James Bond vs. Neoliberalism

From the “tripped over this and found it interesting” department:

A blogger with the handle uhhh has recently published a rather unique — and fascinating — take on the 2008 James Bond movie Quantum of Solace. Looking at the film through a sociopolitical spectrum, he

The face of neoliberalism?

posits that the QUANTUM organization, and Dominic Greene’s “Greene Planet” company, symbolically represent the insidious forces of neoliberalism, against which 007 must battle. (Click the link on the word before you get all up in a political huff.)

This is a more subtle form of the venerable “James Bond saved the world” formula. As Mr. uhhh puts it,

… It might not just be Bond defending a country for the better good of the world, but attacking the tradition the world is currently in. Think of it as Bond representing the West, attacking the West, for the better good of the West…

QOS might represent a newfound political sophistication in the James Bond fantasy universe; an understanding and acceptance of realpolitik, and an almost cyberpunkish apprehension of the multinational corporation as the new State. Which, from a Bond fan’s perspective, makes for some pretty interesting villainy!

Read An Unbreakable Bond , and maybe learn a thing or two. Tell ’em HMSS sent ya!

Preposterous elements of Quantum of Solace

The media review website, Television Without Pity , is home to some of the snarkiest writing on the web, and is always an entertaining read. Staffer Zach Oat recently took a look at the Quantum of Solace DVD, in an effort to catalog some of the more… goofy… elements of the 22nd James Bond movie.

Oat writes that “while many thought [QOS] was more Bourne then Bond, you have to admit that the movie had a heaping helping of Bond-level ridiculousness.” He goes on to list various silly things/events that caught his attention, but may have slipped past yours (as they did ours). They’re all time-stamped for your convenience. Here’s a sample:

35:55 – This CIA guy Felix Leiter is working with has a ginormous mustache. Seriously, it’s huge! Is this how the world sees America? Or just the CIA?

His article, QUANTUM OF SOLACE: BOND’S MOST PREPOSTEROUS MOMENTS, will bring a shock of amused recognition to even the sharpest-eyed 007 watcher. Even better, it’ll give you a good reason to watch it yet again. Fire up your DVD player and grab your remote! (After you read his article, of course.)

QOS nominated for Best Production Design award

Dennis Gassner has received a nomination for a Art Directors Guild Excellence in Production Design Award, for his production design work on Quantum of Solace. His nomination, in the category of “Contemporary Films,” joins Burn After Reading (Jess Gonchor), Gran Torino (Murakami), Slumdog Millionaire (Mark Digby) and The Wrestler (Timothy Grimes).

Complete coverage of the nominations can be found at the ADG website HERE.

The final awards will be presented on February 14.

QOS had been previously nominated for several Satellite Awards from the International Press Academy, as well as a Cinema Audio Society nomination for best sound mixing.

Maddox on Quantum of Solace!

One of the best places on the web to check into for some great laughs is The Best Page in the Universe by the singularly-named Maddox. His, um, unique perspective, coupled with his terrific graphic design, makes for an eye-opening reading experience.

Although we don’t necessarily agree with his findings, HIS REVIEW of Quantum of Solace is one of the funniest ever. You’d be well advised to check it out.

QOS one of the worst films of the year!

The film world has been waiting, with bated breath, for the annual Top-10 Worst Films of the Year list from the prestigious One India internet portal.

Sadly, Quantum of Solace is among that wretched company, according to this just-published report.

Not the absolute worst of the year, mind you — that opprobrium went to the new Will Smith vehicle, Seven Pounds. No, QOS came in at number three, in between the unsuccessful monster movie Cloverfield, and the widely-reviled Synecdoche, New York, another toss-off from known hack writer Charlie Kaufman.

We all knew this day was coming, people. It’s probably time for Eon to start thinking about pulling the plug…

MTV’s “Things We Learned from QUANTUM OF SOLACE”

The MTV Movies Blog has an amusing list of some of the life lessons which can be gleaned from the latest James Bond movie.

Typical of the list, one of their take-homes addresses a common criticism of Mathieu Amalric’s characterization of the principal villain: “Don’t be fooled — even frail, effete crime kingpins are awesome fighters.”

Check it out HERE. You’ll have the opportunity to leave a comment, so have fun with it!

Nobody at Sony Pictures is going to be missing any meals…

Quantum of Solace, already breaking box office records worldwide, is looking to do equally amazing business in the US, which isn’t one of the top markets for James Bond movies in the world.

As of 1:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 15, it looks like the film has grossed at least $26 million — paving the way for a staggering, but possible, $70 million opening weekend. Not too bad for a 46-year-old movie series!

Nikki Finke’s Deadline Hollywood Daily has the latest numbers. You can read all about it RIGHT HERE.

And for all you Bond fans who have some issues with the film itself, our best advice has always been: if you really, really hate it, then only go to see it twice.

This just in — QOS hits the UAE!

The all-important review from the Khaleej Times is now online!

When the Dubai newspaper-of-record gives a new James Bond film the ol’ thumbs-up, we can’t help but sleep a little more peacefully in our beds, knowing that we’ve got a winner on our hands.  The newspaper quotes a diehard 007 fan thusly:

…for Zoheb Bashir, a resident of Sharjah, Bond movies are all about the 007 suits, the flashy cars, and the gorgeous Bond girls. “It’s not something that I have been waiting to watch, but I would probably check it out over the weekend. I have seen a few of the previous Bond movies, and hope Quantum of Solace would be a better than the previous ones.”

Clearly, having seen a few of the previous Bond movies, Mr. Bashir knows his stuff.  We’ll take his imprimatur as a good sign.

You can read the entire probing analysis RIGHT HERE. And you can quell your worries about the effectiveness of this latest 007 opus right now.

CBS coverage of QoS royal premiere

“The Early Show” on CBS had a segment of the royal premiere of Quantum of Solace. Of course, at one point, reporter Sheila MacVicar asks Daniel Craig what the title means. There’s also a shot of Princes William and Harry arriving while the James Bond Theme is playing. MacVicar notes the Sunday Times in the U.K. didn’t like the film.

CBS supplied the segment for YouTube, so no copyright issues (for those who like to pure about these things). So see for yourself, it lasts 2:15:

UPDATE: Here’s ITN’s coverage of the same event. It has a bit more breathless quality. Also, based on this video, it appears the title song to “You Only Live Twice” was playing when the two princes arrived. Here it is:

ZOO’s Top 10 Sexiest Bond Girls

British-based ZOO.com has a list of their picks for the top 10 sexiest of the James Bond girls.  Whether or not you agree with the list, the piece is striking in that it features some pretty rare photographs of the women in question.  The one of the perpetually underappreciated Mie Hama (Kissy Suzuki of You Only Live Twice) being a prime example.

Check out ZOO for the photos.