Cool. Very cool.

Okay. Ken and I saw the new Bond movie, "Casino Royale," today, and I completely loved it!

Like me, you've probably read the reviews about how this is a leaner, meaner Bond, and about his beginning as a "double 0" agent. It's true, it's a much darker movie, and believe it or not, there is virtually NO gadgetry involved in this one. As much as I love Q, I welcomed the knockdown, blood-soaked fight sequences. This Bond can truly kick ass. And the chase sequences rely more on foot chases than car chases. I lost count of how many times James took after a car on foot. A big black car peels out--BAM! James is off!

Daniel Craig? Excellent choice. For everyone who said he's too blond, not suave enough, not whatever enough, to be Bond, I think he has made them eat plenty of crow. He's not conventionally handsome, but he's got a menace about him that's just a perfect fit for a secret agent, and yeah, he's fairly ripped. I guess that's the thing: he makes you believe that he really could tear your head off with his bare hands. And isn't that a good thing for secret agents? Of course it is! Ken was telling me that he heard some people talking about how they didn't like this Bond, he wasn't suave enough, blah blah blah...that's exactly why I loved this movie and this new path for the Bond movies. Remember that Bond is a killer. He has to be. And he does it very well. In fact, you might say nobody does it better. (Sorry, I couldn't resist.)

I've read that the next Bond movie (working title "Bond 22"--it will be the 22nd Bond movie) is supposed to come out in 2008, and will again star Daniel Craig. Here's hoping they continue in this vein, because I found it one of the best Bond movies I've seen in some time. And no worries. While the corny little jokes and cheeky remarks aren't as plentiful as in other Bond movies, they're still there. Maybe even a little more effective since they aren't overused.

Two items to caution you on, and neither of these are spoilers. 1) There's a scene that really made me cringe, although I don't have the affected body part(s). 2) I was wondering what happened to the Bond theme (one of the best movie themes ever created, in my humble opinion). Be patient. It's still there....

A little over an hour to go before Notre Dame and Southern Cal play. Got my Samardzija jersey on, ready to go. (This means he'll have a great game!) I'm hoping the Fightin' Irish will remember what Southern Cal did to them last year. It's payback time. Go Irish!