Charm is Gone

Michael Rennie's Man from Space was charming.

In Robert Wise's 1951 classic sci-fi flick, Rennie as Klaatu smiled and laughed and treated all earthlings with the same kindly patience that he showed Billy Gray, the young boy who leads him to the Einstein-like Sam Jaffe character.

Now, in a huge blow-up version soon to be released, the huge movie star, who absolutely cannot act, Keanu Reeves, stares glumly at everyone and everything while stuff explodes indiscriminately.

Why not remake "An American in Paris" with Jay Leno or "Lawrence of Arabia" with Greg Kinnear?

"Quantum of Solace," the new Bond movie is the last of that Franchise that I will see.

The problem isn't so much the glum, downright miserable charmless take we get from Daniel Craig (who is in fact a helluva good actor), but the whole fiery wreck.

I have no idea what happened in this movie. The photography was spectacular, the sound was overwhelming, the fights and car crashes were in your face, but...what happened? Who was who?

And where was Sean Connery's charm?

The best fight scene in all the Bond movies came in "Fromm Russia With Love," when Connery and Robert Shaw batted each other around a train compartment. The whole affair seemed plausibly terrifying and each punch and choke hold was visceral.

A two and a half hour movie without a single joke or smile is not watchable.