What Are You Watching Tonight
Casino Royale
In a critical poker game, 007 is called upon to use his strategy to expose the bluff of terrorist financier Le Chiffre, who has overextended himself financially. At the same time, he falls in love — for the first and perhaps last time — with a mysterious woman named Vesper.
Released in 2006, the film introduced us to Daniel Craig in the role — personally, I consider him the best James Bond.
I loved this movie from beginning to end and believe it’s the best one, along with Skyfall, with Craig in the lead. The opening scene and the overall chase that follows are, in plain Greek, mind-blowing. The film has great action throughout, grounds the character, and makes the agent more human, tougher, without too many gadgets — and ultimately more vulnerable. Daniel Craig delivers an excellent performance, even though he was heavily criticized when it was announced that he got the role.
The Bond of Casino Royale is closer to the kind of agent Ian Fleming originally envisioned — more reckless, more rough around the edges, not too concerned with collateral damage.
It features a very good script, with witty and fast-paced dialogue between Bond and Vesper, great cinematography, intense action and mystery, Eva Green of course 😅, and even better direction. A clever wink or twist: the scene where he emerges from the sea in his swimsuit 🌊 — and not a Bond girl.
As for the villain Le Chiffre — though Mads Mikkelsen is a great actor — I have to admit I got a bit bored. I didn’t find him particularly threatening 🤷♂️.
If you’re a fan of action-adventure films, you’ll definitely enjoy this one.
The Ugly Stepsister
In a fairytale kingdom where beauty is everything, Elvira is determined to compete with her stepsister and will do anything to catch the prince’s eye. A deconstructed, body horror take on the Cinderella myth.
Is it worth your attention?
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It has some repulsive scenes that some viewers will actually enjoy — the eyelash scene gave me chills.
It attempts to present the Cinderella story from a different angle, which works in its favor.
There are a few interesting directorial choices.
It brings important issues to the table, like the self-destructive vanity born from the pursuit of flawless beauty, but… *
The lead actress, Muren, delivers a convincing performance, despite everything her character endures.
🔴🔴🔴🔴Those same repulsive scenes will turn many viewers off. Some are way too extreme. Just for shock value? Very likely.
The prince? Meh — bland and uninspired.
It doesn’t evoke fear — though that may not even be the goal.
You need to be a bit open-minded to catch some of the satirical “jokes.”
The Ugly Stepsister is definitely not for everyone.
And while it raises important themes, as noted above, it never fully manages to explore them in depth.