Weekly Review -- Bond. James Bond.

Quantum of Solace (2008) -- Daniel Craig's second outing as James Bond cements his status as the toughest James Bond since Sean Connery and, while not nearly as emotionally invested as Casino Royale, this Marc Forster film is an excellent addition to the 007 franchise.

While investigating the organization that was behind his lover's death in the previous film, Bond runs into industrialist Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric), CEO of the Greene Planet corporation, who has sinister plans for a country's natural resources. Along the way, Bond joins forces with Camille (Olga Kurylenko) -- a mysterious woman collaborating with Greene -- and, after going rogue, is pursued by a reliably sarcastic M (Judi Dench) and prissy consulate agent Fields (Gemma Arterton).

The movie boasts some of the most impressive stunt work and visual effects in recent years. The locations offer great settings for the elaborate action sequences, including a car chase that will take your breath away. With previous films like Finding Neverland and Stay, Forster has shown an eye for distinctive visual set-ups and a particular sensitivity toward cinematography, all qualities that place Quantum of Solace above standard action fare. In terms of depth, at times it seems that Forster is trying to merge the remnants of Casino Royale's often witty and enamored Bond with the now rougher-than-ever secret agent; these efforts work, creating an even more unpredictable lead character than the one we last saw. In Casino Royale, Bond had essentially proved he was a cold, trained killer; add motive and loss to the character's current predicament, and you get an unstoppable force, one that is capable of turning gravity upside down.

The acting is, once again, on the mark. Craig is as dry as that infamous Martini, only occasionally allowing raw feeling to peek out from beneath Bond's hardened exterior. As far as the female bombshells go, it has to be said that not one of them comes even close to Eva Green's sharp subtlety and innocent sex appeal. There, now that we have that fact out of the way, I will say that the women are more than eye candy, but less than memorable. Kurylenko lends a melancholy to Camille who, apart from a nasty scar on her back, also has a massive chip on her shoulder; however, the screenplay wastes Arterton in the role of Fields, which is a shame, since her clever quirkiness was pointing to a potentially distinctive Bond girl.

As villain Greene, Amalric is greedily sinister, making me wish that his character had been developed further and given more interaction with Bond. A lot more keeps simmering underneath the surface of his and Bond's conversations than meets the eye; one gets the sense that a mind game can be drawn out of every word. The best exchanges, though, come from M and Bond's encounters. Almost familial in its comfortable verbal jabs, their banter deepens the relationship between Bond as the rebel student and M as his strict, yet matronly, boss and mentor. Daniel Craig and Dame Judi Dench perfectly complement one another, and their rapport is one of the most genuine aspects of Quantum.

While Casino Royale had operated on a more poignant level, Quantum of Solace has a lot to offer on its own. Yes, there are action sequences taylor made for the big screen and BluRay technology; yes, there are beautiful women and fast cars and cool locales whizzing by. Still, the main theme of the movie is the world's best known secret agent's evolution, seen through a unique view of the dangerous roads he travels, in order to preserve what he had paid dearly for in another one of his nine lives.

8/10

Weekly Review -- Romcom to romcom

Love and Other Disasters (2006) -- A jolly candy of a romantic comedy, this Alex Keshishian film is an insightful look at love and... well, the title really says it all. U.K. Vogue intern Emily Jackson (Brittany Murphy), known as 'Jacks' to her friends, enjoys setting them up with potential partners. Her lovelorn best friend Peter (Matthew Rhys) thinks that Jacks should pay more attention to her own lukewarm love life, but both of them, like their friends, are busy hooking up with dead-end mates. At a photo shoot, Jacks meets photographer's assistant Paolo (Santiago Cabrera), immediately matching him up in her mind to Peter and sending them out on a date. However, Paolo has his sights set on someone else... The structure of this movie is what makes it very different from the usual romcom fare. The movie enjoys referencing itself and placing its own story in a cinematic context, using the usual genre clichés to break down the fourth wall in reverse, so to speak. The movie-within-a-movie device works miracles here, making the characters even more relatable, and the casting is very appealing. Murphy's trademark wide-eyed confusion serves her well in the role of a rather ditzy matchmaker -- one who graduated from Clueless, perhaps? -- and Rhys is a delight as her counterpart. Cabrera is charming as Paolo; his exchanges with Murphy's character are full of life. I also enjoyed the various cameo appearances, including one of the always hilarious Dawn French. You will have to discover the rest of this movie's surprises on your own, since I would never tell; just rest assured that you are in for a sweet treat and a refreshing perspective on that ole devil called love.

7/10

Weekly Review -- Playing with life

Pathology (2008) -- A blend of clichés we have seen before and some new horror elements, this movie is often frightening, but in very poor taste for most of its running time. In a nutshell, it is a mutated, over-the-top descendant of Anatomy, The Skulls and Extreme Measures. Young, ambitious and unrealistically accomplished, Dr. Ted Grey (Milo Ventimiglia) joins a prestigious pathology program, and soon discovers a cutesy little game other interns like to play; namely, killing people in order to find out how to commit that elusive perfect murder. Ethically challenged, to say the least, he joins them in their quest, but soon finds the game spiraling out of control... This movie contains some of the most violent, cynical and relentless examples of life and death exploitation this side of Saw. It is one thing for a movie to hang on to its tongue-in-cheek attitude while lining up philosophically inclined, possibly even morbid, jokes; this, kids, is what we call dark humor. It is quite another, however, for a movie to make an attempt to cover up its disrespect for human life using the same kind of quips, not to mention themes such as rape and incest. The buckets of blood do not help its cause, and the unnecessary sex is only there for titillation purposes. As far as the acting goes, the leads do a decent job. Ventimiglia walks a fine line between morality and ambiguity as Dr. Grey, and Michael Weston radiates disturbed temptation from every word as Dr. Jake Gallo, the alpha male of the interns. The screenplay tries in vain to ponder the value and meaning of existence, but only succeeds in intersecting the heaps of gore with quasi-profound diatribe. The most chilling aspect of the movie is how it portrays the medical profession -- as a domain of egotistical, homicidal maniacs, who enjoy playing with what they should hold sacred. You do not want to run into any of these so-called doctors, who most likely have never even learned to pronounce the name of the Hippocratic Oath, let alone adhere to its principles. I am not sure if there is some sort of background check for individuals who apply to medical schools, but Pathology shows that there should be, lest one should suffer from an incurable God complex. Diagnosis: D.O.A.

5/10

Weekly Review -- When checking in means checking out

Vacancy (2007) -- As far as troubled-couple-in-jeopardy plotlines go, Nimród Antal's Vacancy is far less intimidating than my Halloween pick, The Strangers; still, it stands on its own as a nasty, messy little thriller. Amy and David Fox (Kate Beckinsale and Luke Wilson) are not merely bickering. Torn apart by loss, they spend a great part of a return trip home throwing verbal darts at one another, each one paradoxically trying to hurt and heal the other at the same time. When their car breaks down, they find themselves at a dirt cheap motel, with only a creepy desk clerk (Frank Whaley) and a few worn out video tapes for company. As if they had not gone through enough, what they find on those tapes puts them directly in the path of danger... The movie derives its suspense from Amy and David literally getting cornered, with the perpetrators attempting to beat them to a psychological pulp. The main strength of Vacancy can be found in details like loud knocks and unnerving silences, as well as the general unpredictability of the attackers; however, the effective suspense gives way to not-so-subtle action midway through the proceedings, which makes the movie lose its initial power. Beckinsale and Wilson are convincing as the conflicted couple; Beckinsale especially demonstrates a raw vulnerability that slowly grows into unsurpassed survival instinct. I could not help but notice tiny homages to Psycho, from the opening and closing credits design, to the music, to the initial exchange between the clerk and the couple. Although the movie is not in the same league as the ultimate motel-from-hell chiller, it does make you think twice about all the secrets that the numerous roadside establishments strewn across North America may be hiding. Bad for business? Sure, but great for a night of scares.

7/10

Weekly Review -- Intensity times ten

The Strangers (2008) -- Remember the opening sequence from When a Stranger Calls, universally regarded as one of the most frightening openers ever? Imagine this sequence's inventiveness combined with the resourceful intellect and cinematic techniques of Them -- a French suspenser which, if you read these pages, you know has impressed me -- and you get the merciless, intense torture that is The Strangers. This is without a doubt the scariest film you will see this year, and one of the rare offerings that can brag about being capable of justifying all of the blurbs on its DVD cover. Troubled couple Kristen McKay (Liv Tyler) and James Hoyt (Scott Speedman) return to James's parents' summer house after a friend's wedding. Between their communication breakdown and the problems they are having, they cannot wait for the day to be over. However, the problems are just starting for the two, in the form of three masked assailants who are about to intrude upon their night, their lives and their sanity... Ruthless psychological terror is too mild of a description for this movie. From the very first knock on the door and that haunting, disjointed voice, to the last sequence, the movie hammers the audience with tension. Director/writer Bryan Bertino uses slow, deliberate camerawork and minimalist music to create a mood that escalates from the couple's quiet skepticism of what is happening, to instinctual apprehension toward the reality of the situation and, finally, to full-blown horror at the intruders' violent mind games. The camera occasionally veers into documentary style territory, making the events unfolding before us even more frightening; kudos must also go to the filmmakers for not overwhelming the movie with a pompous, clichéd, jump-up thriller score. As far as the acting goes, Tyler and Speedman convey the couple's confusion and fear very well, portraying two people who find themselves crossing a bridge from everyday bickering to a terrifying home invasion. The actors playing the intruders -- Kip Weeks, Laura Margolis and Gemma Ward -- are excellent at demonstrating major intimidation using barely any dialogue and subtle, almost passive body language. Storywise, there are some lapses of logic to be found. Why do Kristen and James not lock the door while staying in such a remote area? Why do they open the door at 4 A.M. without asking who is standing outside at this hour? Still, in no way do these glitches reduce the effectiveness of The Strangers, simply because the prosaic plot elements are not a factor in the deeply unsettling impression that this piece makes. In the context of the proceedings, the actions of the couple are neither what makes the movie tick, nor what can make the story weaker. Rather, it is the unseen and the imagined, the predatory and the sneaky that makes its mark, skillfully calculating one move after the next, whilst encroaching upon the most familiar space of all -- your home.

8/10