Casino Royale

The Transformers movie may not have been my cup of tea, but it's definitely not because I don't like action movies. I think there are some great ones out there, such as many of the James Bond films — especially the recent Casino Royale (which, by the way, I loved). I've also enjoyed the Bourne movies (The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy and I can't wait for this summer's Bourne Ultimatum) and Minority Report. Finally, of course, the Indiana Jones movies will always have a place in my heart.

Since summer is the time for action movies, what are some of your favorites? For this week's Buzzworthy challenge, just use Buzzsugar's cool bookmarking tool to bookmark your own and tag them with the phrase action movies.

I'll post some readers' picks here next week. You can also now make a list of your picks. Here are mine:

To find out how to create a Buzzworthy bookmark, read more

You know if The New Yorker is covering a burgeoning fitness movement, the fitness movement must be a bit highbrow. You also know if the movement is French, there must be some existentialist philosophy involved. Parkour is taking the sport of exercise to a whole new level.

David Belle created parkour as a teenager in the mid 90's in a suburb of Paris. A restless spirit, he found regular sports and gymnastics overly complicated (too many rules) as well as boring and pointless. Ahhh...the ennui of youth. Parkour is a verbal riff on the French word "parcours" which means “route,” and it is a quasi commando system of leaps, vaults, rolls, and landings designed to help a person avoid or surmount whatever interferes with his or her route. If you saw Casino Royale, then you experienced an amazing parkour run as Bond chases an assassin through, in and around an active construction site. For me, this scene was the most exciting part of the movie and I was even more excited to learn that the scene was based on activities of real people (don't know if I should use the word "real" here since the men and women that participate in parkour seem almost superhuman) not Hollywood.

Philosophically, parkour requires both physical and mental strength. One slowly works up to jumping from extreme heights, challenging the body more as it acclimates to the landing. One also has to confront the fear of the challenge, but with a heavy dose of realism. Participants of parkour love and respect life, in fact they often imagine that their workouts may some day save them if they are ever chased by some sort of criminal element.

Parkour, like extreme sports, is truly difficult to describe. I found a commercial David Belle made for television station BBC One. While it is edited and cannot be considered "true" parkour, at least by the strict definitions of those that participate in the sport, this clip will give you a taste of what it is all about. Want to watch it? Then read more

Sony Ericsson's special silver and black versions of the K800 and K790 Cyber-shot camera phone took center screen in Casino Royale and if it means being one step closer to Bond man Daniel Craig I don't know how anyone could resist them.

The exclusive camera phones, which were available for a limited period of three months, are highly capable mobile phones that also provide a 3.2 Megapixel camera with Autofocus, Xenon Flash for lowlight conditions and BestPic, which allows the user to take nine pictures of a moving object simultaneously and choose to keep the best shot. It also allows high speed 3G data transfer then allows the user to share images easily and instantly so you can share them with friends, colleagues - or even MI6 – as you take their picture.

Since releasing the first model, Sony Ericsson has come out with newer versions of the phone so if you really want one you still have a chance. For an up-close look at the phone read more

All of the new DVD releases hit stores (and Netflix) on Tuesdays. So each week in What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday, I'll sort through the best of the batch and tell you what to add to your queue.

Casino Royale
Picking up where many Bond movies left off — including a 1967 spoof of the same name — Daniel Craig reinvents Bond as we know him, creating a sort of everyman hero. Sure, he's still smart and handsome, but he's also got a temper, is often klutzy, and at times makes poor decisions. Yet this only makes you root more for the gruff British spy with a "license to kill." Eva Green makes for a refreshingly unlikely Bond girl, while Judi Dench plays the tough, witty M. It's dark, funny and thrilling all at once. For a more in-depth view, check out my full review of Casino Royale.

Two more must-sees, so read more

• Mariah gets photoshopped for Playboy - A Socialite's Life
• Is Lindsay getting blacklisted? - Hollywood Tuna
• Billy Bob says he never cheated on Angelina - Hollywood Rag
• Kirsten Dunst pinkberry obsession - YumSugar
• Paula Abdul: happy nutcase or sad clown? - CityRag
• Harry Potter showing a lot of skin - Pink is the New Blog
• Sharon Stone is Same Ol' Same Ol' - IDLYITW
• Is TR leaving Grey's? - Mollygood
• Another Paris gone wild video - Egotastic
• Casino Royale premieres in China - Just Jared
• Chandra Wilson doesn't forget about the one in rehab at the SAG Awards - D-Listed

Many Bond fans scoffed when Daniel Craig was cast as the first blonde Bond, but the negative press didn't keep anyone away from the theaters. Casino Royale has just become the most successful James Bond film ever. It's already made $454 million at the box office! The record was previously held by Die Another Die in 2002 which starred Pierce Brosnan and made $431 million. Looks like Daniel Craig will be playing 007 for quite awhile to come!

For more pics of Daniel at a press call for Casino Royale in Rome just read more

In the new Bond movie, Casino Royale (check out premiere pics over at PopSugar and a fantastic review at BuzzSugar), our favorite spy orders the original Bond martini. I say original because it's exactly what Ian Fleming wrote in the first Bond novel.

"Three measures of Gordon’s [gin], one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet, shake it over ice then add a thin slice of lemon peel."

The twist here lies in the french aperitif wine Lillet (the company has dropped Kina from their name since the book came out). Made from sauvignon blanc, it has a nice aroma and a mild bitter aftertaste and is typically served over ice (with or without soda water). It's not always easy to find, but your well stocked bartender should be able to hook you up. So go out and order a martini Bond style!

To be frank, I never truly got into the James Bond movies of yesteryear. To me, they were silly, predictable, and, in many ways, laughable. Sure, it's interesting to see a young, dashing Sean Connery, since I've always known him as a kindly old uncle type. But the only other Bond I know more than just fuzzily is Pierce Brosnan, who's a little prissy and who, in my opinion, made for a flimsy 007.

These "eh" feelings toward Bond changed when I saw the new movie, Casino Royale. The film tells the story of James Bond's origins and how he came to be involved in this continuous string of spy adventures. Daniel Craig's Bond is interesting in that he's less suave, less debonair, and more coarse than most of the other Bonds before him. He bumbles missions, makes mistakes, loses his footing, and lets his pride get in the way. He's smart and funny, but not all the time.

According to Entertainment Weekly, the author of the Bond books, Ian Fleming, "never meant for Bond to be a hero. Said the author: 'I intended him to be a sort of blunt instrument wielded by a government department.'" In this movie, you definitely get a sense of that, so read more

• Michael Richards was caught on tape yelling racial slurs at two black audience members while on stage at a comedy club. Looks like Mel Gibson has a new buddy. - AP
• Is Josh Hartnett moving on with another woman already? We heard things weren't great with Scarlett but we didn't know he already had a mystery lady - Daily Telegraph
• Kimberly Stewart has told her dad Rod Stewart to keep his mouth shut about her liver disorder. In fact, she says, her liver is fine. She was just suffering from exhaustion. We all know what "exhaustion" really means, Kim. - Page Six
• Despite breaking a record in Britain, Casino Royale lost out to Happy Feet this weekend at the Box Office. The Penguin caper debuted with $42.3 million to Bond's 40 mil. I guess this means penguins are still hot. - AP