Agent 007 returns in style

Bond kicks it up a notch in ‘Die Another Day’

Fans of the James Bond movies will not be disappointed by the

current offering of this 40-year-old film franchise. “Die Another

Day” dusts off the old formula and kicks it up a notch with more grit

and less fluff than previous efforts.

We still get the full mix of serious and silly elements usually

found in the Bond recipe. There is an evil madman, this time North

Korean Col. Zao, who wants to take over the world. He has a new super

weapon, this time a space-based laser.

Naturally, only James Bond, with his exotic spy gadgets, armored

car and impossible stunts, can save the world from the super villain.

And, of course, we have a stunning woman to assist Bond in his

wild adventures, while providing the coy romantic interest.

But Halle Berry brings another dimension to the femme fatale role

in this picture. Previous Bond girls have been little more than a

bimbo in a bikini for James. But Berry, as Agent Jinx, plays an

athletic undercover spy who is sinister and dangerous in her own

right, while still looking mighty fine in her bikini.

Pierce Brosnan is also growing into the role of Bond. A little

older now, he brings more edge and depth to his performance. John

Cleese provides wry humor as the Agent Q, the gadget master. Judi

Dench brings dramatic weight to the role of Bond’s boss. Rick Yune is

sufficiently crazed, yet controlled as the evil Zao.

On the down side, this film needs editing. Some action sequences

go on so long that the initial excitement simply dissipates. The

always predictable outcome tempers any real suspense that might be

generated.

But James Bond has always been about comic book-style adventure --

and this one is no exception.

“Die Another Day” is rated PG-13 for action violence and

sexuality.

* JOHN DEPKO is a Costa Mesa resident and a senior investigator

for the Orange County public defender’s office.

Life seems lacking in ‘Far From Heaven’

“Far From Heaven” is one of those movies you really want to like.

It has two very talented actors. It has amazing production. It has

its heart in the right place.

The problem is that the movie is so completely lifeless, you just

want it to end. “Far From Heaven” is set in Connecticut in the late

1950s and centers on the Whitaker family. Frank (Dennis Quaid) and

Cathy Whitaker (Julianne Moore) seem like the perfect couple raising

their perfect son and daughter in their perfect New England home. It

becomes apparent there are big problems underneath the surface.

Director and writer Todd Haynes creates the idealized vision of

1950s America and then delves underneath the surface to show the

difficulties faced by minorities and homosexuals during that decade.

His plot is too predictable, though, so there is no tension.

His social commentary is often blatant, where subtlety would have

been more effective. Melodrama works only when the audience

identifies with the characters and waits in suspense to find out what

happens to them. Haynes never achieves this.

“Far From Heaven” is rated PG-13 for mature thematic elements,

sexual content, brief violence and language.

* TRICIA BEHLE lives in Newport Beach and works as a software

validator.