Last night I saw Casino Royale. The story lacked the light heartedness of previous bond movies. Granted, it's always about chasing the money until it is out of the hands of the bad guys. But, this one had just too many gory scenes, the action scenes were incredibly physical as opposed to clever--we actually watch him as he suffocates a couple of the bad guys.

On the pro side, I really liked watching the poker game embedded in the movie. Daniel Craig makes a real good bond. I really like his chiseled face and his smile. His arrogance is becoming him. Does he do his own stunts?! The opening chase is by far the most fantastic fight/chase choreography of the entire movie.

Overall a good candidate to watch on big screen!

Absences

I sat in the dark theater in the anticipation of Serge Bennathan’s latest creation—the last one for the Dancemakers. Absences is about Serge’s16 years encounter with creation of art in Toronto and for Dancemakers. In Absences Serge has created a full length piece on music by Bertrand Chenier that is performed by Eva Egoyan. Absences is a story of the art Serge developed during his journey with the company. He masterfully through his dancers narrates us moments that have had an impact on him as an artist. The interpreters merge and disperse, execute the dance movements in synergy yet interject their unique interpretation. Every time I see this group they are amazing.
For me the evening meant more than watching an excellent performance; it gave me an opportunity to dwell on the fun experience I have had over the past two years taking classes with the company.