Outlaw Vern reviews Quantum of Solace!

America’s finest film critic (and friend of HMSS) has turned his laserlike perception on the new James Bond movie. He reports his findings at his sometimes-hang-out The Ain’t It Cool News, and the world is a better place for it. Go now AND READ IT, and you will achieve full understanding.

You’ll also laugh. A lot.

Worst-to-best Bond movie theme songs

British-based music website GIGWISE.com recently ran a survey of the theme songs from the James Bond film series. Counting down from worst to best, they (correctly) list Rita Coolidge’s “All Time High” as the worst; they also identify Sheena Easton’s “For Your Eyes Only” as the low-ranking fraud that it is.

Take a look at their list HERE, and see where your favorites wound up! One may quibble with some individual choices, but the general arc of their survey is spot-on. Nice job, lads!

007 Thanksgiving hack-a-thon on Sci-Fi channel

On Thanksgiving Day, the Sci-Fi Channel was the latest U.S. cable network to feature a James Bond marathon. Sci-Fi showed Pierce Brosnan’s first three efforts, GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, and The World Is Not Enough. The problem: Sci-Fi apparently thought it should treat the Bond movies like a Thanksgiving turkey and cut them up.

Had Eon Productions Big Kahuna Michael G. Wilson been watching Tomorrow Never Dies on Sci-Fi he’d have no doubt been disappointed. The scene with villain Elliott Carver having a video conference with various confederates was hacked out entirely. So much for MGW’s biggest Bond appearance.

Even worse was what Sci Fi did to The World is Not Enough, Desmond Llewelyn’s farewell to the series. In the middle of Llewelyn’s final scene, Sci Fi cut away just after John Cleese “demonstrates” a gadget. A viewer would miss the touching finale to the scene, which begins with Brosnan/Bond asking, “You’re not retiring anytime soon — are you?”

And, of course, we won’t even talk about what they did to the end titles. Echh.