No Time to Die

A fitting swan song for Daniel Craig’s run as James Bond, even if it does get a little too mushy here and there. There are some minor pacing problems, but when the action comes it does so in sequences that rival any in the series. As with any Bond film, the eye candy must be first rate; here Lea Seydoux and Ana de Armas admirably fill that need here. Other cast members do good to excellent jobs in support. Mostly, though, this is about Craig, stating his case as (maybe) the best Bond ever. It may be hard to lift him above Connery--who after all defined the role, and had the advantage of better context (Cold War) and, frankly, better productions (storylines, writing, and that certain, mid-century spy movie joie de vivre) on his side--but the modern man probably sits at at least No.. 2. That's hardly something to be ashamed of. This last trip through the MI6 underworld reminds us how lucky we’ve been to have had the franchise resurrected from its seeming expiration back in the Dalton/Brosnan days, when the joy largely went out and camp was practically king. Our man--or, at least, the original king's man--will return, per the post-credits teaser--but it’s hard to imagine the new guy doing any better than Craig's body of work. (That is, assuming the new Bond is a guy, and that the producers don’t go really far off the reservation with their choice). This Bond may not have gone out with the biggest bang, but he left a big, shining legacy for film history to remember and enjoy.

The Little Things

This movie does make an observation: cops are, themselves, a bit of a mystery. I said it was a observation--not necessarily a good observation...nor does that make for a good movie. Indeed, this whole exercise, rather than good, is mostly a run of the mill murder mystery, the kind that has been done many times before, and done better before--even in the eyes of those of us who are not particularly entertained by the thought of people being brutally murdered. The putative selling point here comes in the form of a lineu of heavy hitters among the principal cast, but only Jared Leto really does anything special with his role--and even his creepiness is contrived in the service of the needs of the story, rather than showing a true organic character. Rami Malek is just a waver between brooding and tense throughout the proceedings, while Denzel Washington mostly just plays it tired. There's little that's profound in the story's ultimate twist, no matter how much this flick wants you to believe there is. Ultimately, "little thing" is a descriptor that is all too accurate.

Bohemian Rhapsody

The Queendom, the power, and the glory was his--at least for a while. The case this movie seems to make is that Freddie Mercury was so incandescent that he simple had to burn out quickly, and maybe would have done so even if his illness hadn't limited his life. And while one can argue that certain aspects of this movie are a little too formulaic and filmic, what's unarguable is that the presentation also captures its many moments of brilliance with great sense and feeling. Those too young to remember Queen in their heyday get a highly accurate recreation of that vibe here. The result is a picture that entertains greatly and elevates highly, for both the band's legacy and those who partake of it here. Very strong work and just shy of must-see quality.