Quantum of Solace (2008)

Not a promising title, and it’s never really explained either.

Daniel Craig is excellent again (this was his second of five Bond films), but the girl Camille Montes (Olga Kurylenko) and the villain Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric) are weaker than usual. The former gets shoddy lines and a simplistic “revenge” motivation. The latter isn’t particularly scary or “evil”, just difficult to feel strongly about.

The plot isn’t easy to follow on first viewing, although it works better second time around. It’s extremely violent – sometimes more so than the story demands. Ludicrously, there’s an MI6 agent called Strawberry Fields (played by Gemma Arterton). She comes to a sticky end in a scene that seems to acknowledge the fate of Shirley Eaton’s character Jill Masterson in Goldfinger. The climax is a little underwhelming – perhaps because the stakes aren’t very high. Whereas Bond is usually saving the world from imminent destruction, this time he’s merely battling a nasty crook selling water back to the Bolivian government after creating an artificial drought.

Judi Dench is reliably watchable as M and raises the quality of the film whenever she appears. Her scenes are much needed as there’s sometimes a tendency for it to dip into trashier territory than Casino Royale (2006) or Skyfall (2012).

The title theme by Jack White and Alicia Keys has an appealingly fuzzy riff, but as a song it’s a total mess.

All in all, the least effective of the Daniel Craigs but still well worth a watch or two.

Casino Royale (2006)

Daniel Craig’s first James Bond film can be found on DVD in every charity shop in the land. The opening section – designed as a flashback to set up the reboot – doesn’t really work and didn’t need to be there, and the use of black and white seemed clichéd. Fortunately, the film improves enormously after that.

The action sequences are stunning – fighting on cranes and leaping between them, an airport showdown and a collapsing building in Venice. There’s real drama in the multi-million-pound poker game and when Bond is poisoned and almost dies in his car.

Judi Dench is great as M. At one point she quips “In the old days, if an agent did something that embarrassing, he'd have the good sense to defect. Christ, I miss the Cold War.”

I really liked the unexpected love story: Bond actually falls for Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) and displays an emotional depth that would have been impossible in the Roger Moore era. On first viewing I thought it was a shame that after developing the asthmatic, blood-weeping Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen) as a convincingly creepy baddie, the real villain turned out to be the characterless Mr. White. Or so you are led to believe until the subsequent films peel back further layers of intrigue. On second viewing, and with knowledge of where the series was heading, I enjoyed this ending much more.

The King’s Speech (2010)

King George VI (Colin Firth) has a crippling stammer. Lionel Logue, an Australian speech therapist (Geoffrey Rush), tries to help him overcome it. The film studies their complex, evolving relationship against the ticking time bomb that is Britain's impending declaration of war on Germany in 1939. Helena Bonham Carter is subtle and witty as the king’s wife (later to be known as the Queen Mother). Guy Pearce is also strong as Edward VIII, who abdicated to marry divorcee Wallis Simpson.

Where Angels Fear to Tread (1991)

Dire. Had the feel of a stilted TV movie. Unbearable, despite the presence of Helen Mirren and Helena Bonham Typecast. The latter has gone a long way by pouting in a bonnet, but it’s not enough to redeem her here.

Local Hero (1983)

Directed by Bill Forsyth, this is one of the best films ever – a subtle, heartwarming comedy with great performances and a genuinely touching theme about protecting small communities and the environment.

“Mac” MacIntyre (Peter Riegert) is sent from Knox Oil and Gas in Houston, Texas, to the Scottish village of Ferness to acquire land on which to build an oil refinery. His possibly deranged boss (Burt Lancaster) is obsessed with astronomy and asks Mac to report back on activities in the sky. But when Mac begins to get to know locals such as hotel owner/accountant Gordon (Denis Lawson) and his wife Stella (Jennifer Black), his priorities start to change. 

The Highlands scenery looks beautiful and there are many hilarious moments. They work because the characters are drawn so well. There’s a richness that means you can watch it again and again. And like Danny (Peter Capaldi), it’s difficult not to fall in love with the mermaid-like marine researcher Marina (Jenny Seagrove).