piece from which a nest of exponentially expanding synthetic insects lunge and swarm (a warning to volatile insurgents launching attacks against foes possessing significant militaristic advantages). But I was checking my watch when I should have been analyzing, sipping my cola when I could have been critiquing, shifting out of focus where I was supposed to be zooming in, having a seriously difficult time sitting still.
The film's not the greatest. Its format is sound and it unravels in a mildly entertaining fashion but there's no paprika in this bowl of chili and Connelly's good looks don't make up for the lack of structural subtlety (they are constantly highlighted). The actors portray their characters well but David Scarpa and Edmund H. North's by-the-book script leaves them little room to radiate (note James Hong's [Big Trouble in Little China] heartfelt cameo as Dr. Wu however). I liked how the alien 'robot' unleashes his plague nevertheless: army personnel hack away at his almost impregnable frame and sever a piece from which a nest of exponentially expanding synthetic insects lunge and swarm (a warning to volatile insurgents launching attacks against foes possessing significant militaristic advantages). But I was checking my watch when I should have been analyzing, sipping my cola when I could have been critiquing, shifting out of focus where I was supposed to be zooming in, having a seriously difficult time sitting still.
Glasses Wearin' Girls
Glasses wearin' girls
are hot because the
sun shines through
their glasses, heating
them up, making them
more hot. Shine forth
your sun beams thou
generator of heat and
heat up the hotness of
glasses wearin' girls,
everywhere.
are hot because the
sun shines through
their glasses, heating
them up, making them
more hot. Shine forth
your sun beams thou
generator of heat and
heat up the hotness of
glasses wearin' girls,
everywhere.
Up the Yangtze
Yung Chang's Up the Yangtze examines the genesis of the Three Gorges Dam within China and its affects upon a family and various citizens. The ways in which the dam's ethical ends are contradicted by its constructed means are prominently highlighted as the not-so-well-off are bullied and forced to move without compensation. These bullies are contrasted by the administrators of a tourist organization who dismiss an employee for only looking out for himself, perhaps suggesting that only those in positions of power have the wherewithal to define. The cross-section of tourists presented is juxtaposed with the plight of the common people as they travel the catered results of a modern engineering marvel while searching for signs of ancient traditions. A well executed profound documentary which provides an insightful glimpse into the tectonic realm of the human factor, Up the Yangtze challenges the designers and implementors of massive public works projects to remember the present needs of their future benefactors while also illustrating the virtues of a social safety net.
Camp
And it crackled, distillated, kerplunked, exchanging distinct glows for prescient glances of some long forgotten intuition coaxed from a moment of revelation, guiding, highlighting, sitting. There. Glaring at the wood while it burns, burns bright, and the ashes and the coals drifting and shifting through the night, dispersed, integral. The heat like hearts and healing, pumping, congealing work and relaxation on a smooth white pine stump, next to a fallen log and a reclining furrow built into the landscape. Constantly changing shape yet stable, there, its affects fleetingly permanent, revitalized, and demanding, ensconced in their flaming bower, igniting seclusion and sequestering warmth. A sweater and a jacket drying out by the North-Eastern slabs, a pair of jeans on the ground (for it had been raining earlier). The odd owl heard a hooting along with snapping, moonlit sounds. And some beers.
Don't like how Chavez changed the rules in Venezuela's electoral system so that he can be elected indefinitely. Seems like he should be building a party not a cult of personality. And socialism without capitalism doesn't work just like capitalism without socialism doesn't work. I love and admire what Chavez has done to establish universal health care and education in Venezuela but think that these institutions would be even more prominently upheld if he had ended his tenure and been replaced by a worthy successor.
Now, assume evolution is a slow process of gradual change wherein technological progress and new artistic and scientific developments propel us closer to being pure thinking intertwined energy, one gradual step at a time. The internet's a huge step in this process, biggest thing since Darwin or Stephan Hawking. If these steps are leading to pure thinking energy, then it makes sense that the physical world is part of a larger computer program that we are currently living in as designed by some other being (a Q or something), our discovery of the internet reflecting this greater reality. Taking care of the environment therefore reduces the number of viruses running in our program and ensures its smooth functioning. Trying to design matrixes for our own survival (the Green Shift etc.) while being aware that we're part of another matrix designed by omnipotent somethings whose test is to encourage us to understand that we're part of its matrix while doing our best to maintain it as we slowly unravel its intricacies and promote pseudo-egalitarian understanding could be the task leading to pure thinking energy.
Kung Fu Panda
Mark Osborne and John Stevenson's Kung Fu Panda kicks and chops and punches and blocks to the tune of the traditional comedic structure. Within we have Po (Jack Black), a tenderly rowdy Panda who dreams of becoming a revered warrior but spends his days working for his father as a culinary jack of all trades. A group of kung fu warriors lives on the mountain above and one day Master Oogway (Randall Duk Kim) has a vision that villain (and former student) Tai Lung (Ian McShane) will escape from prison (which holds 1000 guards exclusively for him), unleashing an unforgiving campaign of torment in his pursuit of the Dragon Scroll. To counter, he believes that the Dragon Warrior must be chosen and trained for it is predicted that only her or his power will be strong enough to overcome Tai Lung's. Through serendipitous circumstances, Po is chosen to be said Dragon Warrior although Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) holds sincere reservations. His training begins none to soon for after Tai Lung breaks free from his chains and defeats the Furious Five, only Po's ingenuous determination can save the citizens of Peace Valley below.
The film's funny and smart, its comedic timing stylistically aligned with its animated martial arts sequences. The structure's a bit haywire, however, which led to a bit of a crisis insofar as I was initially expecting a specific pattern which didn't coalesce yet was still disappointed with the unexpected results (what I was expecting would have required an additional 20 to 30 minutes which likely explains why it was cut). The problem lies with the Dragon Scroll. The Dragon Scroll can only be read by the Dragon Warrior yet when Po reads it he has not attained the heights of Dragon Warriosity. The Dragon Scroll holds the secrets to unlimited power and it makes more sense that the chosen one would refuse its gift, finding personal strength in the acknowledgements of their limitations (and the maintenance of the legend which supports them). Po certainly doesn't want to read it but he does much to the fury of rival Tai Lung. Tai Lung and Po both have father figures and their relationships are established in opposition: while Po generally supports his father, Tai Lung viciously subverts his. Due to Po's support, his father rewards him by letting him know his soup's secret ingredient; Tai Lung receives no such knowledge. That very same secret ingredient provides Po with the wisdom required to understand the Dragon Scroll and suddenly become a hero, even though he should have never been given the damn Scroll, but, in the tradition of Richard Lester's Superman II we find a hero that's just plain and simply a go**-d*&^ hero once she or he realizes it.
And then they kick ass (although it's unlikely that afterwards Po lives for an entire year off only the dew from one ginkgo biloba leaf and the energy of the universe).
The film's funny and smart, its comedic timing stylistically aligned with its animated martial arts sequences. The structure's a bit haywire, however, which led to a bit of a crisis insofar as I was initially expecting a specific pattern which didn't coalesce yet was still disappointed with the unexpected results (what I was expecting would have required an additional 20 to 30 minutes which likely explains why it was cut). The problem lies with the Dragon Scroll. The Dragon Scroll can only be read by the Dragon Warrior yet when Po reads it he has not attained the heights of Dragon Warriosity. The Dragon Scroll holds the secrets to unlimited power and it makes more sense that the chosen one would refuse its gift, finding personal strength in the acknowledgements of their limitations (and the maintenance of the legend which supports them). Po certainly doesn't want to read it but he does much to the fury of rival Tai Lung. Tai Lung and Po both have father figures and their relationships are established in opposition: while Po generally supports his father, Tai Lung viciously subverts his. Due to Po's support, his father rewards him by letting him know his soup's secret ingredient; Tai Lung receives no such knowledge. That very same secret ingredient provides Po with the wisdom required to understand the Dragon Scroll and suddenly become a hero, even though he should have never been given the damn Scroll, but, in the tradition of Richard Lester's Superman II we find a hero that's just plain and simply a go**-d*&^ hero once she or he realizes it.
And then they kick ass (although it's unlikely that afterwards Po lives for an entire year off only the dew from one ginkgo biloba leaf and the energy of the universe).
Human Rights Activist and member of Women of Zimbabwe Arise Jestina Mukoko remains in prison in Zimbabwe. This petition for Secretary of State Hilary Clinton seeks 1000 signatures to assist imprisoned Human Rights Activists in Zimbabwe as well as their families.
Brief Regarding a Report from "Investigating the Surstrata"
In between each of the surstrata's layers lies an attentive span with its own peculiar method of inspection, the likes of which our researchers are continually trying to comprehend. We make no light stipulations concerning each of the subsequent determinations we've brought about in accordance with their interstellar regulations and can only be held accountable for the variable impressions we've made regarding the bounty of this substantial manifest.
Trouble in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Take Action Now to stop violence against women in the Congo.
Power to women and girls of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Power to women and girls of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Solaris
Andrei Tarkovsky's Solaris depicts the lives of three scientists tasked with making first contact with an alien being. The alien is a conscious planet who manifests itself to their eyes in the form of a viscid sea. As they conduct several experiments to establish a dialogue the entity responds by replicating their worst fears and bringing them to life. Psychologist Kris Kelvin (Donatas Banionis) sees the reincarnation of his former lover Hari (Natalya Bondarchuk) presented idyllically. His first reaction is to kill the alien but she keeps returning. Her mortal death was caused by suicide and after Kelvin grows fond of her and she realizes she is not human, she consistently attempts suicide (slowly and painfully regaining consciousness each time) and his mortality fades away. The other scientists hide their horlas more cleverly and see their new companions as necessary torments or laboratory specimens. The omniscient sea flows beneath, eternally evanescent yet demanding and domineering.
The film can be viewed several ways. As one attempts to define God they are confronted with the deepest desires of their human heart as they realize their mortal shortcomings. In order to delineate the new one cannot avoid the pressures of the past. Some mysteries are best left unsolved as their unravelling unleashes compatriot enigmas. To understand the other one must understand themself and such understanding can be neither a walk on the beach nor a drive through the country. It took millennia before humankind invented the automobile.
The romantic Dr. Snaut (Jüri Järvet) turns materialist and believes the alien must be destroyed, having lost faith in the pursuits of his mission (and grown tired of the presence of his demons). Pragmatic Dr. Sartorius (Anatoli Solonitsyn) detaches himself completely as he conducts his callous yet shrewd research. But the psychologist, whose intellectual pursuits concern the human condition, becomes lost in the void as he cannot come to terms with the role he played in Hari's death, her innocence and beauty constantly encouraging madness as he confronts a representative of his life work's failure (while his thesis concerning the human condition was published his lover perished).
To understand that which cannot be comprehended is somewhat difficult and the alien from Solaris seems to be saying quit worrying about me and start concerning yourselves with each other. But the ambiguous ending suggests that the few possessing the tenacity to confront themselves should reasonably consider such quests, although in their pursuit they may become lost in the imagination as they attempt to quantify the unqualifiable.
The film can be viewed several ways. As one attempts to define God they are confronted with the deepest desires of their human heart as they realize their mortal shortcomings. In order to delineate the new one cannot avoid the pressures of the past. Some mysteries are best left unsolved as their unravelling unleashes compatriot enigmas. To understand the other one must understand themself and such understanding can be neither a walk on the beach nor a drive through the country. It took millennia before humankind invented the automobile.
The romantic Dr. Snaut (Jüri Järvet) turns materialist and believes the alien must be destroyed, having lost faith in the pursuits of his mission (and grown tired of the presence of his demons). Pragmatic Dr. Sartorius (Anatoli Solonitsyn) detaches himself completely as he conducts his callous yet shrewd research. But the psychologist, whose intellectual pursuits concern the human condition, becomes lost in the void as he cannot come to terms with the role he played in Hari's death, her innocence and beauty constantly encouraging madness as he confronts a representative of his life work's failure (while his thesis concerning the human condition was published his lover perished).
To understand that which cannot be comprehended is somewhat difficult and the alien from Solaris seems to be saying quit worrying about me and start concerning yourselves with each other. But the ambiguous ending suggests that the few possessing the tenacity to confront themselves should reasonably consider such quests, although in their pursuit they may become lost in the imagination as they attempt to quantify the unqualifiable.
Oscar Picks
Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Director: Danny Boyle
Best Actress: Melissa Leo
Best Actor (tough category this year): Mickey Rourke
Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger
Supporting Actress: Penélope Cruz
Best Editing: Milk
Writing (Adapted Screenplay): Slumdog Millionaire
Writing (Original Screenplay): Frozen River
Best Director: Danny Boyle
Best Actress: Melissa Leo
Best Actor (tough category this year): Mickey Rourke
Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger
Supporting Actress: Penélope Cruz
Best Editing: Milk
Writing (Adapted Screenplay): Slumdog Millionaire
Writing (Original Screenplay): Frozen River
Integers
Know what that's like.
Smoothed out and smitten.
Four installments.
Right over there.
Sweet bandana.
Drawn up, drawn out.
Quite the selection.
Ordered it two weeks ago.
Concerns, yes.
Measures maintained.
Microscopic reduction.
Mixed in.
Introduce the organ.
Beats and bundles.
From place to place.
Smoothed out and smitten.
Four installments.
Right over there.
Sweet bandana.
Drawn up, drawn out.
Quite the selection.
Ordered it two weeks ago.
Concerns, yes.
Measures maintained.
Microscopic reduction.
Mixed in.
Introduce the organ.
Beats and bundles.
From place to place.
Pave
And visionaries
envisioning visions
vehemently with
increasing voltage
unceasing vigilance
and a voice.
[For team Obama]
envisioning visions
vehemently with
increasing voltage
unceasing vigilance
and a voice.
[For team Obama]
Kabluey
Scott Prendergast's Kabluey argues that a down-on-their-luck can't-find-their-way brother-in-law can produce long-lasting ethical reverberations if given the opportunity to succeed. Salman (Prendergast) has no cash, no car, no charisma. He moves in with sister-in-law Leslie (Lisa Kudrow) to babysit her two children (his brother off fighting in Iraq). Shortly thereafter, he lands a job handing out fliers advertising office space on a lonely country road in a giant blue suit with an enormous blue head (the Kabluey Suit). Associated weirdoes drive by every day and engage in a variety of different gesticulations as they approach his absurd presence. He eventually discovers that Leslie is having an affair with her boss (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and about to leave his brother in order to secure more financial resources. But through an act of trickery most sneaky and diabolical he is able to catch her lecherous employer out and about with another fling, thereby saving his brother's marriage (all the while dressed in the giant blue suit).
Kabluey's form is absurdist: it doesn't make much sense, just a number of odd scenes with colourful characters making one bizarre decision after another with little rhyme nor reason. Hence, it's structure is situated within a comedic void whose characteristics are troubled and tragic. Within this void, Salman wonders to and fro listening to everything he hears. The surrounding people don't seem to notice him even though he stands out like a piece of chalk on a paper clip. Hence, he's able to compile a great deal of information in the short time he spends in his new town, information that he can then disseminate since he has nothing to lose. Hence, he uses global universal ideals to moderately transform his local community who were blinded by his ludicrous omnipresence and thought he didn't notice, thereby demonstrating that the not-so-well-off members of a community are indeed capable of instigating positive change.
Kabluey's content is hit or miss; you'll like Prendergast's scenes and situations or you won't, but, either way, he does unleash a remarkable degree of creativity within which demonstrates that he may craft an exceptional comedic piece or two in the years to come. A great date flick or solid holiday rental, Kabluey illustrates that heart within happenstance can equal serenity and solidarity; all it takes is something different to docilely stir things up.
Kabluey's form is absurdist: it doesn't make much sense, just a number of odd scenes with colourful characters making one bizarre decision after another with little rhyme nor reason. Hence, it's structure is situated within a comedic void whose characteristics are troubled and tragic. Within this void, Salman wonders to and fro listening to everything he hears. The surrounding people don't seem to notice him even though he stands out like a piece of chalk on a paper clip. Hence, he's able to compile a great deal of information in the short time he spends in his new town, information that he can then disseminate since he has nothing to lose. Hence, he uses global universal ideals to moderately transform his local community who were blinded by his ludicrous omnipresence and thought he didn't notice, thereby demonstrating that the not-so-well-off members of a community are indeed capable of instigating positive change.
Kabluey's content is hit or miss; you'll like Prendergast's scenes and situations or you won't, but, either way, he does unleash a remarkable degree of creativity within which demonstrates that he may craft an exceptional comedic piece or two in the years to come. A great date flick or solid holiday rental, Kabluey illustrates that heart within happenstance can equal serenity and solidarity; all it takes is something different to docilely stir things up.
Candelabra
No no no, be careful,
things go bump in the night:
turn around, watch, wheel,
cross that t, chronicle it,
write it in your diary,
it'll be important, sincere,
trust your instincts,
flow and go, cup of tea,
sleepy time shot of the
sheriff in a frame on the
nightstand, fluffy little
pillows lavender scented
throughout the week, forests
and fairy tales and fortunes.
things go bump in the night:
turn around, watch, wheel,
cross that t, chronicle it,
write it in your diary,
it'll be important, sincere,
trust your instincts,
flow and go, cup of tea,
sleepy time shot of the
sheriff in a frame on the
nightstand, fluffy little
pillows lavender scented
throughout the week, forests
and fairy tales and fortunes.
Prologue
Wave upon wave
upon wave of ideas
and plans presented
throughout the course
of the day.
Jotted. Filed.
If there was a camera
a picture could have
been taken of that.
Wish I knew which specific
pears to order during
which season. That would
be easy to figure out.
No I don't.
upon wave of ideas
and plans presented
throughout the course
of the day.
Jotted. Filed.
If there was a camera
a picture could have
been taken of that.
Wish I knew which specific
pears to order during
which season. That would
be easy to figure out.
No I don't.
In the Woods at Dusk
Trenchant, verdant, distinct sounds,
outside within and all around,
these noises twilight's bold decrees
resound and ground serenity.
So many birds together sing
and call each other on the wing,
upon this furrow's reclining chair
their commune bright, their thoughts laid bare.
I sit and watch while the sun fades
through orangey pinkish enlightening grades
the songs slow down and finish up
and night descends like daylight's dust.
outside within and all around,
these noises twilight's bold decrees
resound and ground serenity.
So many birds together sing
and call each other on the wing,
upon this furrow's reclining chair
their commune bright, their thoughts laid bare.
I sit and watch while the sun fades
through orangey pinkish enlightening grades
the songs slow down and finish up
and night descends like daylight's dust.
Quantum of Solace
Marc Forster's Quantum of Solace is an excellent example of a film wherein the content does not skillfully match the form. There's a car chase followed by a foot race followed by a boat chase followed by a plane chase with lots of explosions and fighting and flesh. But I've come to expect more from a Bond film, Casino Royale having generated a strong desire to see their dimensions cohesively expand.
And these dimensions do slightly expand, it's just matter of the ways in which they unreel. There's a poignant scene where Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright) and Bond (Daniel Craig) exchange chides regarding whose country has exploited impoverished nations more prominently, each drinking away their remorse; the villain (Dominic Greene played by Mathieu Almaric) seeks to control Bolivia's water supply as opposed to their oil, an acknowledgement of the hypothesis that water will be the most sought after resource of the 20th century (and a critique of the privatization of water); villainous Greene seeks the CIA's support in overthrowing the Bolivian Government and states that a pseudo-tyranny is better than having a Marxist distributing oil profits amongst the people, Hugo Chavez's critics placed within a somewhat vituperative frame (the CIA operative who does not support these goals eventually receiving a promotion); and Bond-Girl Camille (Olga Kurylenko) has a disfiguring burn mark on her back (a sign that perhaps Bond girls will slowly stop being played by super models) and valiantly defeats the misogynistic ghoul General Medrano (Joaquín Cosio) during the final battle. At the same time, Dominic Greene is posing as an environmentalist, meaning that while writers Paul Haggis, Neal Purvis, and Robert Wade are deconstructing Bondian motifs, they are still working within their established guidelines (and by doing so subtly promoting centrist politics).
Unfortunately, the film is basically a randy action movie, complete with the aforementioned chase scenes and pandering gratuitous sex (although the pandering nature of this scene may be ironically lampooning fans searching for this kind of thing). The dialogue is strict, reticent, and acute, but often full of clichés and implausible realizations (notably the scene where Greene is introduced and Camille doesn't become irate even though he admits he just tried to have her killed). Greene's introduction works well insofar as he's the film's villain and there's no pomp and circumstance, and his character isn't prominently developed within (meaning that villains perhaps should not receive the same amount of attention as Bond standouts Le Chiffre or Max Zorin). But Bond's character isn't developed either and a lot of the action just shows him having blunt conversations (or not) before he kills someone. True, within he seeks to avenge the death of Casino Royale love interest Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), and providing someone blinded by rage with eloquent, dainty dialogue could slightly diminish this reality. However, this form could mean that the film's uninspired content is meant to connote that if one finds their motivations through revenge, they resoundingly risk living in a quantum of solace.
And these dimensions do slightly expand, it's just matter of the ways in which they unreel. There's a poignant scene where Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright) and Bond (Daniel Craig) exchange chides regarding whose country has exploited impoverished nations more prominently, each drinking away their remorse; the villain (Dominic Greene played by Mathieu Almaric) seeks to control Bolivia's water supply as opposed to their oil, an acknowledgement of the hypothesis that water will be the most sought after resource of the 20th century (and a critique of the privatization of water); villainous Greene seeks the CIA's support in overthrowing the Bolivian Government and states that a pseudo-tyranny is better than having a Marxist distributing oil profits amongst the people, Hugo Chavez's critics placed within a somewhat vituperative frame (the CIA operative who does not support these goals eventually receiving a promotion); and Bond-Girl Camille (Olga Kurylenko) has a disfiguring burn mark on her back (a sign that perhaps Bond girls will slowly stop being played by super models) and valiantly defeats the misogynistic ghoul General Medrano (Joaquín Cosio) during the final battle. At the same time, Dominic Greene is posing as an environmentalist, meaning that while writers Paul Haggis, Neal Purvis, and Robert Wade are deconstructing Bondian motifs, they are still working within their established guidelines (and by doing so subtly promoting centrist politics).
Unfortunately, the film is basically a randy action movie, complete with the aforementioned chase scenes and pandering gratuitous sex (although the pandering nature of this scene may be ironically lampooning fans searching for this kind of thing). The dialogue is strict, reticent, and acute, but often full of clichés and implausible realizations (notably the scene where Greene is introduced and Camille doesn't become irate even though he admits he just tried to have her killed). Greene's introduction works well insofar as he's the film's villain and there's no pomp and circumstance, and his character isn't prominently developed within (meaning that villains perhaps should not receive the same amount of attention as Bond standouts Le Chiffre or Max Zorin). But Bond's character isn't developed either and a lot of the action just shows him having blunt conversations (or not) before he kills someone. True, within he seeks to avenge the death of Casino Royale love interest Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), and providing someone blinded by rage with eloquent, dainty dialogue could slightly diminish this reality. However, this form could mean that the film's uninspired content is meant to connote that if one finds their motivations through revenge, they resoundingly risk living in a quantum of solace.
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