Until James Bond, here's Robbie Williams...

I'm toying with writing a post about Casino Royale, which I rented on DVD this week.

I seem bogged down by it, though. I can't decide what approach to take, nor how much I want to say, nor even if it's worth saying.

I've got more than a few barriers on this one but the most notable is that I haven't read the Ian Fleming books, and feel that I should before writing about Casino Royale.

What baloney. You don't have to read the book before responding to the film. Especially when writing on an informal platform like blogging.

The problem is I'm trying too hard. And when that happens, it stops being fun and starts becoming a chore.

Here's Robbie

This may not get resolved, because the moment for me to write on Casino Royale has probably passed. In the meantime, here's a video of Robbie Williams' "Millennium", where you can see Robbie mugging it up like nobody's business.

What sets Robbie Williams apart from his contemporaries is his ability to poke fun at himself. In the "Millennium" video, he uses humor to undermine both the arrogance of the 007 mythology and his own overblown masculinity.

It's a gutsy move and he pulls it off.

There's a pastiche of Bond scenes, including a speedboat ride with retro-Sean Connery clothes, a space-suited "Mr. Bond", and a failed jet-pack launch.

Other Bond paraphernalia twisted for comic effect: a steel attaché case opens to reveal nothing more exciting than lunch, and Williams walks towards an Aston Martin, but ends up driving away in the Robin Reliant parked behind it. (You can just catch glimpse of Williams hitch-hiking at the side of the road as the Aston Martin zooms past.)

At 2:24 there's a visual reference to the movie poster for Diamonds are Forever. The link may be tenuous, but the similarities are striking enough to warrant mention.

Williams alternates between playing it serious and smirking at his own Bond-posturing—which is incredibly fun to watch.

I assume you're aware of this, but in case you're not, the cascading violins are a sample taken from the Nancy Sinatra's song, "You Only Live Twice". It appears in the Bond movie of the same title. Taking this sample and running with it was not only quite clever, it pretty much makes the track.

That, and the thumping bass.