Timber!

Well, not much to say after this one. As a Duck fan, I couldn't be happier - stomping the Beavers on their home field and dashing their dreams of reaching the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1965. The Ducks defense didn't impress, but with the offense rolling up 65 points (most ever allowed by OSU) and an incredible 694 total yards (385 on the ground), it didn't really matter. The win was a relief too because if Oregon State had won three straight Civil Wars, Beaver fan would be intolerable. As it is, I will happily take this 65-38 drubbing and a trip to San Diego for the Holiday Bowl. Go Ducks!

My faith in humanity has just taken a serious blow

I know there are greater evils around the world that deserve my attention, but this is just sick.

Wal-Mart worker dies after shoppers knock him down

Way to go shoppers. Score one for greed and callousness. I really hope all those savings are worth the descent into savagery that occurs every year on this day. Seriously, am I the only one who thinks there is something wrong with Black Friday?

Movie Review: Quantum of Solace

While it doesn't rank among the best of the series, Quantum of Solace is a solid effort and one of the better Bond outings. What is most remarkable about Quantum is its sober, and sometimes even somber tone. There is very little in the way of knowing smirks, sipping Martinis and pithy sexual innuendo with gorgeous women. Instead, director Marc Forster (Finding Neverland) has chosen to pick up right where Casino Royale leaves off, with Bond seeking revenge for the death of the woman he loved, Vesper Lynd. Along the way, he uncovers Quantum, a worldwide organization so secret that even MI-6 and the CIA are clueless. Quantum is essentially the new SPECTRE from the Connery-Moore days. Their members range from high ranking government officials to corporate moguls.

Bond's adversary this time is Dominic Greene, an environmental philanthropist who secretly attempts to corner the market on Bolivia's water supply for profit (Is it me, or have Bond villains really lowered their sights?). Greene proves to be a fairly pedestrian villain and the Bond girls are forgettable, but that doesn't slow down a well-crafted movie that moves briskly from one location to another, one action scene to the next. What really makes the movie work is Daniel Craig's performance. Craig's 007 simaltaneously exhibits a cold detachment and a subtle depth of emotion not present in previous Bonds.

Many critics have pointed out that the choice to make such a dark, serious Bond does nothing to differentiate it from the Jason Bourne movies, or most other action movies today. Although I think this is a valid criticism, the movie works because it operates within the scope of the story established at the end of Royale with Bond out for revenge. I certainly wouldn't want this to be the norm for future Bond movies, but the quality of the film outweighs such criticism. Bottom line: lacking in fun, but good nontheless.

One last critique. A subplot of the movie involves America's complicity in the evil being done by corrupt governments and corporate baddies by virtue of it's relationship with them. One could view this as the filmmakers simply trying to make a realistic spy thriller that reflects current geopolitics. But in light of many recent movies with subtle (and some not so subtle) anti-American themes (Bourne Ultimatum), I found it a little irritating. But maybe I'm being paranoid.