WALL-E: The Best Film of 2008

I know I already reviewed WALL-E but I don't care. I don't think it did the film enough justice.

WALL-E (2008)

Very rarely does a film come along that truly makes you believe in something. It's one of the mystical traits of cinema that has been seemingly vacant since the golden age of filmmaking passed and the era of Hollywood churning out shit by the megaton began. But hey, if anyone knows how to make real movie magic it's Disney, and with renowned animation studio Pixar at the helm, WALL-E certainly had tremendous potential and boy did it deliver.

I reviewed WALL-E in July (click here!) after seeing it in theatres. Never had I been so tempted to stand up at the conclusion of the end credits and clap until my hands chafed. Forget the stunning visuals, magical first act devoid of any dialogue, a sweeping score by Thomas Newman, and even the never-too-distracting warning about the dangers of consumerism. WALL-E doesn't necessarily work as a sum of all those parts (though they certainly don't hurt). WALL-E works because it's an overwhelmingly endearing story about love.

And while that's all happy and cute and stuff, I think it is still important to digest an inescapable part of the film's message. Are we buying so much stuff that we're going to get to the point where the planet simply can't find enough space to hold it? Are we going to have to look at outer space as an alternative to Earth where we will fall victim to microgravity and lose our bones? Director Andrew Stanton said he didn't make this film with rampant consumerism being one of the main themes. I believe it. WALL-E is about love moreso than trashin' up the planet.

WALL-E deserves a Best Picture nom. It really does. Best Animated Feature should be a shoe-in, but why stop there? As much as I was wooed over by THE DARK KNIGHT, WALL-E is my #1 blockbuster of 2008.

WALL-E isn't a good children's movie. It's a splendid animated science fiction film for all ages. Don't let appearances deceive you.

Go out and buy WALL-E (preferably on Blu-Ray). You'll be happy.

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Daniel Craig has given me a QUANTUM OF SOLACE!

Did Roger Ebert see the same movie I just did? Did Roger Ebert really give DIE ANOTHER DAY three stars and this film two?! Is Roger Ebert really a unicorn? All fitting questions after a sizzling new Bond flick.

QUANTUM OF SOLACE (2008)

Everyone give Daniel Craig a big pat on the back. Now. Before he kicks your ass.

Thanks in no small part to the overwhelming and unprecedented success of CASINO ROYALE, the Bond franchise has been miraculously resuscitated from the dead and spun into an intoxicating new direction that Ian Fleming and Cubby Broccoli would absolutely adore. Daniel Craig is nothing short of a blessing in a tux for 007 and the repercussions that come along with his fleeting talent have served as the jolt that this comatose series has needed after the particularly tedious Brosnan era, where nothing - even invisible cars, a laser beam from space, and a slutty Madonna - was out of the realm of possibility. Following up the success of CASINO ROYALE may have seemed a daunting task but the end result is one that is far from an Aston Martin-priced meltdown. QUANTUM OF SOLACE continues the reinvigoration of the Bond canon with another pulsating, dramatic new chapter that is sure to leave audiences shaken and... well, you know the rest.

QUANTUM is a brisk affair, and its love for action all but enhances this, as apparent by the first frames of the film that introduce us to a jarring (and pretty dusty) car chase over the Italian lakeside. The film makes no qualms about being relentless with its action pieces, and with the film's runtime already at a series-low, the film moves at a noticeably agile pace. But thanks to some of the finest dramatic touch that the series has ever seen, QUANTUM truly feels like a fully-rounded film, mixing short action set pieces with high-tension, effective character work.

The action has its highs and lows, and that's par for the course for Bond, but after its nimble use in CASINO ROYALE, expectations were high for "smart action," not just action-for-action's-sake. While QUANTUM's chases and dogfights never really feel like the walloping brainfarts of the Brosnan era, it certainly balances between genius and borderline unnecessary. The entire DC3 plane sequence could have gotten the hook altogether in fact, as it did nothing to further the plot and in the end fell victim to shoddy CGI and a lazy, clichéd bailout on the part of the authors (Oscar winning writer Paul Haggis being among them). It's not enough to give the film bad marks though, as the film shows off a couple of brilliantly crafted intercut sequences - the Tosca gunfight and the chase amid the Palio horse race - that display the artistry of acclaimed arthouse director Marc Forster (STRANGER THAN FICTION, MONSTER'S BALL).

But let's not fault the film for minor things, as on the whole, it's a pretty darn good flick that stands up with the leaders in its pack. After all, QUANTUM really succeeds in the areas that it had to in order to follow up CASINO even remotely respectively. QUANTUM features some of the most heart-wrenching and impactful twists and turns ever to be seen in a Bond picture, and the success of these daring, uncharted attempts is where Daniel Craig deserves all credit as being one of the most inspired choices in the history of franchise cinema. Craig is a one-man show, powering through the narrative with such a force that you can't help but sit back and think to yourself, "wow... this is a Bond film?" With all of the qualms about the film's short runtime being plagued by a non-stop bombardment of action, you would have never guessed that QUANTUM hits the spot with the drama. Not only does it capitalize on its every instance, it's what makes the film a stand-out among not only its canon but, dare I say, maybe the whole genre.

QUANTUM does have its flaws, notably the rapidfire shifting from location-to-location with little explanation and the resolution to various side-stories coming with the aid of quick bursts of action. The plot seems to move in baby steps, and like the action sequences, seems to be ironed out with a line or two of dialogue before jetting off (literally) to an entirely different series of events. Heck, even the film's controversial title track, Another Way To Die by Alicia Keys and Jack White, has been butchered to pieces over the famous naked-lady titles sequence (which new designers MK12 have done an okay job with - nothing particularly earth-shattering about them). Even with those complaints, it's far from enough to bring down the film as QUANTUM features fantastic performances all around: Craig delivers again, Mathieu Almaric is downright creepy and sinister as slimy environmentalist Al Go...I mean Dominic Greene, Giancarlo Giannini turns in a riveting presentation playing questionable ally René Mathis, and Bond vixen Olga Kurylenko shines when the volume is turned up. Forster may not have aced the chases and fight scenes but he took the dramatic stuff to a level that Bond has never before sniffed.

QUANTUM OF SOLACE is a fun ride. It's got the action and the perfectly-constructed drama to complement it. QUANTUM may not be the instant classic that CASINO ROYALE was, but it's 106 minutes of entertainment that ends up being a pretty damn respectable piece of cinema. And if for some reason there was any doubt about Daniel Craig after his first run as Bond, QUANTUM puts all of that to rest. Craig is now the definitive Bond, a picture-perfect embodiment of the cool yet at times emotionally tender 00 that puts sissy-boys like Pierce Brosnan to shame. Although QUANTUM might be a little too jumpy and favorable to action, the execution of the meaty stuff is where the film earns its stripes.

And fear not moviegoers. You get your own solace from this film as well. QUANTUM has not only darn-near finished the story arc from CASINO ROYALE, but also finds that Bond ends the film on a particularly convincing developmental note, highlighted in metaphor as the iconic gunbarrel sequence draws the curtains on a James Bond flick that has brought the character arc started in CASINO ROYALE full-circle. Bond has his quantum of solace and it looks as if he is well on his way to becoming the slick secret agent that we all know and love. And as the credits foresee, James Bond Will Return, and interested I shall be.



Welp, that's probably going to be about it for '08, though Will Smith's new film SEVEN POUNDS does look kinda promising. WALL-E is coming on Tuesday so I'm sure I'll be spending my week enjoying that on Blu-Ray. Until then, sayonara!

Bond Mania Part II: The Sound of Bond

One week until QUANTUM OF SOLACE shakes and stirs North American theatres and the Bond merchandise machine is rolling on all cylinders! Last week I got to watch and review the much anticipated, brand-spankin'-new CASINO ROYALE Collector's Edition release on Blu-Ray. This week it's David Arnold's QUANTUM OF SOLACE Official Motion Picture Soundtrack and the new Bond theme compilation CD The Best of Bond... James Bond.

QUANTUM OF SOLACE
Official Motion Picture Soundtrack
(2008; Audio CD)

David Arnold catches plenty of slack from Bond fans - and for good reason - as his Bond scores have the consistency of a month-old carton of rotten milk. He busted onto the Bond scene with a rousing tribute to the music of James Bond with TOMORROW NEVER DIES before digressing into soulless, techno-heavy compositions for THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH and the aural vomit of DIE ANOTHER DAY. With the unveiling of Daniel Craig as the sixth James Bond in 2006's CASINO ROYALE came the opportunity for Arnold to take a step back and go back to a back-to-basics approach with the score, shying away from the synth in favor of a darker and more classical approach (minus the famous James Bond fanfare, of course). Now comes QUANTUM OF SOLACE which is an entirely different animal and one of Arnold's boldest, most admirable Bond works yet.

Fans looking for the James Bond Theme in heavy use will again be disappointed, but fear not... it's there in varying manifestations. Its spare use heightens its effectiveness, especially in a riveting, pulsing string version of the theme at the end of the track "Perla De Las Dunas." Interestingly enough (SPOILER AHEAD!), similarly to CASINO ROYALE, the James Bond Theme isn't heard in its jazzy entirety until the very end of the film (and it's again being used as metaphor for Bond's incomplete character arc) (END OF SPOILER), and curiously, it's completely absent from the album. Not exactly sure why this is but hey, Chris Cornell's You Know My Name was devoid from the CASINO ROYALE album, so the long-running history of score albums missing tracks you'd think would be on it continues. Whatever.

There are quite a few snazzy location-oriented pieces here, such as "Talamone," a quick and stirring cue that is high on Italian flavor, and "Bond in Haiti" which features local percussion (reminiscent of "African Rundown" from CASINO ROYALE) and woodwinds. Also apparent is some rather heavy use of Arnold's Vesper motif from CASINO ROYALE (see: "What's Keeping You Awake"). Having not seen the film yet I can't fairly deduct how effective this is but for continuity's sake (and the fact that this film is a direct sequel playing off of the death of Vesper) it's a great decision by Arnold that emphasizes the weight Vesper has left on Bond's mind as one of the driving forces behind what he's after in this film.

One of Arnold's big gambles here was featuring some heavy electric guitar in some of the action cues, notably "Pursuit at Port Au Prince." QUANTUM OF SOLACE is billed as being as dark and gritty as Bond gets and the scratchy guitar and powerful drum lines mirror the desired tone that director Marc Forster has taken for the film, certainly more than any jazzy fanfare or synth-driven track would. Unfortunately some of Arnold's compositions for the action scenes do tend to fall back into his old tendencies where his tracks are basically one big blaring wall-of-sound that will blow the skin off of your face (parts of "The Palio," "Target Terminated," and "Perla De Las Dunas" fall victim to this), but if anything, it's forgiven as the rest of Arnold's score has enough soul and heart to distract from any one of three or so boring, generic action cues. Heck, even Arnold's use of synth here is entirely forgiveable as it never becomes entirely overbearing or distracting, instead serving as the complement to the orchestra playing over it. In fact, Arnold gives us one of his coolest cues on a Bond score, "Inside Man," which features highly noticeable electronics before giving way to the familiar notes of the James Bond Theme. It might not be what the purists are looking for but it works as an effective blend of classic Bond style with a slightly modern twist.

And yes, the film's title song appears on the album, although oddly last on the list. Jack White and Alicia Keys' Another Way To Die has generated a fair amount of controversy over the interwebs, sharply dividing Bond fans and the general public alike, but all-in-all, it's an entirely passable Bond theme that's decidingly modern but yet contains the classic elements that make it a Bond theme that works. There aren't many instances where it appears in the score in any form of major motif, but then again, the song wasn't a David Arnold product. There are hints of it in "Pursuit at Port Au Prince" if anyone is looking.

David Arnold's QUANTUM OF SOLACE score is fresh - it's got balls which has something Arnold has seemed to be without since penning his first Bond score in 1997. It's dark and haunting yet contemporary and resolute. It's the first time since LICENSE TO KILL that a Bond soundtrack has any form of life or substance and that's why this score works - because this Bond has substance. It's not enough to throw synth techno-beats and two-note brass motifs at Bond scores anymore (at least with Craig's Bond). The Bond films need introspection via music and Arnold's QUANTUM score takes a pretty big leap toward that.

The Best of Bond... James Bond
(2008; Audio CD)

Are you lazy? Do you love things that are exceptionally convenient? Heck, are you a Bond fan? If you meet all three of these very specific requirements, The Best of Bond... James Bond will surely tickle your fancy. An update on 2002's version under the same title, The Best of Bond... James Bond contains all of the theme songs from the first 21 films, plus Surrender by k.d. lang (why does she spell her name in all lower-case letters?) for TOMORROW NEVER DIES and Louis Armstrong's We Have All The Time In The World penned for ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE.

Also added is a mix of the James Bond Theme by DJ John Arnold. Arnold's product here is utter crap so this one track alone far from makes the album worth the price of admission.

Omitted from this release that featured on the 2002 version are Parodi/Fair and Moby's renditions of the James Bond Theme. Neither of those two tracks actually appear in a Bond film (nor as the theme, no less) - both have served as the score for seemingly every Bond trailer and commercial between 1995 and 2002 - so it's really no big deal. Some have found this to be a bigger loss than others though, likely because they sacrificed those two for an infinitely crappier take on the Bond theme (why they chose to do that in favor of John Arnold's trash is beyond me). In their places though, Madonna's Die Another Day and Cornell's You Know My Name appear making the album as updated as possible, sans Alica Keys and Jack White's QUANTUM OF SOLACE theme Another Way To Die.

You can also pick up a bonus version, if you will, of this album that comes with a DVD containing several music videos and a documentary on the music of James Bond. Anyone with an extensive Bond DVD collection will find this unnecessary though as most of these appear in one way or another on the DVD releases of the films.

Why pick this up? For those of you who preferred the film mix of Chris Cornell's You Know My Name, you'll find it here for the first time ever in non-bootleg (as in ripped straight from the titles of the DVD) form. In case you're wondering (or hadn't noticed), the film mix boosts the sound of the orchestra, taking away some of the rock edge that the track on Cornell's album had. It's a classy yet jagged listen that really captured Craig's Bond in CASINO ROYALE to a tee.

Like I said, if you want all of the Bond tunes in one place, you'll find this album to be fabulously convenient. Just avoid John Arnold's track unless you have a soft spot for unoriginal remixes that sound like cruddy made-at-home MIDI compositions.



One week until QUANTUM! Woohoo!