Bartender: Shaken or stirred?
James Bond: Do I look like I give a damn?
Except for a couple of teeny, teeny nicks*, they get the poker right.
It was Saturday night, date night. Twenty minutes to seven I was Googling movie times for "Casino Royale." I'd been watching "For Your Eyes Only" on Spike TV, or rather it'd been on in the background while I drilled and screwed in the kitchen.
Don't get all titillated. I was putting latches on the lower cabinet doors.
Anyway, I'd had enough of Roger Moore's nonsense and so decided to take myself out to the movies. Google told me there was a 7:00 pm. showing so I stripped off the flannel and sweats, tugged on the jeans and sweater and zipped down the road to the theater - making it at right at 7:00pm.
It's been a while since seeing a movie in the theater. In fact I can't remember the last movie I did see in a theater. Gives you an idea of the exciting life I lead, huh? Anyway, this movie didn't disappoint.
Daniel Craig is a Bond for the new millenium - more authentic and mult-dimensional than, perhaps, any incarnation of Bond we've seen to date, not to mention a Bond worthy of being on screen with Dame Judi Dench. The plot has been updated for the age of terroism, poker has replaced baccarat and Bond bleeds.
The story twists and turns - perhaps too much - but has all the requisite action without resorting to the barely believable techno-gadgetry that has defined Bond flicks up to now. There's an early foot chase that had me wondering if the casting director hadn't turned to Cirque du Soliel for the fugitive and the Astin Martins (yes, plural) don't survive for long.
The "Big Game" is well done, believable, and doesn't upstage the main action - which it could have, given poker's current popularity.
There's an excrutiating bad beat... of sorts... a real ball buster, that had me cringing...
I won't say any more except that I enjoyed it. Just the sort of diversion needed after screwing for two days...
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*The teeny teeny flaw in the game was this: four people are left in the game, two push all-in. The dealer announces it's "heads up" between the villain and Bond then our villain pushes in and Bond calls - there's over 100 million in the pot and 1) the dealer does not define the side pot and 2)he said it was heads up when there are 4 people in the pot.
