oh bond, wherefore art thou?

it is both shocking and apalling, but i confess, it has taken me over a month from the original release date to see casino royale. perhaps you don't find that as abhorrent as i do, but you see, i inadvertently turned my back on my roots.

when i was a child (as far back as i can remember), i had two loves, elvis and bond. at the tender age of 7, 8, 9, 10, etc. no matter what i was doing or where i was, my mother knew that if an elvis or bond movie came on tv, she was to immediately call me, either by phone, or by yelling out the front door, and i would scurry home to sit in front of the tv.

it may seem slightly odd to have had such a penchant for these two 'characters' at such a young age, and i'm afraid that i can offer no explanation to mitgate that strangeness. all i know is that i love them.

i can't say that i have loved all the bonds though...everyone has been second best (or worst) to connery in my mind. i know in general people liked pierce brosnan. i didn't. he was always way too cheeky and too 'slick' for me.

so, when daniel craig was cast, my first thought was 'phew. it's not pierce brosnan.' my second thought was 'give the guy a chance, he can't make it any worse.' but the critics slammed him, from the minute his casting was announced.

when casino royale opened to rave reviews, and the critics started singing a new tune, i thought 'good for him.' because who doesn't love an underdog story? and while i was hopeful and anticipatory, i was still a bit skeptical.

all for naught!

since i was unable to see the movie opening weekend, which is when everyone else i knew went to see it, i was a bit of a loss. there are some movies i don't mind watching alone (particularly those i expect to cry at and would rather not have witnesses) but bond requires a companion with whom you can ooooh when the new car appears, and cringe when he is captured, and...well, you get the idea. i was convinced that i was going to be forced to netflix it.

imagine my elation when julie, who is in town from nc for the holidays, told me that she and the fam had not seen it and were planning to go!

i know all of you have already seen it if you are ever going to, so my opinion only serves an homage to the new bond. i absolutely loved the film. i mean, i LOVED it.

it is interesting where they chose to stick with tradition (the aston martin) and where they chose to ignore it (the shaken/stirred martini), but for me, they found the perfect balance. the shower scene was one of the most memorable scenes i can recall in a long time, and craig, in general, was flawless (both in the role and in that body!) i can't wait until it comes out on dvd so i can buy it, and watch that beautiful specimen of a man play a role he was born to play.

and now for two random sidenotes:

1: some of you know of my slight obsession with the number 21, and the fact that this was the 21st movie in the bond series was not lost on me. i read the following recently... "In Fleming’s time, the winning number in cards was 21 in chemin de fer (or baccarat). This was officially film 21, so it had to beat all competition. Although their last gamble (Die Another Day) had made them a fortune by luck rather than a winning hand (over $400 million) this turn of the cards would prove their most important in decades. As half the world’s population has seen a Bond film at one time or another, it was more than queen and country who depended on 007 raising his game."

2: eva green was completely overrated as far as i'm concerned. they should try harder next time. but fortunately that did not detract at all.

and thank heavens there will be a next time. viva la bond!