tammytoes

So I recently started watching ‘The Wire’ on DVD. Holy smokes! It’ s a great show. Although, as my roomie Margi has aptly noted, “It’s just a few ‘cocksuckers’ short of ‘Deadwood.’” And now I feel like a total douchebag because I’ve just relayed a TV joke. Alas.

In any case, I ventured out with the rest of the world to see the new Bond movie last night. In truth, ‘Casino Royale’ is probably the only Bond flick I’ve seen at the theater in a decade or so. Let’s face it: the franchise has been scraping the bottom of the barrel forever. But this one had something magical about it, and that something magical can be described in two words: Daniel Craig. Not to mention that the novel ‘Casino Royale’ is the novel that really stood out for me while I was going through an Ian Fleming-fest as a kid. So I was excited, a bit apprehensive, but excited.

Well, the new Bond rates a ‘B’ for me. B is for bildungsroman, in this case, and I rather like this particularly brutish version of Bond arrogance. I like the overall mood of the piece, I liked the action sequences (although all of them were too long, which made the movie about a half-hour too long) and I loved Vesper. And who can quibble with Dame Judy Dench? My biggest gripes are that the twists are easy-t0-spot from miles away, the writing is ham-handed at times, and Bond doesn’t quite make the transition from the Cold War to the post-911 terrorist world so well. But, hey, it’s an awfully good improvement over the Bond bleahs we’ve all settled into for so long.

But be warned if you do go see this Bond: the theme song for ‘Casino Royale’ is hurl-inspiring. Chris Cornell should be flogged.

By the way, if you haven’t seen the amazing little crime flick ‘Layer Cake,’ get to it. And get your Daniel Craig on!

Other crap I watched this week:

Monster House
Eegads, this is so good! Watch it now and smile! Animated kids battling a haunted house with Maggie Gyllenhaal as a punk rock babysitter! Super smile!

Brick
Okay, strange, but I kind of liked it. Or at least the first hour. It’s a noir film set in high school, and it’s at times really compelling and at other times, way too self-conscious. It’s worth checking out, although the mish-mash of the genre and the setting undermine the tension that should be there. One thing it gets RIGHT ON, though: high school is cleverly designed hell. We must all be glad we made it out alive.

There is much, much transition going on for people I love in my life right now. Winter has set in, hibernation seems like a good option. We must find our ways to stay warm, and burrow, and pass the sleepy, listless time.

did I mention that the Monster Brides won the Halloween Smash?

It was nice to be skating (and winning) at home again.

Really, truly, in the most cosmic sense possible. I’m over it.

Can I get a New Year here already?

Jeez.

What time for Thai food and drinks?

I totally can’t forget to post my Halloween girlgang in the photobooth, either. My bad.

You know, I was in the staff parking lot of a high school downtown today, and I saw a car with the following bumper sticker: “My Westie [insert image of dog] is smarter than your honor student.” Mind you, this sticker was on a TEACHER’s car. Hm.

Is it Saturday yet?

Here’s to the hipster dude dressed up in something like an asparagus costume who nudged me during last call at Sputnik and said, “Hey. Nice Foolie Coolie costume!” I appreciated the positive reinforcement. And here’s to you, friends. Happy belated Halloween!

P.S. PBR stains on photographs are authentic.

P.S.S. Man pictured in photographs is not hipster stranger referenced above. Man in photographs is my friend Keith. I am not generally in the habit of photobooth kisses with strange men, unless they are my friends. Just so you know, gentle readers.