I finally saw this movie on what appears to be the last day it is showing in Athens on the big screen. Not because I didn't want to see it.. but because scrapping up the money and the cars and the gas to actually go see a movie seems to be a big ordeal for me (but I have no problem spending upwards of $12 on beverages or a crappy band.. or lousy live theater- not that they're isn't plenty of good music, theater, and free food and beverages to be had in this town or that I don't like movies- but ... anyway). It's actually the first movie I've seen in the actual movie theater since last July, but 14 of those months don't count because I wasn't anywhere near a movie theater so that should give you some idea of how badly I actually wanted to see this movie.
Casino Royale certainly lived up to my expectations. It's certainly a very different bond movie, at least plot and character wise, but it still has all the elements you would normally expect in a Bond movie. Wild chases, stunning effects, death defying stunts, spectacular kills, "the Bond girls", M, mad villains, an amazing soundtrack (featuring Chris Cornell- from Soundgarden and Audioslave)...with a few minor changes.
One of the things you frequently hear about Casino Royale is that it showcases a more human side of Bond. While I wouldn't entirely disagree, I would say that in other Bond films we see a more detached, cynical 007. In Casino Royale, Daniel Craig, portrays a Bond who is still quite naive and we are able to see why and how he became the stoic cynical womanizer and killing machine we all know him as.
One of my favorite things about this movie was that the beginning, before he becomes a double-o, is filmed in black in white. Originally I felt, that it would have been more appropriate to film the rest of the movie in black in white, and the beginning in color (because of the emotional difficulty and change he goes through), but I realized that it is not until after he becomes a double-o that Bond becomes who he truly is.
I highly recommend this movie and will probably see it many more times. It has quickly become my second favorite Bond movie (the living daylights being my favorite), and definitely not worth missing.
Monday, January 16, 2006
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Jackson Street Books
To me what makes a town a town is its bookstores. You can’t just have a Barnes n Nobles or Borders and still be a good town. You have to have a store with local charm, namely a used bookstore. In Athens, Jackson Street Books is that store. So many others have come and gone but Jackson Street is here to stay. Jackson Street Books is the only used bookstore in Athens since the closing of Blue Moon. There is another out in Winder, but I don’t recommend it. The reason it has been around so long is because its such a good store. Its not a large book store, but it’s not small one either. They have decent prices and just about anything you would want, unless you're into very rare and hard to find books. That doesn’t mean they won’t have it, if its rare or hard to find, they’re just not as likely to have it.
The titles are organized pretty logically into categories, -Scifi, mystery, gardening, literary, biography, war books, etc. Basically they have whatever people in Athens buy and sell, and a few rare oddities or books that people ask them for. They get a lot of their books from people who trade books for credit. There are plenty of university students trying to pass off a good book they didn’t like for beer money, so there’s usually a good selection. They also trade and sell CD’s and DVD’s but they don’t have many of those.
One of the other nice things about this bookstore is that they trade books. If they don’t have anything you want right away you can get a coupon good for future purchases. Their system is a little skewed though... Sci Fi and gardening are listed as academic, while mystery and history are listed as popular. This is important because you can only trade like for like. They also buy books (but you don’t get as much for them) so if you need the cash or whatever you can do that as well.
The titles are organized pretty logically into categories, -Scifi, mystery, gardening, literary, biography, war books, etc. Basically they have whatever people in Athens buy and sell, and a few rare oddities or books that people ask them for. They get a lot of their books from people who trade books for credit. There are plenty of university students trying to pass off a good book they didn’t like for beer money, so there’s usually a good selection. They also trade and sell CD’s and DVD’s but they don’t have many of those.
One of the other nice things about this bookstore is that they trade books. If they don’t have anything you want right away you can get a coupon good for future purchases. Their system is a little skewed though... Sci Fi and gardening are listed as academic, while mystery and history are listed as popular. This is important because you can only trade like for like. They also buy books (but you don’t get as much for them) so if you need the cash or whatever you can do that as well.
Monday, November 7, 2005
Wuxtry
This is a nice local CD store . They have a good selection of local and used records and cd's. They have the biggest selection of records in town, some of which have never been opened. They have everything from Janis Joplin to Bob Dylan to Count Base to Johnny Cash to the Rolling Stones to motorcyle sound effects to some more recent local bands. Basically they have anything you can think of on record. They certainly don't have every record ever recorded, but they do have a good number. Some of the prices are a little non-sensical, but still pretty decent.
They also have new and used CD's, but they have more used than new. They've been around for a good number of years now. It's a cool little place but sometimes its hard to find what your looking for because it can be organized in an unusual way.
They also have new and used CD's, but they have more used than new. They've been around for a good number of years now. It's a cool little place but sometimes its hard to find what your looking for because it can be organized in an unusual way.
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