1013. Skyfall

Skyfall
2012
Directed by Sam Mendes

I have seen every Bond movie and read every Bond book.  It's an obsession that is a bit hard to justify sometimes, like my fascination with Real Housewives or slasher films.  Anyway, as much as I like watching a shirtless Daniel Craig, I feel that the best of the franchise is behind us.

James Bond and Eve Moneypenny (finally, this woman has a role beyond lusting after Bond) are tracking down a mercenary who has stolen a hard drive containing information on all of MI6's undercover agents.  The mission goes horribly wrong, mostly because of Moneypenny (you should have stayed in the kitchen, you skirt!).  Anyway, explosions, beautiful women, and casinos.  That about sums it up.

Let's start with the good.  The song is fantastic, obviously, as Adele is a goddess.  The performances were all extremely effective, particular Craig's, as he brings a quiet kind of sadness to the role that no actor has before.  Still, this franchise is getting more and more generic.  We have a few obligatory scenes that remind us we are watching a Bond movie.  But most of the time, I felt like I was watching a run of the mill action film.  I half expected to see Tom Cruise sprinting in the background.

I am not sure I can this is the franchise's fault.  After all, directors have been ripping off Bond films for decades, so the lines were destined to blur between the original and the copies eventually.  I suppose audiences are getting smarter as well; we are no longer content watching villains try to enact grand schemes in ridiculously convoluted ways.  Unfortunately, that was half the fun for me.

Anyway, if you like action movies, you'll probably enjoy this.  But I tend to find the genre a bit dull, so I will go with three stars.

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

Second longest Bond film of all time (after Casino Royale).

First Bond film to list the actresses as "Bond Women" rather than "Bond Girls."  Well, that took an appropriate amount of time.

943. American Beauty

American Beauty
1999
Directed by Sam Mendes

I think I finally fixed the Recent Comments section, but please let me know if you are still having trouble with it by leaving a comment that I would have no way of seeing.  Thank you very much!

Lester Burham is a 42 year old office drone who is having a middle life crisis.  He has a materialistic wife and a teenaged daughter who seems to despise him.  He has a reawakening when he attends his daughter's half time cheerleading routine and becomes fixated on her beautiful friend Angela.  Angela seems to enjoy the attention that Lester gives her, and Lester becomes dedicated to seducing her and transforming his dull suburban life.  Meanwhile, his daughter falls for Ricky Fitts, a new, somewhat creepy neighbor who provides weed for Lester.  That was a somewhat strange synopsis, but it is a hard movie to describe.  The film is more of a character study than a plot driven adventure.

I absolutely adore this movie; I think nearly everything about it is brilliant.  I understand why some people might find it a bit pretentious, but honestly, there is something beautiful behind the pretension.  All of the characters seem so hard at the beginning, but the film gradually strips away all the walls people put up and reveals the softer side of humanity.  That score will never cease to make me emotional.  And I suppose it goes without saying that the cast is spectacular.

I could go on and on, but I will stop here by saying if you haven't seen this, you are truly missing out.

RATING: *****

Interesting Facts:

Title refers to a breed of roses that is beautiful on the outside, but often rots underground.

Sarah Michelle Gellar turned down the role of Angela.  Damn her.