Quantum of Solace

Bond is deadlier than ever
in 'Quantum of Solace'"Quantum of Solace," the 22nd action film in the James Bond film series, has been getting mixed reviews. I'm probably biased, being a huge Bond fan and all, but I thought QoS was a lot better than some critics would have you believe.

The story is intriguing, with Bond pursuing revenge and revealing himself to be one cold-hearted killer. Daniel Craig is still charming as Bond, but he's harder edged this time out. At times, he reminds me of Popeye Doyle in "The French Connection" He's less the good guy and more the least bad of the bad guys.

This is interesting territory for the Bond franchise. For so long, the lines between good and evil were clearly marked. I think audiences today are more sophisticated and recognize that, as a CIA operative in the film says, you can't "just deal with nice people."

Daniel Craig stars as James Bond
in 'Quantum of Solace'Britain's deadliest secret agent, James Bond, was spotted while on assignment in Moscow yesterday. Actually, he was doing a pretty poor job of keeping a low profile: He held a press conference at the city's Ritz Carlton hotel.

According to Variety, the worldwide promotional tour for the new Bond film "Quantum of Solace" kicked off in the Russian capital. On hand were QoS star Daniel Craig and fellow cast members Olga Kurylenko (the new Bond girl) and Anatole Taubman (the new Bond villain).

Director Marc Forster and co-producer Barbara Broccoli were also eagerly ringing in a new era of Anglo-Russian cooperation. It used to be the Commies were a reliable villain for the Bond series. Now, Broccoli describes Russia as "a key, emerging market."

Jack White and Alicia KeysThe new James Bond film theme, "Another Way to Die" was released for digital purchase everywhere in the world except North America today.

We officially can download the song, written and performed by Jack White and Alicia Keys, starting Tuesday. Or, you can listen to a lower-quality version of it by clicking the play button below, courtesy of some sneaky devils at imeem.com. I love the Internet.

James Bond's next cinematic adventure , "Quantum of Solace," is due out Nov. 14. There's a brand-new trailer out (check it out below) and it looks like the 22nd Bond film might be the best yet.

Longtime readers of this blog might recall that Dan Bradley, stunt designer for the last two Jason Bourne movies, was hired to work on QoS. The snippets of stunts revealed in the trailer definitely bear his mark: gritty and explosive.

Alicia Keys: The next Bond chanteuse?American R&B singer Alicia Keys is "the top contender to sing the title song for the next James Bond flick, 'Quantum of Solace,'" according to E! Online's Marc Malkin.

Malkin credits an unnamed source as saying, "I believe Alicia is the winner." He said representatives for Keys and the Bond camp wouldn't confirm that comment.

A couple months ago, British soul singer Amy Winehouse appeared to be the front-runner for the job, but work on her proposed theme song ground to a halt after she had a falling out with her producer.

Bond star Daniel Craig
looks grumpy (and
for good reason)The trouble surrounding the production of “Quantum of Solace,” the next James Bond film, isn't dying down.

Bond fan site MI6 has chronicled a recent slew of mishaps and blowups.

A couple weeks ago, a crew member accidentally drove an Aston Martin into a lake. Six days later, a stuntman was seriously injured while filming a high-speed chase.

On Saturday morning, a 58-year-old crew member, working in Austria, was found stabbed. He suffered deep cuts to the head and hands after a domestic dispute and was reportedly in critical condition Sunday.

Amy WinehouseBBC News reports that British R&B/soul singer Amy Winehouse has recorded a demo for a proposed theme song to the next James Bond film, “Quantum of Solace.”

Mark Ronson, Winehouse's producer for her most recent album, “Back to Black,” told BBC there are no guarantees the song will be used.

But Winehouse has previously received votes of confidence from folks in the Bond camp, including film score composer David Arnold and producer Michael G. Wilson.

Run, Danny Boy, run!Makers of the 22nd James Bond film, “Quantum of Solace,” are walking a fine line between good storytelling and explosioney goodness, according to fan site MI6.com.

OK, they didn't use the term “explosioney.” But you know what I mean.

“What (director Marc Forster) wanted, and the producers, and what I wanted is to bring back a visual flair to the movie, so that every frame in every shot that we see is beautiful,” Bond star Daniel Craig explained during a press conference last week in Chile. “And there may be things exploding, but they're good to look at.”

My other car is an Aston MartinFord has negotiated a $36 million deal for its diminutive Ka Zetec Climate to appear in the forthcoming Bond film, “Quantum of Solace.”

Daniel Craig will appear behind the wheel of this teeny econobox, Bond fan site MI6 reports, although “James Bond fans will be relieved to know that the famous Aston Martin DBS will be the car of choice.”

Amy Winehouse
Sir Paul McCartney believes fellow British pop star Amy Winehouse “would do a really good job” at performing the theme song to the next James Bond flick, according to The Boston Globe.

The 22nd Bond film, titled “Quantum of Solace,” is due in U.S. theaters Nov. 22.

McCartney joins the ranks of singer Shirley Bassey and composer David Arnold in recommending Winehouse for the job, according to Bond fan site MI6.