Quantum of Bonds

Bond v. Bond

Say what you will about Tom Cruise but...

Tom Cruise is an amazing actor. Sure his off-screen antics (The Oprah Incident, The Brooke Shields Incident (which he has subsequently apologised for), The Leaked Video Incident) leave much to be desired but that notwithstanding his talent is undeniable.

I just finished watching Tropic Thunder and I have not laughed that hard during a film in a long time. The overall film was funny but Tom Cruise took it to whole new level.

Side Note: Solid performance from Robert Downey Jr and Nick Nolte.

Here are the end credits of Tropic Thunder (No Spoilers)


It is well known that Tom Cruise is a member of the Church of Scientology which tends to turn off many film goers who consequently boycott his work. Personally I too, vehemently disapprove of the Church of Scientology's philosophy and their alleged and otherwise tactics, so when people choose to blackball his flicks, I completely understand.

Here is his selected filmography:

• The Outsiders
• Top Gun
• Rain Man
• Born on the Fourth of July
• A Few God Men
• Interview with a Vampire
• Mission: Impossible
• Collateral
• Mission: Impossible III
• Lions for Lambs

If film goers black list Cruise's work solely based on his religious affiliation, here is something to consider - the following is a short list of members of the Church of Scientology:

• Kirstie Alley (Cheers, Veronica Mars)
• Anne Archer (Privileged, Felon, End Game, Rules of Engagement)
• Beck (Soundtrack for: Grey's Anatomy, Knocked Up, Entourage, Scrubs)
• Catherine Bell (Army Wives, JAG, Bruce Almighty)
• Nancy Cartwright (The Simpsons, Kim Possible, Pinky & The Brain, Anamaniacs)
• Erika Christensen (Six Degrees, Flight Plan, Traffic)
• Jenna Elfman (Looney Toons: Back in Action, Doctor Dolittle, Dharma & Greg)
• Paul Haggis (Quantum of Solace, In the Valley of Elah, Casino Royale, Crash, Million Dollar Baby)
• Isaac Hayes (South Park, Shaft, Hustle & Flow, Reindeer Games)
• Jason Lee (My Name is Earl, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, The Incredibles, Almost Famous)
• Juliete Lewis (Old School, The Way of the Gun, From Dusk 'Till Dawn, The Basketball Diaries)
• Christopher Masterson (Malcolm in the MIddle, Scary Movie 2, American History X)
• Danny Masterson (That 70's Show, Puff Puff Pass)
• Michael Pena (Shooter, World Trade Center, Babel, The Shield)
• Laura Prepon (That 70's Show, October Road, Karla, Halo 2)
• Priscilla Presley (The Naked Gun Trilogy, Dallas)
• Kelly Preston (Death Sentence, Return to Sender, Eulogy, The Cat in the Hat)
• Lee Purcell (The Unknown, Dizzyland, Due South)
• Leah Remini (King of Queens, Old School, Glory Daze)
• Giovanni Ribisi (Perfect Stranger, Flight of the Phoenix, Cold Mountain, Friends)
• Ethan Suplee (My Name is Earl, Fan Boys, Mr. Woodcock, The Butterfly Effect)
• John Travolta (Hair Spray, Wild Hogs, The Punisher, Swordfish, The General's Daughter)

Does this mean people also boycott the aforementioned and their endeavours as well? Or is Tom Cruise simply targeted because he has the highest profile or simply because these days it seems fashionable to hate Tom Cruise. It might be time to separate the person from the artist, else we might miss out on some wonderful entertainment.

"Taxi To The Dark Side" - Trailer

This documentary murder mystery examines the death of an Afghan taxi driver at Bagram Air Base from injuries inflicted by U.S. soldiers. In an unflinching look at the Bush administration's policy on torture, the filmmaker behind Enron: the Smartest Guys in the Room takes us from a village in Afghanistan to Guantanamo and straight to the White House.

Where in the World is Osama bin Laden?

Where have all the good men gone?

I just finished watching "Licence to Wed" and my one word review is, "YUCK". It was sappy, more than predictable and barely funny at best. That's not the point of this entry, but it did get me thinking.

Is it so politically incorrect to have a strong man in a any kind of "couple" type scenario that they have been written off into extinction? Be it on the small screen or the large, men just seem to be portrayed as impotent pansys. They're indecisive, weak-willed putzes that are completely clueless until an ethereal woman graces him with her presence.

When he screws up, and he will screw up, she gets all indignant until he carries out the great romantic gesture that will win her back over. "Fine." One might say, "Fair enough." He screwed up, he should pay for it.

Conversely if she ever screws up or does something less than honourable, that is usually a mechanism for her to find out that he is screwing up, even unknowingly, (the bastard should have known better) and she gets all indignant until the great romantic gesture wins her back over.

It's a pathetic commentary on either the writers or the audiences or both that a needlessly weak character is required to highlight the strengths of the more stalwart one. Alana (my writing sounding board) rightfully points out, "movies would be a lot more engaging with two leads who could hold their own, not one pansy and one hero-type." Two strong leads or even two weak leads in the same film or television show should not need to be mutually exclusive.

The exceedingly sharp contrast in character types either illustrates how writers cannot write in nuance or that the audiences are just too stupid to understand nuance.

What Would Jesus Buy?

From Producer Morgan Spurlock



Produced by the guy who brought you "Supersize me" and HBO's "30 Days" comes a docu-drama about one man's crusade against the Shopacalypse

Connery Says Never Again

Connery bows out of Indiana film.

Sir Sean Connery has announced that he will not be playing Harrison Ford's father in the next Indiana Jones film.

"If anything could have pulled me out of retirement, it would have been an Indiana Jones film," the 76-year-old said in a statement on its website.

"But in the end, retirement is just too damned much fun," he continues.

SOURCE: BBC News

Indiana Jones is the second film Sir Sean has opted not to partake in - the first being the iconic role of Ganfalf the wizard in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. He cites not understanding the role Gandalf for dismissing it; but his recent decision on Indy 4 baffles me. Of course, it's his prerogative to accept or reject any role he wishes, and to stay in retirement. However, and maybe this is just a fan speaking, I had hoped that he would reprise the role of Dr. Henry Jones Sr. for a few reasons.

• It would make his rationale for abstaining from Lord of the Rings more credible. If he knew in his heart of hearts that he was indeed permanently retired, a simple, "Thanks, but no thanks, I'm out of the business would have sufficed when turning down Gandalf the Grey.
  
• I'm a devout fan of the Indiana Jones franchise and the introduction of Indy's dad in the most recent installation added a whole new dimension to the character of Indiana Jones which the film makers will now be limited to explore.
• Finally, I am a great enthusiast of Sir Sean Connery himself. I've enjoyed his work since I was a child watching him on mission after mission and the original super secret agent 007. Being the fan that I am, I really hated seeing Mr. Connery end his near fifty year career on such a sour note as "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" - a film that sounded great on paper but was so horribly executed. Connery deserved a far better exit which Indy 4 would have handily provided.

My New Favourite Film

I have a new favourite film. It's not the best film in the world, it's not a good film, heck some might even argue that's it's not even a mediocre film, but for now it's my new favourite film. Why? I was just at IMDb and today's trivia question was:

"This was the movie that dethroned Titanic from 15 weeks atop the U.S. box office. (answer)"

The answer is, if you haven't guessed by the image over yonder, is Lost in Space.

Yes, that's right, Lost in Space, even if the film has no cinematic credentials whatsoever, that fact that it knocked Titanic of the top of the box office charts carries a lot of water with me. I loathed Titanic. It was a waste of great special effects.

Also, you may have notice that I am trying to refrain from using "movie". As it turns out, "movie" is a N. American colloquialism and not an actual word in the British English dictionary; and me being the snobbish elitist that I am, will now try to amend my erroneous ways.

Spiderman In LEGO!

This is just sheer genius. The time, effort and creativity that went in to this... Genius!

This one's for you Darrell, you crazy little Spiderman freak.

The Simpsons The

I was watching last week's episode of The Simpsons and I realised something. Enough! I've been watching the Simpsons since I came to Canada in 1993 and have been a loyal fan, but I have to say my loyalty is waning, and waning fast.

I was introduced to The Simpsons when they were peaking. I remember laughing out loud, I remember belly laughter. Last week, I barely cracked a smile.

It pains me to say it, but I just don't think the Simpsons' characters are cutting edge any more. It's very difficult to push the envelope and still remain true to the characters. Next to South Park, Family Guy and American Dad, The Simpsons just seem very dated, or dare I say it... tired.

I think NhiCAPS illustrated the point well with this post regarding the low calibre of guest voices.

On a related note, I'll more than likely be in the theatres this summer for The Simpsons Movie as it does, from the preview, look somewhat promising. In the same breath, I will say, in the back of my mind, I have a feeling that all the best parts of the film are highlighted in the trailer.

From my understanding, The Simpsons are signed on till the end of their nineteenth season, at which point I really do hope they call it a night.

One ring to rule them, One director to make them all

New Line chief blacklists director.

January 10, 2007 - New Line Cinema honcho Bob Shaye has gone on record blasting Oscar-winning director Peter Jackson and banning the Lord of The Rings helmer from ever working at New Line again, which includes directing The Hobbit.

Jackson has an outstanding lawsuit against New Line over its accounting practices, with the director believing he is owed millions more from the blockbuster franchise. "I do not want to make a movie with somebody who is suing me," Shaye declared to SciFi.com. "It will never happen during my watch."

Shaye continued, "He got a quarter of a billion dollars paid to him so far, justifiably, according to contract, completely right, and this guy, who already has received a quarter of a billion dollars, turns around without wanting to have a discussion with us and sues us and refuses to discuss it unless we just give in to his plan. I don't want to work with that guy anymore. Why would I? So the answer is he will never make any movie with New Line Cinema again while I'm still working for the company."

Source: IGN (Complete Article)

Shaye's reasoning is pretty specious here. Jackson has received a quarter of a billion dollars and he should bloody well be happy with it, despite the fact that he may be owed more. Just because PJ's received a fair chunk of change doesn't mean that Shaye can decide that's all PJ deserves. If Jackson is indeed owed more then he should have what he is contracted to get.

Doesn't Shaye realise that for over a three years straight, Jackson has brought in insane amounts of money to New Line as well numerous awards? Quibbling over a few million at the expense of hundreds of millions, not only seems petty but very short sighted and egotistical. It seems Shaye is taking his ball and going home.

If Shaye sticks to his guns, he may as well throw the baby out with the bathwater. By losing Jackson he also loses the resources PJ brings to the project, such as screenwriters Fran Walsh and Phillipa Boyens as well as WETA Digital. These are people who have devoted at least seven years of their lives to the subject matter and now New Line will have to find decent writers and a director who can put their hearts and souls into the project. PJ et al have set the bar very high with their vision of Lord of the Rings, and personally, I don't think anyone but them will be able to clear it.

Finally, GANDALF!!! Ian McKellen said already said that he would be overjoyed to reprise the role of Gandalf the Grey and would not hesitate at the opportunity with Peter Jackson at the helm.

Come on Shaye, put your ego away, be a professional, do not take Peter Jackson's lawsuit personally, think of the big picture, think of the fans and moviesgoers, and finally, in parlance that even you can understand, think of the money.

A little late - But Craig is no Bond.

Before I go on, I should probably preface that I'm quite the fan of James Bond - the movies and the books - some might even say (and they have) that I'm a bit of an elitist. 2007 being the year of Bond, I thought I might address the latest addition to the Bond franchise. Six weeks too late? Probably. Still valid? Hope so.

When Daniel Craig (a fine thespian by the way) was first cast in the iconic role of the suave super-agent, I have to say that, to put it mildly, I was aghast. And yes, some might argue that it was for purely superficial reasons, but then again, I am a bit of a purist.

I was pretty much in line with most of his most vehement critics. He's blonde (something easy to remedy but wasn't), and to be perfectly honest not that attractive (something not so easy to remedy). Does that mean I hated the movie? No. Does it mean he didn't do the role justice? No. It just means he wasn't Bond, and if he wasn't Bond, then it wasn't a Bond movie.

Look, I've heard many converted critics say he played the role very well, and yes he did. But he didn't look like James Bond. Danny Devito is a fine actor and IF he could pull off the role of James Bond, would critics still be as forgiving? What's next? An Indian James Bond? A Mexican? An African? A Midget? A Woman? Bond is about more than just his character. There's a certain look and presence required to execute the role of 007, which Mr. Daniel Craig just does not have. Sorry.