Casino Royale, or Best Bond Ever
For all of those people out there who were hating on Daniel Craig with all the doubt and skepticism they could muster ("Blah blah blah, he's too blond, he can't be Bond, blah blah blah..."), I would just like to take a moment to revel in the fact that I was right: Next to Sean Connery, Daniel Craig is the best Bond ever. Craig's performance is absolutely amazing - he's so real, he's so human - so accessible. Pierse Brosnan always had me rolling my eyes at some point during his films; but Daniel Craig is the first Bond I bought - and bought completely. In many ways, Craig and Bond are in a similar position with this film, which tells the story of Bond's "coming-of-age" as a 007. Both Craig and Bond are untested, new to their jobs, and faced with great doubt and much criticism. But in the end, each successfully - even masterfully - becomes the James Bond we all know and love, and in fact, we love him more because now we understand where he came from, why he acts the way he does, what drives him. It's an illuminating portrait of one of film's best heroes, and Craig shows us that vulnerability and invincibility are not incompatible. I've loved Daniel Craig since I saw Layer Cake last year, and I knew he would be a fantastic Bond.

This film is so exciting from the very frist scene, and hold you on the edge of your seat the whole way through. The fact that the main chase sequence is not a car chase, but a foot race, indicates the filmakers' concern that the technology was overwhelming the story and characters of the most recent Bond films, and demonstrates their intention to focus on the development of Bond the man, instead of Bond the machine. In this sequence, there are no fancy gadgets, no expensive cars, just sweat. Bond sweat. He eventually succeeds in catching his prey because of what lies within him, not because of what technological resources he possesses. This scene is the most telling of Bond's early character than any other in the film.

ALL of the characters are compelling - not least the first Bond girl to have brains, played by Eva Green. Judi Dench - who plays M, chief of MI6 - explodes onto the screen in her first scene, with the best 10 lines of dialogue ever crafted. You want to stand up and applaud when it's done. The friction and power-play between the new 007 and his boss is brilliantly executed, eventually building into mutual respect.

Daniel Craig masterfully shapes Bond into a hero for the 21st century, and brings to the franchise a touch of rough-edged humanity that enhances both its authenticity and its credibility. Craig gives us a Bond we can truly love and admire, without smirking or rolling our eyes. All I can say to the British press, who is now consumed with singing his praises, is, "I told you so."
- posted by Nicole @ 11:34 AM

 
Quote of the Day
"Learning was fun."
-anonymous
- posted by Nicole @ 4:34 PM

 
"And Today is a Wonderful Day..."
Those are the lyrics to one of my favorite songs by this South African singer/songwriter I got to know while I was there last semester, and I was just thinking about how many times I've woken up and sang that song to myself in the shower. It's been a really wonderful semester, and a really great week for that matter.

It all started last weekend. Through JE Culture Draw (the only other time I am lucky) I won tickets to see the new Top Stoppard play - "The Coast of Utopia: Voyage" in New York city, and so I took the train in to the city on Friday afternoon. I purposely got there early so that I would have time to wander around a bit before our dinner reservations. I walked from Grand Central down 42nd Street and stopped at Bryant Park - which is one of my favorite places in NYC. I actually like it much better than Central Park; it has a more European feel to it, and reminds me of Le Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris or the Volksgarden in Austria. They had a skating rink set up, and were playing my favorite kind of music - all those old school songs from like the 1940s. It was SO magical. It felt like a scene from a movie, and I think that it couldn't have been better if it had been deliberately staged. I forgot how much I really love New York. But I think that I love it indeed because I go there so infrequently. I know myself well enough to know that I would go insane if I actually had to LIVE there; but I enjoy it so much the better when I do occasionally make the trip.

I then wandered into Times Square, as everyone must do when they visit New York. It's sort of like a pilgrimmage. I spotted Sephora and decided that it would be a brilliant idea to buy the perfume I've been wanted to get - Philosphy's "Grace" line. It was most fortuitous. I also bought a really soft scarf from a street vender, it makes me really happy - I've been wearing it nonstop.

Then it was time for dinner, so I took the metro up to Lincoln Center and headed to Cafe Fiorello, which may or may not be the best restaurant in the entire world. I still remember so vividly the first time I was there freshman year (and I've been thinking about that chocolate mousse for FOUR YEARS). Our master goes there so often he's on a first name basis with all the staff and he even has a brass nameplate on "his" table. Ridiculous. Our master sat down and there was instantly this flurry of wait-staff around him, bring water and menus and shaking his hand and "oh would you like to see the wine list" and "here, take this complementary cheese and olive plate." Ridiculous. The menu makes you feel like Sophie had it easy when she made her choice. I opted for spinach ravioli, after an AMAZING salad with roasted pears and walnuts and goat cheese. Yummmmmmmm....There was also a grilled vegetable appetizer plate and two bottles of really good Sicilian Syrah (wine bill alone came to $150...). Then after, I finally had the chocolate mousse that has been haunting my dreams these last four years, as well as the most astoundingly good cappuccino I've had in a long time. In addition to the food, the company was also splendid - there were three other JE students in addition to myself and the master, and I knew them fairly well before, so it wasn't awkward.

Then we rushed across the street to the Lincoln Center theater with five minutes to spare. The opening scene can only be described as dazzling! It's so nice to see real, professional theater and what can be done if the proper funds are made available. Wow. I will not attempt to describe it here (sorry!) because it will only frustrate me. The play takes place in Russia in the middle of the 19th century, just after the Decembrist revolution. It's about a group of young Russian philosphers who keep day jobs as students or writers. They look to Europe for ideas of progress, hoping to lead backwards feuldal Russian out of the dark ages and into enlightenment. It's a bit heavy at times, and you absolutely cannot space out or you will be lost within seconds. But it's really rich and entirely captivating. Really well acted - it stars among others Ethan Hawke and Billy Crudup, the latter being better than the former - with a strong cast all around, with the notable exception of the female leads, I thought. The only sad part is that it's actually the first play in a series of three, and while each one stands alone, I really want to see the others. Except a) they're phenomenally expensive and b) it doesn't matter anyway cuz they're all sold out from now to eternity. Boo. But, I've gotten the script out of the library and I'm gonna read it over Thanksgiving.

Mmmmmm, Thanksgiving....

Then on Saturday, Nick and I went to see Marie Antoinette. I was skeptical for two reasons: 1) I hated Lost in Translation (same director), and 2) I heard that the film had a contemporary soundtrack, which I thought would be a HUGE mistake in a period piece, for obvious reasons. I was pleasantly surprised. The film is very creative, with gorgeous, sweeping visuals of Versailles (where they actually got permission to shoot it) and an adorable, yet tragically ironic, performance by Kirsten Dunst. And - with the exception of one scene (which I thought could have been cut entirely) - the modern soundtrack worked REALLY well for the film, and I think served to help the audience relate to her character better. (The montage that goes with the song "I want candy" is absolutely brilliant!)I mean, she was essentially just a teenager, and by tapping into our own sense of frivolity and joie de vivre with the music, we are forced to reevaluate our condemnation of her. It's definitly worth the watch, especially on the big screen.

Other fun events have included a senior class event at the Center for British Art (which is a FANTASTIC art museum we have just off campus; it houses one of my favorite painting - L'enfant du Regiment) - it was a reception with wine and cheese and hors d'oeuvres and all sorts of pretention. SO much fun. Though, the only problem is, since I've been back from South Africa I've become a complete wine snob. It's awful...But it was a really nice, classy event.

THEN - as I was walking out, I passed Starbucks - and realized that they had converted to CHRISTMAS!!!! I know some people balk at this, but it actually made me REALLY excited. Not only because that means the eggnog latte and the gingerbread latte are back, but - and I know this is absolutely ridiculous - I LOVE how they change to the little red cups. I am such I capitalist tool, I know. But I ADORE those cups. And I know some people say it's too early, but if you just think of the holiday season as running from my birthday to New Year's, it all falls into place rather nicely, I think.
- posted by Nicole @ 9:20 PM

 
O Happy Day!
The Democrats have taken the House, probably the Senate AND BEST OF ALL: RUMSFELD HAS RESIGNED! A glimmer of hope flickers in the dark, dark night...

The Guardian says, "Thank you, America."
- posted by Nicole @ 4:07 PM

 
Seeking Gardening Advice
I think I killed my lavender plant, and I was wondering if anyone had some suggestions as to how I might go about resuscitating it, because I've grown rather attached and it will make me sad if it dies :(
- posted by Nicole @ 9:28 PM

 
Movie Reviews - The Prestige, Last King of Scotland, and The Queen
After such a incredible year for film in 2005, I was really disappointed when the beginning (or rather, first 2/3) of 2006 passed with nothing significant (with the notable exception of The Illusionist). And then I saw The Prestige. I will try to comment on the film without allowing my opinion that Hugh Jackman is the walking definition of sexy cloud my assessment of its merits. It's a brilliant film, with a captivating, infinitely intricate non-linear narrative that keeps you guessing till (and including!) the final shot. It's the story of two rival magicians, which - admittedly - sounds absolutely ridiculous, but it goes much deeper than that. It pursues several essential questions about life and love, such as the consequences of secrecy, the fragility of trust, and the meaning of what it is to live a full, complete life. It is flawlessly executed, as both Jackman and his magical counterpart Christian Bale are fantastic in their roles, as is Michael Caine. Scarlett Johanssen is, well, Scartlett Johanssen; meaning that, as usual, she plays the slut and she plays it well. There is no clear protagonist and, as a viewer, your allegience shifts with the perpetration of each attack the rivals unleash upon each other. It has all the magic - overt and subtle - that a great Hollywood film should deliver. It's enchanting and riveting, emotional and exhausting, and leaves you questioning your ability, and even willingness, to understand what you see.

Beth and Abby and I have a tradition of seeing really intense movies about Africa together, so last week we went to see The Last King of Scotland. It follows a young, idealistic, arrogant doctor who travels to Uganda, first working in a rural clinic, then employed as the personal doctor to the country's newest ruthless dictator - Idi Amin. The story was particularly poignant for me, because I felt like I knew many people exactly like the young Scottish doctor who were also studying abroad in South Africa last semester: the adrenaline junkies who go to Africa looking for adventure with a thin pretext of altruism. His naivete and hubris blind him to the evils of Amin's regime, as the dictator lays the country to waste, rooting out his opponents with horrific brutality. The movie effectively accomplishes the same thing that I thought was most potent about Hotel Rwanda: the film echews excessive gore in favor of a subtle, pervasive sense of fear that lurks just below the surface. Rather than becoming oversensitized by blood and violence, we see the situation through the perspective of the Scottish doctor, who only gradually becomes cognizant of the evils around him. The brutality of Amin's regime seeps in around the edges and is all the more appalling when it is finally revealed. People ask, "How was the movie?" And I don't really think there's an appropriate answer. Except perhaps to say that it was necessary.

Most recently, I saw The Queen, which is a film about the British monarchy in the days immediatly following Princess Diana's death. It also recreates the early days of Tony Blair's premiership (when he was young and inspiring and so, so promising...). I absolutely LOVED it, though those who are not, in fact, COMPLETELY obssessed with all things British may find it a bit dull. I thought it was a telling portrait of an anachronistic, but much-beloved institution, in addition to offering a rare perspective on the interaction between Her Majesty and Her Majesty's Government. The guy playing Blair was FANTASTIC - utterly charming and capitvating (as Blair was in his early days), but unmistakably ambitious and politically astute. Helen Mirren's performance as the British monarch defies words. I think she may, actually, BE royalty. The supporting cast - particularly Blair's wife and also his press secretary Alistair Campbell - is also excellent. It is also absolutely HILARIOUS in parts, in the way that only stiff-upper-lip British formality can be. As Blair remarks, "Will somebody please save these people from themselves!" I would reply: please don't - I like them just the way they are.
- posted by Nicole @ 3:42 PM