The hit James Bond action flick Quantum of Solace speeds its way onto DVD and Blu-Ray this coming Tuesday, March 24, 2009 in a two-disc special edition. The follow-up to the immensely popular reboot Casino Royale finds us with a new director, an angrier Bond and of course a new set of Bond girls, and the combination is a bit of a disappointment.

While perfectly fine as a non-stop action movie, Quantum lacks the craftsmanship and character development of its predecessor, which was honed by the direction of Martin Campbell. Marc Forster, having never directed such an action film before, was an odd choice to helm the follow-up, and his style is largely a poor knock-off of Campbell’s direction. Funnily enough, in one of the special features on the DVD, Forster explains that his approach is to just “throw everything on the screen,” which explains the lack of deleted scenes – and the senseless barrage of action in the movie. (more…)

Quantum of Solace, the new James Bond pic, opens this weekend in the United States, two weeks after it opened in other parts of the globe. The movie has already made $161 million, and is primed to crush the $40.8 million opening for Casino Royale a few years ago.

As I’ve said before, I’m no box office expert and won’t pretend to be, but here are what some other websites are saying: (more…)

OK, what the heck. I had been worried when Daniel Craig mentioned that they were trying to inject more humor into the James Bond franchise a few months back, but shrugged it off as silliness. After all, Casino Royale was an amazing movie, and a financially successful one to boot. It was a grittier, more realistic Bond that seemed to connect with audiences in a way that some of the previous efforts had failed to do. Why mess with a good formula? Why?

But the new James Bond movie trailer is here (that’s Quantum of Solace to the lay person… wait, or is it the other way around?), and my fears are confirmed. Quantum of Solace is a comedy, or at least the closest thing to a comedy since the original Peter Sellars Casino Royal back in the 1960’s, or at very least Roger Moore’s Moonraker. I mean, what the hell is going on here. How, after just one film, could they change the formula so much? Marc Foster, who has directed such films as Finding Neverland and Stranger than Fiction surely doesn’t have a clue as to how to direct a Bond flick, especially a 21st century Bond. I mean, did anyone see The Kite Runner? It wasn’t exactly movie good.

I’m terrified by the below James Bond movie trailer, at the amount of jokes Daniel Craig cracks. The scene where he runs into a door and falls backwards is just blasphemy. Walking in on Judi Dench naked? What the hell? And the Bond girl… is actually a man.

Of course, I’m joking. The new Quantum of Solace movie trailer looks awesome. It has the same serious tone, has some great action sequences and all around maintains the look and feel of Casino Royale. I am so excited for this one.

James Bond really is 007 after yet another accident on the Quantum of Solace cost Daniel Craig, who plays James Bond, three of his fingers. Details of how he lost his trigger finger and two others is still unclear, but at least now he won’t be able to make any un-gentleman-like gestures.

OK, in reality, Daniel Craig only sliced off the tip of one of his fingers, according to Daily Mail, but it is the second injury inflicted to the Bond star while filming Quantum of Solace. The production is beginning (if it hasn’t already) to look like a cursed one, as there have been several accidents, injuries and crazy mayors that have disrupted shooting.

An exterior set was heavily damaged after a fire broke out at the studio; a stuntman drove an Aston Martin into a lake; another stuntman suffered head injuries after slamming head first into another vehicle; and Craig had to get eight stitches to the face a few weeks ago.

Is this the wrath of Amy Winehouse?