Christopher Robin

Christopher Robin (Ewan McGregor/Orton O'Brien), all grown up, suddenly finds himself forced to work overtime.

He has a good job and is somewhat of a success, but his wife (Hayley Atwell as Evelyn Robin) and daughter (Bronte Carmichael as Madeline Robin) miss him dearly, and they had plans to spend the weekend together in the country.

Evelyn aptly observes that it's been years since he laughed, he's constantly preoccupied, rarely attempts to have fun, and doesn't spend nearly enough time with little Madeline, even if bills are paid on time and the pantry's always full.

He tries to mansplain his way out of it and she harrumphingly backs down, but he knows his life is missing something, even if he's not aware what it is, can't quite put his finger on it, has lost touch with his fantastic imagination.

Which was incredibly bright in his youth.

After his family departs, an old friend magically appears, in possession of the innocent wondrous knowledge that once transcendently defined everything around him, a bear, a pooh bear, a pooh bear named Winnie the Pooh (Jim Cummings), who's in search of his closest most cherished friends, no doubt manifested as Mr. Robin lamented his gloomy relationship with Madeline, as real as the rising or setting sun, primed to start a commotion should anyone else accidentally glimpse his earnest candour, as curious as ever, as thoughtful as peach-lime-blossom.

Christopher listens as Pooh honestly philosophizes without ever having been familiar with the word, his witty unpasteurized conversation patiently reminding him of alternatives long past.

Forgotten, while navigating the world of business.

Obscured by tight occupational blinds.

It's easy to get caught up with the hustle and bustle.

To be so busy and concerned that the lighthearted in/graciously passes by unnoticed.

Sometimes you're so busy you work all night in your dreams too and there's nothing you can do to escape or get away from it.

But as Christopher Robin enchantingly reveals, keeping one's mind open to the fascinating world of unbridled youthful exploration can lead to professional innovations that worldly frustrations often fail to inspirationally consider.

If you have a family, or remain perennially youthful, you can tap into the unrestrained childish wisdom kids freely present every day, and perhaps conjure revelations that can redefine your career if you add that bit of unconcerned elementary enlightenment to your daily working life.

While making sure not to appear too silly or distracted.

The film's perhaps too mature for youngsters since it spends a lot of time dealing with the adult world.

It could be one that kids keep coming back to throughout their lives, however, consequently, as they search for new meaning every couple of years or so, without realizing it's keeping an unassailable part of them young.

Like a fountain of youth.

Like dreams everlasting.

Quantum of Solace

Marc Forster's Quantum of Solace is an excellent example of a film wherein the content does not skillfully match the form. There's a car chase followed by a foot race followed by a boat chase followed by a plane chase with lots of explosions and fighting and flesh. But I've come to expect more from a Bond film, Casino Royale having generated a strong desire to see their dimensions cohesively expand.

And these dimensions do slightly expand, it's just matter of the ways in which they unreel. There's a poignant scene where Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright) and Bond (Daniel Craig) exchange chides regarding whose country has exploited impoverished nations more prominently, each drinking away their remorse; the villain (Dominic Greene played by Mathieu Almaric) seeks to control Bolivia's water supply as opposed to their oil, an acknowledgement of the hypothesis that water will be the most sought after resource of the 20th century (and a critique of the privatization of water); villainous Greene seeks the CIA's support in overthrowing the Bolivian Government and states that a pseudo-tyranny is better than having a Marxist distributing oil profits amongst the people, Hugo Chavez's critics placed within a somewhat vituperative frame (the CIA operative who does not support these goals eventually receiving a promotion); and Bond-Girl Camille (Olga Kurylenko) has a disfiguring burn mark on her back (a sign that perhaps Bond girls will slowly stop being played by super models) and valiantly defeats the misogynistic ghoul General Medrano (Joaquín Cosio) during the final battle. At the same time, Dominic Greene is posing as an environmentalist, meaning that while writers Paul Haggis, Neal Purvis, and Robert Wade are deconstructing Bondian motifs, they are still working within their established guidelines (and by doing so subtly promoting centrist politics).

Unfortunately, the film is basically a randy action movie, complete with the aforementioned chase scenes and pandering gratuitous sex (although the pandering nature of this scene may be ironically lampooning fans searching for this kind of thing). The dialogue is strict, reticent, and acute, but often full of clichés and implausible realizations (notably the scene where Greene is introduced and Camille doesn't become irate even though he admits he just tried to have her killed). Greene's introduction works well insofar as he's the film's villain and there's no pomp and circumstance, and his character isn't prominently developed within (meaning that villains perhaps should not receive the same amount of attention as Bond standouts Le Chiffre or Max Zorin). But Bond's character isn't developed either and a lot of the action just shows him having blunt conversations (or not) before he kills someone. True, within he seeks to avenge the death of Casino Royale love interest Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), and providing someone blinded by rage with eloquent, dainty dialogue could slightly diminish this reality. However, this form could mean that the film's uninspired content is meant to connote that if one finds their motivations through revenge, they resoundingly risk living in a quantum of solace.