saw: quantum of solace
Marc Forster, some of whose previous movies I've seen but am presently at a loss to recall the contents of, is clearly uncomfortable with the demands of kitchen-sink action overdrive—executing early set pieces with a visual robo-stutter that squanders every expensive shot and renders the lavish devastation skullfuckingly painful to watch. He seems to calm down somewhat in the later going, or the second unit becomes more assertive, and the movie settles into a crashsploitative rhythm while sporadically attempting to recover the plot—but unfortunately not before a sequence wherein … erm, "operatic" violence is … staged around and intercut with scenes from … an actual opera. Daniel Craig glares, Judi Dench glowers, Mathieu Amalric goggles, Jeffrey Wright grimaces, Olga Kurylenko and Gemma Arterton ARE REALLY HOT RIGHT NOW and … roll credits (no fatties). Grade: C+