The Wayfarer Blog

I know this movie is old news for everyone in the US, but I just rented Casino Royale, the latest James Bond movie. I’m not sure how popular it was in the US, or if it was well-received, but I really liked it. Daniel Craig’s performance was even darker than Timothy Dalton’s, and every bit as charismatic as Sean Connery’s. Every actor who has played Bond has brought his own unique touch to the character, and they were equally valid, in my opinion. But this movie was quite different from any of the others. If by chance you haven’t seen it, I would highly recommend it.

By the way, 007 movies really remind me of Japan, because it was here in Japan that I watched every James Bond movie, in order. I also did that with the Friends TV series, and various other movie and TV series. I’m not really sure why I did that, but at a time when I was going through various phases of culture shock and other inconsistencies, it was helpful to have a routine. At any rate, it is actually a great way to understand the development and logic of any series, so i would recommend it!

These days, I don’t have much time to watch movies, but sometimes I have to take a break and fire up the DVD player. This was just such an occasion, and I’m glad I did.

By the way, I sometimes (like today), teach at the Hotel New Otani in Yotsuya, which was the location of the SPECTRE hideout in the 1967 James Bond movie, You Only Live Twice, which was filmed in Japan. I remember watching that film when i was younger and dreaming of going to Japan. Hmm…Actually, it has a few interesting moments, but it is one of my least favorite. For one thing, Connery was basically walking through the role. And the story was pretty weak, even for a Bond movie!