Hero Inc.

Say what you want about my love for wrestling during the 90s (and some 2000s), but I’m not ashamed to say that I am looking forward to Darren Aronofsky’s (Pi, Requiem for a Dream, Fountain) next movie with Mickey Rourke (Sin City).  The Wrestler is exactly what it sounds like it is about and I can’t wait for it.

The trailer does not show some of Aronofsky’s normal quick cuts/edits which makes me think he might be trying to stick to his characters more this time or the studio thinks Mr. Rourke has a shot at a few awards.  Whatever, the case may be, I know where I’ll be on January 16th.

A few weeks ago, I got caught up in an online conversation with Will about many random items.  However, when we started talking about sports, the conversation slowly moved to uniforms.  Specifically, I was describing my new love for the Steelers’ throwbacks, while he was a fan of the Buffalo Bills throwbacks.  I soon found that I could talk about sporting wear while the time quickly passed me by.  Little did I know that there was a whole website blog devoted to nothing more than the wardrobe of our beloved sporting events.

Known simply as “Uni Watch” I found myself sucked into a world I did not fully understand but enjoyed immensely.  It’s more interesting than you would think to see differing viewpoints of jerseys, helmets, socks, logos, etc.  I found myself looking more at what a team was wearing on game days than how they were actually playing.  Yeah that might be a little girlie, but once you are hooked, you are hooked.

With the recent posting that tied Google’s Time Life image search with Uni Watch, I saw that I really could spend long hours in front of a computer reading/viewing great moments in sports dress.  The postings range from the serious to the humorous (not for the faint of heart).  And who would have thought that vertical stripes on socks would cause one to go running to the hills?

And as always, who doesn’t love a guy that constantly makes fun of those wacky Oregon Ducks?  I mean, they have so much fuel to the fire.

TRAILER ALERT:  Before I begin talking about the movie I’d like to mention the quick previews that came with this movie.  I’m shocked that they made another Fast and Furious movie.  After the last two bombs, you would think they would have quit and that the original cast would have better since than to comeback.  I guess I was wrong.  The highlight of the trailers was not the new Watchmen trailer or Keanu Reeves playing a role he was born to play (an alien).  It was the full trailer for the new Star Trek movie.  I’m not a big Trek fan but there are movies in that franchise that I enjoy (Wrath of Khan) and anything J.J. Abrahms touches turns to gold.  Movie looks to be good though.

Welcome to the 22nd film in the highest grossing franchise of all time.  Quantum of Solace picks up only hours after Casino Royale ends.  It might be a good idea to go back and watch Casino Royale prior to seeing Quantum, but it is not required.  It would more be used to enhance your memory over last events.

With Vesper’s death, MI6 uncovers a new organization that is basically involved in everything.  Bond must find out who these people are but he is not to have his actions motivated by revenge.  I’m willing to bet you can guess what he does from here.  With a quick body count behind him, you find yourself wondering who is truly the good guy and who is bad.  Ok, maybe not really since Bond is always the good guy.

The movie can be confusing at times and is rather slow at other points.  I’m also not a fan of the new “Bourne” style.  Quick edits during fights, the motorcycle jump, or using a shoe as a weapon all remind me of Jason Bourne and not James Bond.  Hey, they have the same initials….interesting.  As much as I understand the need for a revenge flick in the franchise I feel that this movie would have been better served if Bond’s wife was killed instead of Vesper.

Overall the movie was a decent Bond flick and I really enjoyed the new Bond girl and Daniel Craig’s version of Bond, yet again.  However, I would probably not place this film in the top 10 of the Bond franchise.  There will always be not so good Bond films.  Just ask Brosnan, Dalton, and Lazenby.

[Rating: 3.5/5]

May’s Two Cents:  “Why did they have to destroy the car [Aston Martin]?  Kill something else but not the car.”

Today’s the big day. For those looking for a list, yesterday was the final day of Bond lists. Today we all head to see Bond, James Bond return to the big screen in Quantum of Solace. This is the 22nd film in the franchise and picks up only a few hours after Casino Royale ended. For those book readers, this is not an Ian Flemming based novel.

Enjoy.

Also, I apologize to all of those who were hoping to see this movie with me. I couldn’t pass up a trip to San Fran. I will be seeing the movie out here though so except a quick review on another day.

The openings are key.

Top 007 Bond Opening Sequences

7. The Spy Who Loved Me
   
6. For Your Eyes Only
   
5. Octopussy
   
4. Casino Royale
   
3. View To A Kill
   
2. Live and Let Die
   
1. Goldeneye
   

Can the Bonds actually do well outside of Bond movies?

Top 007 Non-Bond Acting Moments

7. Batman Beyond: The Movie (Lazenby)
6. The Rock (Connery)
5. Hot Fuzz (Dalton)
4. The Rocketeer (Dalton)
3. Road To Perdition (Craig)
2. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (Connery)
1. The Untouchables (Connery)

Top 007 Henchmen

7. Xenia Onatopp
6. Stamper
5. Tee Hee
4. Bambi and Thumper
3. Number 2
2. Oddjob
1. Jaws

These lists are getting harder to make.

Top 007 Phrases

7. You carry a 00 number, it means you have license to kill, not GET killed! – Dr. No
6. World domination. The same old dream. – Dr. No
5. Now the whole world’s gonna know you died scratching my balls – Casino Royale
4. His name’s Jaws. He kills people – Moonraker
3. This never happened to the other fellow – On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
2. Baha! – Diamonds Are Forever
1. No, Mister Bond I expect you to die. – Goldfinger

What are the movies to avoid? Every franchise has them.

Top 007 Worst Bond Movies

7. Tomorrow Never Dies
6. Moonraker
5. License To Kill
4. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
3. Never Say Never Again (Non Broccoli endorsed)
2. Casino Royale (with Peter Sellers)
1. Die Another Day

What are the movies to watch?

Top 007 Best Bond Movies

7. Dr. No
6. The Man With The Golden Gun
5. Casino Royale
4. Diamonds Are Forever
3. From Russia With Love
2. Goldeneye
1. Goldfinger