Last night I caught up to Daniel Craig's last dance as James Bond,
Spectre (2015), courtesy of Netflix. I found it entertaining, despite the lackluster performances of most of the cast. Although I realize Craig has chosen to play 007 as absolutely cold-blooded, his movements seemed too robotic at times. As usual, the action is well-staged and the exotic locations are a travel log in themselves. The story line is better than usual, as the villains' aim of worldwide domination involves information rather than nuclear annihilation. Blofeld returns in the form of Christophe Waltz, who delivers a completely bland turn, so pale compared to his usual brilliance. Andrew Scott, who was awesome as Moriarty in the BBC's modern take on Sherlock Holmes, is so-so as the smarmy new face of British intelligence. The Bond girls, Monica Bellucci and Lea Seydoux, who at 31 is in the midst of a top flight career, are what fans of the series would expect. The most refreshing aspect of the plot is the vital participation of Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) and especially the nerdy Q, wonderfully played by Ben Whishaw. I also enjoyed WWE superstar Dave Bautista's turn as a henchman reminiscent of Oddjob in
Goldfinger (1964). I chuckled aloud at gags involving an air bag and a keg of beer. Made on a budget estimated at an astonishing $245 million,
Spectre brought in "only" $199 million in the USA. I'm sure it doubled that worldwide and, when the DVD and streaming fees are tallied, I'm also sure the movie was a big financial success. It runs almost two-and-a-half hours. I did gaze at the clock a couple of times, which usually isn't a good sign. Still, it's a lot better than many of the films in the series, not as good as others, and I have a feeling its stature will grow in time. Perhaps there is more subtlety than I noticed to the performances. 237,000+ users have rated it at IMDb, forging to a consensus of 6.9 of ten, a bit low in my estimation. The commentary section, as usual, is heavily critical. Rumor has it that the next Bond will be black, as Moneypenny is in
Spectre. It would be interesting to see the reaction to that. My hunch is that box office would be unaffected, as the fans who protest will be replaced by an equal number who will relate to the change. Other than making Bond gay, there's not much more to be done. The main allure will always be the character's adventure.
I had Michigan St. reaching the finals in my NCAA tourney picks. It's loss to Middle Tennessee is a true upset, a term now overused by broadcasters. The Spartans have had great success through the years, winning several national championships. Usually, such early round KO's occur to teams that have always struggled on the big stage, such as Virginia, DePaul and, lately, Villanova. I know it's an unusual year, but I still expect the big names, Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, to go far.
My thanks to the kind folks who bought books today, especially Bad News Billy, who was very generous. He said I look like Robert DeNiro and asked if that insulted me. Naturally, I replied "a little bit," raising my right hand, tiny space between my extended thumb and index finger, as the actor did in that iconic scene in
Goodfellas (1990). I poured through four pages of images and, to my chagrin, was unable to find a still shot of it. I bet I'd find it if I looked again tomorrow.
Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
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