You know, when it comes to box-office smackdowns and the importance of achieving a #1 opening weekend, there’s just no better competition than absolutely no competition at all. In that very spirit, this weekend’s only wide release, Quantum of Solace, killed the non-competition in U.S. theaters with an estimated $70ish million in ticket sales. Not too shabby, really, but not even the dirty-fighting, chiseled hotness of Daniel Craig could get me in a seat this weekend, and I’ll just wait for the DVD on this one. After all, this James Bond film has no Famke Jenssen, Christopher Walken, or dude with the bleeding eye. What’s even worse is the complete absence of one Rick Astley! (Speaking of which, I am absolutely dying for a RickRoll, so someone hook me up when I least expect it, m’kay?) Now, don’t get me wrong, for I do enjoy Daniel Craig’s take on the Bond character. However, I have no desire to actually pay to watch 106 minutes of shameless product endorsements* that are barely disguised as international espionage. That’s one thing that really bothered me about Casino Royale. Of course, most other filmgoers don’t share my view and, hoping for a glimpse of Daniel Craig in his skivvies, they have duly hopped towards the theater entrance. Good times, mates.

* While my inner greedy capitalist does acknowledge that product placement is almost necessary to help a film earn back some budget money, I think that $100,000,000 in product endorsements is a bit much, don’t you? Yes, considerably.