Title: Quantum of Solace

Language: English

Year of Release: 2008

Director: Marc Forster

Actors: Daniel Craig, Mathieu Amalric, Olga Kurylenko, Judi Dench

Verdict: ***

First things first...What happened to Bond, James Bond?! To put into a proper perspective, the iconic character of our age seems to have been slowly stripped off his panache. Of course, the new interpretation of James Bond is enthralling for those who bask in realism. But where is his wit?! Where are his jaw-dropping gadgets?! Where is the charm which women find irreristable?! Where did his Tuxedo go? What happened to his own Martini?! There are way too many questions than this if you have just walked out of the latest James Bond flick, "Quantum of Solace". Having said all this, I will not take any credit away from this. Despite all its shortcomings, including a theme which is very unBond like, wayward editing and total absence of everything what we have known Bond for, "Quantum of Solace" is still a movie which has loads of energy and edge-of-the-seat action.

Daniel Craig stars as James Bond, tracking down the people behind Vasper Lynd's death with vengeance in his heart. The movie begins with a stunning car chase in Italy as Bond tries to escape from the henchmen. In Siena(Italy), M awaiting Bond to bring forth Mr.White tries to know about the organisation for which Mr.White works for. And sooner she finds out that the organisation has infiltrated even Mi6, she's caught unaware when her own aide shoots at her. Back in Mi6 as the forensic experts successfully tracks down some of the key people associated with suspicious money transfers, Bond is on his heels. His voyage to track down those responsible for Vasper's death takes him to Carribean and later to Bolivia, Austria. Dominic Greene, the chief of Green Planet, and as a member of Quantum, the organisation behind some of the most heinous crimes across the world. How Dominic tries to dictate terms to the governments in South America? Who helps Bond in his path to redemption? Does Bond successfully tracks down those behind Vasper's death? All this form the basic theme of Quantum of Solace.

Quantum of Solace originally is a short story adapted from Ian Fleming's "For Your Eyes Only", and it really is SHORT! With a running time of around 105 minutes, the film hardly has time to lay down the plot for the convenience of its audience. It's stuffed with as many action sequences, car chases, hand to hand fights ., etc in those 105 minutes. And we end up getting a half-baked plot which could have been a much better one to talk about. When you clinically look at this movie, you will realise that, despite some great cinematography and action sequences, the editing is so wayward that, atleast I had no clue what was happening in that scene. The frames change faster than you can gaze, the scenes and the acts are just too short to give much of a thought and in the end, the void is so clearly seen. Daniel Craig as the Bond, looks as good as any other action hero, but isn't it the charm which the likes of Sean Connery and Pierce Brosnan once displayed which makes Bond, the Bond?! These are the moments when I truly miss Brosnan, the erstwhile Bond, who despite not having the muscle, had unparallel charm and wit. Olga Kurylenko as Camellie is good in her role, but with zilch chemistry between her and Craig, it's as good as not having her in the same frame as Bond. And what happened to the "Other" Bond Girl?! She's supposed to be the hottest chick in the flick; and they had to choose Gemma Arterton, of all the beautiful women in the world! Phew, if this is what the hotness parameter has fallen to, God save Bond! (She supposed to be the one who can surge the adrenaline levels when she's on screen, but watch Gemma on screen, and you will realise why I am fretting so much!). Dominic Greene(Mathieu Amalric) is perhaps the worst antagonist of Bond I have seen in ages. It's not that Mathieu hasn't done a good job, but his character in the film is so weak that you will realise that the purpose of his existence is to wait for Bond to kill him!!!

The only reason why you cannot walk out of the cinema hall is because of some stunning action sequences (however incongruent they may be), the conversations between M and Bond, and a new theme which takes us to places where no Bond film has ever gone before! And Thank God, the antagonist is not from a country which US and UK always has on their blacklist. He's not into building nuclear weapons or any other such thing to create havoc. Judi Dench as M, shows why no other woman can usurp that role atleast for the next few years. She's almost perfect to her role and delivers a commendable performance. This film was said to be most jinxed in the history of Bond flicks. You will realise why stunt drivers lost their lives and others ended up with broken bones when you see the first 5 minutes of the film....don't miss the beginning!!!

Lets hope that someone who's thinking about the next Bond film's script sees what Bond has missed in this flick. Bring back his gadgets, his tuxedo, his style, his wit, his way with women ! Put the sex back into Bond!!! You don't feel like having seen a truly genuine Bond movie unless we see all this on screen and hear his iconic line....Bond, James Bond!

Amen!

Language: Telugu
Year of Release:2008
Director: Srikanth Addala
Actors: Varun Sandesh, Shweta Prasad, Prakash Raj, Jayasudha, Ahuthi Prasad and others
Verdict: 3.75 / 5 (Don't miss it!)

2008 has had its share of ups and downs for Tollywood. There are no huge blockbusters to talk about... the success of Jalsa, Ready, Krishna, and other movies may be the only so far which has the rung the cash registers. But I wouldn't be surprised if the audience complained of some void which arises for lack of fresh stories or atleast something to talk about incessantly! Finally, the wait seems to have ended...atleast in most quarters. And it's once again from the production house of ace producer Dil Raju, who has Addala Srikanth as the chief bastion to his reputation of producing good movies! The team has definitely come up with a winner which will draw in the famillies and more particularly the teenagers and youth.

Kotha Bangaru Lokam (KBL) is the story of Balu (Varun Sandesh) and Swapna (Shweta Prasad), who meet in a Residential Junior College. Balu is the kind of guy whom you would associate any teenager...the happy go lucky guy, who believes that anything is possible and for whom life's a beautiful dream which can be led as one pleases. His life takes a new turn when he bumps into Swapna in college and is compelled to know more about her. As time progresses, love blossoms...the only problem is, they don't know if it's love or attraction. When they come across their Physics Lecturer who believes that life's all about the decisions you make at different levels, they are compelled even more to question themselves as to what exactly is the funny feeling they are enduring. After a short while, they realise that it's the love for each other which makes them restless...all's well so far! But how can life be so smooth??! Obviously, the girl's father discovers the affair and takes his daughter away from the college. Now that, with the girl gone and him being sent out of college, what will Balu do? Will he confess all this to his parents ? Will he be able to meet Swapna again? How does all this end??!--To find answers to all these questions...you must watch the movie!

It's just not the question of what happens in the latter part of the story, but the movie on a whole is an earnest attempt to portray the lifestyle of a teenager and what he thinks and does. The steps to discovering oneself are sometimes the longest and the hardest to walk. If leaving your parents hands (in a strictly Indian Sense) was so easy, there would have been no question of a struggle of conscience. At every step of your life, you have this going in your mind...how would my family react if they find out what I have done? Will my family support my decision? When will the society realise that I am mature enough to make my own decisions?!....yada...yada.

Probably a dozen more of such questions have always plagued us sometime or the other. And after having seen the movie, I can say with my hand on my heart that the writers and the director understand what it's to be like a teenager....watch out for that physics class where this concept is explained as XYZ axis! Coming back to the movie, Varun Sandesh is here to stay! He's got another good role which he performs with ease after his role in "Happy Days". Of course, his American accent doesn't seem to have completely veered of him, especially for a film where he's portraying a Konaseema lad. He has shed lot of weight...and has that funny looking mush...hehe...pretty much like how most of us used to look like back then (Of course, I personally cannot claim to be thin at any stage of my life!!! :-P...). He looks a bit like Danush in this flick...check it out yourself if you don't believe me! Shweta Prasad, the girl who earlier played the role of Iqbal's sister in Nagesh Kukoonoor's "Iqbal" is the find of the year! She's just perfect for the role and has a remarkable innocence etched onto her face all the time. No wonder, her smile and the catchy phrase "Ekkada" will stand out in the movie. Ahuti Prasad is content in his role...he's got some really funny lines. Jayasudha and Prakash Raj team up again...and leave no place for any shortcomings. Although I would say, their roles don't have much footage, but the entire film owes it to their presence and the impact which they leave in those scenes in which they appear. Another big asset to this movie is the set of friends which the hero and the heroine have! I haven't laughed so much for such spontaneous lines...and the Konaseema accent adds to the sparkling humour!

Mickey J Meyer's music is another asset...couple of songs, Nijanga...Nijanga...and Nenani will continue to be among the chartbusters for a long long time! Chota K Naidu's Cinematography is probably the strongest pillar to this movie...all those wonderful scenes across Godavari, the songs and the general scenes between the hero and the heroine are wonderfully captured. The colours are rich and they exude such brilliance...one thing in particular...most of the scenes have been shot amidst the most brilliant of the sunlighting! The golden rays of sun and the soft music are probably more than enough to make you belief that you are feeling good within for some odd reason. Kudos to the director for bringing in such a wonderful team together and bringing out a genuinely fresh product. The direction is particularly brilliant towards the final act in the movie, and I truly hope this talented director comes up with something more consistent. A final word for the producer, Raju...he seems to have got the knack of finding good talent most of the times. Have got just one thing to say-"Your Bank Balance just got multipled!!!"....:D

There might be plenty of reasons for watching this movie, but probably the most important thing would be....go for the sweet romance, sparkling comedy and some beautiful music and cinematographer. Don't miss this flick...you never know when you might come across another truly genuine piece of work like this one!