You Know My Name

It's Bond, James Bond.

Happy Casino Royale Thursday!

Last Saturday, me and my film friend Megan went to see Casino Royale. Over break, when asked if I was going to see it, I scoffed, under the excuse of "I don't really like James Bond." This is still true. Know why?

Casino Royale isn't a Bond movie. It's an EXCELLENT movie.

I can see why die-hard Bond fans might object: no gadgets, no sleeping around, no cheesy quips, and Daniel Craig. These be the same factors that make my opinion of it so solidly positive.

There's also some pretty flat out amazing chases/fights/stunts. And several heartbreakingly sweet moments. And, on occasion, it's pretty funny. Most of this humor I must attribute solely to Daniel Craig, because sometimes he just does this little grin when you least expect it, and it's priceless.

Faults (for I am a cinema major; not a blind fanatic) lie in the plot--even seeing it again, some things just DON'T add up. They follow, but not expressly. The fact that there's only one American means a lot of accents, and some of these people are not the best enunciators (including Daniel Craig himself). There's also this awkward sequence--awkward not in content, but context. I was sitting there saying, why is this happening? But, nothing awkward registered the second time through--it's something that's necessary, and after I knew why, it didn't bother me.

The effects this movie has had on me: I've listened to the theme song (You Know My Name by Chris Cornell, it's awesome by itself, and it fits the movie so perfectly and the credits sequence itself is awe inspiring) about 500 times. Probably more. I up and learned Texas Hold 'Em. I skipped my first class all semester to see it again yesterday. I ripped both the CR ad and the Daniel Craig article from PEOPLE and taped him to my wall (next to Evangeline Lilly, Josh Holloway, and Matt Damon).

So when roomie Alex says Happy Thursday to me today, it wasn't a stretch to find a reason to name this Casino Royale Thursday. She actually came up with it--she asked why I didn't wear my Thursday tie anymore, and I said it was only for special occasions, and she said Like Blackjack Thursday? And I said, Yeah, there's one in two weeks - there should be a Texas Hold 'Em Thursday. And then I glanced at the calendar and realized it was the 7th (i.e., 007) and freaked out and was going to say Happy Texas Hold 'Em Thursday when she said Happy Casino Royale Thursday!! I debated, and went with the film title because it implies both Texas Hold 'Em AND Bond, thus tying the game to the date.

So: 2nd - Planist Thursday
7th - Casino Royale Thursday
21st/date adds to 21 - Blackjack Thursday

Are the concrete special Thursdays.

Also I'd like to say that the cheap theater's matinee price is $3.50, so I've seen it twice for cheaper than some of you saw it the first time.

Other than that, class is over! Gotta study for finals and finish writing my movie/play, and that's it! That's so crazy. And looks like I'm going to finish off my meal plan--I only have 6 meals and like $15 left. Tomorrow is Christmas chapel, which is fun and games, and the final for dumb-class. Arrrr, yay. It's been a good semester.

See you all 'round Christmastime!!

-Steph