For Ben

Most of this post will not, in fact, be for Ben exclusively (although perhaps I'm crediting myself with a little too much forward planning, here), but it's as good a title as any¹  and I open with a poker video which will probably be appreciated by no-one else:

This is, apparently, the largest pot in (professional) high stakes poker history, and it's the kind of hand you just live in dread of. You can't fault either player, the poker gods merely arranged the cards such that, barring any excessive stupidity on the part of either player Gus was always just going to double up against Daniel. Paradoxically, if Daniel had played a little more stupidly pre-flop he might have won ... although, of course, if Gus had played more stupidly he might have won less. This is precisely like the draw from Casino Royale, where Bond's poker brilliance consisted of being extraordinarily lucky and not playing like a dufus-brain.

This brings us to the topic of A Quantum of Solace. Why? It just does. That shittily named² sequel (and, a first for Bond, this really is a sequel) to Casino Royale. We were told, by no lesser personage than Andrew Bolt that they had killed the Bond franchise with this movie. This, of course, prompts one to question whether or not Bolt actually contends there have been no bad Bond movies before now. One must also point out that if On Her Majesty's Secret Service failed to do this, all indications are that the Bond franchise will be the only edifice of human civilisation likely to survive a nuclear holocaust, and that Bolt should go fuck himself with the nearest available high-friction object. Apart from that, the movie isn't actually bad at all. It's obviously influenced by the Bourne movies, and he grunts and exerts himself a whole lot more than he used to. Sure, we could do with a little more of the stylish, quiet lethality of previous Bonds but the tone is much the same as Casino Royale and I think that a good thing. His only gadget is a really cool phone.

You should also see In Bruges. A movie about hit-men in which you actually like all three killers involved (in a 'I'd have a beer with that guy' kind of way, no less) without actually glossing over the fact that they all do rather evil things. It's full of nice, slightly surreal happenings. Probably the one thing I liked the most about it, though, was the fact that they did this kind of obvious (if you look out for this kind of thing ... which I do) foreshadowing of future events near the beginning.... but when they get to these future events (probably the best scenes in the movie), they end up not actually occurring as foreshadowed. Things such as this , well, they just make my life worthwhile. Rather like ducks, long walks on the beach and ponies.

While on such a topic, I'd like us all to take a quiet moment of appreciation for the first 10 minutes of The Departed. Firstly because it's just as great example of exposition and drawing you into the movie as you're ever going to see (think how much un-rushed information you digest). But also, because I just realised how much more poignant and cool Jack Nicholson's speech becomes in light of the recent US presidential election. Srsly. 

P.S. I will be in Brisbane from Dec 11 - Jan 1.

¹Assuming, of course, said title does not include such words as 'midget' and 'sodomy'.

²Though not nearly so shittily named as Body of Lies - a passable movie whose title and brief plot synopsis gives the impression that it's the anti-Iraq/Terror war propaganda movie that it just isn't.