Ghods, I hate shakey-cam. Makes me sick, literally. I couldn’t watch the Bourne movies because of it. I had to look away from the screen several times in QoS; I’d hate to think it’s going to become more prevalent in the Bond movies.
What makes you say that?
I thought most of those were pretty good, especially Goldeneye. The only one I really disliked was Tomorrow Never Dies with its incredibly stupid plot (and the part in The World is Not Enough where Denise Richards was a nuclear physicist.)
Valete,
Vox Imperatoris
I think the Pierce Brosnan era is when the Bond series officially became a joke. Not that I blame him; I blame the writers/directors/producers for making that dreck for him to star in. GoldenEye was the best of the bunch and it just got progressively worse after that. I happen to remember the exact instant I gave up on pre-Craig Bond: Pierce Brosnan is in bed with nuclear physicist(!) Denise Richards, aka Dr. Christmas Jones, and says, “I thought Christmas only came once a year.” So embarrassing.
I like that they stripped out the stupid gadgets, the awful puns, some of the ridiculousness, the sharks with lasers on their heads. Now they just need to lose the animated opening sequence with naked ladies. It feels so 1960s.
Someone’s made a trilogy of movies that fits that exact description…
Personally, I think the Gadgets are an integral part of the Bond Experience. OK, Dr. No and From Russia With Love were a bit light on the gadgets (but even FRWL had the incredibly cool garrotte-watch and the walking stick sniper rifle), but the only “Gadget” in Quantum of Solace was Bond’s phone, which doesn’t actually do anything exotic anyway. Quantum of Solace just didn’t feel like a Bond Movie to me, and I attribute that partially to the lack of gadgets and Over The Top Villain, but also to the editing and the painfully absent and nonsensical (even by Bond standards) plot.
Perfect sequel to Casino Royale. I’m glad they’re actually showing how 007 became James Bond.
Yeah, the gadgets (although I understand the lack of them in Casino Royale) and the women and the silliness are an integral part of what makes it Bond. Quantum of Solace took itself way too seriously and yet was almost equally ridiculous when you get down to it, just without the fun. It’s *supposed *to be 1960’s-style. The Bond series recognizes that there can’t really be a secret organization of murderers with links to every intelligence agency and that no one can live through a machine gun attack on a Haitian fishing boat and so it throws in exploding pens and assassins with razor hats to keep it entertaining. (Although the Roger Moore era took it way too far in the other direction.) I think the slight bit of goofiness is much better as a satire on the whole concept, as opposed to the Bourne-style *this could be happening right now and my movie is the most important thing in the world *mood.
Valete,
Vox Imperatoris
ETA: I loved Casino Royale, though, to be sure. But even it had the “the world will know you died scratching my balls” line.
I wish they hadn’t gone back to the nekkid gals in the opening sequence, and kept something kinda close to the Casino Royale animation. Also wish the gunbarrel shot was at the front, but that’s pretty minor.
The cuts were too jumpy, but I still enjoyed it a bunch.
And I’d like an extra gadget or too, but no invisi-cars. The MI-6 computer was hella cool, though.
Now this is a Bond movie I could get behind. 
[Nitpick] Special Executive for Counterintelligence, Terror, Revenge and Extortion [/nitpick]
It was a right jumbled mess of a movie. In addition to the Goldfinger ref, I figure the “formal-wear stroll in the desert” was a nod to The Spy Who Loved Me. Weak points included the lack of someone who could actually make Bond show some fear. Previous movies had hulking henchmen who could toss Bond around, but Craig too easily takes out other agents, U.S. Marines, and pretty much anyone he runs across. Heck, the final battle with Nerdy McBadguy had no tension because Nerdy, even with an axe (when he wasn’t chopping himself in the foot with it) is no match for Craig.
And why was Nerdy found in the desert with two bullets in his skull? Quantum could actually track this guy to some random spot in the desert just to eliminate him? An enemy with those kinds of resources makes for weak drama, since they’ll always have an infinite supply of bad guys for Bond to knock down without end.
Loved the Bond women, Bond and M, hated the pacing and lack of story arc, could barely remember who the guy in the photo was at the end (and in fact heard a few people asking about him as we left the theatre). Found the gratuitous crotch shot… odd. Is there something I’m missing? Have posted a thread about it.
Saw it this past weekend and was completly underwhelmed for all the reasons listed above. What a disappointment too because with Casino it appeared we were back on track.
Anyone get an Eiger Sanction vibe from leaving the cheeseball to melt in the desert?
What opera was it that they were watching?
Also, how on earth did they get that girl up there with oil all over her without making a complete mess of everything from the hotel entrance up to the bedroom?
-FrL-
Puccini’s Tosca - a really great Opera, according to me.
Swiffer.
Heh.
What did I miss?
In a plastic bag, duh. How do you move the bodies of people you’ve drowned in oil?
You have to think about these things before you become a villain. Otherwise you just screw up and get caught first thing, and then you just look lame.
The opera, as others have mentioned, was Tosca. Mr. White makes the comment, “I guess Tosca isn’t for everyone,” after Bond flushes other members of Quantum from the audience.
Stranger
I was just amused at “according to me”. It was classy.
I’m a Wagner guy myself.