It's official....

Daniel Craig is my favorite Bond of all time, surpassing Sean Connery.

When "Casino Royale" came out, I think most of us Bond fans were blown away with Craig's portrayal of him. But in order to be fair to Mr. Connery, I decided to hold back on such a big switch until I saw the second movie with Craig. We saw it late this afternoon, and I now feel that it is time to give the Number 1 spot to Daniel Craig. This takes nothing away from Mr. Connery, and I'll always have a special place in my heart for his suave Bond, especially because those were some of the finer Bond films in franchise history. And the sixties decor and clothing were pretty cool, too.

However, I love it that they've taken Bond in a different direction with Craig...they've reminded us that James Bond does indeed have a license to kill. His air of menace and cold blue eyes never let us forget that he would have no qualms whatsoever about snapping someone's neck with his bare hands.

"Quantum of Solace" isn't groundbreaking, but who goes to James Bond movies to see groundbreaking? It's a typical Bond movie with lots of great action sequences and a creepy villain that you can't wait to see get smacked around by James. A couple of beautiful women who are charmed by James, and plenty of political intrigue. James is still trying to come to terms with the loss of his love in "Casino Royale," Vespa, and what he believes was her betrayal of him. Will his desire for vengeance mean the end of his MI6 career, and his good relationship with M? Who can he trust? Can he even trust his own government?

Good stuff, but as always, the chase sequences and fights are what makes this movie a hell of a lot of fun. The movie opens with a bang as we watch a high speed car chase in the mountains of Italy. There's also a chase on foot through various homes and churches in Italy, and a plane chase. James gets to beat the crap out of several bad guys. My favorite, though, is the final fight with the creepy villain. I'll say no more.

If you like James Bond, you'll love this movie. If you don't...what's wrong with you?! Totally kidding--Bond isn't for everyone. If you're not a fan, this movie won't change your mind. If you are a fan, go see it in the theater. It's a blast. Literally.

I haven't forgotten to tell you about our evening at Studebaker last night. I'll work on the pictures tomorrow and make a slideshow for you (if I can remember how to do it). Suffice it to say, for now, that I think it was a hit! Ken is working on a slideshow for his blog, so you can see pictures of the event there. My pictures are mostly of the cars.