It's hard for me to explain exactly why I didn't like this movie. The direction is tight, the performances are very well done (especially from Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth, the girl of the title), and there are plenty of twists and turns. And yet...
I believe the main problem for me was the story. From the get-go we are introduced to Lisbeth and Mikael Blomkvist, leading completely separate lives. Lisbeth is a young gothic looking reporter who works for a newspaper getting important scoops for them. Mikael is a high profile journalist who has been sentenced to jail for making false accusations about a high up businessman. Both their personalities are set up quite well, but what's immediately lacking is a reason to care about these people. We are simply following them around as they go about their mundane activities. Even when Mikael gets a mysterious call from the Vanger Group to investigate a case before he goes to jail, it just seems like an almost cliched plot point instead of a big mystery. And when Lisbeth goes through some nearly unwatchable scenes with her new guardian, the gruesomeness of it feels tacked on and unnecessary. When the two inevitably meet, their chemistry is quite charming and brings a much needed boost to the dragging plot. Then the actual mystery kicks into gear, which for the most part consists of Mikael looking through files, long transposed shots of photographs, and Lisbeth being a no nonsense hardass while still seeming quite vulnerable.
It's such a stereotypical mystery that not only is almost every single twist and turn forseeable (it's not actually the first OR second person you thought was guilty? Shocking!), but even when they're not it just doesn't feel like it carries any meaning to it. Maybe I'm just so used to Law and Order or almost any other crime drama on TV these days that I'm used to this entire plot being boiled down into one episode. **SLIGHT SPOILER ALERT** A disgraced journalist is hired by an old man from wealthy company to look into the disappearance of his daughter 40 years ago. He agrees to it as he has nothing to lose. He meets a quirky girl with rare insight who helps him on the case. They travel together gathering clues. Through many twists they eventually solve the case just in time to save one of them from getting killed. The journalist helps get his job back with the girl's help, who then leaves mysteriously but is shown to be doing just fine in the end. **END SPOILERS**
Not only are the plot points so unabashedly familiar and dry that you know the end of the movie from the beginning, but there's a gaping bit of development left out that would've made the film 10 times more entertaining. The relationship between all of the family members (who are all suspects) living together on this island is barely addressed, and each member is instead only used to shed a little detail on one clue/detail in the case before disappearing. So much more could've been done with them (and maybe it was in the book?). Also, the tracking of the clues is dull and boring as they go to a location, say "Yep, just what we thought," and then head back.
In short, just like the mystery involved this plot feels about 40 years too old and is a mystery that should've just stayed in the past. The direction, acting, and even dialogue are all tight, but the story being told is simply one I really could've cared less about.
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo gets a 6.5/10.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Date Night
At first glance, it would be easy to dislike Date Night. It follows an almost classic recipe of taking two funny actors, putting them together, put them through some unlikely yet ultimately funny hijinks and throw in some funny celebrity cameos and improvised humor to spice. It's a tried and true formula that for the most part creates semi-enjoyable flicks worth nothing more than a cursory glance. Date Night, however, has three things those other films do not: Steve Carell, Tina Fey, and the completely natural chemistry they share on screen.
Most of the plot of Date Night can be completely ignored. All it is is a prime opportunity for Carell and Fey to work their comedic (and dramatic) acting chops alongside the also wonderful James Franco, Mila Kunis, and an always shirtless Mark Wahlberg (not to mention a brief but hilariously creepy scene from William Fichtner). However, for what it's worth, Carell and Fey are a boring old married couple with an average family life who after hearing their good friends are getting a divorce decide to spice up their normal date night by going out somewhere fancy. They show up at a famous sushi place without a reservation, and in a moment of inspiration decide to steal someone else's reservation who didn't show. Soon enough, trouble in the form of two large men walk in, bring them out back, and threaten to kill them unless they return a flash drive that belonged to their boss. Trying to explain that they're not who these guys think they are get them nowhere, and soon this boring married couple is off on the adventure of their lives to find this flash drive so they can get back to their kids. Hilarity ensues.
As you might expect from Carell and Fey, a lot of the humor feels improvised, which at some points brings out classic gems and at other times falls a little flat. Also, the more the movie drifts from the relationship between them, the less funny it gets. Sure a creepy/silly striptease scene is funny for what it is, but the moment leading up to it where they're trying to pump each other up is far more funny because it's grounded in this couple's relationship. That being said, the movie really shines when they start having fun with each other in the completely ridiculous situations (as opposed to the only mildly ridiculous I suppose) like the entire car chase scene and their completely ineffectual threats against the brilliance of James Franco and Mila Kunis. When the craziness is at its max is when you can tell they're really enjoying themselves, and so by extension so do we.
But interestingly enough what truly stands out are the serious moments that Carell and Fey share as a couple. First off, Date Night does a wonderful job balancing the absurdity of their situation with their reality as an average married couple way out of their league. But second, the loving moments between them are so genuine that I almost wish they had just made a movie of that, because while it certainly was a wonderful and funny movie, those moments are by far what stood out and elevated this above the traditional recipe. I honestly hope these two get together again for a more dramatic movie because there's something there that just...works.
Until then, Date Night is an above average comedy thanks to its stars, but since it is somewhat limited by that recipe, parts of it still taste a little stale. It is still worth the viewing, but hopefully it will stand as more of an early effort from the classics to come.
Date Night gets an 8/10.
Most of the plot of Date Night can be completely ignored. All it is is a prime opportunity for Carell and Fey to work their comedic (and dramatic) acting chops alongside the also wonderful James Franco, Mila Kunis, and an always shirtless Mark Wahlberg (not to mention a brief but hilariously creepy scene from William Fichtner). However, for what it's worth, Carell and Fey are a boring old married couple with an average family life who after hearing their good friends are getting a divorce decide to spice up their normal date night by going out somewhere fancy. They show up at a famous sushi place without a reservation, and in a moment of inspiration decide to steal someone else's reservation who didn't show. Soon enough, trouble in the form of two large men walk in, bring them out back, and threaten to kill them unless they return a flash drive that belonged to their boss. Trying to explain that they're not who these guys think they are get them nowhere, and soon this boring married couple is off on the adventure of their lives to find this flash drive so they can get back to their kids. Hilarity ensues.
As you might expect from Carell and Fey, a lot of the humor feels improvised, which at some points brings out classic gems and at other times falls a little flat. Also, the more the movie drifts from the relationship between them, the less funny it gets. Sure a creepy/silly striptease scene is funny for what it is, but the moment leading up to it where they're trying to pump each other up is far more funny because it's grounded in this couple's relationship. That being said, the movie really shines when they start having fun with each other in the completely ridiculous situations (as opposed to the only mildly ridiculous I suppose) like the entire car chase scene and their completely ineffectual threats against the brilliance of James Franco and Mila Kunis. When the craziness is at its max is when you can tell they're really enjoying themselves, and so by extension so do we.
But interestingly enough what truly stands out are the serious moments that Carell and Fey share as a couple. First off, Date Night does a wonderful job balancing the absurdity of their situation with their reality as an average married couple way out of their league. But second, the loving moments between them are so genuine that I almost wish they had just made a movie of that, because while it certainly was a wonderful and funny movie, those moments are by far what stood out and elevated this above the traditional recipe. I honestly hope these two get together again for a more dramatic movie because there's something there that just...works.
Until then, Date Night is an above average comedy thanks to its stars, but since it is somewhat limited by that recipe, parts of it still taste a little stale. It is still worth the viewing, but hopefully it will stand as more of an early effort from the classics to come.
Date Night gets an 8/10.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Neverwhere
Neil Gaiman is an amazing man. My first exposure to his writing came from the wholly confusing yet still enjoyable American Gods, which was mostly confusing because I had no idea who Gaiman was or how he wrote. Since then I've only seen glimpses of his work through the movies of Coraline and Stardust, and so I figured it was about time I picked up his very first novel, Neverwhere.
Set against the background of modern day London, we follow the trials of Richard Mayhew, an average man with average goals and an average life, which all of a sudden gets completely turned around when a mysterious girl named Door, who has been running from the deadly Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemar, comes out from a wall in front of him and collapses bleeding on the street. Despite complaints from his fiancee to just leave the girl, his compassion gets the better of him and he scoops up the girl and brings her back to his house to help her recover. While trying to reveal as little as possible, Door brings him on a quest through London Below, a mystical and very dangerous place consisting of London's sewers and so much more. She finds her friends, and leaves Richard confused and baffled back in his apartment.
But something has changed. Suddenly, no one notices Richard anymore. He can get their attention for a second or two, but they go right back to ignoring him soon after. He has become part of London Below, a helpless man who dropped through the cracks, and must find a way back to his old life while trying to survive the dangers that lurk below.
It's a delightfully creative premise, and Gaiman never fails to add his own flair to every location, every character, and every sentence in this book. By all accounts, I shouldn't consider this one of the best books I've read. The plot, while creative, when boiled down is a very simple and traditional quest plot. There is relatively little character development. The ending is rather easy to foresee and even a little cliche. And yet, I loved every single page. Where this book shines is not in those basic elements, it's in the pure unadulterated creativity, style and voice of Gaiman shining through. Gaiman's descriptions can turn a small shadow into one of the most terrifying things you could imagine. His quirky humor is littered throughout the book as well, helping to alleviate what otherwise would've been some almost unbearably depressing scenes. Toss in a smattering of Matrix/Inception like philosophy and you get a simple story with some amazingly complex undertones. However, where Gaiman's strength lies is in his characters, from the calm violence of Mr. Croup to the noble sliminess of the Marquis to the dark depths of London Below itself. While none of them really develop in the course of the story, each is already so rich as a character that they don't need to.
Gaiman has somehow managed to take a story that in other hands would've been thrown away and turned it into one of the best pieces of fiction I've read. I don't care about the simple plot. I don't care about the cliche ending. Neverwhere is by and far one of the best examples of something being more than the sum of its parts.
Neverwhere gets a 10/10.
Set against the background of modern day London, we follow the trials of Richard Mayhew, an average man with average goals and an average life, which all of a sudden gets completely turned around when a mysterious girl named Door, who has been running from the deadly Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemar, comes out from a wall in front of him and collapses bleeding on the street. Despite complaints from his fiancee to just leave the girl, his compassion gets the better of him and he scoops up the girl and brings her back to his house to help her recover. While trying to reveal as little as possible, Door brings him on a quest through London Below, a mystical and very dangerous place consisting of London's sewers and so much more. She finds her friends, and leaves Richard confused and baffled back in his apartment.
But something has changed. Suddenly, no one notices Richard anymore. He can get their attention for a second or two, but they go right back to ignoring him soon after. He has become part of London Below, a helpless man who dropped through the cracks, and must find a way back to his old life while trying to survive the dangers that lurk below.
It's a delightfully creative premise, and Gaiman never fails to add his own flair to every location, every character, and every sentence in this book. By all accounts, I shouldn't consider this one of the best books I've read. The plot, while creative, when boiled down is a very simple and traditional quest plot. There is relatively little character development. The ending is rather easy to foresee and even a little cliche. And yet, I loved every single page. Where this book shines is not in those basic elements, it's in the pure unadulterated creativity, style and voice of Gaiman shining through. Gaiman's descriptions can turn a small shadow into one of the most terrifying things you could imagine. His quirky humor is littered throughout the book as well, helping to alleviate what otherwise would've been some almost unbearably depressing scenes. Toss in a smattering of Matrix/Inception like philosophy and you get a simple story with some amazingly complex undertones. However, where Gaiman's strength lies is in his characters, from the calm violence of Mr. Croup to the noble sliminess of the Marquis to the dark depths of London Below itself. While none of them really develop in the course of the story, each is already so rich as a character that they don't need to.
Gaiman has somehow managed to take a story that in other hands would've been thrown away and turned it into one of the best pieces of fiction I've read. I don't care about the simple plot. I don't care about the cliche ending. Neverwhere is by and far one of the best examples of something being more than the sum of its parts.
Neverwhere gets a 10/10.
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