WAKE UP DEAD MAN Review

It was only a matter of time before Rian Johnson used the church and religion as a means for one of his Knives Out vehicles and as someone who can both very much relate to Mr. Benoit Blanc's position in this film (love the hair btw) while keeping my balances in check enough to understand and more critically - empathize with - Josh O'Connor's Father Jud, Wake Up Dead Man is everything one might hope for from Johnson's exploration of faith while not necessarily meeting the expectations he has set for us with his first two whodunits (albeit by a very small margin). As a result, Kniv3s Out feels like an expertly concocted film where the genre serves the themes but the subject matter doesn't always allow the murder mystery aspects to excel; serving them well but not necessarily surpassing what Johnson has done in the past even as one can feel the writer/director pushing himself, invoking the classics in hopes they lead him to fresh deviations on these types of stories.  

Johnson eloquently crafts what feels like his own, ongoing internal monologue that goes back and forth between the need to logically solve the existence of God or if feeling the essence in one’s soul of what God’s teachings strive to convey is the real point. How Johnson graphs this onto this radical priest (closing out a banner year for Josh Brolin) and his small but loyal congregation who each personify a type of internet personality doesn't make it instantly feel as if something's not clicking but the turning of the knife (pun intended) becomes more apparent when our "suspects" are brought to the forefront. Kerry Washington is the networker, Daryl McCormack is the influencer, Andrew Scott the conspiracy theorist, Jeremy Renner embodies the lurker – watching but rarely interacting, and then there is Cailee Spaeny who barely registers but implies to be that specific kind of social media user who posts solely for the likes, comments, and validation these signs of approval bring with them. Glenn Close gaslights the hell out of people to the point I’d hate to see what she might do on message boards while Thomas Haden Church portrays her husband, an example of toxic codependency at its best – they’re sharing one Facebook account for sure. Close nearly breaks from these molds, her Martha Delacroix carrying forth the sole purpose of keeping the corrupting evil out of wicked hands. Much like profiles on a webpage though, these individuals are easily dismissed – working more for Johnson’s objectives than developing individual personalities.

First Trailer for NO TIME TO DIE Starring Daniel Craig

Daniel Craig is back for presumably the final time as Agent 007 in MGM and Universal's No Time to Die, the 25th film in the long-running British action-spy franchise. While this production has experienced more than its fair share of turmoil, with original director Danny Boyle leaving over unspecified “creative differences,” Craig injuring himself during a stunt and another crew member sustaining injuries during an explosion at Pinewood Studios, this first trailer would show no signs of such trouble to the general moviegoer as it looks both visually and thematically arresting. Directed by Cary Fukunaga (True Detective) from a script by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, Scott Z. Burns, Phoebe Waller-Bridge as well as Fukunaga himself, the film sees Bond having left active service for a couple of years while attempting to enjoy a tranquil life in Jamaica. This peace is short-lived though, when old friend Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright) from the CIA turns up asking for help. The mission is to rescue a kidnapped scientist, but of course this naturally turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.    Rami Malek, fresh off his Oscar win for Bohemian Rhapsody, will embody the new Bond villain while Lashana Lynch is a new MI6 agent that has seemingly risen to the top of filling the void left by Bond.  And while that synopsis may sound rather routine as far as James Bond films go once it begins to play out in the trailer-especially given the narrative connections the Craig films have maintained-it is difficult to deny the charm and intrigue of the world as No Time to Die, at first glance, seems to have tapped into how to perfectly balance the classic tropes and trademarks of a Bond film while also moving the franchise ever so elegantly into present day. No Time to Die also stars Léa Seydoux, Ana de Armas, Ben Whishaw, Ralph Fiennes, Christoph Waltz and arrives in theaters on April 8, 2020.

KNIVES OUT Review

"The exception that proves the rule."

The movies are nothing alike in terms of what they're about, how they're directed, tone, nothing. There's nothing similar about these movies at all really except for that, from the moment they begin, there is a sense of supreme assuredness in where they're going and how they're meant to get there. This feeling arises at the beginning of a fair amount of movies because there are so many that begin with such promise yet so many of them tend to lose themselves along the way or lose momentum or more often than not encounter the issue of knowing where they want to go without being sure of the best, most effective way to get there. Nearly three years ago now, when Jordan Peele's Get Out began to play in front of me for the first time on that cold Thursday in late February, I was granted the sense of this supreme assuredness that continued throughout the entirety of the runtime and through to that perfect conclusion. It wasn't difficult to see every aspect had been labored over and planned to a to T; as if not only the script, but the way in which each shot was constructed and how each line was delivered held a certain weight and intention. Every element had seemingly been executed with precise detail so as to convey this strong, specific point of view. In short, Get Out was a movie where every piece held a purpose all of which led to a culmination that fully displayed the power of the narrative, the charisma of the characters and the masterful way in which the filmmaker used the genre he was operating in to make his complex ideas accessible. This is all said not in an attempt to remind readers of how satisfying Get Out is, but to say all of this is very much true of Rian Johnson’s Knives Out as well.

MOVIES I WANNA SEE MOST: FALL 2019

Per usual, there are a lot of things to be excited for this fall at the movies. I'd like to state up front that when I say "fall" in terms of movie-going seasons that "fall" will be defined as beginning next week, the first weekend of September, through to the end of the year. This actually makes it more difficult to narrow down my most anticipated releases into a short ten as there are releases the first three weeks of September that I've been looking forward to the majority of the year, but I’ll hold off on those until I actually get to the list. Furthermore, I want to provide some context for this list by stating that the ten movies I’ve picked are the ten movies I would want to see most if I could only see ten more movies for the remainder of the year; if I were only allowed to enter a theater ten more times in 2019 these are the ten I would pick to see on those visits. Sure, there are things like Terminator: Dark Fate, Zombieland: Double Tap, the new Jumanji film and Frozen II that I’m excited for and interested to see for one reason or another, but if I don’t know that any of those would necessarily make the cut if it were an absolute scenario such as the one I'm putting myself in for the sake of widdling down the release schedule to the ten titles I'm actually most anticipating. What I do want to do first though, is go through some of the movies that aren’t going to make my list, but that I think deserve to be highlighted as they have a lot of promise and one can only hope they turn out to be as fantastic as they look.

LOGAN LUCKY Review

There are a lot of little things that make Logan Lucky as charming as it is. There is the effortless style of it. The breezy way in which director Steven Soderbergh (welcome back, sir) movies from one scene to the next despite the film involving a rather complicated script via new talent and/or what is a pseudonym for Soderbergh's wife Jules Asner or Soderbergh himself in Rebecca Blunt. There is also the ensemble cast of recognizable faces and charismatic personalities that make each and every one of the many plights that each and every one of these characters encounter that much more amusing. And then, and then there is the simple and just subtle enough techniques that deal in the filmmaking side of things that Soderbergh utilizes to make this feel simultaneously as raw as some of the emotional wounds these characters are dealing with while being as authentic as the general air of authenticity that surrounds each of these people. Whether it be in the shooting style that includes these movements or tracks that don't feel overly polished, but are seemingly intentional or the way in which Soderbergh, who serves not only as the director (and possible writer), but the cinematographer and editor here as well, cuts his scenes together to emphasize certain jokes or moments-it all feels rather perfectly imperfect. Bring all of these elements together and what we have is essentially a southern fried heist film from the guy who made all three of the kinetic and flashing Ocean's movies. It has been a decade since Ocean's Thirteen and it's not difficult to see why this genre is as attractive as it is as it offers the always appreciated underdog story, allows for moments of real tension and adventure, while presenting a canvas on which one can paint as many interesting and quirky characters as they like. The characters are the real draw of Logan Lucky as one can certainly layer in meaning that concerns the heartland of the American dream and how now, in our present state, that American dream in its purest sense can only be achieved by those who sell out or inherit their daddy's booming business as opposed to those who are willing to chase dreams and work hard, but Soderbergh's film never feels like an attempt to capture something bigger than that of the lark it actually is. It is largely about these people we don't see in big Hollywood productions often enough and upending the assumptions typically associated with them. There is meaning to be drawn if you so desire, but there is also room to just have a lot of fun-which Logan Lucky is. I guess the fact one could seemingly do both only makes the movie more impressive than it already is.

First Trailer for LOGAN LUCKY Starring Channing Tatum

It has been four years since director Steven Soderbergh has delivered a feature film and while he has continued creating in that time, namely on the HBO series, The Knick, his presence has been sorely missed in the cinema. Worse than this was the fact Soderbergh had more or less stated he'd be retiring from directing or at least taking an extended sabbatical. Thankfully, that time has passed rather quickly as we now have our first look at the first trailer for Soderbergh's return to feature films. Written solely by Rebecca Blunt in her only writing credit on IMDb (can someone tell me how one accomplishes as much?) the film follows two brothers who set out to reverse a family curse and pull off an elaborate robbery during the Coca-Cola 600 race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Soderbergh has taken this rather rote premise and, by the looks of this first trailer at least, breathed fresh life into it as each of the characters seem to have enough of an individual personality and set of quirks that the heist will be the least of the show-stopping moments in the film seems as the focus looks to be more on the mentality behind why such a scheme would appeal to such a ragtag group of misfits. Besides the fact Soderbergh and his team will no doubt insert lofty goals and ideas into what would otherwise be a seemingly matter-of-fact, mindless piece of entertainment the cast the writer, director, and cinematographer has put together seems to be having a great time. While the focus of the clip centers around Channing Tatum's Jimmy Logan and Adam Driver's Clyde Logan the true highlight is that of the left field performance Daniel Craig seems to have concocted; for his accent alone I can't wait to see the film. Had I really been aware of what this latest from Soderbergh entailed or that it was even being released this August it certainly would have made my most anticipated of the summer list. Logan Lucky also stars Riley Keough, Hilary Swank, Seth MacFarlane, Katie Holmes, Dwight Yoakam, Katherine Waterston, Sebastian Stan, David Denman, Macon Blair, Jack Quaid, Brian Gleeson, and opens on August 18th, 2017.

SPECTRE Review

I saw my first James Bond film at fifteen. What I saw, some say, is the worst Bond picture of all time. 2002's Die Another Day featuring the last go-around for Pierce Brosnan as the famous British super spy was goofy fun at the time, especially for someone keenly unaware of any of the traditional elements and archetypes included in a Bond film, but four years later and one year after the revolutionary origin story that was Batman Begins made it okay to make something campy into something more grounded and serious we received a new kind of Bond, a more grounded in reality Bond with a seriously serious streak about him. That isn't to say that producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli overcompensated as Casino Royale still sits as my favorite of the Daniel Craig Bond films. For what it's worth, I don't necessarily have a great affinity for the Bond movies. They have never done much to excite me, but I look forward to them because I more or less know what I'm getting, but on a grand scale. And I like epic. Moreover, Craig is the Bond of my generation and if I were to have any type of fondness for any of these films it would be his rough and rugged incarnation of the typically suave MI6 agent. All of this is to say that while I appreciate what the producers and director Sam Mendes (Skyfall) have done for the series in being bold and essentially wiping the slate clean and starting from scratch it can't help but feel as if they ran out of tricks with the latest installment, Spectre. While there is much to like in this new film-the set pieces are consistent, the familiar elements more present than ever since Craig took over as well as the gorgeous cinematography from Hoyte Van Hoytema (her, Interstellar) capturing it all-and yet there is something missing from the story. There is a lack of substance while still holding an unbelievable amount of aspiration. Spectre feels like a film that wants and has the intention to do so many things and fulfill so much fan service that it actually ends up doing very little. To say Spectre is a waste of time or even a bad movie is too harsh as there is clear craft that has been put into the final product, but what the film is and what it wanted to be are clearly two very different entities.

Movies I Wanna See Most: Fall 2015

So far, 2015 has been a rather solid year for film. Of course there were the early month droughts that featured the likes of Blackhat and The Boy Next Door, but by February we received Kingsman and even McFarland, USA which (if you haven't seen it) is a really solid Disney sports drama. I'm not saying things have been exceptional, there have probably been just as many if not more bad movies than there have been good movies, but I had a really good time at the movies this summer and I'm pretty sad to see it come to an end. That said, I am genuinely looking forward to the fall release schedule especially considering I will be making my first trek to the Toronto International Film Festival this year and hopefully seeing as many of the movies on this list as soon as I can. Transitioning to the fall we approach films in different kinds of ways. While the summer is typically looked at for and judged more on pure entertainment value the fall is almost explicitly Awards season and looked to for more stimulating material. Given this kind of precedent there seems to always be one or two films that seem pre-destined for Oscar glory and while Eddie Redmayne seems to make it clear that The Danish Girl is this years film to beat (timely, his follow-up to winning Best Actor last year and Tom Hooper's follow-up to Les Mis) I still don't see a clear contender this year (though last years Best Director winner, Alejandro González Iñárritu, is certainly putting his hat in the ring). That said, this list is not about what I think will win the most awards (as you'll notice with much of this fall's franchise films getting some love) come February, but more what I'm most excited to experience at the cinema this fall. So, without further adieu, let's dig in...

New Trailer for Latest James Bond Film, SPECTRE

Prior to Daniel Craig taking on the 007 role, I have little to noe knowledge of the series. while I intend to rectify this issue I'm completely fine with Craig being the Bond I first grew accustomed to and his series of films being the ones that define my appreciation for the series. It is just what happens when series continue for as long as Bond's has and you inevitably have multiple generations coming to the table. While I obviously wouldn't count myself among the Bond faithful and am not what you would exactly peg as excited for the next installment, each of these films inherently feel like a big deal on their own so there is something to get interested in at the very least. As for this new, full trailer from the second Sam Mendes-helmed Bond picture things are getting pretty interesting as it is clear they are keen on connecting each of the Craig films to create a bigger world for the legendary character. While world-building has become something of a default in the wake of Marvel's success producers and general Bond overlords Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson have seemed to want to keep a connective strand between these films since doing so for the first time in Bond's history with Quantum of Solace. Growing off the teaser released back in March this trailer further hints at the repercussions of Skyfall and how a piece of Bond's past will put him on the trail of the titular organization. Joining Daniel Craig for this go-around is Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Ralph Fiennes, Christoph Waltz, Monica Bellucci, David Bautista, Léa Seydoux and Stephanie Sigman. Spectre opens on November 6th. Check out the new trailer as well as new stills of the latest Bond girls after the jump.

Teaser Trailer for SPECTRE

I've only just recently become something of a 007 fan with Daniel Craig taking over the role. I've of course seen most of the Pierce Brosnan films, but before that my knowledge is zilch and while I intend to rectify that at some point I'm kind of okay with Craig being the Bond I first grew accustomed to and his series of films being the ones that define my appreciation for the series. It is just what happens when series continue for as long as Bonds has and you have multiple generations coming to the table. While I still wouldn't count myself among the Bond faithful and am not what you would exactly peg as excited for the next installment, each of these films inherently feel like a big deal on their own so there is something to get interested in at the very least. As for the first teaser from the second Sam Mendes-helmed Bond picture things are getting pretty interesting as it is clear they are keen on connecting each of the Craig films to create a bigger world for the legendary character. While world-building has become something of a default in the wake of Marvel's success producers and general Bond overlords Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson have seemed to want to keep a connective strand between these films since doing so for the first time in Bond's history with Quantum of Solace. There is much to speculate about with this teaser hinting at the repercussions of Skyfall and how a piece of Bond's past will put him on the trail of the titular organization, but beyond that most of this is mystery and I hope they keep it that way. Joining Daniel Craig for this go-around is Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Ralph Fiennes, Christoph Waltz, Monica Bellucci, David Bautista, Léa Seydoux and Stephanie Sigman. Spectre opens on November 6th.

SKYFALL Review

Having never been a huge Bond fan for most of my life, my interest in the franchise was peaked when director Martin Campbell delivered a hard boiled, gritty action film with the suave, iconic agent at the head of the film. Embodied by the newly minted Daniel Craig, for the first time I felt as if I was watching a man who could actually take part in a secret government agency and come out on the other side alive rather than seeing Pierce Brosnan as a version of some high class socialite who wondered into a gunfight, some off kilter version of the character Mike Myers so easily lampooned. Granted, I haven't seen many of the films in the franchise (though I certainly plan on doing so at some point) I've seen plenty of footage and clips from the older films when I prepped to see Casino Royale as a newbie to the franchise. I have caught a few of the Brosnan era Bonds on TV as well as seeing Die Another Day as my first in a theater which as you can imagine, wasn't the greatest introduction. A year after experiencing Chris Nolan's dark, realistic take on the Batman story it was interesting to have seen Bond go the same way within his own world. With the twenty-third film of the franchise, Skyfall, producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli have recruited Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Road to Perdition) to helm this latest installment that acts as a continuation of Craig's time in MI6 but also reestablishes much of the series history and lays the ground work for much to be excited about in what is coming in Mr. Bond's near future.

THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN Review

Steven Spielberg has always had a knack for taking movies somewhere you might not expect them to go. Even if I had no interest in the material, but knew it was directed by Spielberg, I would be interested in seeing it. He carries that weight that if he finds it interesting enough to make then it is probably worth seeing. Such is true with both of his big releases this Christmas season. Before hearing of he and Peter Jackson's collaboration on a film adaptation of the comic book series I had never heard of Tintin or Herge. Still, the motion capture looked flawless and this coming from a guy who doesn't usually enjoy the medium. I just can't watch "The Polar Express" and I didn't even bother with "Beowulf". Instantly though there is something more to Spielberg's adventure flick that can easily be seen as an updated, more child friendly Indiana Jones. Most would say this is the Indiana Jones movie Spielberg should have made a few years ago even. That wouldn't bother me as I very much enjoyed "The Adventures of Tintin" despite the legendary director not doing as much with his first 3D opportunity as Scorsese did last month and it getting off to a rather slow start. No, it wouldn't bother me at all because once we moved past the exposition in the beginning and dove into the thick of the plot (meaning once Captain Haddock was introduced) the movie took a turn for the best and I was strapped in for the adventure and excited to take it.

Thompson and Thompson (Simon Pegg and Nick Frost)
pay Tintin (Jamie Bell) a visit.

Apparently what Spielberg and Jackson have done is to combine three of the stories from the comic strips; The Crab with the Golden Claws, The Secret of the Unicorn, and Red Rackham's Treasure. Now, I have no idea whether these stories overlapped in the original comic strips or not, but if they didn't the top notch writing team here including Steven Moffat (Doctor Who) and director Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Scott Pilgrim) and his long time collaborator Joe Cornish have done a fine job of connecting them and making them feel like a coherent piece. Despite how the circumstances may have come together and how the characters met one another in those stories what is important here is what happens in the feature. We begin this story with a wonderfully classic Spielberg sequence of a pick pocket as he roams the streets of a flea market that eventually leads to the reveal of our title character. Never has Spielberg seemed to feel so free with his camera as he does here. The technique of motion capture allows him to weave in and out of situations and set pieces that otherwise might seem impossible or could take days to complete successfully. Spielberg has always been a man of great camera work, but here his intuition really shines as he is able to do that initial instinct of a shot and have it come out just as he saw it in his mind. The pick pocket plays into the story only in a minor way, but it plays a part as you might imagine and so does what our hero decides to purchase at this flea market. Watching it you can almost feel the excitement with which Spielberg is operating and it translates from the screen into the wild imagination of the children experiencing it.

Sakharine (Daniel Craig) gets ugly with one of his goons. 

When our young reporter and his little dog Snowy come across a three-masted sailing ship for cheap it is impossible to resist but immediately after acquiring the ship he is approached by a mysterious figure and then Mr. Sakharine (Daniel Craig) who try desperately to take the ship from him. It is obvious there is something about this model that is of value to the two men and Tintin isn't one to let a mystery, or an adventure not go investigated. He takes the model home and when it is broken by Snowy and the neighbors cat we see a parchment scroll fall from the center mast with Tintin unaware of it he is sidetracked by Thompson and Thompson, two bumbling detectives voiced by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, who are on the trail of our pick pocket from the opening sequence. The layers overlap and form a larger, grander story than expected when Tintin is abducted by Sakharine's men and brought aboard a ship; a ship that is supposed to be under the command of a Captain Haddock. Haddock holds the key to the secret of the unicorn (the name of the model ship) that Sakharine is extremely invested in finding for ancestral reasons that we won't go into detail about here. The movie moves from one big set piece to the next as Tintin escapes his confinement on the ship, teams with Haddock (Andy Serkis, elevating the experience of a movie with his performance for the second time this year) and escape only to piece together why Sakharine needs Haddock alive and what it is he is after. The adventure is too much fun and is held together by enough mystery that I won't go into any more detail here. It won't really matter to the target audience though as the theater I was in contained enough parents and their children to make me realize that both were having a wonderful time exploring a world that while breathtaking to look at also offers plenty of nostalgia and strong story for the adults while supplying engaging characters that the kids will pretend to be in the front yard the next day.

Captain Haddock (Andy Serkis) and Tintin do their best
to solve the mystery of Haddock's ancestors.

For knowing nothing about the origins of the character and having nothing invested in the source material, this film still seemed to come off as something special. It is a hearken back to the days of old where you watched something on screen and immediately wanted to be that main character. It is a movie that genuinely attempts to bring out the kid in you and for the most part succeeds. It made me feel like a kid again, an excitement in the adventure that moved past the screen and into my imagination. This is where Spielberg has shined for decades and in many ways has become his specialty. He guides the action through their grind with sparks of imagination that never seem to dry up. He gives us a pair to invest in and seems to desire nothing more than to do justice to the comic books that he fell in love with so many years ago. He is the director that was perfectly chosen for a movie like this, one that seems to have capture the tone of what the comic books were. Though I have to admit I was worried at first, both with this being motion capture animation and the fact I was not immediately engaged and waited a good fifteen minutes or so before beginning to settle in. Really, that is the biggest accomplishment in my eyes. That these characters feel real, that they seem to have a life in their eyes and a seamlessness to their movement. It is something I couldn't move past with the other films made with this technique. It was a distraction from the story those movies were telling. With Tintin though, I was completely absorbed by the film once Captain Haddock came into play and I couldn't be more excited to go on another adventure with he and Mr. Tintin next time they come around.

THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN Review

Steven Spielberg has always had a knack for taking movies somewhere you might not expect them to go. Even if I had no interest in the material, but knew it was directed by Spielberg, I would be interested in seeing it. He carries that weight that if he finds it interesting enough to make then it is probably worth seeing. Such is true with both of his big releases this Christmas season. Before hearing of he and Peter Jackson's collaboration on a film adaptation of the comic book series I had never heard of Tintin or Herge. Still, the motion capture looked flawless and this coming from a guy who doesn't usually enjoy the medium. I just can't watch "The Polar Express" and I didn't even bother with "Beowulf". Instantly though there is something more to Spielberg's adventure flick that can easily be seen as an updated, more child friendly Indiana Jones. Most would say this is the Indiana Jones movie Spielberg should have made a few years ago even. That wouldn't bother me as I very much enjoyed "The Adventures of Tintin" despite the legendary director not doing as much with his first 3D opportunity as Scorsese did last month and it getting off to a rather slow start. No, it wouldn't bother me at all because once we moved past the exposition in the beginning and dove into the thick of the plot (meaning once Captain Haddock was introduced) the movie took a turn for the best and I was strapped in for the adventure and excited to take it.

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO Review

I was engaged by the fuss around the books from which this film is based and the Swedish versions of the film that came out in the states last year. While I really had no idea as to what the books were about I rented that first foreign film to see what all the talk was about. I am not ashamed to say by the cover art I perceived it to be some kind of indie teen story that depicted outcasts and how they were picked on in all their gothic glory while dealing with their issues in the most general of ways. Needless to say, I was not expecting much. In fact, the last thing I would have expected was a grand murder mystery tale that hearkens back to novels of old. I was shocked and surprised by "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" and by the end of that film I was a loyal fan. I could not wait to see the American versions of these films especially upon hearing that David Fincher would be making them. What Fincher has brought to the first of these very violent, disturbing, and blunt stories is a sense of style that was lacking in the Swedish versions. Every single frame is filled with such detail and ferocity it is hard to pull your eyes from the screen even when something horrible is happening. The lure of the film though is in the title and though many fans of the original film trilogy would have you believe no one Fincher cast would do a better job than Noomi Rapace in the title role you would be lying if you didn't admit Rooney Mara is just as much a revelation as Lisbeth Salander. Mara owns the role, bringing the exact amount of cynicism, sarcasm, intelligence and touch of actual emotion required for the role. This is a grand telling of a grand story that is only a disappointment in terms of already knowing what is going to happen and how it will play out before stepping into the theater. In that regard the personal touch that usually feels evident in a Fincher film is somewhat absent here. Still, we have a cold, dark film that in many ways is very much an improvement upon the original.

Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer) shows Mikael
Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) evidence of his niece's disappearance.

Though the plot of the film can be summed up in a few sentences, this nearly three hour film is nothing short of complex. While I was somewhat skeptical of Daniel Craig's casting in the role of journalist Mikael Blomkvist (I would have preferred someone like Viggo Mortensen) I came to understand why Fincher might cast the rugged actor who has the kind of stand-up guy qualities you need in a leading man. The film opens with Blomkvist being crushed by the media after a story that he wrote in his publication took him to trial and relieved him of his life savings. Blomkvist is a divorced father who has had a long standing affair with his boss at Millennium magazine, Erika Berger. This relationship feels tacked on for most of the film and Robin Wright in the role feels almost unnecessary but knowing what is to come in the later films, she will get her due. The relationship is also used in the final scenes of the film that seem to better connect this first film to the second and third. In the original film trilogy the second and third films felt more like one story split into two with the first being a stand alone piece of work. It seems Fincher is wanting to erase that line and create one large coherent story for his Hollywood versions. In light of the media firestorm surrounding him, Blomkvist removes himself from the world he knows and takes a job offered to him by a wealthy business tycoon by the name of Henrik Vanger. Henrik and his family have many secrets, but the one the he needs resolved before he dies is where is niece Harriet disappeared to over forty years ago. Henrik enlists Mikael to investigate the case. It is unclear as to how Salander will be incorporated into this more intriguing aspect of the story for the first hour or so of the film, but we always have a sense that careful attention need be paid as there is certainly reason for things that happen that we don't necessarily see the purpose of.

Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara) looks into old newspaper
clippings while trying to solve a murder.

The initial intrigue of the story is aided by the tension filled pace of the movie, at two and half hours this isn't a short film, but never did I feel like the film drug or did I catch myself looking at my watch. What really makes this stand out is the odd pairing of Salander and Blomkvist. The partnership and romantic involvement of these two is not only odd to us but to them as well it seems, they work well together though. So well in fact it is the bond of intelligence and determination that creates the believability of them getting along and becoming more than just co-workers. Craig and Mara understand their characters as well. They see where the attraction comes from and they understand the dynamics at play on the island where they perform most of their research. It is that air of distrust, greed, and brutality that hung over the original film with such grunge that graces this one with more of a reality. There is less a sense of immanent doom here, but more of a bleak atmosphere. This landscape with which Fincher paints his story has also been populated by menacing characters that are embodied by some great performances. The most notable being Christopher Plummer as the Vanger family patriarch Henrik. Plummer gives the mood to his scenes that captures the tone Fincher wants. It is disturbingly perfect how well they work together and I hope they have the chance to reunite after Fincher finishes the rest of this trilogy. Stellan Skarsgard who plays Harriet's brother Martin works his ever changing face into a mean, cynical man who appears helpful but lends the most menacing of eyes towards our protagonists. Ultimately though, this is Mara's movie and she rises to the task with no fears. The girl has to endure some pretty brutal violence and rape scenes that without giving much away are there to illustrate the theme of the film that focuses on people affected by such violence. These elements set "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" apart as not only a murder mystery but as a film in general.

Lisbeth and Mikael form a strange bond over the course
of their work together.

This was easily one of my most anticipated films of the year and in every way this became everything I wanted it to be. As much as I enjoyed the Swedish film, to have this version where we don't have to read subtitles the whole time is a relief that allows us to focus on the beautiful way in which Fincher captures such a graphic story. The images he produces give so much more insight into each character or situation than you could imagine. These are not just surface images that carry no weight, but are instead each little epic poems strung together to create a sprawling mystery. There is nothing I love more than a murder mystery and such a story has never been executed with such depth and style as it has here. And though it was hard to find anything radically different from the original film,other than Fincher's trademark style and look, I cannot help but wonder what else he could have done. There is a service to telling the story that he had to fulfill and in doing so there is an element of familiarity with this new version that cannot be dismissed. Fincher and company are not to be blamed for this, they simply serviced the story they were given in the best possible way they knew how. It is not that they intended for the film to feel empty in certain spots, but some things turn out that way and you simply have no control over it. That is the magic of filmmaking; that no matter how hard you try to define the aura the movie will take on, it is usually not determined until you see that final cut when all of the elements come together. This film has plenty of amazing elements and is indeed a satisfying feature by any standard. There is just that small spark missing, that something special that I doubt even Lisbeth Salander could pinpoint.

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO Review

I was engaged by the fuss around the books from which this film is based and the Swedish versions of the film that came out in the states last year. While I really had no idea as to what the books were about I rented that first foreign film to see what all the talk was about. I am not ashamed to say by the cover art I perceived it to be some kind of indie teen story that depicted outcasts and how they were picked on in all their gothic glory while dealing with their issues in the most general of ways. Needless to say, I was not expecting much. In fact, the last thing I would have expected was a grand murder mystery tale that hearkens back to novels of old. I was shocked and surprised by "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" and by the end of that film I was a loyal fan. I could not wait to see the American versions of these films especially upon hearing that David Fincher would be making them. What Fincher has brought to the first of these very violent, disturbing, and blunt stories is a sense of style that was lacking in the Swedish versions. Every single frame is filled with such detail and ferocity it is hard to pull your eyes from the screen even when something horrible is happening. The lure of the film though is in the title and though many fans of the original film trilogy would have you believe no one Fincher cast would do a better job than Noomi Rapace in the title role you would be lying if you didn't admit Rooney Mara is just as much a revelation as Lisbeth Salander. Mara owns the role, bringing the exact amount of cynicism, sarcasm, intelligence and touch of actual emotion required for the role. This is a grand telling of a grand story that is only a disappointment in terms of already knowing what is going to happen and how it will play out before stepping into the theater. In that regard the personal touch that usually feels evident in a Fincher film is somewhat absent here. Still, we have a cold, dark film that in many ways is very much an improvement upon the original.