A New Bond and Dancing Penguins Hit the Big Screen

It's been 44 years since Scottish actor Sean Connery donned a white tux in the little known British movie, "Dr. No" and brought author Ian Flemming's British secret agent, James Bond to life. 21 movies later, Bond is still kicking. Since Dr. No's film debut, four other actors have dared to put their spin on 007 : George Lazenby; Roger Moore; Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan. This weekend, actor Daniel Craig becomes the sixth actor to play the larger than life British spy. The PG-13 rated "Casino Royale" opens in theatres nationwide today. Casino Royale is actually the very first Bond story written by Flemming. It's about Bond's beginnings in Her Majesty's Secret Service.

While critics and fans alike will continue to weigh in, early reviews of the first blonde haired Bond have been good. That's probably a good thing since the actor is contracted to star in two more Bond films. However, diehard Bond fans can hardly imagine anyone else in the role perfected by the Academy Award winning, Sir Sean. Bond films offer an escape from reality for those of us who love gadgets, intrigue, fast-paced action and suspense. However, I wouldn't recommend them for a family movie night, given the Bond character's unsually high and abnormal testosterone levels. Remember it's fiction and just fun for action movie fans, not an endorsement of a lifestyle!

For those unimpressed by Bond, how about a bunch of dancing penguins? The Warner Bros. animated "Happy Feet" opens this weekend too. Robin Williams heads an all-star cast providing voices for the dancing penguins. Among them Elijah Wood, Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman. The plot is about emperor penguins who find their mates through song. However, one penguin enters the world unable to sing, but boy can he dance. Movie trailers and reviews carry the following warning about the movie: "Caution: May Cause Toe Tapping". Robin Williams was interviewed this week on NBC's Today Show. It was so good to see him after his recent round with in-patient recovery. One of the best lines of the interview was when Williams said his children were glad to have him back! We are too Robin!

As always, MCF, nor I, endorse or agree with the entire content, themes and ideas in these and other movies. Christ-followers searching for a movie review resource from a spiritual perspective might want to go the following website before heading to the theatre: http://www.hollywoodjesus.net/ . They don't hold back on their reviews and may save you a lot of money, not to mention wasted time at the theatre. Here's what they had to say about the the movie "Borat", which kept me from going to see it:

"Borat is portrayed as the stereotypical foreign rube as well as an anti-Semitic, misogynistic, bigoted, ill-mannered and crude – but deceptively innocent -- guy. The R-rated film includes raw language, male frontal nudity, naked men wrestling, scatological gags and comments offensive to pretty much every group on the planet. The Central Asian nation of Kazakhstan, about which there is virtually no shred of truth in the film, has hired Western public-relations firms to deal with what their Washington embassy called “a one-man diplomatic wrecking ball.”.....A film like Borat simply manufactures an ugly caricature of foreigners and trumpets an even uglier American and Western mindset of cultural superiority over all.
No wonder a large portion of the world hates us." ---Hollywood Jesus Review

Now, I'm really counting the days until the release of "The Nativity Story"(Dec. 1st), a story of a child who would change the world forever! Check out the trailer at http://www.thenativitystory.com/