Ahem

When you're a 35 point underdog on the road against the no. 2 team in the country, trailing only 714-0 in the second quarter while facing 4th-and-1 deep in enemy territory... Opting to kick the field goal instead of going for the touchdown means--by definition--that you don't deserve the win. Playing not to get shut out is not a winning strategy.

I'm just saying.

We will speak no more of this.

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Quagmire of Solace

Okay, so I go to see the new James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace. In a nutshell, I don't think it's anywhere near as bad as some of Roger Moore's worst efforts, but after the greatness that was Casino Royale, it's more than a little disappointing.

First up, why the hell can't the producers come up with a decent title song anymore? "Another Way to Die" by Alicia Keys and Jack White has got to be the most atonal, atrocious trainwreck ever to plague a Bond film. And yes, I'm including the disastrous "Die Another Day" techno misstep by Madonna. Bond themes used to be uniformly great, or if not great, then at least gloriously schmaltzy. What happened?

The movie itself I'd have liked better if I could've told what was happening during the action sequences. The endless quick cuts and shaky cam were so baffling I actually found myself looking forward to the talky interludes so I could have the actors explain what just happened. Not a fan of hyperkinetic chaos, I.

I also had a big problem with the big wrapup of the Dominic Greene/Quantum storyline. Bond's chasing Greene to learn about this mysterious Quantum (aka S.P.E.C.T.R.E.) group. When Bond finally wins said information, it happens off-screen, so the audience remains in the dark! Now, you might says "The movie was a character study--the Quantum information was irrelevant." Well, hell. Even in The Maltese Falcon they at least let you see the mcguffin, rather than keep it hidden. If Quantum is going to be the modern equivalent to S.P.E.C.T.R.E. (because of legal entanglements preventing use of that organization, Blofeld and the like) then the filmmakers better by-god deliver on the promise that this is a modern-day S.P.E.C.T.R.E! This, they did not.

I did like the character arc Bond went through on this film, although I don't think it entirely necessary. Had they ended Casino Royale the way the book ended, the arc there is complete--Bond has become Bond. However, they didn't so they need this movie, filler as it were, for him to reach that point. Bond's driven by revenge the whole movie, leaving a significant bodycount in his wake, but when he finally reaches his goal, he doesn't kill his target, but instead hand him over to M. he's reined himself in and finally become the agent we know. Following up with the iconic gun barrel sequence was a nice touch at that point, and punctuated the movie in a way that made a lot of sense for me. Until that point, it really, really didn't feel like a James Bond movie--except for the brief run with Agent Strawberry Fields. When she was on-screen, it felt very much like the heyday of Connery's Bond films, with snippets of Brosnan's Bond as well. But once she was out of the picture, it went back to being a generic action flick.

Interestingly enough, it reminds me of two previous Bond films: On Her Majesty's Secret Service and The Man With the Golden Gun. The former, although a very different film, had a Bond that was motivated by emotion much of the time, rather than duty. Quantum shares that element. OHMSS also shares abysmal fight scenes, with footage sped up in a misguided attempt to increase the excitement--the 1960s equivalent of relentless quick-cuts, I suppose. The Golden Gun comparisons come strictly through the gratuitous and nonsensical introduction of an exploding secret villain HQ in the finale of both movies. Both were utterly pointless and contrived, and didn't fit in with the story that had gone before. They'd simply come to the point where "it's time to blow stuff up" in a Bond film, and so they did so.

After the excellent job the filmmakers had done on adapting Casino Royale I suppose I'd hoped they'd go back and make faithful adaptations of Fleming's work, or, if not Fleming's, then at least John Gardner's. That's not to be, apparently. Quantum of Solace isn't a bad film. It's merely an okay action flick, but misguided as a Bond movie. I'd hope they realize this and bring the next film back closer to the course set out by Casino Royale.

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Friday Night Videos

Well, even if I don't have the time or inspiration to contribute meaningful commentary to my blogs during the week, at least there's always Friday Night Videos, eh?

By now you've probably seen the dazzling movie trailer for the new J.J. Abrams-directed Star Trek reboot. From what I've seen online, it looks pretty good, but I'm withholding final judgment until I see the final cut in the theaters. That's pretty much how I feel about The Watchmen--hopeful, yet skeptical. So in observance of the new bit of Trek frenzy sweeping the interwebs, today's video is "Banditos" by The Refreshments, which has a good little recurring shout-out to Trekkies near and far, although the captain isn't Kirk.



Previously on Friday Night Videos... The Gipsy Kings.

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The Battle of the Paddle

Ever since the great flood of 1998 which canceled the football game between Texas State and Nicholls State, the meeting between the two schools has been known as the "Battle of the Paddle." The paddle, of course, being a canoe paddle, symbolizing the high water, etc. The Bobcats and Colonels met again Saturday, and the Bobcats really came out firing on all cylinders, thumping the Colonels 34-10. Once again I was on the sidelines, shooting away. Here are some of the less awful images I came away with.





















I'm starting to think I could totally do this whole sports photography thing. Not well, mind you. But with the volume of shots I take, the law of averages works in my favor...

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Friday Night Videos

Okay, after a somewhat rough week at this end, I figure what's called for is something light and uplifting. Buoyant even. Right then, the Gispy Kings it is, doing their cover of "I've Got No Strings" from the soundtrack of Disney's Pinocchio. Seriously. The Gipsy Kings make everything sound awesome.



Previously on Friday Night Videos... Cameo.

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I should know better

The Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons is one of my favorite novels of all time. So I've been dubious of this new film adaptation by the director of 300. The "look" in the first trailer struck me as all wrong--it should be noirish rather than hyper-stylized--and the music selection for the trailer was awful. I did not hold out much hope, although it looked pretty.

But great googaly moogaly, this latest trailer has me--dare I say it?--looking forward to this film. Yes, the music still sucks, and I cringed when Nite Owl referred to the heroes as "The Watchmen" (the name being more of a metaphor in the comic rather than the actual name of a super-team). But wow. Oh, wow. They had me at Rorschach, and really, that's what matters most, isn't it?



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Scouting locations

Hot on the heels of last night's model shoot, I've got another session scheduled with another model for Saturday. I'm shooting the Texas State football game that afternoon to garner a bit more sports experience, so we're meeting a couple of hours beforehand. Which means I have to have some idea of where we're going to go in order to maximize our limited time.

So today I went to a children's playground in San Marcos that I've taken my kids to in the past. Lots of good potential there, which I expected. But holy moly! That playground is actually--it turns out--part of the much larger Rio Vista Park complex. I hadn't realized Rio Vista extended well past the dam/rapids, but apparently it does. I discovered a nifty hollow tree with a cavity large enough for my model to tuck herself into, as well as a very photo-friendly cypress island with enormous old trees with massive, sprawling root systems. Photo opportunities abound. Naturally, I'll post pics once I have something to share.

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