JScott Blog

KissSony Royalities

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Under discussion:

Casino Royale (2006)

I must admit, I haven't seen the 2-3 recent Bond films. My last one was GoldenEye but before that I have seen them all from Dalton, to Connery, Moore to Dalton and I do really like Daniel Craig as 007. Also the running stunts at the beginning of the film gave it a lot of promise. At the beginning of the film I as really into it.

Then started the poor writing and tacked on romances. Yes, Bond is a ladies man, I get that. But this film takes the interest with Vesper to a new level of hokey. Does writing need to be this blatently obvious to get over? The story had a good pace going after the No Limit game, but then it spends 30-40 minutes trying to convince us that this love is chaning James. Whatever..

I am just disappointed with the lack of effort to make a quality script. While there were some pluses I felt that there were more drawbacks to the film. I like the step away from gadgets and back into espionage but I was hoping for more.

I'm not the biggest Tarantino fan but I think had he been able to make this movie (as rumored) it could have been a lot more. But at the same time I may have just other things to complain about.

Oh and the constant Sony ads. I know thats how movies make money in the system, but I just don't need to see the word Vaio on the screen for over an hour of the movie. Maybe I am being over critical, it is certainly possible, but I hold out for a world of great films being shown in multiplexes where people don't talk during the film. I can't believe I had to shush that elderly couple six times. Six Times!

I miss Telluride, everything was so quiet there.

Posted Sunday, November 26, 2006 9:13 PM by JScott | with 0 comments

Communication is the key

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Babel (2006)

I've now seen Babel twice. Once at Telluride and now on opening weekend. I think the key to the film the the communication (or mostly the lack of) between the characters. This is best shown by Chieko (Rinko Kikuchi) the deaf-mute Japanese school girl. The only person who ever listened to her was her mother, who is now dead. Her father doesn't make time for her, her friends are all deaf-mutes too so they can't "listen" to her either. She acts out in a number of ways after being treated as a monster.

A similar thing can be said with all of the character relations in this film. Richard (Brad Pitt) can't get anyone on the phone to help him and his wife, Susan (Cate Blanchett). They need interpreters to communicate the life and death struggle they are going through, and the people on the bus won't listen to their needs as the couple won't listen to theirs.

Amelia (Adriana Barraza) only gets a few muffled phone calls, each one shorter and more demanding from Richard and she is forces into a situation that only makes things more difficult for her.

Babel is a reference to the tower built in the Bible which was supposed to bring man to the heavens. God is said to have knocked it down and given each different area a language, so they couldn't communicate and work as a team again to try something. I think that speaks volumns about this film. Because of the communication barrier they are unable to reach the epitome of social awareness and helpfulness.

Posted Tuesday, November 14, 2006 2:09 PM by JScott | with 1 comments