"Skyfall" Review: With pleasure, M. With pleasure.

In all honesty we can thank 2 filmmaking masterminds for what a successful entry to the franchise Skyfall is: the genius behind American Beauty and Road to Perdition, Sam Mendes, and a man who was not even involved in the production, creation, or has anything really to do with Bond, Christopher Nolan. Now "Why Nolan?" you might ask. Because so far, Craig's Bond has been following the model set by Nolan's Batman franchise. If 2006's Casino Royale was the "Batman Begins" of Craig's Bond universe, Skyfall, in my humble opinion, is "The Dark Knight" of the series (er...for the sake of this example we won't mention anything about Quantum of Solace). And in following that model, Bond, as a series, is better for it.

This entry in the franchise seems to take place well after Bond's first 00 mission after Casino Royale, and presumably the continuing story (and technically Bond's second mission as a 00 agent) in Quantum of Solace. Bond is now more or less a veteran among his fellow agents, on a mission with Eve, a new field MI6 field agent, on pursuit of Patrice, an assassin with a hard drive containing a list of all undercover NATO operatives who have infiltrated terrorist cells around the country. Bond and Patrice get into a breathtaking hand to hand fight atop a moving train, as Eve sets up to take out Patrice sniper-style. With Bond in the way, and her opportunity about to pass, M (Judy Dench) orders "Take the bloody shot", and Bond is hit. The introduction, like in all Bond movies, is shot for shot relentless, breathtaking action, involving cars, bikes, trains, and construction equipment. However it's just the tip of the iceberg for Mendes and screenwriters John Logan, Neal Purvis, and Robert Wade, as the hard drive subplot is really just part of an elaborate revenge scheme against M and MI6, set up by one of the creepiest Bond villains to ever grace the screen---Anton Chigurh...er sorry, I mean...Raoul Silva! 007, going from one exotic location to the next to hunt down the mad man, must then return to England to do everything possible to defend M at all cost from Silva and his army.

This particular Bond movie is refreshing and new, being one of the first entries in the franchise to not incorporate some elaborate scheme about world domination or a master weapon. This is a very personal story, centered deeply on M's relationship with Bond, as defined from Casino Royale to now, and in general her agents. Yes, the story for the entire film is essentially "keep M safe." But simple as that might seem, it's respectable because it's not about protecting the world, but protecting someone important to Bond, meaning everything about this story and its consequences resonates with Bond as a character personally. And as such, Mendes and the writers wisely and appropriately incorporate, for the first time in many movies, elements about Bond's childhood into the film. For a franchise that's had 23 movies in 50 years, between Casino Royale and Skyfall we are now finally getting a real character, not just some alcoholic womanizing stock character with gadgets. Yes movies like Goldeneye and Die Another Day have touched upon ideas like rogue agents, or MI6 abandoning Bond. But none of them have really gone as deeply into how any of those elements affect or reflect on Bond as a character. I'm happy to say Skyfall finally does.

Craig is brilliant as always. His brand of Bond--vulnerable and haunted yet strong, callus yet sympathetic--actually has a past, a present, and a future we are interested in, and one we get to finally explore. And Craig lets this past, present, and future dictate the character's emotions, who he is, and what he can become, in a very cool manner. For example, we understand why Bond's relationship with M is the way it is, and it's all in the performances; Craig's chemistry with Dench, and Craig's subtle reactions to how his past gave rise to the agent he is and always will be. We already know who Craig's Bond is between the former 2 movies, but what's amazing is we're still getting more information about the character and seeing him react to new situations in ways his established character would consistently react to them based on what we've seen since 2006, thereby giving us something we haven't seen before as the franchise continues. And given some pretty big shakeups at the end of this movie, I'm very eager to see how Craig's Bond character will progress as the series progresses after this entry.

And the beauty of all of this is that Bond's character is completely complemented by Silva as his foil, showing the audience everything M's fortunate Bond would never turn into. The differences in M's relationships with Bond and Silva are integral to defining these characters, and the implications of this are handled so well in the performances. We know Bond understands M because Daniel Craig allows us to believe this. But we equally know Silva never understood her because Bardem portrays him so beautifully unhinged. There are some scenes with Bardem that make your skin crawl--a beautifully delivered soliloquy about rats, a very uncomfortable homoerotic scene with Craig, a very creepy look at the effects of cyanide on the human mouth, and a final scene with Dench that's rooted in some incredibly unsettling maternal issues. All this is done by Bardem with smiles, flamboyancy, jokes, and incredible commanding menace--a performance that rivals, if not comes slightly short of, Heath Ledger's interpretation of The Joker.

Also, given that I've mentioned her already so much in this review, this is definitely Dench's finest hour in any Bond film, from the Brosnan-era to the Craig-era. We get an M who is bold, confident, scared, concerned. We feel the character's guilt during scenes without any lines to indicate her emotions--simply because Dench carries it. Yet we also understand her strength, as she carries on boldly sticking to her guns in a utilitarian way. Dench, her ability to collaborate so naturally with all of her costars, and her commanding presence make you care about whether the character is in danger or not. And since the whole story hinges on her safety, you're drawn and invested into the story more.

On the supporting performance side, we have some really great turns by Ralph Fiennes and Ben Whishaw as Mallory and Q respectively. Whishaw is definitely a delight to watch. I loved the fact that this incarnation of Q is more of a genius hacker techie than a frustrated gadget dispenser. He provides a bit of comic relief, but overall his scenes with Bond are, for lack of a better term, pretty cool. Fiennes as Mallory gets a rockier introduction, initially clashing heads with M at first, but by the end of the movie, once MI6 has conveniently accepted what his role is, the audience does too. Looking forward to seeing both in future movies.

Granted, it's not without some plot holes. We never do find out how Bond survives the shot at the beginning, which is disappointing. And arguably Bond willingly accepts M's decision to pull the trigger a little too quickly  without much question. But as M states, "You know the rules of the bloody game. You've played it long enough." This is a Bond film after all, and after 23 movies, I understand suspension of disbelief, whether it's the most realistic Bond film ever or not, is required.

Nevertheless, as stated before, the comparisons to "The Dark Knight" are reasonable. There's one scene in particular that calls back to The Joker's excellent escape scene. And several thrilling moments of very tense, "cat-and-mouse" action set pieces, such as a race between Silva and Bond to get to M's hearing, and the final stand off between Bond and Silva's mini-army. And in both movies the heroes have very personal stakes in completing their missions. They're also both excellently executed, smart, and engaging, feature elevating performances from the entire ensemble overall, and slightly darker than their predecessors. And therefore I say, whether your a spy film, a superhero film, or an action thriller, if the formula you're following to craft your sequel is Nolan's "The Dark Knight", you're already doing something right.

Add to the mix some wonderful hat tips to the classics like Goldfinger or Goldeneye, and introduce some critical elements to Bond mythology as they fit in the Craig-era universe and you've got a movie that is faithful to its roots, but willing to innovate and evolve them for all eras. Skyfall is actually hands down my favorite Bond film, and in my opinion, solidifies Craig's status as my favorite Bond of all time. Bond will return. And that is going to be all sorts of awesome.

Overall Score: A-

"Wreck It Ralph" Review: Pixar Has Finally Been 1-Up'ed

For the past decade or so, the Mouse House has been struggling to hit the heights it once achieved during the Second Disney Animated Renaissance in the 90s (though in my opinion the last good traditionally animated Disney film was Lilo and Stitch way back in 2002). I mean c'mon Brother Bear? Home on the Range? Chicken Little? And does anyone actually remember Meet the Robinsons or Bolt? And their much-hyped return to traditional animation, The Princess and the Frog, did not ignite a Third Animated Renaissance, the way the studio hoped it would. All too often the films have been mediocre to decent, with Tangled being probably the best offering to independently come out of the studio for a while. But lo and behold, the seas have parted, the sky has lit up, and now Disney Animation is finally ready to play by Pixar's rules with, ironically enough, a loving kiss to video games of all generations--Wreck It Ralph!

So far, without a doubt, this is the most inventive and original animated movie of this year. The story is simple enough--In the world of video games unified by Game Central Station at Litwak's Arcade, Ralph, the villain of the game Fix-It Felix, is tired of his thankless role as the bad guy who wrecks things, and the lack of respects he gets from his fellow game "coworkers". Hoping to prove to himself and the cast in his game, that he's more than just the bad guy, Ralph, to the fear of all other characters in the arcade, "game jumps" to earn himself a hero's medal from a game called Hero's Duty. He ends up blasting off into a Mario Kart-esque game called Sugar Rush, where he meets precociously adorable Vanellope Von Schweetz, an outcast of her own game. And through sympathy and understanding of one another, they form a friendship that essentially changes the status quo of things at Litwik's Arcade.

Though similar themes have been explored in other movies, like Toy Story, the Nightmare Before Christmas, Shrek, and a few others, Ralph's journey as a character never feels stale or cliche. The writing in and of itself pops! We are treated to many clever jokes, both video game and snack related, and more importantly, we are sold on these characters through the hearts and souls fleshed out for them in the script. Ralph and Vanellope, unlike the typical templates for Disney characters, are broken. They aren't perfect. They are flawed, and therefore, dare I say, human. And we love them because, like a lot of us humans, they are determined to do whatever it takes to resolve these flaws, but are at the end able to accept themselves for everything they are--imperfections and all. Ralph, voiced perfectly by John C Reilly, hates his role in life. He's unhappy with this aspect of himself, which, per the rules of the arcade, he can't change, but forcibly tries to change it anyway. The same way, Vanellope, voiced by the initially grating, but eventually endearing, Sarah Silverman, wants to prove she's more than just a glitch in her game to all the bullies that reject her, and finally enter and win a Sugar Rush qualifying race. The two characters need each other to help themselves realize they can accept the things about themselves they can't change, something the writers intended of course, and therefore the relationship between them anchors the picture. By the end of it all, the flaws don't matter, because they have each other, and are finally happy with themselves.

Departing from the topic of Ralph and Vanellope, the supporting cast of characters is a LOT of fun to watch too, as they take us through the B-storylines of the movie. Jack McBrayer and Jane Lynch are amazing and hilarious to watch as Fix-It Felix and Sergeant Callhoun, whith some really funny dialogue and clever moments between them. Alan "I'm a jewel of the Whedon-verse" Tudyk is also very funny as King Candy, the goofy tyrant of Sugar Rush, determined to keep Vanellope down. There's a dark, unexepected, and clever twist that's revealed in the final act with his character. And of course, the amazing video game cameos that are a feast for the eyes of gamers everywhere, including Ken, Ryu, Cammie, Chun Li, M Bison, and Zangief from Street Fighter, the cast of Q-Bert, Pac-Man and the various Ghosts, Tapper, Sonic, Dr. Eggman, etc, all of which are just brilliant nods proving how truly geeky the creators of the film really are, and how much they cared about bringing this gamer-verse to life.

Rich "Futurama is the greatest TV show ever" Moore handles the story and the script much like many of the best episodes of Futurama or The Simpsons, with love, wit, snark, and enthusiasm, never forgetting that this movie is about video games and emotionally vulnerable characters, but also never forgetting that it's supposed to be fun. The colorful environments and action-packed set pieces are a blast to watch, particularly Ralph's first hilarious experience with combat during the Hero's Duty segment, and the well-animated vibrant gumdrop-world of Sugar Rush. These are probably the best, most colorful CG-rendered environments in an animated film since How To Train Your Dragon.

The overall package of Wreck It Ralph is definitely a surprisingly heartwarming, funny, well-animated, and clever gift for us--especially given that this was done without Pixar, who's star seems to be dimming between the very poorly received Cars 2 in 2011, and the less-than-enthusiastic reception of the disappointing Brave this summer. While we are of course still rooting for next summer's Monsters University to bring Pixar back on track, I'm just very happy that Walt Disney Feature Animation has given us a Pixar-level movie that we have been missing since the double whammy of Dreamworks' How to Train Your Dragon and Toy Story 3 back in 2010. Here's hoping Ralph marks the beginning of the Third Animated Renaissance Disney's been hoping for a long long time.

Overall Rating: A