I had heard that this was a good show. From someone. I think it turned out to be an utter waste of time and insanely stupid. There is quite a cast of notable actors, and I have a really hard time swallowing the fact that they all agreed to do this show. Maybe as a farce? Obviously, I just didn't get the punchline.
On this rare occasion, I turn to other reviewers to see what in the world they got out of this. Some are like me. A very small group of folks seem to think that this film points to the smoking gun of the idiocy that goes on inside the US military and political clowns. I can buy that, but this film did a poor job of pointing that out - very immature IMO.
14 July 2010
13 July 2010
The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo
It is hard to say what is so compelling about this story.
I got wind of it when surfing through movie previews, and noticed that there was a trilogy in print already. So I quickly reserved all three from the library and read through them. Stieg Larsson has compiled a very interesting tale about a very unusual and unlikely duo. While it is often gritty and even horrific, the realism only drew me in further. This is a key part to what I really valued from the movie rendition as well.
So, the books. I learned that Larsson unfortunately passed away. Fortunately, he worked on and completed all three books before his demise. It is interesting to note that he draws from his experience as a magazine publisher; one wonders where his inspiration for Lisbeth Salander comes into play. The story is very well done; complicated, with excellent character background, intrigue and an exploration of what is right and what comprises ones identity. I really appreciate how Larsson had a definite beginning and a definite end to his tale, and did not bother to meander along the writer's landscape that some authors are prone to do.
To be honest, the Swedish setting actually lends itself to the realism as well. As an American reader, the Swedish tongue is foreign enough to be just barely alien and thus set the stage for a fictional story - I have a hard time explaining why that makes it more believable to me. =) Maybe because it helps suspend my disbelief? However, the key point I really want to make is that the original film from Yellow Bird and Music Box was extraordinary in this regards; local cast, locale and language all make this film authentic and true to the story. I cringe to think what the American version is going to be like. It hearkens me back to Nightwatch, a Russian film with Russian actors based on a Russian story; trying to Americanize that piece would utterly kill it, IMO.
The film, true to the book, is gritty, raw, and downright disturbing. My hat is off to the awesome job the actors did in this film. Perhaps that is another element which makes this story more believable - none of the actors are well-known in the US. They are completely new faces to me, and utterly believable with their phenomenal performances. But the things they are asked to do are genuinely horrible. There is an interview with Noomi Rapace on the DVD that was also eye-opening; she worked extremely hard to get into character, and I am amazed at her dedication. Peter Habar also won my respect for such a wide dynamic of portrayals - he scares me. =) However, I felt he was much more savage and reprobate in the book, and I am sort of glad the movie did not go that far.
The technical manipulations with the Apple laptops was quite fascinating as well. To be honest, when I read the books, I was thinking about Sweden which is not necessarily known to be the hi-techno, gee-whiz gizmo center of the planet. But the film did a small turn of justice to technology with some of the visual displays, better than I expected a Swedish film would pull it off. Kudos to them.
Some notable exclusions between book and movie. No physical connection between Blomkvist and Cecilia Vagner, very little romance between Blomkvist and Erika Berger, very little picture into the glory of Millenium and what it does and the character development of the folks who work there. Likewise, very little attention given to Milton Security, with only a passing look at Dragan. In order for the next films to work, I can only imagine how those subplots will be built up.
I got wind of it when surfing through movie previews, and noticed that there was a trilogy in print already. So I quickly reserved all three from the library and read through them. Stieg Larsson has compiled a very interesting tale about a very unusual and unlikely duo. While it is often gritty and even horrific, the realism only drew me in further. This is a key part to what I really valued from the movie rendition as well.
So, the books. I learned that Larsson unfortunately passed away. Fortunately, he worked on and completed all three books before his demise. It is interesting to note that he draws from his experience as a magazine publisher; one wonders where his inspiration for Lisbeth Salander comes into play. The story is very well done; complicated, with excellent character background, intrigue and an exploration of what is right and what comprises ones identity. I really appreciate how Larsson had a definite beginning and a definite end to his tale, and did not bother to meander along the writer's landscape that some authors are prone to do.
To be honest, the Swedish setting actually lends itself to the realism as well. As an American reader, the Swedish tongue is foreign enough to be just barely alien and thus set the stage for a fictional story - I have a hard time explaining why that makes it more believable to me. =) Maybe because it helps suspend my disbelief? However, the key point I really want to make is that the original film from Yellow Bird and Music Box was extraordinary in this regards; local cast, locale and language all make this film authentic and true to the story. I cringe to think what the American version is going to be like. It hearkens me back to Nightwatch, a Russian film with Russian actors based on a Russian story; trying to Americanize that piece would utterly kill it, IMO.
The film, true to the book, is gritty, raw, and downright disturbing. My hat is off to the awesome job the actors did in this film. Perhaps that is another element which makes this story more believable - none of the actors are well-known in the US. They are completely new faces to me, and utterly believable with their phenomenal performances. But the things they are asked to do are genuinely horrible. There is an interview with Noomi Rapace on the DVD that was also eye-opening; she worked extremely hard to get into character, and I am amazed at her dedication. Peter Habar also won my respect for such a wide dynamic of portrayals - he scares me. =) However, I felt he was much more savage and reprobate in the book, and I am sort of glad the movie did not go that far.
The technical manipulations with the Apple laptops was quite fascinating as well. To be honest, when I read the books, I was thinking about Sweden which is not necessarily known to be the hi-techno, gee-whiz gizmo center of the planet. But the film did a small turn of justice to technology with some of the visual displays, better than I expected a Swedish film would pull it off. Kudos to them.
Some notable exclusions between book and movie. No physical connection between Blomkvist and Cecilia Vagner, very little romance between Blomkvist and Erika Berger, very little picture into the glory of Millenium and what it does and the character development of the folks who work there. Likewise, very little attention given to Milton Security, with only a passing look at Dragan. In order for the next films to work, I can only imagine how those subplots will be built up.
12 July 2010
Sherlock Holmes, 2010
I wonder how many times Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's story has been retold in the cinemas. I enjoyed this retelling, although Hollywood took some excessive license with our well-known hero. Call me slow, but it just dawned on me how similar Gregory House (House, M.D.) is to Doyle's main character.
I like Robert Downey, Jr. as a swash-buckling, egotistical almost-megalomaniac Hero. I am not so sure it comes off well as Sherlock Holmes; he gets the intelligence and the wit down pat, but some of the buffoonery comes off as sheer incompetence as opposed to absent-mindedness sometimes associated with a great intellect. I do in particular like the well-thought out premeditated scenes (most having to do with fights); to counter that, all that slapping stuff was just stupid.
Great characters all around, good casting (not great, not horrible). Good show. Passable.
I like Robert Downey, Jr. as a swash-buckling, egotistical almost-megalomaniac Hero. I am not so sure it comes off well as Sherlock Holmes; he gets the intelligence and the wit down pat, but some of the buffoonery comes off as sheer incompetence as opposed to absent-mindedness sometimes associated with a great intellect. I do in particular like the well-thought out premeditated scenes (most having to do with fights); to counter that, all that slapping stuff was just stupid.
Great characters all around, good casting (not great, not horrible). Good show. Passable.
The Green Zone, 2010
I actually saw a "behind the scenes" clip off Tivo before I even heard about this movie; Matt Damon did a good job taking this bull by the horns and I love how he gets into character.
My only major complaint is that I utterly detest shaky cameras. Yeah, I know it is supposed to help the viewer feel like he/she is part of the action, but it totally kills the connection for me. I mean, you can't see anything!
So aside from that, great plot (with excellent twists along the way), excellent action, acting, direction.. all around, very good.
As this is a movie, and not a Michael Moore documentary, it really does make you wonder how much of this stuff could reflect reality. Especially in terms of the politics involved. I already do not trust the government as it is, and I am fully aware that the normal average joe is getting screwed over by large Corps and Big Money. The whole fiasco with MWD was (and still is) underplayed. (As an aside for robots that look for "common keywords", MWD = Microwarp Drive in Eve Online *grin*) It makes me sick that folks in high positions get away with so much crap and are able to side-step the normal checks and balances that restrain the rest of us mere mortals. This extends throughout large government and even down into the police force.
I liked Freddy a lot! Aside from his believable performance, he was given some very key lines and for me, as an otherwise ignorant American, gave me a picture for what I believe the Iraqi heart might look like. Americans really need to stop sticking their nose in other countries. This whole idea of "democracy" as put forth by politicians (especially those in power) is a farce and has already exacted a huge toll on the global society.
My only major complaint is that I utterly detest shaky cameras. Yeah, I know it is supposed to help the viewer feel like he/she is part of the action, but it totally kills the connection for me. I mean, you can't see anything!
So aside from that, great plot (with excellent twists along the way), excellent action, acting, direction.. all around, very good.
As this is a movie, and not a Michael Moore documentary, it really does make you wonder how much of this stuff could reflect reality. Especially in terms of the politics involved. I already do not trust the government as it is, and I am fully aware that the normal average joe is getting screwed over by large Corps and Big Money. The whole fiasco with MWD was (and still is) underplayed. (As an aside for robots that look for "common keywords", MWD = Microwarp Drive in Eve Online *grin*) It makes me sick that folks in high positions get away with so much crap and are able to side-step the normal checks and balances that restrain the rest of us mere mortals. This extends throughout large government and even down into the police force.
I liked Freddy a lot! Aside from his believable performance, he was given some very key lines and for me, as an otherwise ignorant American, gave me a picture for what I believe the Iraqi heart might look like. Americans really need to stop sticking their nose in other countries. This whole idea of "democracy" as put forth by politicians (especially those in power) is a farce and has already exacted a huge toll on the global society.
The Book of Eli, 2010
I was at first worried that this was going to be too much like Cormac's "The Road"; the whole post-apocalyptic, anarchy, dog-eat-dog thing going on. There was a bit of that enmeshed into the story, but not quite to the same degree.
I am not a big Gary Oldman fan, and after this feature I am even less so. Hard to tell how much of it was his fault vs the screenwriter; just a wee bit too obsessed on a friggin' book and nobody knows why. Eli alludes, mysteriously, to how it might have started the war, but that's all we get.
The obvious religious tie-ins were intriguing, and I especially appreciated the twist at the end. However, the loopholes nag at me. Eli was travelling for 30 years?!? And never got lost? How is it that he not only learned Braille, but was able to retain and regurgitate the entire King James Bible? How come more people did not live near the coast? In a world where water is such a precious commodity, you only have a small population living on a freak of an island?
Overall I enjoyed this film. The soundtrack was very good and I enjoyed the direction of the film. I was not crazy about the high-contrasted, muted colors though. I realize the color palette and lighting effects were added to help it feel post-apoc, but still... in my own words, I would call it "too artsy".
The Last Airbender, 2010
Apparently, my expectations for this movie were a bit too high. I guess the fact that there were kid actors should have clued me in. Granted, that sounds harsh for young, talented actors - my biggest beef with this film was the horrible script. While it dealt with some excellent topics like "responsibility", most of the dialog was horrid and some of it just down right asinine. I was also supremely pissed off when the last few scenes were an obvious jumping-off point for a sequel. I will not be seeing the sequel, thank you very much.
With so many Asian influences (including the middle-eastern flavors of the Fire Nation), I just could not understand why Katara and Sokka were cast as white Americans.
This really was a young teen's movie, I think. Unfortunately. Not much for an adult to draw from.
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