Recent reports have Daniel Craig reprising his role as James Bond for the franchises 23rd installment. The as of yet unnamed flick will make its debut on November 9th, 2012. Due to MGM Studios recent financial uncertainty there were grumblings that Quantum of Solace would be the last 007 endeavor with Craig as the world’s most popular spy.

Craig has been the perfect Bond in his two movies, Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace. The direction and production values harkens back to Ian Fleming’s original novels. The last two movies have relied on character development and realistic action as opposed to excessive use of gadgets and shameless product placement that sank the Peirce Brosnan era. This is no knock on Brosnan, who was a great Bond in his own right, because he was saddled with scripts that played as spy comedies and unrealistic props that were geared towards a younger audience.

The recent Bond chapters are more mature and compare themselves favorably to the Bourne Trilogy. It stands to reason that the third Craig installment will maintain this mature edge and the audience shall be equally pleased with an equal parts debonair and physical James Bond.

Aston Martin, the preferred auto for James Bond, is releasing an econobox. Aston Martin is referring to their foray into the greener autos as the “world’s first luxury urban commuter“. The Aston Martin Cygnet is a re-badged and somewhat redesigned Toyota IQ for upscale clientele.

In Quantum of Solace Bond did drive a hydrogen powered Ford Edge and may embrace this green Aston Martin but I suspect he may want an Aston Martin with more than a three-cylinder engine under the bonnet.

As a former Blockbuster employee (A Block Busta?)I feel that I am uniquely qualified when it comes to critiquing cinema. Uniquely qualified in that I spend most of my time watching bad action movies, documentaries and Wes Anderson comedies. I am not a movie snob nor elitist, this is proven by the 19-James Bond DVD’s on my shelf. With that said here are my choices for the movies of this decade, in no particular order.

1. The Royal Tenenbaums: I had high expectations when it as released due to my admiration for Rushmore. Tenenbaums exceeded my expectations and is my favorite Wes Anderson movie. Gene Hackman deserved an Oscar for his work. Also, the movie gets bonus points for including two tracks by Nico and basing Gwyneth Paltorw’s character on her.
2. Casino Royale is the best James Bond movie EVER. That statement doesn’t carry a lot of weight amongst cinephiles because most Bond movies aren’t that great. They’re very entertaining and I dig them but they almost cartoonish. Casino Royale is just a good movie. Not just by Bond standards but by any measurement. Maybe the Bourne Identity raised the bar.
3. The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou was Wes Anderson’s follow up to the Royal Tenenbaums and it could be the most re watchable flick that he has helmed.
4. X-Men 2: The second act of a play is always the best and Bryan Singer made this chapter of the X-Men the high water mark. Yes, it was sad and a downer to watch but like the Empire Strikes Back it was the best of the trilogy, by a wide margin.
5. Munich by Steven Spielberg is a historically accurate portrayal of Operation Wrath of God, Israel’s revenge for the 1972 Munich Olympic massacre. See Munich after watching the documentary One Day In September to get the whole story of this tragic event.
6. Lost In Translation: This is probably the best movie that Scarlett Johansson has been involved with. I know this because I have seen most of her work. Ghost World comes close but Lost In Translation is tip top. Sofia Coppola wrote and directed this dramedy.
7. American Gangster: Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe headline thos heroine cartel flick. Makes the list because I enjoy it even after multiple viewings.
8. Dark Knight: Heath Ledger rightfully won an Oscar for his portrayal of the Batman’s greatest nemesis the Joker. The movie itself should have been in the running for Best Picture.
9. V For Vendetta: Alan Moore should be proud of this adaptation of his graphic novel.
10. The Wrestler: Mickey Rourke deserved an Oscar for his role as Randy The Ram. I once saw the Iron Sheik wrestle at a local fair grounds, many decades past his prime, and Rourke captured the spirit of a former star trying to harness his past glory.