Casino Royale @ The Embassy Theatre

We saw the latest 007 installment, Casino Royal, at the Embassy Theatre yesterday. I have not been in a movie screening facility that posh (and effective) in a LONG time. It reminds me of the "old days" when we would go see Star Wars films in the massive Cineplex Odeon theaters with their huge screens and powerful sound. It seems like theaters these days are equipped with good sound systems but afraid to use them. Not the Embassy, though. Our seats literally rumbled with every explosion, it was like you could feel it going through you. The picture was clear and in focus and looked great. Oh, and they had very nice bathrooms, as Stacey pointed out. =)

The Embassy was, like many older theatres, in need of a major overhaul back in the 1990's. It got it, just in time for hosting the world Premiere of the Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring in 2001. This photo shows the theatre under attack by a Nazgul riding a Fell Beast. (How they kept that prop up there with all the wind about it a mystery to me!)


As for Casino Royale, I am not sure what I thought. The movie was exciting, and full of the usual stunts and chases. The intrigue was OK, nothing spectacular. Was sometimes hard to see the significance of who Bond was chasing, and just what the point was. I thought it was glaringly obvious that someone was trying to "cash-in" on the popularity of those Reality Poker shows here. There was a lot of hubbub about Bond being a renegade, going against the wishes of M and the Secret Service, but for the most part one cannot see WHY he feels the need to move outside of the proper circles. Why hack into a computer to get information? I mean, it was not as though M would not tell him what he needed to know if he asked. And when she finds out she's been hacked, she lets him proceed anyway! Maybe she should just post her login information in the SS lunch room. Of course we know why he has to do this: nobody likes a hero who plays by the rules any more--it's too boring!

The prequel aspect bothered me a little, since Bond was supposed to be a product relating to the Cold War. Daniel Craig is an interesting spin on the newest Bond. Perhaps a bit too Neanderthal? I dunno. The women don't seem to mind. Either way, I hope the film franchise permits him to play the role more than once or twice. These days, they fire the actor from the role practically after one try, before they even have a chance to get comfortable with it and settle in.

Great action sequences. Good 007 flavor. And a crabby Judi Dench, chewing up scenery and agents. Final grade: B