Throughout the initial century of moviemaking, the default style of commercial cinema was classical; it was meticulous and patient. At least in theory, every composition and camera move had a meaning, a purpose. Movies did not cut without good reason, as it was considered sloppy, even amateurish. Mainstream films once prided themselves on keeping you the viewer well-oriented because they wanted to make sure you always knew where you were and what was happening.

Chaos cinema apes the illiteracy of the modern movie trailer. It consists of a barrage of high-voltage scenes. Every single frame runs on adrenaline. Every shot feels like the hysterical climax of a scene which an earlier movie might have spent several minutes building toward. Chaos cinema is a never-ending crescendo of flair and spectacle. It's a shotgun aesthetic, firing a wide swath of sensationalistic technique that tears the old classical filmmaking style to bits. Directors who work in this mode aren't interested in spatial clarity. It doesn�t matter where you are, and it barely matters if you know what's happening onscreen. The new action films are fast, florid, volatile audiovisual war zones.

One exception is given to Kathryn Bigelow's The Hurt Locker, saying the film offers the viewer a glimpse at a scene from the character's perspective, but at the same time detaches itself in an effort to give the audience some understanding of what's going on. It's a valid point and I also think the same could be said for Paul Greengrass' Bourne films, which are featured in the videos, but not commented on for reasons I'm not exactly clear on. I felt Greengrass was attempting to give the viewer a third person, real world approach with his Bourne features and the only real reason they are of note now is because filmmakers took audience love for that immersion and ran wild with it as "shaky cam" became a point of derision as the years went by.

Stork does include Battle: Los Angeles, which I believe could have been better used in a direct comparison with Ridley Scott's Black Hawk Down. The one was clearly trying to be the other in style and vision, but considering they were two different beasts I think his point of perspective would have been hammered home rather than passively commented on in the second video.

As he points out with The Hurt Locker (but not with the Bourne films or Black Hawk Down), this new way of filmmaking can be used to an action director's advantage and not always a bad thing. Personally, I would also say I've never had much of a problem following these action scenes in the way Stork seems to, but then again I've always enjoyed excellent sound design, which is one of the reasons I also love the opening car chase from Quantum of Solace, of which Stork rips apart. As a film that is meant to directly move from Casino Royale, I thought that sequence immediately thrust you back into the story at a breathless pace. Yes, you may be disoriented and weary afterward, but I was always under the impression that was the intention. Get your heart racing and your mind into the action, the exposition followed shortly thereafter to help you gain your bearings.

This isn't to say I'm a fan of this new style of filmmaking, it gives me a headache in a lot of cases just like everyone else and for the most part a lot of the glossy, commercial-style editing has turned most action scenes into non-starters. They all roll together and aren't necessarily hard to understand, but instead hard to care about. There are filmmakers, however, that are doing it right, but as Greengrass showed with Green Zone, even those with an understanding of the medium sometimes get it wrong and even Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins and The Dark Knight aren't free from exception as they too move in a little too close at times in an attempt to gain intimacy, but sometimes losing clarity.

Watch the two videos below, I would love to hear what you think.

	QUICK THOUGHTS: I watched the last half of Quantum of Solace, as I mentioned last night, during USA's James Bond marathon this weekend. Also as I mentioned yesterday, I actually prefer this one over Casino Royale, but purely for entertainment reasons, not because I actually think it's a better film. In terms of story and structure Casino Royale blows it out of the water, but just something about the nasty and dirty vibe I get from this one simply does it for me.

	QUICK THOUGHTS: I hadn't seen this film since I first saw it in theaters back in 2004 and I have been meaning to watch it again for about a year now and I finally found the time. The main reason I wanted to watch it is because of how much people gush over it, but I didn't remember loving it to that degree. Watching it again I can certainly say it's a good film and one I enjoy, but I still don't believe it's anything too overwhelming as much as it is an easy film to ease into, get a few laughs, a few smiles and I really do love the ending.

So tell me, what did you watch? Were any of you forced to suffer through Mr. Popper's Penguins? Did you go see Green Lantern?]]> http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/casino-royale-helmer-calls-quantum-solace-bit-mess This weekend Martin Campbell saw his latest film, Green Lantern, hit theaters, but Campbell is probably best known for The Mask of Zorro and rebooting the James Bond franchise... twice. Campbell's GoldenEye brought Bond back to the big screen for the first time since 1989's Licence to Kill. Then, after Pierce Brosnan's turn as 007 continued to go further and further downhill, finally ending in 2002 with Die Another Day, Campbell brought Bond back from the dead yet again in 2006 with Casino Royale with Daniel Craig in the lead role.

In 2008 Marc Forster picked up the Bond mantle with Quantum of Solace, a film that wasn't favored by critics as much as Casino Royale (though I actually slightly prefer it to the former), and now Campbell has taken this moment to speak out on the film, which I actually just finished watching the last half on USA's James Bond marathon. It's one of the reasons I even decided to write about this story as I found the timing of the following quote a bit ironic.

Campbell, speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, "Oh, I thought it was lousy, and hopefully this next one will be terrific," he said. "Sam Mendes is directing it and I'm sure it'll be terrific." And that's not all he had to say.

"I just thought the story was pretty uninteresting," Campbell said. "I didn't think the action was related to the characters. I just thought overall it was a bit of a mess really."

Now, while I actually enjoy the experience of watching Quantum of Solace a bit more than I do Casino Royale, I can't argue with a thing Campbell is saying. Quantum's story was a bit of a mess and the action didn't relate to the characters. The villain was also rather weak, but I just enjoy the intensity of it. I loved the degree to which they took the "Bond goes rogue" element.

As Campbell mentioned, Mendes is directing James Bond 23, which is expected to go into production later this year for a November 9, 2012 release.

You tell me, what do you think of Campbell's comments and are you looking forward to Mendes taking over?]]> http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/this-week-on-dvd-and-blu-ray-may-12-2009

Two titles you won't see in the release date section below are the Watchmen Director's Cut and the 300 (The Complete Experience) Blu-ray, but both have just been confirmed with July 28 and July 21 release dates respectively. Both updates came too late for this report and will be included on the next one, but a complete write up can be found right here, which includes artwork and special features.

Now, for today's releases...

Star Trek: Original Motion Picture Collections
	I am anxiously awaiting my very own copy of the full original crew Star Trek movie series as I only own Wrath of Khan and The Voyage Home on DVD and haven't seen the others in a long, long time. As a matter of fact, I can hardly remember what the other four films are about. Search for Spock is pretty much self-explanatory and I know the one where they find God (or some sort of deity is awful, but I can't remember what the first one is about (outside of that one bald chick) and I think it is the sixth one that is actually pretty good, but I can't remember exactly. However, I look forward to the opportunity to revisit them all in Blu-ray and from what I understand a review copy will be in my possession soon (and, unfortunately, it appears review copies of the complete collection weren't sent out to anyone just yet so I can't even link to a review). What you have here are two options when buying these. The first is the all-encompassing "Original Motion Picture Collection" which is only available on Blu-ray and includes all six original crew films as well as a large group of special features, which you can read about here and I will be able to tell you about once the discs arrive. The one thing I do know is Wrath of Khan is the only film of the six that has received a full remastering, a la what Paramount did for the recent Blu-ray release of the Godfather trilogy. The second option is available on both DVD and Blu-ray and includes what Paramount is calling the "Motion Picture Trilogy" and it includes Wrath of Khan, Search for Spock and The Voyage Home. The Buy Now link below will give you buying options for all three.

Licence to Kill and The Man with the Golden Gun Blu-rays
	Fox and MGM released these two all quiet-like and from what I understand they were part of some Best Buy box set collection when Quantum of Solace was released and are finally being released individually. Personally I love both of these Bond films and Timothy Dalton's two films happen to be two of my favorite, even though I wasn't especially keen on him as Bond. While I prefer Living Daylights over Licence to Kill, I will definitely be picking this one up. Same goes for The Man with the Golden Gun, which is certainly campy, but it is probably my favorite Roger Moore Bond one of the more entertaining Bond flicks in my opinion.

Taken (Extended Cut)
	Fox hit pay dirt with Taken as it has now made $144 million at the domestic box-office and over $220 million worldwide. Considering it was released at the end of January with little to no expectations it has gone on to do quite well. I am expecting a Blu-ray review copy soon so I hope to have a review for you shortly.

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
	Meh, I didn't care for this film, and this is coming from someone that actually likes the first two.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation - The Complete First Season
	I just did a mini-review feature for this release as well as "Dexter" season two on Blu-ray and the "Star Trek" original series Blu-ray release right here, so check that out for a longer opinion, but for me this is a great release and the fact the season is presented in widescreen for the first time and Paramount didn't stick with the 2000 fullscreen presentation is a great bonus.

S. Darko: A Donnie Darko Tale
	I have no interest in this one being one of those folks that doesn't ride the Donnie Darko bandwagon and from the small amount of early buzz I have read this sequel does not impress.

Passengers
	Sony did its very best to make sure no one saw this when it released in theaters so why would you want to waste your money buying it on home video?

The Grudge 3
	I actually really enjoyed the first The Grudge American remake (which is available on Blu-ray in the "Even More" section below), but the sequel was awful and I don't expect anything at all from this direct-to-video return to the franchise which comes with the following short synopsis: Kayako's curse from The Grudge and The Grudge 2 continues killing the residents of a Chicago apartment building. News of these deaths reaches Japan, where Kayako's sister knows the secret that could end the grudge once and for all. Will she be able to stop the raging spirit, or will she become another victim? Basically, more of the same but made for less.

Paramount Catalog Blu-ray Major League / Wayne's World / Wayne's World 2 / Black Sheep / Without a Paddle
	Paramount is the king of catalog Blu-ray releases and today they release five comedic titles with only one of them really worth the purchase... that is, if you are looking for my opinion. My pick for purchase (if you feel you need to buy one of these) would be Major League. I remember when this film first hit cable. It must have been around 1991 or so and I would record my favorite movies off HBO and watch them over and over again. Well, I think there must have been about a month in there somewhere when I watched this movie every single night. I absolutely loved everything about this movie and still find it funny today. As for the Wayne's World films, they were really a product of their time and I don't think they carry much of a nostalgic effect -- after all, the sequel sucked. Without a Paddle I have yet to see and while I was never a die-hard Chris Farley fan I am sure there are some out there that probably think Black Sheep is the one title to buy here, even though I think most will admit Tommy Boy is the quintessential Farley flick.

The Best of Star Trek: "The Original Series" and "The Next Generation"
	I haven't watched these yet, but one comes with what are deemed to be the four "best" episodes from the original "Star Trek" series and the other with four "best" episodes from "Next Generation". I was never a fan of "Next Generation" so I have no comment on the four episodes they offer, but I can tell you they are "The Best of Both Worlds" parts one and two, "Yesterday's Enterprise" and "The Measure of a Man." I'm going to check them out and see if the series may be worth a revisit, but I'm not expecting much. As for the original series you get "The City on the Edge of Forever," "The Trouble with Tribbles," "Balance of Terror" and "Amok Time." Of the original series selections, "Trouble with Tribbles" is a no-brainer and I think the other three are solid choices as well, even though they probably aren't my four favorite. "Tribbles," while certainly memorable, is one that wears thing really quick and this is going to sound incredibly geeky, but as interesting as "Amok Time" is the T'Pau character annoys the hell out of me. Had I been making this list I am not quite sure what four exactly I would have included, but "Who Mourns for Adonais?" and "A Piece of the Action" (both from season two) are definitely my two favorite episodes. I also think it would be great to somehow find a way to put "Spock's Brain" on some kind of DVD set, an episode where Spock's brain is actually removed from his head... classic stuff. And people are complaining about the plot in the new film. Go figure.

• Two and a Half Men: The Complete Fifth Season
• Taking Chance
• Seth MacFarlane's Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy
• Fargo [Blu-ray]
• Personal Effects (Kathy Bates, Ashton Kutcher and Michelle Pfeiffer?)
• Alexander Korda's Private Lives (Criterion)
• Galaxy Quest (Deluxe Edition)
• Behind Enemy Lines Ultimate Collection
• Action Hero Collection (The Day After Tomorrow / I, Robot / The Terminator) [Blu-ray]
• War Hero Collection (Behind Enemy Lines / Patton / Rescue Dawn) [Blu-ray]
• Big (Extended Edition) [Blu-ray]
• There's Something About Mary [Blu-ray]
• The Good, the Bad and the Ugly [Blu-ray]
• The Grudge [Blu-ray]

• Race to Witch Mountain (2-Disc Extended Edition) (buy now)
  Releasing on August 4, 2009
• Knowing (buy now)
  Releasing on July 7, 2009
• Scrubs - The Complete Eighth Season (buy now)
  Releasing on August 25, 2009
• Race to Witch Mountain (buy now)
  Releasing on August 4, 2009
• Two Lovers (buy now)
  Releasing on June 30, 2009
• Outlander (buy now)
  Releasing on May 19, 2009
• New in Town (buy now)
  Releasing on May 26, 2009
• Fanboys (buy now)
  Releasing on May 19, 2009
• Killshot (buy now)
  Releasing on May 26, 2009
• Push (buy now)
  Releasing on July 7, 2009
• Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (Unleashed and Unrated) (buy now)
  Releasing on June 30, 2009
• The Pink Panther 2 (buy now)
  Releasing on June 23, 2009
• 12 Rounds (Extreme Cut) (buy now)
  Releasing on June 30, 2009

• Knowing (buy now)
  Releasing on July 7, 2009
• Midnight Express (buy now)
  Releasing on July 21, 2009
• Scrubs - The Complete Eighth Season
  Releasing on November 17, 2009
• Natural Born Killers (Director's Cut)
  Releasing on August 25, 2009
• Race to Witch Mountain
  Releasing on August 4, 2009
• New in Town (buy now)
  Releasing on May 26, 2009
• Push (buy now)
  Releasing on July 7, 2009
• Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (Unleashed and Unrated) (buy now)
  Releasing on June 30, 2009
• The Pink Panther 2 (buy now)
  Releasing on June 23, 2009
• 12 Rounds (Extreme Cut) (buy now)
  Releasing on June 30, 2009

Let's begin this look at the classic Bonds first. Unlike last time around when we got six classic titles in Volumes 1 and#038; 2 of Bond on Blu-ray, this time we only get one volume and only one of them is worth owning, which will have many completists scratching their heads asking if they should only buy the one or come up with the extra scratch to make sure they don't have a couple of gaps in their collection.

Volume 3 of Fox's James Bond on Blu-ray collections comes with Goldfinger, Moonraker and The World is Not Enough. Goldfinger, an obvious classic, stars Connery as Bond as he takes on Auric Goldfinger whose goal is to destroy all the gold in Fort Knox, destroying the world economy. After Goldfinger, though, there is little to talk about in terms of quality cinema. Moonraker and The World is Not Enough, in my opinion, are the two worst Bond films in Moore and Brosnan's respective careers. Moonraker is simply absurd, ending in a goofy laser battle in space and The World is Not Enough suffers from problems such as casting Denise Richards as a nuclear chemist named Christmas Jones, which should be enough to explain how bad it is altogether. However, I will say Sophie Marceau as Elektra King, the first main female villain in the Bond series of films, is certainly a pleasure to look at.

As for the high-definition presentation, it is just as good as the first round with the three titles duplicating the supplemental material found on the 2006 Ultimate Edition DVD releases. The only difference in these releases compared to the DVD releases is a visual upgrade and while the DVD versions were digitally remastered and the majority of supplemental material was saved for the second disc, you are going to see an upgrade. However, this is one of the first times I have watched a Blu-ray and felt there was something of an artificial look to it all. Moonraker, primarily, seemed to have received a high level of digital noise reduction. The picture remains stunning, but on occasion the DNR is a bit noticeable. Goldfinger didn't appear to have as much DNR done to it and The World is Not Enough is likely new enough they left it alone the most.

One bothersome aspect of these Blu-rays is Fox insists on releasing three-film volumes while the DVD volumes contained five films each. This, of course, is a way for the studio to price gouge the consumer as Blu-rays continue to be overpriced, but even more annoying is how after three volumes they still haven't completely replaced one of the original four DVD sets. So, not only will you have to buy (at the least) six volumes to complete your Bond Blu-ray collection, if you are replacing your DVD volumes you still can't give one of them to a friend since you are still missing a movie or two from each one. I know, a petty complaint, but it is rather annoying.

So, without beating a dead horse, the economical recommendation is to buy Goldfinger separate from all three films. Unlike when the Ultimate Edition DVDs were initially released Fox is allowing consumers to buy the titles separately and not only in the volume packaging. Buying Volume 3 at Amazon will run you $57.99 while Goldfinger alone runs you $23.99 and you can still buy the first two Blu-ray volumes at Amazon for $97.99. You just have to ask yourself how important it is to you to have all the films to complete your collection.

Moving on we come to Never Say Never Again, something of an unofficial Bond film. While it still stars Sean Connery, it was not made by EON Productions and was made in 1983, 12 years after Connery last starred as Bond in the disappointing Diamonds are Forever. The film is something of a remake of Thunderball, which Connery starred in as Bond in 1965 and as a result of its release, like in 1967, two Bond films were released in the same year, but neither by the same production company. While Connery was making his final appearance as 007, Roger Moore was starring in Octopussy. The two films didn't compete against one another in terms of release date, although they were originally going to, but overall Octopussy won out in terms of box-office success and certainly in the memory of the movie going public.

While Roger Ebert has a review of the film giving it three-and-a-half stars out of four I can't say I agree with his opinion here. For me this film stunk from the outset, and not because the well known gun barrel introduction isn't here, but simply because it doesn't work and listening to director Irvin Kershner (Empire Strikes Back, RoboCop 2) in the commentary and featurettes he appears to agree with me.

The film begins with a good premise with Connery returning as an aged James Bond. He begins going through a training regimen and all the while hits on every woman aiding him. However, it no longer felt like the suave Bond was doing the bedding, it reminded me of why I have such a problem with Roger Moore as Bond -- it seems like Bond has just become some creepy old man. To me this version of Bond felt as if Connery was playing Roger Moore playing James Bond. The idea of getting the original actor to reprise his role as a character he played 12 years prior is great, but when it is put together as poorly as this story was it's pointless.

The script, which was originally written by Lorenzo Semple Jr. (who you can now catch online as part of Reel Geezers), gets a rather negative reception in the featurettes included. Connery is quoted saying something to the effect of "This is not what I signed on for." Semple mentions how his script simply wasn't action packed enough. However, the best quote is when someone says of the script there are "two distinct problems: the story and the dialogue." Not much left after that.

Semple's script got an uncredited rewrite from Ian La Frenais and Dick Clement and in one of the interview pieces La Frenais and Clement comment on the opening sequence, which they admittedly loved when they first saw it as Bond is seen infiltrating some kind of enemy bunker. However, like me, they hated the fact the silly theme song was played over the entire thing. This was one of the things that immediately tipped me off and led me to believe I may be in for a long 134 minutes. The song made it all seem like a joke and this film does have a slightly lighter tone to it, but in their attempt to duplicate the satirical nature of the other Bonds they made something that came off almost as a parody.

Rowan Atkinson's appearances in the film are distracting to say the least and I was never buying Pamela Salem as Miss Moneypenny. However, the film is not an entire failure. One sequence specifically involving a shark chasing Bond underwater was extremely well done considering the majority of underwater action scenes in films are typically slow and boring. This one had a certain level of tension added, which was a bit of a surprise considering the clich�d nature of it all.

Kershner has very little overtly positive comments about the film, but his audio commentary with Bond historian Steven Jay Rubin is quite entertaining and fact filled, and may be the only reason to buy this disc. The three included featurettes do add a little to the value with quotes from Kershner saying, "I don't fault the actors in the picture. I fault what I had to work with." Followed by his comments on Connery's positive attitude and work ethic saying, "The only good memory was Sean. If he hadn't been Bond I don't think it would have been finished."

As far as the high-definition picture goes I can't speak for its improvement over any previous releases since I had not seen it before, but I wouldn't consider myself bowled over. This isn't to say the high-definition transfer isn't top notch, it is to say I could hardly be interested to even consider it. The images are boring, for lack of a better word. Nothing about this film impresses outside of a final shot of Kim Basinger underwater with her golden hair framing her face following a climactic moment in the film -- that shot is outstanding.

Unfortunately, I would never recommend anyone buy this, but giving it a rent, just to catch up on the back-story wouldn't necessarily be a bad idea. One person said to me this was better than Thunderball, which I don't agree with, but even if it were is that really saying all that much?

Finally, we come to the latest installment in the James Bond franchise, Quantum of Solace, a Bond film that didn't exactly receive a resounding applause from all corners, but I personally believe it is much better than Casino Royale, especially in terms of rewatchability. However, I have said just about everything I could ever think of saying about this film already.

I gave the film a "B+" in my review. Here's a snippet from the opening in which I compare it to Casino Royale:

Both have a comparable amount of action, but Quantum of Solace isn�t as interested in over developing its story thus removing nearly 45 minutes of Royale�s running time, a move I applaud and welcome. As good as Casino Royale was the first time around, it does not hold up as well on repeated viewings due to a story that is far more bloated than it need be. Quantum has no such problem as action set pieces are the story and they are quite fun to watch.

It plays very similar to an Empire Strikes Back in the middle of a trilogy. There is an obvious attempt to set up a SPECTRE-like global crime organization that could be unraveled in the 23rd Bond film or set in action for several films to come. Fortunately, none of the downer, middle-of-the-road reviews kept audiences away as the film opened to a franchise record $70+ million and could become the first film in franchise history to approach, and possible exceed, the $200 million mark domestically.

As for this Blu-ray release, the film itself is as impressive as it gets. I can't imagine this looks any different than its theatrical presentation with a solid preservation of film grain, deep blacks and an emphasis on the impressive cinematography by Roberto Schaefer. However, the special features are more-or-less garbage.

The only feature worth a moment of your time is the 25-minute "Bond on Location" featurette, which even still is over produced and feels as if it was made for television and I wouldn't be surprised if actually had aired somewhere prior to the film's release. The rest of the featurettes are all around 3 minutes long and were previously seen online during promotion of the film. Other than that you get the music video of the new Bond theme song "Another Way to Die" by Alicia Keys and Jack White and teaser and theatrical trailers.

Despite the lack of supplements and absence of a commentary, which I can only assume will come when Fox gets around to releasing a special edition version, I think this is a solid buy, but only because I love the film so much. This, of course, means if you were so-so on the film and were looking to benefit from solid supplemental material you may want to hold off because this is not what you are looking for. How Fox decided to release a Bond Blu-ray without a single Blu-ray exclusive feature taking advantage of the media is beyond me. How do studios expect to get consumers to buy these things for an increased price if they don't give them added incentive?

In summary, if you have stayed with me for this long (congratulations on that), of the five new Bond titles I would say only Goldfinger and Quantum of Solace are worth adding to your collection. I am sure completists will be torn on which way to go with the lesser titles, and I feel for you being a completist myself, but when it comes to Moonraker and The World is Not Enough, if you already own them do you really need them in high-definition? As for Never Say Never Again I can see picking that one up considering it does hold a little place in Bond and film history, but still, how many times are you really going to watch it?

To buy any of the titles mentioned here you can click here and take your pick.]]> http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/this-week-on-dvd-and-blu-ray-march-24-2009

Well, it's a James Bond week as we have several new releases from 007. We also have a pair of Francois Truffaut films coming to Blu-ray from Criterion and Paramount has released two new films from its Centennial Collection. On top of that I think this is the first time ever that all of the announced new released dates have "buy now" links with them should you feel the need to preorder some of the latest titles announced including a new Criterion release of Bergman's The Seventh Seal as well as Paramount prestige releases including Benjamin Button, Revolutionary Road and Defiance.

I should also note that Bolt will be releasing on DVD today after the Blu-ray saw an early release on Sunday. I detailed this film in my recap last week and should you be interested in what I had to say click here or just click here and buy it already.

Let's get this party started!

Two Francois Truffaut Criterion Collection Blu-rays The 400 Blows / The Last Metro
	If you don't want to read my two page review of these two new Criterion Blu-ray titles I will sum it all up for you quite simply... buy them both.

Quantum of Solace
	I just received this Blu-ray yesterday and was able to watch the movie last night but none of the supplements. I should have a review by the end of the day or some time tomorrow. However, I can tell you right now I love this film and this is a great release. Many times I hear people complaining about Fox and their use of DNR with their Blu-ray releases but film grain is present in this release and the DTS audio track puts your speakers through a serious workout. However, the special features look to be seriously lacking without any kind of special Blu-ray extras. Do I smell a double-dip?

James Bond Blu-ray Wave 2 Goldfinger / The World is Not Enough / Moonraker
	It's a James Bond Tuesday as not only do we have Quantum of Solace hitting shelves, but also the second wave of Bond Blu-rays. I reviewed the first wave last October and haven't received this second wave yet and I will say it isn't exactly awe inspiring outside of Goldfinger. I consider The World is Not Enough the worst of the Brosnan Bonds and Moonraker is not exactly stellar either. It is worth noting that should you decide to take the dive into James Bond Blu-rays this week you can also get the first two Bond Blu-ray sets which include Dr. No, Die Another Day, Live and Let Die, For Your Eyes Only, From Russia with Love and Thunderball for $64.95 at Amazon right now by clicking here and that is $115.01 off the original list price.

Never Say Never Again (Collector's Edition)
	Here's our final new Bond release for the day and would you believe I have actually never seen this one? I just received it along with Quantum and hope to have it finished in the next couple of days, but I am really anxious as it means I have a brand new James Bond to watch. The features include a commentary with director Irvin Kershner and James Bond historian Jay Rubin and a trio of featurettes so I shouldn't be too long giving it a debut spin.

The Centennial Collection To Catch a Thief / The Odd Couple
	Between these two I have watched To Catch a Thief and also listened to a couple minutes of the awful commentary track, but that's as far as I have gotten with these two. I am anxious to watch The Odd Couple since both Matthau and Lemmon are comedy gold and I am hoping the second disc on To Catch a Thief is better than the pompous audio commentary on the feature film. These are the sixth and seventh releases in Paramount's Centennial Collection and in terms of features and video quality they continue to live up and it is nice to see studios finally treating their classic films with a little bit of respect. I always think it is a shame that someone like Criterion has to get hold of these before they are given the treatment they deserve. That's like handing your child off to a stranger in order to finally get them clothes that fit. It just doesn't make sense.

Watchmen: Tales of the Black Freighter
	I already reviewed this one and just yesterday posted a pair of clips from the release. My short review will tell you not to buy it and simply wait for the mega-Watchmen release later this year as these two features are a fun watch for fans of the graphic novel, but they are only best served as part of the complete package.

The Kite Runner / A Mighty Heart / Things We Lost in the Fire
	I received all three of these Blu-rays in the same package and while I thought The Kite Runner and Things We Lost in the Fire were phenomenal films and A Mighty Heart had a great performance from Jolie, these are three films that if watched back-to-back-to-back would inspire suicide. Sure, there are some uplifting moments, but all-in-all these are three seriously depressing films dealing with murder, a beheading by a terrorist organization and the rape of a little boy. Not exactly everyday home theater fun. I will say though, I think everyone should at least see both The Kite Runner and Things We Lost in the Fire and I would say Things We Lost in the Fire is a film worth buying. I loved that film.

The Fast and the Furious Trilogy The Fast and the Furious / 2 Fast 2 Furious / The Fast and the Furious: Toyko Drift
	In preparation for the release of Fast and Furious Universal is getting consumers prepared with new "limited" edition DVD releases of the first three films as well as a box set release of all three films on Blu-ray. I expect my Blu-ray review copy will be here any day and I will have some kind of review online afterward, but I am not sure buying a trilogy is worth it as the fourth film is about to hit theaters and a rumored fifth one already in the planning stages... that is if you like these films and already own them. If you like them and don't own them the price isn't all bad.

Big Stan
	I included this one because there may be someone out there interested in movies that look bad and inspire groans at the mere sight of them. If that is you click the link below and have a field day as this one not only stars Rob Schneider, but he directed it as well! Oh boy!

• In Treatment
• The Riches: Season 2
• The Cake Eaters (starring Kristen Stewart)
• Lilo and#038; Stitch 2-Disc Big Wave Edition
• On Her Majesty's Secret Service

• Paul Blart: Mall Cop (buy now)
  Releasing on May 19, 2009
• JCVD (buy now)
  Releasing on April 28, 2009
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2-Disc Criterion Edition) (buy now)
  Releasing on May 5, 2009
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (buy now)
  Releasing on May 5, 2009
• Revolutionary Road (buy now)
  Releasing on June 2, 2009
• Defiance (buy now)
  Releasing on June 2, 2009
• The Seventh Seal (2-Disc Criterion Collection) (buy now)
  Releasing on June 16, 2009

• Children of Men (buy now)
  Releasing on May 26, 2009
• Field of Dreams (buy now)
  Releasing on May 26, 2009
• Cinderella Man (buy now)
  Releasing on May 26, 2009
• Inside Man (buy now)
  Releasing on May 26, 2009
• Seabiscuit (buy now)
  Releasing on May 26, 2009
• Paul Blart: Mall Cop (buy now)
  Releasing on May 19, 2009
• Changing Lanes (buy now)
  Releasing on May 19, 2009
• The Machinist (buy now)
  Releasing on May 19, 2009
• JCVD (buy now)
  Releasing on April 28, 2009
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2-Disc Criterion Edition) (buy now)
  Releasing on May 5, 2009
• Revolutionary Road (buy now)
  Releasing on June 2, 2009
• Defiance (buy now)
  Releasing on June 2, 2009
• The Seventh Seal (Criterion Collection) (buy now)
  Releasing on June 16, 2009

The list of nominees goes as follows:

• The Dark Knight
• Iron Man
• Quantum of Solace
• Slumdog Millionaire
• WALL-E

Winners for the Cinema Audio Society award will be announced Feb. 14 in the Crystal Ballroom of the Millennium-Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles.]]> http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/top-ten-movies-of-2008

Trying to figure out my personal list of favorite, top ten, exceptional, "best" movies of 2008 was not an easy task. 2008 was an odd year for film. So many have gone on record saying it was a down year, but I don't entirely agree with that. While 2008 didn't have very many "great" films it had A LOT of good films. Of course, this is where making a top ten list gets difficult. So often you have one clear cut favorite and anywhere from 10-15 movies behind it that you simply need to figure out where they fall in the grand scheme of things. This year, my top five films are almost interchangeable and the bottom five and my Honorable Mentions could all compete for the final five spots, this just so happens to be where they all fell when I typed this list up.

This year I saw more films than I ever have before and reviewed 139 theatrical releases (so far) and one can only guess how many DVD and Blu-ray releases. Suffice to say, my opinion is rather well documented, yet I think I have a few surprises for you on the coming list and hopefully some placements that will get you talking.

When I create a list of top ten films I want that list to consist of films that I will continue to return to over the years to come, films that will continue to challenge me in some way. When I say "challenge" I am not speaking solely in cerebral terms as a film can challenge a viewer on a multitude of levels. Cerebral, of course, being the most engaging and long lasting, but emotionally challenging movies involve everything from action to comedy to romance. I want my favorite comedies to continue to make me laugh, my favorite action films to keep my blood pumping and my favorite romance and drama features to keep my emotions on edge.

Of course, I feel I must remind everyone reading this list that this is my list of ten favorite films. This is not the Oscars. This list is made up of films I expect will continue to entertain me for years to come. After checking out my personal list be sure to comment and include your own lists and comment on mine. That said, let's get underway beginning with my seven Honorable Mentions followed by my Top Ten films of 2008.

Ballast is as good for its story as it is for how director Lance Hammer tells it. For as simple as this story of three lives affected by the death of one person is, the storytelling elevates it above its own simplicity. Using actors with little to no acting experience you won't find an amateur performance among them. Most impressive is the editing as Hammer wastes not a single frame of film on needless character exposition or plot threads that have nothing to do with the story. It's a wonder how the film can be pieced together so tightly yet flow with such ease.

I never posted a formal review of The Edge of Heaven, but it is a film I can't forget after seeing it prior to the Seattle International Film Festival. I had recently watched the trailer online and couldn't quite figure out what it was about, but knew I was intrigued. Suffice to say, the film was light years ahead of its trailer and never failed to disappoint. The film tells the story of a collection of individuals as they all seem to be closing in on one another's story. Some of them make it, some of them don't and it is a journey you won't regret taking.

I am surprised to see Tarsem Singh's The Fall is only at a 60% rating on Rotten Tomatoes as I don't look at this film all that much differently than I do Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth. I see them both as fairy tales of sorts, only one is dark and the other is light. Singh has a distinctive visual style as does Del Toro and the acting on the part of Lee Pace and little Catinca Untaru was a lot of fun to watch and makes for one of the more original films of 2008.

I don't have much more to say about this film than I have already said in the past. I consider 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days to be one of (if not the) best made films I have ever seen. I think director Cristian Mungiu tapped directly into human instincts with this picture allowing the camera to be the eyes of the audience almost literally in some scenes that shock as much as they awe in their inspired vision. That said, I never want to see this film again as it makes my insides turn due to its content and is the reason it finds itself here in the Honorable Mention as opposed to inside my top ten.

The Incredible Hulk has bounced in and out of my top ten over the past couple of weeks so the night before putting the list together I decided to watch it again along with a few other films I wasn't quite sure where they should fall. Obviously it didn't fare as well and was edged out of the top ten, but it remains - in my opinion - the second best superhero/comic book movie of 2008. While Iron Man has the more appealing performance given by Robert Downey Jr. I felt Hulk holds together much better as a film. Both Iron Man and Hulk have story issues, with Iron Man having that awful ending following a stellar first half, Hulk comes with a similar "battle of the CGI beasts" at the end, but it fits more inside the overall film, far more than it did in Iron Man. On top of that, the sound design in this feature is truly amazing, on Blu-ray with the DTS audio track playing it is damn near as powerful as it was in the theater.

I think Milk moved me as much as it did solely because I was not familiar with the majority of Harvey Milk's story. I did not know how it all would come to an end, even though it wasn't that hard to figure out, so much to the point that as it was happening on film I still could not believe it. However, I have a feeling this film will slowly lose my favor over repeated viewings as it will serve as a first time emotional ride and lose its impact as time goes by. Thus its placement in the Honorable Mention category and I almost considered leaving it out altogether.

I know many people did not like Quantum of Solace, but as I have already pointed out I don't agree with the majority of the criticisms. I saw Quantum twice in theaters and enjoyed it both times. In terms of these seven films listed in the Honorable Mention, this one best represents the eleventh spot on the overall list. It was action packed and established Daniel Craig as his very own Bond. It was far better than Casino Royale, which does not hold up to repeat viewings, and fully establishes a new world for Bond and MI6 as we now begin to move into an era where we will see the likes of Q Branch as well as a new Miss Moneypenny. I have a feeling the best is still yet to come.

With that, we now move into the top ten... Get ready for a wild ride...

The Reader

Photo: The Weinstein Co.

I've Loved You So Long

Photo: Sony Pictures Classics

Tropic Thunder

Photo: Paramount Pictures

In Bruges

Photo: Focus Features

The Class

Photo: Sony Pictures Classics

The Class tells the story of one school year at a diverse French middle school and the ups and downs involving one class, its students and the faculty. The simplicity of the story could have allowed it to be another cute entry in the world of independent filmmaking or it could tap into that something special that elevates a simple film above the rest. The latter, obviously being the case in this instance, holds true as this film manages to take seemingly random everyday instances and pieces them together to make a fascinating patchwork of a human interest story.

WALL-E

Photo: Walt Disney Pictures / Pixar

The Dark Knight

Photo: Warner Bros.

The more you watch The Dark Knight the more you begin to recognize its flaws. For all the complaining I did about the logic in Hellboy II, The Dark Knight has so many logic flaws it is astonishing. The ins and outs of almost every scene are virtually impossible if you look at it closely, and considering one of the main appeals to this film is how it is set in some sort of a reality it is shocking so many still consider this one of the great films (myself included, not ashamed). Then again, I guess that just speaks to its greatness. I believe The Dark Knight is too long and the logic at times bothers me, but as much as The Dark Knight is about story it is also about the magic of movies and their ability to engage an audience. That said, a couple of things stand out as the main reasons The Dark Knight is able to excel beyond its flaws; 1) Nolan's decision to use IMAX and 2) Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard's score.

Anyone that has seen The Dark Knight in IMAX knows what I am talking about when I say the opening shot instantly takes your breath away. The sheer size of the picture makes The Dark Knight different from any other movie you saw in 2008 as well as most any mainstream movie you have seen in the last decade and you won't soon forget that shot even when it's compressed onto your TV at home. Couple that with the score, which accompanies each and every grand shot and action piece either slowly building to a razor blade crescendo or keeping you on pins and needles until the next bit of action is about to occur and you have a true cinematic experience. It's truly amazing what an understanding of filmmaking can do to change the way a story is perceived and Nolan certainly tapped into it here. This is movie magic.

P.S. I can't leave without saying how great Ledger was as The Joker. He'll be missed.

The Wrestler

Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Photo: Paramount Pictures

I am a huge fan of both director David Fincher and star Brad Pitt and neither of them disappoint. The score by Alexandre Desplat and cinematography by Claudio Miranda are captivating. The film runs 166 minutes and it felt like it lasted only 90. You can either try to dig deep into the meaning of Benjamin's reverse aging or you can simply view it as a love story, either way there is so much to take away from this film I ultimately shocked myself when I ended up placing it at number two, but only one film can be my number one...

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Photo: The Weinstein Co.

The theater was virtually empty outside of a handful of blue hairs, one of which was chomping so loud on her popcorn directly behind me I had to get up and eventually move. The film begins. The familiar Woody Allen Windsor EF font gives us the credits over black and white followed by Giulia y Los Tellarini singing "Barcelona" met by the insanely out of place narration by Christopher Evan Welch giving us updates as if reading off a lunch menu. Then it all begins to take shape. The narration seems like it is Woody's back-handed slap at all narration as he removes all emotion and has it to be read by a non-character. As the film moves on it tends to fade into the background, serving as a subconscious giving useful details, but nothing worth wasting screen time on.

Next comes Rebecca Hall in a performance none of us would have suspected following her most notable appearance as Sarah Borden in Christopher Nolan's The Prestige. Her performance is likely to go down as the most overlooked piece of acting in 2008. Of course, it straddles that line of Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, but if her name was Meryl Streep there wouldn't even be a discussion as she would be sitting atop the Best Actress predictions right now.

Scarlett Johansson gives a great performance as does Javier Bardem, but like Hall, Penelope Cruz shows up late in the game to give a performance as the unstable ex-wife Maria Elena, in a role that I believe proves Cruz is best when performing in her native language. Cruz's beauty has caused her to understandably be used in a variety of Hollywood films, but nothing is better than Cruz when she is working in Spanish and this is just one more example.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona was looking like it would fall around number four in my top ten before The Weinstein Co. was kind enough to send me a screener after my request and I couldn't be more grateful. Had I waited to watch this film again when it hits DVD and Blu-ray on January 27 and not named it the best of 2008 I would have been truly upset. It will sit alongside another favorite of mine in Before Sunset as a film that truly transports you out of your life and into the lives of others.

So there you have it... That's my list of top ten films of 2008. Add your own personal top tens below as I am sure your opinion differs from mine.

So, here's your question for this edition - who you like next weekend? Gonna go kid movie with Marley or Bedtime Stories? They've got 3000 theaters so it wouldn't be a bad call (even though Marley looks like a punch to the face). Or perhaps Oscar contender Benjamin Button? I don't see Valkyrie or The Spirit making any money, but I'm willing to listen if you do. Comment away! It's a free internet (mostly).

I would also expect Hellboy II to get a nomination. Even though I don't like the film, the effects are phenomenal. And I will guess the third spot will go to The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor for no other reason than because the Academy loves to throw a mediocre film in the mix. Last year it was Golden Compass, before that it was Click and before that it was The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. It's just the natural order of things. On top of that Roger Ebert called it "the best in the series." That has to count for something doesn't it?

• Australia
• The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
• Cloverfield
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• The Dark Knight
• The Day the Earth Stood Still
• Hancock
• Hellboy II: The Golden Army
• The Incredible Hulk
• Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
• Iron Man
• Journey to the Center of the Earth
• The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
• Quantum of Solace
• The Spiderwick Chronicles

The conversation turned to the future of James Bond, natch, and Craig was asked if Quantum of Solace was a set-up for a trilogy of films with the next installment serving as Craig's third and final film. Craig was quick to dismiss the idea saying, "No f**king way. I'm done with that story. I want to lie on a beach for the first half an hour of the next movie drinking a cocktail." An obviouse joke at the end there, but I, for one, am happy to hear Craig has no intention of leaving the character after the third film as he obviously seems comfortable in the super-spy's shoes.

The conversation then diverts to the naysayers complaining of a lack of gadgets and screwball scenarios in Quantum, and issue I addressed at length about three weeks ago.

"We've finished this story as far as I'm concerned," Craig said, leading me to believe he is satisfied that the origins of Bond as a character are firmly established allowing the filmmakers time to now dig into the history of MI6 and then some. "We've got a great set of bad guys. There is an organization that we can use whenever we want to. The relationship between Bond and M is secure and Felix is secure. Let's try and find where Moneypenny came from and where Q comes from. Let's do all that and have some fun with it."

From what I gathered by so many of the folks complaining about Quantum of Solace is that it didn't have much of a plot, there were no gadgets and Bond didn't brazenly fornicate enough. As for the plot argument, hardly any Bond has much of plot outside of bad guy doing bad things and Bond needs to stop him. I guess the more cerebral approach to Bond's emotions is what lost some people looking for dumb action, but that is actually what intrigued me more than anything.

As for the gadgets and the fornicating... Gadgets were a major complaint by many after Die Another Day as people wanted a more Bourne-like approach - they got it and complained, go figure. And to the ladies, Bond is always down for a good shag session, just hope you don't get drowned in oil afterward.

If Quantum of Solace had included Bond screwing Camille (Olga Kurylenko) upon meeting here and then once at the end of the film as well as introduced Q and branded Bond with a bunch of goofy gadgets it would have lost the edge it deserved following the ending of Casino Royale. Now with Bond at relative peace with death of Vesper, back in M's good graces and ready to womanize the Bond you know is coming. Tossing the kitchen sink at Quantum would have destroyed it entirely, but we can now get a taste of everything that led to Connery's Bond, just imagine the possibilities.

Have patience Bond fans, if you get it all at once what is left for future adventures other than more of the same? That's how we ended up with The World is Not Enough.]]> http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/box-office-wrap-up-dec-5-dec-7-2008

No matter how you look at it, should the $33 million stick and not drop too far it will actually mean Twilight will move ever so slightly ahead of current 16th place opening record holder Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone ($32.3 million). The three-day weekend total is a bit more difficult to predict. Many have already said (taking Friday expectations into account) Twilight is expected to hit in the high $50 million range with a chance at $60 million. Mason at Fantasy Moguls is typically quick to inflate numbers after a big opening day and is predicting an unfathomable $70.58 million finish. I guess, with those numbers to consider, we can at least say that anything south of $55 million or so means word of mouth on the flick, even amongst the vocal fan base wasn't too good, but if it reaches that $70+ million mark Summit may have an even larger hit on their hands than they expected. Considering Twilight was a film Paramount Pictures put into turnaround I am sure there are a few execs over there banging their heads on the wall as they now realize they didn't even have to try with Twilight and they would have doubled their money. Whowouldathunk?

Battling for second place will be Disney's new animated feature Bolt as it squares off with James Bond in Quantum Of Solace in its second weekend. Quantum edged out the animated pooch by $1.6 million on Friday, pulling in $8.7 million to Bolt's $7.1. Mason is assuming Bolt will have a strong weekend with the kiddies and ultimately leap frog into second, but both are still expected to finish in the $26-28 million range for the weekend.

I can't help but wonder what Disney thinks of such a result from Bolt. Only two weeks ago DreamWorks unleashed Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa to the tune of $63 million and after this weekend it is expected to finish with over $135 million as it adds another $16 million to its total. Bolt follows up previous Disney computer animated efforts sans Pixar such as 2005's Chicken Little which made $135 million on a reported $150 million budget and then 2007's Meet the Robinsons, which earned a meager $97 million. Disney certainly has a distinct animated style when it comes to all three of these films and I am wondering if it is the look audiences aren't keying on as much as they are animated films from other studios or what exactly. Don't get me wrong, Bolt will be a successful feature, but Disney is having trouble propelling a CG animated feature into the stratosphere without the aid of Pixar.

The rest of the weekend was old hat. Rounding out the top five is Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa with $3.75 on Friday and Role Models with $2.4.

If you are looking for a slightly smaller box-office story keep an eye on Zack and Miri Make a Porno as it looks to add an additional $2 million to its total after this weekend bringing its cume to $29.7 million, which is less than $1 million away from Kevin Smith's current highest grossing film, Dogma at $30.6 million. Of course Zack and Miri was made for $24 million and Dogma only $10 million, but a win is a win... Right?

Finally, as I watched The Dark Knight on Blu-ray tonight (yes, I feel lucky) I am reminded of that ever elusive $1 billion worldwide number and it appears the numbers at Box-Office Mojo have been jumping up and down a bit. Unless I am mistaken it was less than $3 million away a few days ago, but as of tonight it sits at $995,125,841 in worldwide receipts. Will it make it to $1 billion? It's still in 345 theaters here in the States this weekend and I would assume just as many next weekend. It will most certainly hit the number after a re-release in early 2009, but with the December 9 DVD and Blu-ray release date around the corner we might not see it hit that number until the new year.

Here are the complete early Friday estimates from Fantasy Moguls. Stay tuned, I will be back on Sunday with a complete wrap-up as Laremy is taking the weekend off.

1. Twilight (Summit) - $33 million
2. Quantum of Solace (Sony) - $8.7 million
3. Bolt (Disney) - $7.1 million
4. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (Dreamworks/Paramount) - $3.75 million
5. Role Models (Universal) - $2.4 million
6. Changeling (Univeral) - $875,000
7. High School Musical 3: Senior Year (Disney) - $800,000
8. Zack and Miri Make a Porno (Weinstein) - $685,000
9. The Secret Life of Bees (Fox Searchlight) - $500,000
10. Soul Men (MGM) - $370,000

Brutal and breathless, Quantum Of Solace delivers tender emotions along with frenetic action. Not as good as franchise reboot Casino Royale, but still an impressive entry to the Bond canon.

And now that the audience has adjusted to the notion of Bond as a tormented brute, we're starting to remember what drew us to this series in the first place: exotic locations, nifty surveillance technology, creative villains, and babes with ridiculous names. In short, we're drawn by fantasy, pleasure, and fun, none of which figures on the to-do list of the new James Bond nor of the movie's director, Marc Forster.

The opening song, performed by Jack White and Alicia Keys (an intriguing duo on paper if nowhere else), is an abysmal cacophony of incompatible musical idioms, and the title sequence over which those idioms do squalling battle is similarly disharmonious: conceptually clever and visually grating.

Check it out below, and IMPAwards has an even larger version right here.

Photo: Sony Pictures

The next number to gauge, however, is how much will Quantum bring in overall? As it sits right now, Casino Royale is the highest grossing James Bond film overall at $167 million. Royale opened with $40 million and never had a weekend #1 as it consistently lost to the box-office juggernaut that was Happy Feet back in 2006. Well, Quantum proved Bond doesn't get beaten by animated animals twice in a row as Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa will come in second in its second week with an estimated $8.7 million on Friday and an expected $35.6 million for the weekend, but let's not get off topic for too long.

Mason believes Quantum will be the first Bond title to crack the $200 million barrier and with the film already tearing up the foreign box-office to the tune of $160 million as of November 9, the $426 million earned by Casino Royale in the foreign market looks like it will be squashed. How high will Quantum go? I guess that depends on audience reaction, as always. For the most part critics seemed to enjoy the film to the tune of a 66% rating at Rotten Tomatoes and a less than stellar 58% at MetaCritic, but considering the film is all action and little dialogue, I would assume that would fit right in with what satisfies the general audience's palette. I guess we will just have to wait and see.

Coming in at #3 is Universal's Role Models, performing rather well in its second weekend with $3.65 million on Friday and an estimated turn at the $10.77 million mark for the weekend followed up by Clint Eastwood's Changeling, which was made on a production budget of $55 million and with this being its fourth weekend in theaters I am not sure if the expected Sunday cume at $28.8 million will meet Universal's expectations for the flick or be considered a bust. I wasn't too keen on the flick, but it wasn't all bad. Then again, I wouldn't necessarily recommend everyone rush out to see it either, and it doesn't look like many are in any kind of hurry.

Rounding out the top five for Friday is Zack and Miri Make a Porno with an estimated $1.28 million, but Mason expects it to drop to sixth for the weekend, just barely getting edged out by Disney's High School Musical 3 as the two look to both finish somewhere around $4 million. That would mean Smith's Zack and Miri would reach $27.2 million total since its October 31 release, still approximately $3 million shy of Dogma's $30.6 million, which marks Smith's highest grossing film to date. I would assume it has the power to just edge out Dogma, but it's unfortunate for the flick it doesn't look like it will be the coming out party Smith hoped it would be.

Unfortunately there are no numbers on Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire, which hit theaters on Wednesday and has since grossed $67,697 in only 10 theaters. The film is getting a very slow roll out by Fox Searchlight and will be in the majority of cities by Friday, December 26th. To find out when it will be playing near you click here.

You can check out the complete early Friday estimates below and stay tuned as Laremy will have the weekend wrap-up for you on Sunday.

1. Quantum of Solace (Sony) - $27 million
2. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (Dreamworks/Paramount) - $8.7 million
3. Role Models (Universal) - $3.65 million
4. Changeling (Universal) - $1.6 million
5. Zack and Miri Make a Porno (Weinstein) - $1.28 million
6. High School Musical 3: Senior Year (Disney) - $1.23 million
7. Soul Men (MGM) - $863,000
8. Saw V (Lionsgate) - $750,000
9. The Secret Life of Bees (Fox Searchlight) - $675,000
10. Eagle Eye (Dreamworks/Paramount) - $580,000

However, Jeff Wells at Hollywood Elsewhere is reporting on a rumor he heard that the film may have been longer but some specific scenes were cut because they "didn't rise to the occasion":

The word around the campfire, I'm told, is that the film was originally longer than the final-cut length but that none of the quieter scenes were working and Olga Kurylenko's scenes with Craig didn't rise to the occasion, so they just decided to cut them all out.

Trust me, check this flick out this weekend, I don't think you will be disappointed.]]> http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/wonder-woman-talk-magneto-synopsis-and-quantum-of-solace-silliness

The story I refer to is Josh Tyler's at CinemaBlend headlined "5 Reasons To Skip Quantum Of Solace" and I won't waste any time quickly getting to the five ridiculous points:

1. "It's Called Quantum Of Solace" - So we base our movie-going decisions on titles now
2. "Nothing New Here. Move Along." - This is where he says:

   [If] you've seen The Bourne Ultimatum then you've seen most of the best parts of this movie already. Some of the action scenes are quite literally shot for shot remakes of stuff already done by Matt Damon.

   Well, if you've seen The Bourne Supremacy you've seen "most of the best parts" (that phrase kills me) of The Bourne Ultimatum a film Tyler gave five stars. Can anyone tell me why I wouldn't want to see a movie compared to a five star movie?
3. "This Movie Is Neither Stirred Nor Shaken" - No catchphrases or gadgets? This is the best you have for me?
4. "Olga Kurylenko" - "She's that girl from every bad videogame movie, and her hotness has long since been drained by her numerous appearances in sh*t." That just makes me laugh, she is no longer attractive because she was in Hitman and Max Payne and therefore don't see Quantum of Solace.
5. "Zack and Miri Make a Porno is Still In Theaters" - I think this is where he gave up and decided he didn't have enough for a top ten, let alone a top five.

I linked to IGN's version in an earlier article, but I have since seen a pair of reviews of the 20 minutes of footage from J.J. Abrams' Star Trek that was shown in the UK. You can get IGN's version here if you haven't read it yet and "The Guardian" weighed in with their thoughts as well right here. Ben Childs' "Guardian" piece has a great opening comparing Star Trek to The Dark Knight saying:

It's highly probable that JJ Abrams had not seen The Dark Knight when he began work on his forthcoming Star Trek reboot. But he must have been chuckling to himself when he did finally check it out. While Abrams' movie is unlikely to top Christopher Nolan's film for moody brilliance, it is already ahead in at least one area.

Of the 20 minutes or so of footage screened for the press this morning at an event hosted by Abrams, the standout action scene was a bravura set piece featuring Kirk (Chris Pine) and Sulu (John Cho) landing on a platform in the Vulcan desert. In The Dark Knight, Nolan had his hero leap out of a moving plane and into a skyscraper. Abrams goes one better: he has his characters skydiving ... from space.

Next up we have the official plot synopsis for X-Men Origins: Magneto:

The original X-Men film began with a prologue that showed the character as a child being led to a concentration camp by Nazis and that is the period in which the Magneto film will take place. This setup will allow a future villain to at least flirt with the designation of protagonist since the character will be seen almost exclusively in his formative years.

The storyline will heavily involve Professor X, the wheelchair-using X-Men leader. That character was a soldier in the allied force that liberated the concentration camps. The professor meets Magneto after the war and while they bond over the realization that they are alike in their special powers, their differences soon turn them into enemies."

Next we come to the Wonder Woman news I avoided like the plague as Beyonce weighed in saying she would like to play the Amazonian Princess and IESB.net reports they have heard rumors that McG wants to direct it. This, of course, comes after one fan took the time to try and convince the world Megan Fox was going to play Wonder Woman with the fake poster and website found at Wonder-Who.com.

There's a rumor out there that Ennio Morricone may score Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds.

Harry Potter fan sites have been scanning new images from "2009 Harry Potter Agenda Book" and a new Harry Potter sticker book, which can be found here and here.

QUICK HITS: James Cameron's Avatar will be seen in IMAX 3-D, the Wolverine teaser expected on Day the Earth Stood Still (12/12), a pic of The Hard Master from G.I. Joe is here and "Lost" is set to return on Wednesday, Jan. 21.

Finally, I leave you with this bit of video genius courtesy of Slashfilm. Yes, that is the Brett Ratner and the Michael Jackson:

Below is all seven as they stand on the site right now (see the page here). One of them is blacked out because it is a pretty big spoiler, but I will tell you what, if these kinds of things bother you or are seen as mistakes then you really shouldn't be going to movies.

• Factual error: The city of La Paz, Bolivia is shown as a humid and hot city when the truth is, its elevation is 3,640 m (11,942 ft) and the average temperature is 8�C (30�F).
• Continuity: During the scene where Mathis dies in Bond's arms, the position of Mathis' head changes between some of the shots.
• Factual error: When Bond walks into the hotel in Haiti, a notice can be seen on the inside of the door, giving instructions on what to do in case of fire in French and English. The French section is headed "EN CASE D'INCENDIE". The correct French for "in case of fire" is "en cas d'incendie". The French word "case" means various things but does not have the meaning "event" that the English word "case" does.
• Other: Bond reads the registration of an English registered aircraft over the phone. He reads it saying a word instead of the letters themselves. I remember only the first two letters: G-0XXX, but that's where the mistake is. G is Golf. O is Oscar, but Bond says it as Zero. And since he flies the DC3 later on, he should know better.
• Factual error: The Austrian number plates were wrong. The prefix (district) and postfix (number) were changed. correct: e.g. LL (emblem) 123AB; Bond: 123AB (emblem) LL; maybe due to legal issues.
• Continuity: When Bond is talking to Mathis at a table at the cottage in Italy, pay attention to the watch on Mathis' wrist. First it faces the side of his wrist because that way it is best shown on screen, but in the next shot, still at the table, it suddenly faces the outside of his wrist like watches are usually worn.
• Factual error: In the opening car chase, the Aston Martin and Alfa Romeo go round a pack of cars stuck in traffic. When the policeman uses his radio, you can see a blue Vauxhall Corsa in the background. You can see the badge on it and it is actually a Vauxhall Corsa with Italian number-plates, which is incorrect as Vauxhall cars are branded as Opel in continental Europe.

One thing is for certain, the Chinese are interested in James Bond, the film net 11.4 million yuan ($1.67 million) on its opening day making it the highest opening day ever for a movie, foreign or domestic, released in November. Even more staggering is that Quantum accounted for 90.3% of China's total B.O. on its opening day.]]> http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/was-james-bond-going-to-adopt-vespers-child-_20081103 New York Magazine has a quote from Marc Forster saying at one point screenwriter Paul Haggis had the idea to add a little baby into the Quantum of Solace stew:

"Haggis had an idea they weren't fond of, and I didn't know if it would work or not," says Forster. "The idea was that Vesper in the last movie, maybe she had a kid, and there would be an orphan out there. It wasn't anything to insult the franchise. But they felt it wasn't particularly Bond � him looking for the kid. I think Paul thought he just leaves the kid, he doesn't deal with it. But [the producers] thought that would be really nasty, too, because Bond was an orphan himself. If he would find a kid, would he just leave it? They were so vehemently against it. That was the only time I saw, really, 'No, we can't do that.' They said, 'Once he finds the kid, Bond can't just leave the kid. It's not right.'"

You can read the complete "New York Magazine" profile on Quantum of Solace helmer Marc Forster right here, the film hits theaters on November 14.]]> http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/movie_review_quantum_of_solace_2008__20081103

Quantum of Solace bounces from Austria to South America and everywhere in between with a certain flair. Bond is on a vendetta to get revenge against those that killed Vesper (Eva Green) at the end of Casino Royale, which quickly reveals the existence of a massive secret organization MI6 knows far less about than they or even the villains had expected. What could be the answer to such a problem? For Bond it means killing anyone and everyone in his way in a film best described as a James Bond film in a Jason Bourne world.

The Bourne films brought a certain level, and certain kind, of action and Quantum of Solace seems to have taken Bourne's success as something of a challenge. Where the majority of Jason Bourne's battles were fought hand-t0-hand or involving one big chase sequence, in Quantum Bond gets those things out of the way in the first scene and then moves on to boat chases, plane chases and exploding set pieces along the rest of the way. Many may see this as sacrificing story for action, but let's face it, even Casino Royale was rather light on story, it just managed to make it seem bigger than it actually was. Bond has never been about story as much as it has been about action, and with action this good and this tightly edited together you don't need much story to have a good time.

Just as in Casino Royale, and every other Bond movie for that matter, there are bad people doing bad things and Bond is out to stop them as well as out to settle his own score. As the villainous business man Dominic Greene, Mathieu Amalric is actually rather weak, but Bond is hardly facing off against one man in this flick. Greene is just another baddie in a long line of many. This flick is about stacking up obstacles for Bond to get rid of and it becomes a test to see how he can do it bigger and better each time around.

Quantum of Solace is the adult version of a summer time blockbuster. The action sequences have a gritty edge to them and Daniel Craig as James Bond has very little interest in small talk or any talk for that matter. At the end of Casino Royale M (Judi Dench) asks Bond, "You don't trust anyone do you James?" He replies, "No." She adds, "Then you've learned your lesson." With this film it seems he not only doesn't trust anyone, he doesn't care about anyone either.

Bond still manages to get out a few choice one liners, but for the most part he is a man on a mission and it seems the goal to set him up as a hard edged womanizer with very little heart to speak of was instantly taken care of with the death of Vesper. There are no playful moments and no frolicking in the sand. Bond's only sexual escapade in this flick is an off-screen one night stand that was handled with little care, mirroring what we are to assume Bond thinks of the woman he was spending his time with.

After 22 films there is very little left to be known about James Bond and the 144-minute Casino Royale made sure to tell us anything we needed to know about Craig's Bond and then some as the two films play rather well together with Quantum picking up its story almost exactly where Casino left off.

To answer how Quantum of Solace compares to Casino Royale, I prefer Quantum, but I wouldn't be surprised if I am in the minority on that choice.