Uncommon Bonds
Last night I caught up to the latest James Bond flick, courtesy of Netflix by mail. No Time to Die (2021) is typical 007 in terms of action and exotic locales but different in terms of the intensity of the relationship between the hero and the lead female character. In fact, the film opens not with Bond in peril but the back story of the woman as a little girl. The super agent is living in isolation, and coaxed out of retirement by the CIA’s Felix Leiter. The plot concerns a biological weapon and, of course, Bond saves the world with a big assist from Q and others. I anticipated two of the surprises, but not the last. I sat through the entire closing credits waiting for another ending, but none came. Kudos. What would a Bond film be without interesting villains? There are four: Blofeld, reprised by Cristoph Waitz; Rami Malek of Bohemian Rhapsody; Dali Benssalah as Cyclops; and NYC’s Billy Magnussen as a traitor. All are fine. And the Bond girls: Ana de Armas does a great turn as a lethal Cuban agent who assists the hero; Naomie Harris returns as the feisty Moneypenny; and France’s Léa Seydoux is touching as the love interest. Also returning: Ralph Fiennes as the deadly serious M, Ben Whishaw as the amusing Q, and the likeable Jeffrey Wright as Felix. I am unfamiliar with the work of director Cary Joji Fukunaga, a Californian who co-wrote the screenplay with Neal Purvis and Robert Wade. He won an Emmy for an episode of True Detective. 336,000+ users at IMDb have rated No Time to Die, forging to a consensus of 7.3 on a scale of ten. I’d rate it above the middle in the series. It runs 2:43 but didn’t seem nearly that long. Despite the pandemic, it did well at the box office, returning $774+ million worldwide on a budget of $250 million. Daniel Craig upped his game, a fitting finale for his run as 007, much better than his curious robot-like turn in Spectre (2015), which was good despite that. Maybe it was an actor’s experiment or a psychological product of wishing to be unfeeling. Whatever. I was happy to see this terrific actor back on track. The film received three Oscar nods, winning best song, music and lyrics by Billie Eilish. I like a couple of her other tracks, so I wasn’t surprised this one was good. I enjoyed the movie, although I fought cynicism about the PC casting.
How ‘bout this headline from nypost.com: “John Hinckley, failed assassin-turned-musician, books NYC concert.” “I shot the pres’dent, but I did not…”
Also from NYP, what can be said about this?: “Florida teens wearing armored vests kill pal while taking turns shooting each other: cops.” “I shot my best friend, but…”
I know this is positive news, but I found this NYP headline amusing: “My husband and I found a sperm donor on Facebook.” “I shot my ripe load…”
According to an NYP editorial, edited by yours truly: Philly set a record for homicides, 562 killings in 2021… its population decreased by almost 25,000 residents. What are the alternatives when pols fail to protect the citizenry? Leave or take up arms. “I shot my neighbor, but…”
Although it doesn’t seem possible, it appears violence in Black America is getting worse. Tragically, no one dares point this out or do anything about it.
I couldn’t relax at the book shop today because of the threat of rain, but it held off, so it all worked out well. My thanks to the gentleman who bought three Frank Herbert translations in Russian, and to the lovely young mom of two who purchased a colorful kids book in that language; and to the man who selected The Lost World by Michael Crichton; and to the elderly woman who chose Testimony by Anita Shreve; and to local realtor Sue, who added to her collection of my books by taking home Curious Sicilian.
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