Casino Royale Review

HIGHS

• Bond has definitely been re-invented this time around and it all works out fine for the most part. The new Bond is a little more edgy and a little more ruthless. He has more street smarts and toughness than we've seen in the past, but he's still got the Bond staples we know and love (cars, guns, martinis and girls). This film seems more "real world" than previous Bond outings and by that I mean it feels more grounded in reality. That's not a bad thing by any means, you just won't find any jetpacks or ice castles.
• Daniel Craig makes a great Bond. Period. A lot of people were all up-in-arms because the guy is blonde and all other such nonsense but the bottom line is this: Once you see him put on that finely tailored tuxedo there's no questioning it. The man is Bond and I believe he can accomplish just about anything. Plus he has a very commanding screen presence which is probably most important of all.
• Villian with an obvious deformity? Check!
• I was pleased to see that Judi Dench returned to play M- I think that was a really important factor in helping us all transition to a new style of Bond. Some familiarity is always welcome when you find yourself in unchartered waters. I guess she's kind of like comfort food. Mmmm... Dame Judi Dench.
• It's worth mentioning that Casino Royale was helmed by Martin Campbell who also directed Pierce Brosnan's debut in Goldeneye (my favorite of the Brosnan Bonds).
• Tony made the point that the movie kind of felt like a big episode of 24. I think I agree with that statement.
• I nearly forgot, there were some great action scenes too. And what would a Bond flick be without sweet action scenes? Just don't expect exploding hot air balloons.
  

LOWS

• I miss the gadgets. Most of Casino takes place immediately after Bond achieves "00" status so I guess Q hasn't arrived yet. And no Q means no gadgets.
• Opening credits theme by the lead singer of Audioslave? Eh, I guess they've done worse.
• There's an obscene amount of Sony product-placement in the film- to the point that it started distracting me from the story. Vaio laptops, Bravia televisions, Cybershot cameras, Sony Ericsson cellphones, Blu-ray discs... if Sony makes it they put it in there ad nauseam. If Sony made guns, I'm sure they'd have used those too.
  

Torrey's Opinion:
5- Strongly Recommended
4- Recommended
3- A Mixed Bag
2- Sub-par
1- Don't Bother

Random related fact: Casino Royale is the longest-running Bond movie yet. At 144 minutes, the film surpasses On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)'s 140 minute run time. That movie held the record for 37 years.

A Two-Part Question

Why does Jamie Kennedy make such poor life choices? And why does he want me to hate him so much?

Just Being Around Her Again Is Intoxicating

While on lunch today at work, Star Wars Episode II was playing on the TV in the break room. Where I was sitting, I couldn't see the TV but I could hear it and I came to the realization that it sounded very much like a sixth grade play. What little emotion there was coming from the dialogue sounded completely forced. And you know how inexperienced actors will put emphasis on the wrong words and whatnot? They did that too. I got a good chuckle out of it. Christ, those movies are terrible. That is all.

Actually, I'm not quite finished. Here are a few choice lines of dialogue I pulled from the film. Just imagine a junior high kid who didn't rehearse his/her lines enough delivering them. You'll feel as though you've been transported to the rolling fields of Naboo.

"I don't like sand. It's coarse, rough, irritating and it gets everywhere. Not like here. Here everything is soft... and smooth."
"I'm haunted by the kiss you should never have given me."
"I killed them. I killed them all. They're dead. Every single one of them. And not just the men, but the women, and the children, too! They're like animals, and I slaughtered them like animals! I hate them!"
"My heart is beating…hoping that kiss will not become a scar. You are in my very soul, tormenting me…what can I do? I will do anything you ask. [pause] If you are suffering as much as I am, please, tell me."

This from the guy who created Indiana Jones. For shame.

Seven Days Of Sony Blowing It Hard (Day 7)

Without explanation, Ubisoft has pushed back the releases of Rainbow Six Vegas for PlayStation 3 and PSP until January 30. The PC version was also delayed from November 28 to December 12, barely squeezing inside the holiday release window. Meanwhile, Xbox 360 owners are already deep into Vegas, which looks to restore the series' respectability after 2005's misstep Lockdown.

(from Joystiq)

This video shows some poor chap trying to load a game into his brand new PS3. It's pretty tough to watch and raises the question of how many others are suffering from a similar fate.

Seven Days Of Sony Blowing It Hard (Day 6)

Two once PlayStation 3 exclusives aren't so exclusive any more. Koei announced today plans to bring Fatal Inertia and Bladestorm to the Xbox 360.

In a press release Koei has just announced the futuristic racer Fatal Inertia is now also coming to Xbox 360. Bladestorm: The Hundred Year's War, announced as a PlayStation 3 exlusive at the time of Tokyo Game Show 2005, is now confirmed for a 2007 release on Xbox 360 as well.

(from jeuxfrance)

Best Foot Forward

Here are four interesting things that happened to me at the mall today, all PS3-related (when I commit to a theme week, I really commit to a theme week).

1. While inside Gamestop, I overheard a guy playing the PS3 interactive say, "Shit, the 360 looks better than this!"
2. The situation in EB Games was that of a number of gents huddled around the 360 interactive playing Gears of War while the PS3 stood beside it untouched the entire time I was in there. There were many customers in the store; wouldn't they want to play the hottest new gaming console out there? Oh that's right, they have been for a year now.
3. As I passed the PS3 interactive in Best Buy, I saw two noticeably frustrated guys staring at a frozen image on the screen. The system had obviously locked up. I couldn't resist making a comment so I said, "Hey guys, are we witnessing the power of the Playstation 3?" They chuckled and the three of us searched the unit for a way to reset the system. No dice. So we simply walked away in disgust.
4. Just before exiting the mall, I passed by the previously mentioned Gamestop and noticed that their PS3 interactive was now frozen in a very similar manner to Best Buy's. I think we have a winner here, folks.

Seven Days Of Sony Blowing It Hard (Day 5)

Sony's press is getting worse and worse after analysts took note of the PS3 launch. As predicted, Sony missed the 400,000 goal for US launch; many analysts predicted they only reached half that amount. To add insult to injury, some analysts expect Sony to only make roughly 10% of the original 4 million promised by year's end. Ouch!

In a report compiled by Bloomberg, Sony failed to ship even enough units to cover promised pre-orders to half of 150 stores surveyed. SooAnn Roberts, analyst with Kaufman Bros. (the company that surveyed the stores), is convinced that Sony may fail to ship more than 200,000 by year's end. Other analysts think Sony made 200,000 for launch and will struggle to match that number over the next month. Either way, Sony is in some serious trouble.

Even with all the problems they've had over the past year, the PS3 production problems will hit home with the consumer who rarely checks up on the news lines. While a myriad of issues plague the PS3's production, the biggest killer is the decision to use Blu-ray.

(from Joystiq)

Ever since I saw the first prototype for the PS3's design I've made comments that it looked more like a Foreman grill than a next-gen gaming system. It seems more than a few others have shared similar feelings and one gamer actually went and made it a reality. Behold, the Grillstation 3!

Seven Days Of Sony Blowing It Hard (Day 4)

Seth Schiesel from the New York Times logged more than 30 hours with 13 games for the PS3 over the last week. His early verdict? Sony has failed to deliver on their promise and the new video game system "just isn't that great." He criticizes the lack of in-box HD cables, having to connect "wireless" controllers to the console for recognition purposes, and the difficulty playing custom playlists in games. He basically deems the 360 the better machine for now calling it a "powerful but intuitive system" likening the PS3 to a "brawny but somewhat recalcitrant specialized computer."

From the article: "Measured in megaflops, gigabytes and other technical benchmarks, the PlayStation 3 is certainly the world's most powerful game console. It falls far short, however, of providing the world's most engaging overall entertainment experience. There is a big difference, and Sony seems to have confused one for the other."

The man does praise multi-player battles in Resistance: Fall of Man, but even Joystiq's own Chris Grant, quoted in the same article, believes the console "doesn't feel finished." Granted, all newly launched systems have hiccups. The real factor is how the manufacturer handles said hiccups moving forward.

Click here for the entire article.

(from Joystiq)

I also found a very interesting interview with a guy who develops games for both the PS3 and Xbox 360. Guess which platform he prefers...

Seven Days Of Sony Blowing It Hard (Day 3)

If you thought you heard it all when it came to the PS3 launch think again. Boston Mayor Thomas Menino plans to bill Sony for PS3 riots.

During Fridays PlayStation 3 release at Copley Plaza the city was forced to call in twelve police cruisers when a frantic crowd of 500 rushed the doors of Sony store at 5 a.m. Many of the customers were believed to be angered by the fact that the Sony store withheld actual console numbers while allowing a mass of people to stand outside and wait.

Menino, believes that Sony helped to provoke the riot by not providing adequate information about console supply in the store as well as little if no security. Menino is now calling that Sony pay for the extra security that they failed to provide.

(from 2old2play. thanks to Rawson for the link.)

Seven Days Of Sony Blowing It Hard (Day 2)

Today's info comes from Time Magazine. Could there be a more credible source than Time? I don't think so.

Sony's Playstation 3 Is Not Worth The Hype


I also found this humorous picture someone made based on the Dead Rising Cover Art...

The Choice Of The Next Generation

I typically loathe Penny Arcade for their unfounded smugness but today they came through with a clever comic for once.

Oh No He Didn't

Here is a picture I found today of a guy in a Wiimote suit flipping off some people waiting in line for a PS3.

Seven Days Of Sony Blowing It Hard (Day 1)

Since today was the official "launch" of the PS3, I've decided to kick off a seven-day extravaganza where I will be posting information I find from various sources around the Net supporting my claim that the PS3 is a big waste of money and that anyone who supports it is a fool. I put the word launch in quotes because with less than 200,000 units for sale, only a dozen games and very few (if any) accessories available at most locations, this was easily the most underwhelming system kick-off I've ever witnessed. Some have described it as "farcical" which sounds like an accurate claim. It's no secret that I'm a big fan of the Xbox 360 but I swear I'm not trying to be petty here- I legitimately think Sony has made a boat-load of mistakes with their new system and I'm happy to exploit them for the sake of anyone who might be swayed by their surreal advertising and cheesy-as-hell "Spider-man" font. So without further delay, here are today's points of interest...

So after all that hubbub about high-definition and the superiority of the PS3 to all other consoles ever, it appears that Sony’s neglected to include high-definition support for the full range of available inputs. IGN reports that the PS3 is actually making high-definition games look worse on some displays; HDTVs that don’t support 1080p or 720p inputs will be downgraded to 480p…the same barely-better-than-480i resolution we’ve been seeing on DVDs and PS2 games (when using component cables) for years. (Meanwhile the Xbox 360 happily upscales 720p games to 1080i…hell, it’ll upscale just about anything.)

(info from IGN)

In an article detailing the overall parts cost for the PS3, iSupply reveals that Microsoft is no longer losing money on the Xbox 360. Last year, the company reported that Microsoft lost $126 dollars on every 360 sold. Due to a reduction in overall component costs, iSupply estimates that it now costs Microsoft $323.30 per Premium Xbox 360 manufactured. Thus, Microsoft actually earns $75.70 on each unit sold.

On the other end of the spectrum, Sony loses a lot of cash on each PS3. The high end PS3 costs $840.35 to build, losing Sony $241.35 per console. The cheaper PS3 actually costs nearly the same to produce, so Sony takes a hit of $306.85. According to the article, the primary pricing differences between the 360 and PS3 are the processors, and of course, Blu-ray. The PS3's motherboard and Blu-ray drive cost Sony $500, whereas the 360's motherboard and DVD drive cost Microsoft $200 -- down from $370 when the 360 launched. Naturally, Sony's costs will decline over time -- especially if Blu-ray is adopted.

(info from Joystiq)

The Devil Made Me Do It

If anyone would like to see me working for "The Man" doling out PS3s to the masses this morning, click here. I really can hand out vouchers like nobody's business.

Also, here's an inside tip on this video: We were putting the PS3s in trash bags because our normal bags weren't big enough. Some nice irony to be found there.

I Smell Chapter 11

Nolan Bushnell, the founder of Atari (so yeah, he knows video games), had the following to say about Sony's Playstation 3 strategy...

"I think Sony shot themselves in the foot… there is a high probability [they] will fail. The price point is probably unsustainable. For years and years Sony has been a very difficult company to deal with from a developer standpoint. They could get away with their arrogance and capriciousness because they had an installed base. They have also historically had horrible software tools. You compare that to the Xbox 360 with really great authoring tools [and] additional revenue streams from Xbox live… a first party developer would be an idiot to develop for Sony first and not the 360. People don’t buy hardware, they buy software."

On a side note, the PS3 launch-line up just saw four titles either cancelled or delayed today. Maybe rushing the launch before Christmas isn't the best idea.

Things Are Looking Up

The Democrats take control of the House and Senate AND Rumsfeld resigns? Sounds like America is having the Best Week Ever!

Bootleg Goodness!

The Decemberists - Crane Wife 3

This is from the concert I went to Saturday night. Someone apparently smuggled a camcorder in and I thank them for it. I also thank Rawson for the link.

Concerning Redcoats & Meteors

Let this serve as public notice that The Decemberists rocked Beantown Saturday night like nobody's business. That is all.

Sneakers For Sneaking

Sneak King for Xbox 360 Trailer

I honestly don't know what I think about this but the video had me laughing the entire way through. The Nintendo Fan Boy who pointed me to the link says this may very well force him to buy a 360 now.

Show Your Bones

Bones Music Video

It's no secret that I'm a Tim Burton fan to the point of obsession so I had to share this wacky fun video he did for The Killers. This is, to my knowledge at least, the first music video he has done.

btw, someone should tell Brandon Flowers that no one under 35 looks better with a mustache. With the obvious exceptions being Burt Reynolds and Robert Goulet who obtained theirs from birth.