4/5
David Fincher's remake of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is as terrifying, gripping, and disturbing as the
Swedish version. When I first heard Fincher was doing the American remake, I was ecstatic. The content and atmosphere was classic Fincher, and the extended 8-minute trailer was riveting. To say my expectations were high was an understatement: they were nigh unattainable. And, lo and behold, the movie failed to meet them.
Much of my disappointment stems from the fact that this is so similar to the Swedish version. I typically favor American remakes (such as
The Departed) as they inherently bring uniquely American cultural and social viewpoints that we can better relate to, independent of the quality of the directing or the cinematic techniques. But here, I just didn't get that. It felt overly faithful to the Swedish film, to the point of zealotry, and there was very little that was new or different.
The changes that Fincher did make were fairly minimal, but had enormous impact. I was a little bit more confused by the Vanger family tree this time around (although you would think it would be less confusing having already seen it and having it in English this go around). The beginning felt extended while the ending felt rushed. And the minor variation in the ending had huge implications for Lisbeth's character that I just can't shake. I have no idea how the novel ended, but I feel that Fincher's ending broke down the entire essence and persona of the titular character. She feels like a completely different Lisbeth.
Don't get me wrong. This is an absolutely engrossing movie, made with directorial precision and technical finesse. Beautiful cinematography, phenomenal music, and stellar acting. Rooney Mara more than holds her ground against the powerhouse that was Noomi Rapace. Perhaps I just set my sights too high, and perhaps I am being much too critical of the film, but I feel like the Swedish version speaks to me more. It has its imperfections, as does this American version, but the Swedish version is the one I think of whenever I think of "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo."
IMDb link:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1568346/
I did not expect to like Angels & Demons, because I hate the work of both Ron Howard (Cinderella Man) and Dan Brown (The Da Vinci Code), but I ended up enjoying it very much. The plot follows symbologist Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) and his female compatriot (Ayelet Zurer) in the Vatican as a potential Illuminati threat to destroy the city becomes a reality. The plot is wholly convoluted and unnecessarily complex to an obscene degree; but if you suspend your disbelief, it entertains.
After the atrocity that was Pirates 2, I told myself I wouldn't see the third one. But I did anyway. Partly because Sameer said it was pretty good, but mostly because I had the option to see it in Blu-Ray. Here are my conclusions: Blu-Ray is amazing. Pirates 3 is okay.
Its length (150 min) can seem to be a factor, but von Trier has parceled the movie into eight chapters, which makes watching it much more manageable. The chapter separators have colorful scenic vistas with pop music as backdrops, which makes a surprisingly significant positive difference in watching the rest of the movie. There is a striking allegory of Bess as Jesus in her unconditional love, her suffering, her sacrifice, and her healing. Some of the dialogue is undeniably well-written and the acting is captivating. This is a violently emotional movie regardless of any imperfections it has. But it strives to be more than that; it approaches art.
My favorite short film of all time. Iñárritu, always a master of emotions and tensions, shines in this short. The script is mind-blowing, and the actors delivering the lines are equally spectacular. Every word that is uttered is essential, every sentence integral, growing more depth the further into the film you go. It seems as if every extraneous word was stripped from the script and put on the film as an image, which is exactly the point of cinema.