The King's Speech

I don't generally bother with movie reviews these days unless it's exceptional, but I am making that exception for The King's Speech.

We finally got to see this last night after our copy arrived in the post. Remember I live out in the back of beyond out here, our closest cinema is a 25 minute drive away and it was closed down awhile ago due to unpaid taxes! Needless to say, this wasn't a problem I faced back in Blighty when a movie I really wanted to see was released.

Anyway I digress.... what a wonderful and uplifting movie, also surprisingly it made us laugh out loud many times. It deserved every plaudits and award it has received and probably a few it didn't as well. Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush are both wonderful as the soon to be King and his unconventional speech therapist, Lionel Logue.

This was also a very interesting but sad time in British history. I remember my late grandma telling me, that King Edward VIII's abdication over Wallis Simpson almost brought the nation to it's knees collectively, and this was closely followed by the declaration of war against Germany. I also read the Queen Mother (played by the wonderful Helena Bonham Carter) never forgave Berties brother for abdicating and forcing him onto a throne he never wanted, and she was convinced it was that stress that ended his life so prematurely.

All this history and the special relationship and trust these two men develop, make this a thoroughly absorbing and fascinating film, we both highly recommend.

Hachi

If you've ever loved a pet, or just love animals, this is a must see movie. Hachi - A Dog's Tale, tells the true and famous story of Hachiko a Japanese Akita dog and his legendary loyalty.

We had seen trailers for this Richard Gere movie (with support from Joan Allen and Jason Alexander) and were charmed even by the short clips shown. So despite my fear it would be a big old weepy we went ahead and watched it. Well I wasn't wrong, Kleenex are essential to get through this movie, but it's sad and uplifting, not just sad and upsetting!

Hachi was taken in as a puppy by the Professor (Gere) and they immediately formed a strong and unbreakable bond. Although Hachi being a noble Akita would not 'fetch', he followed the Professor everywhere and their bond was known to the whole community. Hachi would walk with him to the station, return home and then return to the station in time to meet his train every evening. He would sit opposite the doors on a raised area waiting for his master to come home.

But after just over a year together, when the Professor fails to come home one night, Hachi waits for hours in vain. Time moves on and despite a new home and much love Hachi can't settle and still waits for the train everyday. He sleeps under a train and just waits, surviving on the affection and caring of the many commuters and locals who know of him and feel his pain. He even becomes famous after a newspaper article and people send money to look after him.

Hachi waits at the station daily for nine years, an unbelievable testament to loyalty, love and patience.

Hachiko is the most famous dog in Japan. He lived from 1923-1935 and his story is treasured by the Japanese and told to their children as a lesson in loyalty. He is remembered with a bronze statue out side the station and a celebration on April 8 annually. You can read his true story here. Although the movie moves the story from Japan to the USA and puts it in present day, none of this detracts from the story.

I can guarantee this movie will make you weep. But it's charm, wonderful acting and uplifting true story, make it so worthwhile a few tears.

Invictus - a great movie

A couple of nights ago we watched Invictus on DVD and thoroughly enjoyed it.

It tells the story of Nelson Mandela becoming President after his long imprisonment and the battles he fought to bring his apartheid torn nation together. It especially focuses on the 1995 Rugby World Cup and President Mandela's plan to use the popular 'white' sport to unite the racially challenged nation behind their poorly performing team.

The lead roles are played by Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon, both of whom resemble the real life characters they play, and then work very hard to portray them accurately. They do an excellent job, especially Morgan as President Mandela.

This movie gives you a real feel for the traumatic changes South Africa went through in the nineties, but it also demonstrates the powerful role sport can play in such times. This was a great movie, with drama, humour and accuracy, so you soon find yourself rooting for the Springboks to take the cup.

I remember this World Cup really well and the filmakers really capture the actual raw excitement and yearning desire for South Africa to do well on their home soil. Like most people my age or older, I also clearly remember the day Nelson Mandela was released and watching his climb to power and success with great interest and hope. So I ultimately found this film emotionally connected with me, which always makes a movie mean more to a viewer.

It really brought home to me how much the USA misses out on not competing against the rest of the world in soccer/football and rugby. There's nothing quite like a whole nation coming to a standstill whilst the citizens get behind them and then celebrate their team. The street scenes at the end of this movie really took me back to similar times in England when we have enjoyed success. If like the USA you never experience it (because the Olympics just aren't the same) then you don't know what you're missing out on, and it's one helluva of a world party!

Invictus is an uplifting movie based in fact, that we highly recommend.

A very worthy nominee

Courtesy of IMDB: US Army Sergeant First Class Will James, Sergeant JT Sanborn and Specialist Owen Eldridge comprise the Bravo Company's bomb disposal unit currently stationed in Baghdad. James is the tech team leader.

When James arrives on the scene, Bravo Company has thirty-nine days left on its current deployment. It will be a long thirty-nine days for Sanborn and Eldridge whose styles do not mesh with their new leader. James is a renegade for who the thrill of the dismantlement seems to be the ultimate goal regardless of the safety of his fellow team members, others on the scene or himself.

On the other hand, Sanborn is by the books: he knows his place and duty and trusts others in the army to carry out theirs as well as he. And Eldridge is an insecure soldier who is constantly worried that an error or misjudgment on his part will lead to the death of an innocent civilian or a military colleague. While the three members face their own internal issues, they have to be aware of any person at the bomb sites, some of who may be bombers themselves.

The Hurt Locker is nominated for 9 Oscars, and has 68 award wins and 42 other nominations already in the bag! Do not be put off by the subject matter of this great movie, even you ladies. You all know I don't do gory or horrifying movies and this is neither, it's just a wonderful movie about our brave soldiers doing the most dangerous job in the world.

Although I haven't seen every movie based on the Iraq war, I strongly suspect this is the closest you'll get to being there on film. We were both enthralled by the daily drama they go through and the constant state of high alert and stress they live under. How the three main characters deal with their surroundings is very different, so how they work together as an effective unit is challenging to say the least.

The storyline is completely unpredictable, I was amazed when two Hollywood A-listers were killed within minutes of appearing, leaving lesser known actors to carry this movie. And carry it they do, with performances that make you feel like you're almost watching a documentary they're so real.

This movie will move you, and make even the most cynical anti-war protestor feel pride in our troops. It also makes us all better understand the risks our troops take for their country and the freedom of others daily. Everyone should see this movie.

This must be a joke surely!

This movie has been nominated for 4 Oscar's including Best Picture, we watched just over half and turned it off.  We gave it a try because I like to watch all the Oscar nominated 'Best Picture' movies, it's just a sad annual habit I have!

It was the biggest load of utter tosh I think either of us has seen in years! It's science fiction, documentary and light horror all rolled into one and unbelievably bad. If this wins (which I'm sure it won't), then the members of the 'Academy' will have proved once and for all, how out of touch they are with opinion of the average Joe and family.

Nuff said, avoid at all cost!

Laughed so hard, I put a rib out!

The Hubster & I went to see this excellent film today and HIGHLY recommend it for all. Well unless you still harbour any feelings for an ex spouse anyway!

I had a feeling Alec & Meryl would spark off each other and the chemistry did not disappoint. The writer & producer is Nancy Meyer, of The Holiday (Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz & Jack Black) and she is without doubt the absolute best at comedy films with a sensitive soul.

The locations are lush, very much the rosy side of life, but lovely to escape into for a couple of hours. Steve Martin is surprisingly not the comedy king of this film, he plays a more sensitive and likeable 'other' guy. Alec Baldwin is side splittingly funny, he has a little of the bad boy thing going on and was masterful as the ex. Meryl just seems to get lovelier with age and she is definitely having a great resurgence. I think she could star in anything and make it great. She's up there with Denzel now for me, if she's in it I know it'll be good. The other star performance is from John Krasinski (The Office), who has some of the funniest looks and lines as the soon to be son-in-law.

This is just good clean fun, no bad language but some very funny partial nudity, and a contemporary storyline that will feel familiar to many of us. There were more than a few scenes where I was quite literally rocking in my seat crying with laughter, as was the Hubster.

But I am certain the putting out of my rib happened during the 'smot poking' scenes, which were some of the funniest I have seen on film in years.

Just do not miss this movie!

Holmes delivers - almost

We ended up choosing the new Sherlock Holmes movie and it was very good. Both Robert Downey Jr (a fave of mine) and Jude Law were well cast in the roles of Holmes and Dr. Watson and were believable as the reknowned detectives.

I loved the CGI effects of London as it used to be, the scenery was stunning and it appeared pretty accurate too. The plot was strong and the story kept moving right along. Holmes character was depicted as the true eccentric he's supposed to be.

Sherlock Holmes has undoubtedly been given the 'Hollywood' requisite 'action movie' package, and therein lies the crux of the matter. Traditionally Holmes was a sleuth of the first calibre, much discussion and deduction resulted in the solving of the crime. There is a definite nod to this in the movie, but it's not quite enough and the action is allowed to takeover.

But the major criticism we had was for the sound. Maybe we are getting old, but it appears the sound guys in Hollywood think we're all half deaf and they need to ratchet up the volume to quite ridiculous levels! The dialogue parts were loud but okay, the action parts were totally deafening, it seems they ramp up the volume for these scenes like they do TV commercials! Are we alone, or do the rest of you notice this too?

Sherlock Holmes is good entertainment, well cast and action packed, we recommend it.

'Knowing'

Well "WOW" would be the first thing I would say about this movie, it was so not what I thought it was! It's certainly interesting and the Hubster knew exactly what it was trying to depict by the end (Biblical connection), and I'll say nothing more so as not to ruin it.

I'm a fan of Nicolas Cage, most of his movies are entertaining and often make you think, and this is another one of those. It wasn't at all what I expected and got pretty spooky in parts and I don't do 'spooky'!! But I made it through, although I did have to go around and close all the curtains to stop me totally freaking out.

Followers or students of prophecy/astronomy will probably have a field day with this film. It certainly made me think and maybe global warming is already out of our hands, this will make you wonder. I'd recommend it but watch out for the 'jumpy' bits!

Simply great entertainment!

New In Town is one of those movies that ticks/checks all the highly satisfying boxes there are.

It's the latest Renee Zellweger rom-com vehicle and co-stars Harry Connick Jr as her love interest. She is the high powered corporate executive from Miami, sent to frigid Minnesota to oversee the downsizing of a smalltown production plant. Think a seriously skinny (which is aging her badly!) 'Bridget Jones' and you're very close to her character here.

This movie is laugh out loud funny, with a couple of classic one liners and one particular moment of dialogue in the woods that had me in tears it was so funny! The plant workers have that salt of the earth quirky charm and backwoods dry humour that is just perfect. The character development is good and you just can't help rooting for them and growing attached.

Harry Connick Jr plays it understated perfectly as a foil to Rene, and despite a god-awful beard, you can't help finding him attractive. The other lead character in this movie is the weather which is frigid and it's comic potential is played out beautifully. Also be sure to watch the deleted scenes as they're very funny.

We both LOVED this movie, in fact it will be joining our DVD collection as soon as I get to WalMart. You just can't beat a feel good rom-com that's not a chick-flick and makes you laugh out loud, this is a classic.

Four quickies!

Well after I loaded all the pictures for the four movies we have watched this past week, I chuckled and thought 'wow, nobody can accuse of us of not being diverse'!!

You can't beat a bit of Morgan Freeman, and The Contract is a thriller that we overlooked when it came out. Co-starring John Cusack, it tells the story of a father and son heading out to bond on a camping trip, only to find themselves hotly pursued by hitmen! Why, well they have taken Freeman into custody after he escapes on his way to prison and are intent on taking him back to justice. But Freeman is a mercenary hitman and his team are determined to track them down before the FBI, and rescue him.

We really enjoyed this fast moving thriller, the acting is good, the scenery stunning and the story plausible. We would both definitely recommend this movie, it will hold your attention from the outset.

Bride Wars is an entertaining chick-flick bit of fluff. Starring Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson as life long bestfriends, with the same dream to marry at The Plaza in NYC in June. The problems start when their wedding planner, brilliantly played by Candice Bergan, screws up their dates and one has to give up the dream. Well neither of them is budging, so their weddings are planned for the same day and time, splitting friends and family down the middle. As the big day draws closer, the arch rivals resort to ever worsening desperately destructive tactics, with some laugh out loud moments as a result.

This is not a taxing movie, but it even made the hubster laugh out loud a few times. It's entertaining, has a nice angle on friendship and the things it has to overcome and both actresses are naturally funny. So if you need a fun bit of escapism, with wedding fever thrown in, then give this a try.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona is not a movie to watch if your having an 'ugly' or 'fat & frumpy' week, it'll just depress you further! It is full of the creme of Hollywood beauties, with Penelope Cruz, Scarlett Johansson and Javier Bardem for us ladies. It tells the story of two friend's summer spent in Barcelona, and their closely intertwined relationship with Javier and his crazy ex-wife Penelope. It is a stunningly beautiful movie to look at, reminding me of the classic Merchant Ivory films of the nineties which were just cinematically lush. We loved the narrated style of the story, making it easy to follow and the acting was excellent.

Neither of us are Woody Allen fans, but this is Woody at his most commercially accessible and we enjoyed it. I know I enjoyed it more than the hubster, but it is a movie all about complicated lover relationships and that's often more of a female thing. But this is not a chick flick, as it is subtler and more intelligent. I would give this a good 4 stars, I think the hubster was about 2.5!

Transformers was a loaner from a colleague at work and I have to say we were both extremely dubious, having thought it was a kids film. Well we were pleasantly surprised to find it was more of an action thriller, with a heavy military slant! It stars Shia Le Beouf (Indiana Jones 4) and Josh Duhamel (of Las Vegas and wife Fergie, fame) as they fight against an initially unknown enemy, with the help of the alien Transformers. The special effects in this movie are stunning and we were both pretty much transfixed without speaking for the whole movie. But then that might also have been because this was WITHOUT DOUBT the noisiest movie ever made in the history of the world!! It has one of those incredibly annoying soundtracks where they have the actors and the background noise/music on the same channel, a big pet peeve of ours.

But there was no denying it was entirely not what we expected it to be and very entertaining. I am glad we didn't see it in the cinema as we might have walked out due to deafness, but it's a great Friday night action movie for your sofa.

Overall none of these were bad, we enjoyed them all, but I think we would both recommend 'The Contract' as the best of the bunch.

All 8 were well deserved

Oscars that is! It's so nice to finally see a film that deserves every accolade and award it received. This is without doubt the best picture we have seen in a long time, unlike previous winners that were a big disappointment. This film is brilliantly directed by Danny Boyle and the format of flashbacks depicting the heroes life, worked very well for us.

Slumdog Millionaire is a film that pulls no punches, showing the real side of life, not the polished Hollywood 'reality'. It is gritty, funny, heart-rending, horrifying, nervewracking, uplifting and ultimately just a joy to watch. It shows that despite living through hell, a persons humanity can survive intact and their spirit ultimately triumph.

I'm not going to add anything else, other than to urge you to see this wonderful film, you won't regret it.

Possibly the best in a year!

Seeing as The President 'bumped' AI last night, we watched The Dark Knight, the latest offering from Batman.

This is a superb movie, the plot is strong, the action is top rate and the cast excelled themselves with their fine performances. This film is packed tight with stars; Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Aaron Eckhart and the much missed Heath Ledger.

This is without doubt the performance Heath should be remembered for, and he richly deserved his Oscar. He is so believable as The Joker, that you just can't see Heath in him at all. Heath Ledger went out at the top with this role, it's just so sad such a fine talent is gone.

It's dark, dangerous fun, the Batman franchise has grown-up, and it's easy to see why it was the biggest grossing movie last year.

Five stars plus, very highly recommended and the movie I have enjoyed possibly the most in a year!

Sunday Review

Nights in Rodanthe is based on the book by Nicholas Sparks, one of my favourite authors, although I have not read this particular book. So I can't comment on whether the movie is true to the book, but I can tell you I was slightly disappointed in this movie.

I had been looking forward to seeing this for awhile and certainly the location and sets lived up to my expectations. The lead roles are taken by Richard Gere and Diane Lane, they are well cast but neither of them light up the screen.

It tells the story of their meeting on a stormy weekend at a very upmarket B&B on the beach in Rodanthe. They are both damaged goods, him by the loss of a patient during a routine surgery and her by the collapse of her marriage. As they ride out a hurricane, they slowly reveal their problems to each other and find solace in sharing. I won't reveal anymore, or I will be giving away too much of the plot.

So why was I disappointed, well it was a bit like putting on a favourite pair of sloppy, comfy tracksuit pants (bottoms). It was just everyday, not fancy, slightly saggy but still comforting when there's nothing else to put on!

As nice as both Diane Lane & Richard Gere are to look at, neither of them have ever been the greatest actors. Richard in particular seems to have a set range of expressions and I found myself watching thinking 'yep, seen that one before Richard'! It just didn't stir up any real emotion in me, so I guess they failed to connect with me as characters.

I thought it was okay, but it's nowhere near as good as another charming Diane Lane film, Under the Tuscan Sun and so I'd recommend seeing that instead!

And if you really want to be moved and connect emotionally this weekend, then go and watch THIS. It's what made me cry on Oprah and has again twice since!

Sunday Reviews

We watched Australia on Friday night and really enjoyed it. It's a long movie, far better suited to the comfort of your sofa than the cinema, but it kept us both engaged throughout.

It stars the wonderful Nicole Kidman and the deeply delicious Hugh Jackman, who were both perfectly cast for these roles. It tells the story of Lady Sarah Ashley's takeover of her deceased husbands Australian Cattle Ranch and her relationship with the Drover (Jackman), and Nulla a half-caste Aboriginal boy. The story follows their fight to keep Nulla from the authorities, and the driving of her 1500 head of cattle to Darwin to be sold to the military. But there's a hitch, in the form of a Cattle Baron who has the cattle market monopoly apart from her ranch and is determined to get it.

It's all set against the backdrop of the impending attack by the Japanese in WWII, which by the end of the movie is well underway. This is a Baz Luhman movie, he also made Moulin Rouge, and so it has a different feel to it that we personally loved. He makes use of old maps as screenshots, a slightly mystical element in the filming and the whole thing is lush to look at.

We'd highly recommend this movie, it's a sweeping epic, with a great cast and a good story. I spoke to a friend yesterday who also saw it on Friday and they felt the exact same way as us.

Now just a quick book review...I am right in the midst of the Stephanie Plum books by Janet Evanovich. It took me 2 books to really get into them, but now I'm hooked and loving the adventures of this 'off the wall' female bounty hunter.

The characters are developed more with each book, the plots are believeable and at times I laugh out loud at the humour. I am a relative late comer to these books, as detective type stories are not usually my thing, but these are great and I highly recommend them.

Sunday Movie Reviews

We watched Changeling starring Angelina Jolie last weekend. It is inspired by the true story of a woman who's son went missing in 1920's Los Angeles and her battle with a very corrupt LAPD. Desperate for a successful outcome to this widely publicised case, they claim they have found her missing son Walter, only for it to be the wrong child.

Due to the times (of female repression) and pressure from the LAPD, she takes him home despite knowing it's not her son. Over the following months and years she fights the LAPD to prove he's not her son and continue their search, whilst the LAPD resort to truly desperate measure to cover-up her story and discredit her. Eventually an LAPD detective stumbles on the truth and an even bigger case emerges.

This movie was well directed by Clint Eastwood and is very true to the period and times. Angelina portrays the mother with great sympathy and emotion, she is a character you cannot help but care about. I very much enjoyed this movie, the Hubster did too, although he felt it could have been told in less time.

On Friday night we watched Body of Lies starring Leonardo Di Caprio and Russell Crowe and directed by Ridley Scott.

The movie is about Roger Ferris (Di Caprio) a CIA operative in the Middle East; Ed Hoffman (Crowe) is his control at Langley. After a stint in Iraq, Roger works with Hani Salaam in Amman, Jordan's head of security, whose only dictum is "Don't lie to me." The Americans are after a fanatical cleric who's group places bombs all over Europe. When Hani rebukes Ed's demand that Jordan allow the Americans to use one of Jordan's double agents, Roger and Ed hatch a plan to bring the cleric to them. The plan is complicated by its being a secret from Hani and by Roger's attraction to a local nurse.

This is very much about modern warfare and makes you realise what's actually going on over there. The use of satellites for spying, cell phones, computers and setting others up is all covered in depth.

I loved this movie, but then I am a big fan of spy/espionage plots and Leonardo Di Caprio, a seriously under-rated actor in my book. The Hubster was tired and so thought it was okay, but he dozed off a couple of times and this is a movie you need to watch closely due to all the twists. Just a note to the squeamish, there are a few gory shots, but I got through them fine.

In summary, both these films are recommended, but Body of Lies gets the highly recommended.

Eagle Eye

Jerry and Rachel are two strangers thrown together by a mysterious phone call from a woman they have never met. Threatening their lives and family, she pushes them into a series of increasingly dangerous situations, using the technology of everyday life to track and control their every move.

This movie has a surprisingly stellar cast with Shia LeBeouf (Indiana Jones), Michelle Monaghan, Rosario Dawson, Billy Bob Thornton and Michael Chiklis.

It is a very fast paced action movie, many big stunts (reportedly not CGI) and with lots of intrigue thrown in to the mix. The plot, in this day and age of constant surveillance, I thought was perfectly plausible. We both really enjoyed this movie and were glued to it for the whole two hours.

Traitor

Traitor stars the superb Don Cheadle, Jeff Daniels and Guy Pearce in a movie all about espionage, politics, the world of terrorism and the ongoing fight against it. It is an intelligent and fast paced plot, with alot of twists and turns.

This movie tells the story of an FBI agents chase to catch a former agent who has gone over to the other side. It travels across the world through Yemen, Spain, France, England, Canada and the USA.

I can't tell you anything else without giving away critical parts of the plot. But we both loved this movie and would highly recommend it.

The Duchess

The strange relationship of the fifth Duchess of Devonshire, her husband and the Lady 'Bess' Foster has fascinated historians for decades, and there have been at least three major biographies written on their relationship in the last twenty years. Even on her own though the Duchess would have been a fascinating character.

This wonderful movie tells the story of the marriage with three people in it, and her growth as a person, in a compelling and sympathetic way. It is positively sumptuous to look at from the locations, through the amazing costumes and all the way to the spectacularly tall hair! If you love to see England, then you'll enjoy this movie as much as the Hubster did, the scenery is beautiful and features some famous English landmarks.

The lead actors were well chosen; Keira Knightley was made for corsets and costume drama, and yet again she does not disappoint. The Duke is played by a wonderfully austere Ralph Fiennes, who epitomises how the aristocratic men of the time were expected to behave and live. It is also the most realistic portrayal I have seen yet, of women in the 1700's having no control over their own lives.

Princess Diana was a direct descendant of the Duchess and apparently was fascinated by her and the similarities their lives shared. There are moments when the parallels in their lives across hundreds of years are uncanny, and I thought of Diana alot as I watched.

If you enjoy this kind of historically factual costume drama, then we would both highly recommend this classy movie.

What a laugh!

I borrowed Fred Claus on DVD off a work colleague and what a laugh this movie is from start to finish!

I think the Hubster was a bit dubious, but we both thoroughly enjoyed it and I laughed out loud numerous times. It has a great cast with Vince Vaughn (who I love), Paul Giamatti, Miranda Richardson, Rachel Weisz, Kathy Bates and Kevin Spacey. It tells the story of Santa's older and ever so slightly bitter elder brother.

After ending up in jail for impersonating a charity Santa on the street with a money tin and a brawl with 20 real charity Santa's, he has to go to work at the North Pole to repay his brother for bailing him out. He is soon causing chaos with the elves, including a very funny scene with Chris 'Ludacris' Brown, as the annoying elf DJ Donnie who plays 'Here comes Santa Claus' on a loop! Kevin Spacey shows up as an efficiency expert looking to shutdown the North Pole and Santa.

This one comes highly recommended, even after the Christmas period is done and dusted! It is definitely one of those movies that successfully straddles the fine line between being, just a kids movie or entertaining for adults too.

007 - Quantum of Solace

So here's a review through the eyes of a 007 fan, as opposed to a film critic!

More action, less plot would be the best way to describe the flaws in this movie. As much as we are both fans and love a great action movie (like the Bourne movies & classic 007), this was dizzying, confusing and relentless in it's pursuit of thrills.

As a result the plot was hard to understand, even now I am still unsure as to what the bad guys master plan was and he wasn't at all threatening!? Some of the action sequences, and there were many, were so fast your eyes had trouble keeping up - quite literally they were confusing, because the camera jumped around so much.

The usual things you expect from a Bond were missing; there wasn't a single gadget, no Q, no Moneypenny, only a short scene with a super car and no romance to speak of, although Bond was getting over a broken heart to be fair. There was also no humour that I spotted and a Bond isn't a Bond, without at least one great double entendre! It was just a relentless pursuit of the ultimate stunt and special effect, with little real substance.

Having said all that, we were entertained, even if we were also confused at times. Daniel Craig is still great as 007, he has a raw energy and dangerous edge that really add to the character. He also looks entirely believable in the stunts, as he just exudes fitness and strength from every pore. So for me he still shows the greatest promise since Sean as 007 and he really deserves a better script on the next outing. He also has great chemistry with Judi Dench as M, probably the mark of them both being great character actors.

So just okay for us, possibly the worst Bond theme ever and nowhere near as good as Casino Royale. But having said all that, we'll still be queuing up for the next one, which I really hope returns to a less manic pace and re-introduces the classic Bond icons.

Here's a totally indulgent piccie of the luscious Mr Craig looking all 'rough and ready' just for the ladies ;-)

Worst thing in this movie - a weak plot

Best thing in this movie - Daniel Craig