Quantum of Solace

I wasn't sure about Daniel Craig in Casino Royale: Overall it was a good movie, but what kind of pussy-footin' business did James Bond have falling in love? James Bond doesn't fall in love! Frankly, I was offended. Then someone kindly explained to me: Leslie, that's why it's his first James Bond, this explains why James Bond doesn't fall in love. Okay fine. But I still wasn't sure about this Craig character. His face still looked kind of funny.

I apologize now for ever doubting. He totally delivered. Quantum of Solace was 100% fabulous and you all back home have to wait a whole more week before you can see it - HA HA!

SPOILER ALERT

There were points in the movie where the characters switched to Spanish or Italian, but the subtitles were only in Chinese. This wasn't a problem until the very end. The evil military dictator signs the evil documents, and then about 0.75 seconds later he retires to his hotel room to rape a waitress. I got that he was just a rapist kind of guy. But couldn't he have waited until after dinner or something? There wasn't more pressing business? Maybe this would've seemed awkward to me anyways, but there was an exchange in Spanish with the waitress that I didn't catch. That might have clarified why committing rape was priority number one. Oy, now is not the time to admit how many Spanish class I took.

After watching Quantum, I'm pretty sure my true calling is to be a Bond Girl.

Especially now Bond women are so evolved. Up until the 90s they were pretty much floozies. Then in the 90s they were still floozies, but they had Ph.D.s. Remember Dr. Christmas from The World is Not Enough? So irritating. In the 90s there was a whole new charade: "I'm so educated don't try to pull one over on me, Mr. Bond" but then they eventually succumbed to his manly manliness anyways. Kind of like: You can dress her up and give her an advanced degree, but at the end of the day ... she's still a floozy. The Bond women now are in control of their sexuality. I appreciate that. And Olga Kurylenko is devastatingly beautiful, I couldn't tear my eyes away from her. That helps.

But if I can't be a Bond girl, and, hell, I probably can't, then I would just like to be Judi Dench.

Regal, thoughtful, powerful - I dig the Dench. I wouldn't want to be her right now, of course. But in my golden years perhaps. Was Judi Dench ever young?

And if not Dench. I would also be satisfied if I could be Jaws. That would be fine too.

But for now I'm just an English teacher. Sigh.