Only 3 times the storage of a dual layer DVD, yet expected to hold 6 times the picture detail using the same compression codec? Do the math - it just doesn't add up. The PictureĮarly Blu-Ray Disc titles were limited by their storage (25 GB on a single-layer Blu-Ray Disc) and outdated MPEG-2 video codec. More Bond.įor more details on the film, check out cinema snob David Kempler's Casino Royale review.

But (of course) this doesn't stop her from falling for him.ĭespite the film's modern day setting, with the inimitable Dame Judi Dench reprising her role as MI6 Chief 'M,' this story is meant to show the beginnings of Agent 007, a fresh-faced (but hardly innocent) James Bond who doesn't even have a preference for Martini preparation: Bartender: 'Shaken or stirred?' Bond: 'Do I look like I give a damn?'įrom its opening chase sequence in Madagascar (mostly on foot, but more exciting than most vehicular chases), through airports, lavish casinos, decrepit torture chambers and all the way to its intense shoot-em-up finale in Venice, 'Casino Royale' grips you in its maw, chews you up and spits you out wanting more. This time around, Bond is serious - deadly serious - and his trademark womanizing is called out for exactly what it is by a new generation of Bond girl (Eva Green's 'Vesper Lynd').

The FilmĪlthough the newest Bond story has been made into a film once before (not to mention a forgettable 1954 TV movie), the earlier 'Casino Royale' (featuring Peter Sellers, David Niven, Ursula Andress and Woody Allen all as James Bond/007) was little more than light-hearted tongue-in-cheek farce. Brosnan provided little that was new and fresh to a franchise that desperately needed more. When the rumours surfaced that Pierce Brosnan was being considered for the role, I thought, 'Now there's a great Bond.' But contract obligations got in the way, and by the time Brosnan finally took the role, the anticipation outweighed the reality. Over time, I realized that Sean Connery - the 'original' 007 - also made a damn fine Bond, better in some ways than Roger Moore: more dangerous, though perhaps less debonair.

Hell, I even picked what college to attend because of a line by Holly Goodhead in 'Moonraker.' After the lady astronaut kicked several bad guy's asses, Bond asks 'Where'd you learn to fight like that, NASA?' Her response, 'No. He was my first Bond, and first impressions die hard.

What's that, you say, a blonde Bond? Is that Kosher? Well, I'm hear to tell you, Daniel Craig is Bond - the franchise is back, baby, and it's better than ever.Īs a young man, I remember thinking that no one could possibly be a better Bond than Roger Moore.

Is casino royale coming out in 4k