I saw three movies over the weekend.  In their entirety, completely uninterrupted (well, almost.  When movie-watching at a home with young children there are virtually always interruptions, even if said children are supposed to be in bed.  Also, sometimes I run out of wine).  I even saw a movie within 5 years of its release date – IN THE THEATER!  Had myself a big ol’ weekend, didn’t I?

First up:  Casino Royale.  I had seen it before, but not since it was first released.  We bought it when it came out on DVD but never got around to watching it again.  But on Friday night we decided to make the commitment (it is kind of long) and popped it in.

I had completely forgotten what a great movie this is.  I originally had doubts about Daniel Craig as James Bond (as I am a huge Pierce Brosnan fan), but they vanished within the first few minutes.  He is just phenomenal, and even though his Bond is a little less debonair than previous versions he certainly wears the suit well.  Casino Royale is a serious departure from all of the other Bond movies that I have watched (and I have seen at least bits of nearly every one) – and it works.  It doesn’t have the cheesy lines and horrible puns.  It is less about the fancy gadgets and outlandish villians and more of a straight-up adventure movie, with incredible action, awesome chases, and a few pretty violent fight scenes.  And let’s not forget about the absolutely gorgeous European backdrops (that in all honesty, make me die a little on the inside.  GOD, I live in the most uninteresting place ON EARTH).  So!  Casino Royale:  two thumbs way, way up.  An overall excellent flick.

We actually watched that movie in preparation for the next – my sister babysat for us Saturday night so we could go and see Quantum of Solace.  May I just again say that I approve of Daniel Craig as Bond?  I WHOLEHEARTEDLY APPROVE.  Anyway, it was a good thing we re-watched Casino Royale because otherwise I would have been hella confused.  QoS picks up right where the last one left off, and in a way that I can totally get on board with – a sweet-ass chase scene.  I do love a good car chase.  

That being said, it was a good movie but not nearly the quality of Casino Royale.  The plot was kind of holey and didn’t neatly wrap things up the way I feel it could (and should) have.  (But I am a pretty easygoing movie critic so this didn’t bother me nearly as much as it did my husband.)  And the opening sequence was crappy, as was the song.  There was also a reference to Goldfinger that seemed rather randomly (and hastily) inserted, but other than that it was quite enjoyable.  QoS had all the major movie elements that I require to be entertained:  fight sequences, explosions, multiple high-speed chases, gorgeous locales, and impressive eye candy.  Final verdict:  very good, definitely worth being purchased when it comes to DVD.

The final movie I saw this weekend (and I am doing this in actual chronological order, aren’t I fancy) was Underworld: Evolution.  Um, yeah.  Let’s just say that with this my streak of watching quality films came to a screeching halt.  You may remember that not so very long ago I saw and reviewed its predecessor, which I found to be surprisingly good.  This was a major disappointment! 

Even though - much like Quantum of Solace -it picked up the instant the previous one left off, it didn’t have the same feel as Underworld.  It was trying too hard, I think, and it was unnecessarily bloody.  Which, yes, it is a vampire movie and those sort of have to be bloody.  But this was just cheesy, B horror flick-style blood and guts.  Blah.  It had a decent plot line, I suppose, but even that couldn’t save it.  The acting was flat and the characters seemed kind of uninterested.  It wasn’t as visually stunning, and what the hell happened to Scott Speedman?  He was attractive(ish) in Underworld - in a goofy sort of way – but he looked weird here.  Like his teeth were all jacked up or something, and I don’t just mean when his character was transforming.  Even in his human form his teeth looked strange, and I don’t remember that from the first movie.  I found it to be distracting (obviously).  

I had to rewind the movie in a few places when I fell asleep and missed crucial plot points (well, you know.  Relatively speaking, of course) so clearly there wasn’t even enough going on to hold my attention.  And I woke up during the final credits to my husband smirking at me, so I couldn’t even tell you how it ended.  But I didn’t care enough to back it up and find out, so there you go.  That is my review:  not even worth rewinding to see the parts you may have missed.  Yet another entry for the sequel hall of shame.