Quick Takes: "Dr. No", "Dark Shadows", "Journey 2", "Boardwalk Empire"

"Dr. No" (***)

Directed by Terence Young

James Bond is a rather stereotypical choice for Father's Day, but as somebody whose total Bond knowledge amounts to incomplete memories of "Goldfinger" and long past viewings of "Casino Royale" and "Quantum of Solace", revisiting the beginnings of the property served more of a purpose. From the first moments, the trademarks of the Bond series, from the pre-credits prologue to the music video essence of it, all were stripped away. Though "stripped" may be an inadequate phrase, since they hadn't been in place yet. This was a film working on the assumption that this will be a simple cinematic series, when eventually it would grow to be anything but.

The plot is very simply, with Bond heading out to track down evil scientist Dr. No and stop him from destroying the world or something tantamount to that. We don't get so up close to Bond, the action, the chaos, or the emotions. Simple treasuries are all it seeks, and those simple treasuries prove absolutely fine for what they are. Ursula Andress only serves as visual treat for Honey Ryder, whose singing and speaking voices are offered to different actresses, though that's really all we need or ask for from her, and she fulfills that duty proudly. But let's not dally over the real attraction, which is Sean Connery in his prime. Illusions of where he would end up physically wash away the moment he's given time to speak. Bond is, quite simply, the coolest character on film, and Connery so perfectly embodies and acknowledges that.

Awards 2010: Writer's Guild of America Winners

This week, I did something that I haven't done since late 2009. I sat down and watched Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight from start to finish. I'd seen fragments of it on television, usually during the ambitious gotham city car chase that takes place in the middle of the film. I can honestly say that I've never fully realize the full scale of Nolan's accomplishment until just now. At face value, it's a dark crime thriller with some breathtaking action set-pieces propelling it, but what always shook me to my core was that final 25 minutes. The Joker had already made it abundantly clear of his intention to show the citizens of Gotham as the murderous fiends they truly are. Ultimately what that final showdown, and what the entire film actually boils down to is the struggle to keep hope alive at whatever the cost. The stakes are made so personal by the face-off between Harvey Dent and Jim Gordon, and that menace shows how painful it is to live in a world with absolutely no hope. That was what made the film so unforgettable.

With that said, Inception is never going to come close to what that film meant and what that film did. To even suggest that is crazy, because Nolan creates a softer film with less emotional stakes. It's dazzlingly well crafted with a powerful and under-appreciated supporting turn from Marion Cotillard, but it won't be what Nolan is remembered for. Recently I have been twisting and turning at how unbearably predictable the Oscar race has become, and it's so unbearable because it's currently in favor of The King's Speech, which is quickly becoming my least favorite film of the bunch, aside from The Fighter. It's amazing how unanimous praise can expose your despise for a film.

Yet this evening we got a glimmer of hope that maybe everything isn't set in stone. Inception took home the WGA award for Best Original Screenplay, making it Nolan's first win at the prestigious awards. For the past seven years the WGA has been spot on in predicting the outcome of the race, despite the strict rules of qualification. This year, The King's Speech was cut out of the race because of such technicalities, so this could break the WGA's streak of voting so correctly. However, I manage to believe that Nolan still has a shot at the win. The message of outcry amongst the fans at Nolan's omission from Best Director has been heard, so voting for Inception could also work as a bit of damage control.

Of course Aaron Sorkin also took the obvious win for his precise screenplay for The Social Network, which has a much greater struggle for the win in Best Picture. It'll be a struggle for David Fincher to recieve his deserved Best Director win against the undeserving Tom Hooper. I feel a greater stream of optimism this evening than I have in a long time. I've adjusted my Oscar Predictions page, so check it out. The winners are listed below.

Best Original Screenplay: Inception
Best Adapted Screenplay: The Social Network
Documentary Writing: Inside Job
Miniseries/TV Movie Adapted Screenplay: The Pacific
Miniseries/TV Movie Original Screenplay: The Special Relationship
Episodic Comedy: Modern Family
Episodic Drama: Mad Men
New Series: Boardwalk Empire

Awards 2010: Golden Globe Winners

My Golden Globe party turned out to be a lot more competitive than I anticipated going into the weekend. The telecast wasn't that stressful, but I was thrust into a predicting competition on who will win with a bunch of new friends that I just met. None of them already knew who was going to win, so I was prepped to take them all down. On the other hand, I hadn't a clue who was going to win the television categories, so I got most of those wrong. I didn't expect Boardwalk Empire to be as big a hit as it was last night, and I thought the HFPA would choose something radically different for Best Motion Picture (Drama). Instead, they stayed with The Social Network to make an entirely too predictable evening. Ricky Gervais did a great job, so I'll give the evening that.

~Film~

Best Motion Picture (Drama): The Social Network
Best Motion Picture (Comedy/Musical): The Kids Are All Right
Best Actor (Drama): Colin Firth (The King's Speech)
Best Actor (Comedy/Musical): Paul Giamatti (Barney's Version)
Best Actress (Drama): Natalie Portman (Black Swan)
Best Actress (Comedy/Musical): Annette Bening (The Kids Are All Right)
Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale (The Fighter)
Best Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo (The Fighter)
Best Director: David Fincher (The Social Network)
Best Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network)

Best Original Score: The Social Network
Best Original Song: "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me" from Burlesque

~Television~

Best Series (Drama): Boardwalk Empire
Best Series (Comedy/Musical): Glee
Best Miniseries/TV Movie: Carlos
Best Actor (Drama): Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire)
Best Actor (Comedy/Musical): Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory)
Best Actor (Miniseries/TV Movie): Al Pacino (You Don't Know Jack)
Best Actress (Drama): Katey Sagal (Sons of Anarchy)
Best Actress (Comedy/Musical): Laura Linney (The Big C)
Best Actress (Miniseries/TV Movie): Claire Danes (Temple Grandin)
Best Supporting Actor: Chris Colfer (Glee)
Best Supporting Actress: Jane Lynch (Glee)