The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

PLOT (spoiler alert!!!):

Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig), co-owner of Swedish “Millennium” magazine, has just lost a libel case brought against him by crooked businessman Hans-Erik Wennerström. Meanwhile, Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara), a researcher and computer hacker, has compiled an extensive background check on Blomkvist for a job that Swedish magnate, Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer) wants him to perform.

In exchange for damning information about Wennerström, Blomkvist agrees to investigate the disappearance and possible murder of Henrik’s grandniece, Harriet, 40 years ago. While hunting for clues, Blomkvist uncovers a notebook filled with information that may help explain Harriet’s disappearance.

Salander, who is under state legal guardianship due to diagnosed mental incompetency, is appointed a new guardian, lawyer Nils Bjurman (Yorick van Wageningen). He takes control of Salander’s finances and rapes her. She stuns him with a taser, blackmails him, and regains control of her life.

Blomkvist hires Salander to further investigate the notebook’s content, and she uncovers a connection to a series of murders that occurred from the late 1940s to the mid 1960s. During further investigation, Salander and Blomkvist become lovers. Henrik’s brother Harald (Per Myrberg) identifies Martin, Harriet’s brother (Stellan Skarsgård), as a possible suspect. Meanwhile, Salander makes increasingly revealing connections between Harriet’s disappearance and the entire Vanger dynasty.

Blomkvist breaks into Martin’s house to look for more clues, but Martin catches him. He brags about his crimes, but denies killing his sister. Salander arrives and saves Blomkvist. She pursues Martin, who loses control of his vehicle on an icy road and dies when it catches fire.

As more connections are made about the Vanger family, Blomkvist deduces that Harriet is still alive, living under a false identity to hide from Martin. Blomkvist confronts Harriet, who describes the generations of abuse within the Vanger family and Martin’s knowledge of her involvement in her father’s death. Finally free of her brother, thanks to Salander and Blomkvist, Harriet returns to Sweden and tearfully reunites with Henrik.

As promised, Henrik gives Blomkvist the information on Wennerström, but it is not helpful. Salander responds by hacking Wennerström’s computer and presenting Blomkvist with the necessary incriminating information about his activities. This evidence vindicates “Millennium” and destroys Wennerström.

Salander also hacks into Wennerström’s bank accounts and transfers two billion euros into her own accounts. During this time, Wennerström is murdered. On her way to give Blomkvist a Christmas present, Salander sees Blomkvist and his longtime lover and business partner Erika Berger (Robin Wright) walking together happily. Heartbroken, she throws the gift away and rides off on her motorcycle.

REVIEW:

There was a great deal of hype surrounding The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I can’t really tell you why, though. It isn’t like this is an original idea. First off, it is a series of books. Second, there is a Swedish film of the same name that just came out about 2 or 3 years ago.

It is well documented how much I hate remakes, but I have to contain that hatred when it comes to remakes of foreign pictures so as to not sound hypocritical, as one of my favorite films of all time, is nothing more than a remake of a Japanese film.

Now, I haven’t read the book(s) or seen that other film, but something tells me they have to be better than this. That isn’t to say this wasn’t a good film, because it was. However, it did seem to drag on and on without actually getting anywhere, except taking the audience to dreamland. I know that there were more than a few times I nodded off, and not just because I’m under the weather!

So, what worked?

Well, despite being a total snoozefest, this really is a well-crafted film. Each of the characters is well fleshed out and developed.

I’m not if this is a pro or con, but I liked that they actually got actors of Swedish decent (not all of them mind you) to play Swedish characters. There is just something about that authenticity that stands out, as opposed to say an Englishman playing a German, but still talking with is British accent.

The gritty realism of this picture is a real selling point. I hate to say this, but the rape scenes were a high point. Not because she was getting raped, but because they were filmed in such a way that the audience could really feel her pain and disgust!

What didn’t work?

Well, I’ve already mentioned how slow-moving this film is. From what I hear, after talking to some people who actually read the books, things were left out, and some of the more exciting, interesting parts were changed in favor of scenes of exposition. Why would they do this? Your guess is as good as mine!

The oddity of the investigation at first intrigued me, but after a while, it seemed to just be a plot device, and a weak one, at that, especially when you consider the fact that they almost forgot about it at times, in an effort to develop Lisabeth further, and apparently have her start some kind of relationship with Mikael.

When Christopher Plummer’s character says that his family is some of the most vile, evil people one can ever have the bad fortune of knowing, he wasn’t kidding. One wold think, though, that even with these boils on the butt of society, there would be someone who was actually inherently good, besides Henrik.

I’ve always had an issue with these films that end the major mystery part of their plot, then stumble on for another 10-30 minutes with stuff that could have very well been done in a minute or two, probably in montage form, or left out completely. This thing was long enough as it, without the last few minutes that just seemed to be filler.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo just didn’t work for me. True, this picture earned all of the awards and accolades it has received, but that just goes to show you that this is nothing more than one of those artsy fartsy films that is more for the critics than the audiences. While I did not care for this tripe,  I can see how some people would and, against my better judgement recommend it.

3 out of 5 stars

Thor

 

PLOT (spoiler alert!!!):

In 965 A.D., Odin (Anthony Hopkins), king of Asgard, wages war against the Frost Giants of Jotunheim and their leader Laufey (Colm Feore), to prevent them from conquering the Nine Realms, starting with Earth. The Asgardian warriors defeat the Frost Giants and seize the source of their power, the Casket of Ancient Winters.

In the present, Odin’s son Thor (Chris Hemsworth) prepares to ascend to the throne of Asgard, but is interrupted when the Frost Giants attempt to retrieve the Casket. Against Odin’s order, Thor travels to Jotunheim to confront Laufey, accompanied by his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston), childhood friend Sif (Jaimie Alexander) and the Warriors Three; Volstagg (Ray Stevenson), Fandral (Joshua Dallas) and Hogun (Tadanobu Asano). A battle ensues until Odin intervenes to save the Asgardians, destroying the fragile truce between the two races. For Thor’s arrogance, Odin strips his son of his godly power and exiles him to Earth, accompanied by his hammer Mjolnir — the source of his power, now protected by a spell to allow only the worthy to wield it.

Thor lands in New Mexico, where scientist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), her assistant Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings) and mentor Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard) find him. The local populace finds Mjolnir, which S.H.I.E.L.D agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) soon commandeers before forcibly acquiring Jane’s data about the wormhole that delivered Thor to Earth. Thor, having discovered Mjolnir’s nearby location, seeks to retrieve it from the facility that S.H.I.E.L.D quickly constructed but he finds himself unable to lift it, and is captured. With Selvig’s help, he is freed and resigns himself to exile on Earth as he develops a romance with Jane.

Loki discovers he is Laufey’s son, adopted by Odin after the war ended. When Odin, overcome with stress, falls into the deep “Odinsleep” that allows him to recuperate, Loki becomes king and offers Laufey the chance to kill Odin and retrieve the Casket. Sif and the Warriors Three, unhappy with Loki’s rule, attempt to return Thor from exile, convincing Heimdall (Idris Elba), gatekeeper of the Bifröst Bridge – the means of traveling between worlds – to allow them passage to Earth. Aware of their plan, Loki sends the Destroyer, a seemingly indestructible automaton, to pursue them and kill Thor. Sif and the Warriors Three find Thor, but the Destroyer attacks and defeats them, prompting Thor to offer himself instead. Struck by the Destroyer and near death, Thor’s sacrifice proves him worthy to wield Mjolnir. The hammer returns to him, restoring his powers and allowing him to defeat the Destroyer. Kissing Jane goodbye and vowing to return, he and his fellow warriors travel to Asgard to confront Loki.

In Asgard, Loki betrays and kills Laufey, revealing his true plan to use Laufey’s attempt on Odin’s life as an excuse to destroy Jotunheim with the Bifröst Bridge, and thus prove himself worthy to Odin. Thor arrives and fights his brother before destroying the Bifröst Bridge to stop Loki’s plan, stranding himself in Asgard. Odin awakens and prevents the brothers from falling into the abyss created in the wake of the bridge’s destruction, but Loki allows himself to fall to his apparent death after realizing that he disappointed Odin once again. Thor makes amends with Odin, admitting he is not ready to be king, while on Earth, Jane and her team search for a way to open a portal to Asgard so that she can reunite with Thor.

In a post-credits scene, Selvig has been taken to a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility, where Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) asks him to study an unnamed device, which Fury says may hold untold power. Loki, invisible, whispers to Selvig to agree, which Selvig does.

REVIEW:

Unless you’re a fellow comic geek, then your knowledge of Thor may be limited to Norse mythology, what you’ve seen occasionally in cartoons where he’s popped up spouting medieval lingo, or the little girl’s obsession in Adventures in Babysitting.

Well, the good people over at Marvel Studios have finally decided to bring Thor to the big screen, and they do so with a pretty big bang, if I do say so myself.

To my knowledge, Thor is the first feature film the Norse god of thunder has been featured in (excluding his segment in Hulk Vs.), so this is kind of a big deal, especially since this is supposed to be the first big film of the summer (no offense to Fast Five).

The plot of this film is basically an origin tale, because unlike Superman, Batman, Spider Man, etc., not may people are familiar with the history of the character of Thor. As we are getting to know Thor we learn that he is a kind of pompous jerk, who lets his ego go too far one day and not only threatens the lives of some of his friends, but also violates a truce, and subsequently gets banished from Asgard and stripped of his powers. Once he lands on Earth, he meets up with a trio of scientists who are studying something up in the sky (I can’t remember what it was exactly). After a few character development scenes, the film ends with some true kick-ass action scenes!

I’ve made the decision to basically boycott the use of 3D (I’m making an exception for Green Lantern, though). I mean, I have yet to see a film that makes good use of the technology, and I honestly think studios are just using it as a way to charge more money (as if ticket prices aren’t high enough).

Having said that, I think there might have been some pretty swell 3D scenes in this film, especially on Asgard, but still not enough to warrant the extra $$$.

The casting in this film really caught my attention. Let’s start with Thor, himself, played by Chris Hemsworth. Another Australian to follow in the footsteps of Mel Gibson (before he lost his mind), Heath Ledger, and currently Sam Worthington. This guy looks exactly like Thor, especially since he buffed up since he was last seen on-screen as Kirk’s father in Star Trek. On top of all that, the guy doesn’t do a bad job with this role.

Tom Hiddleston is another bit of brilliant casting as Loki. It isn’t very often that we see a villain become a villain before our very eyes and feel for him as we do here, and Hiddleston does a great job of bringing the audience to his side. I would have liked for him to have had more fun with the character. After all, Loki is the god of mischief!!!

Anthony Hopkins as Odin…do I really need to say anything other than genius?

Natalie Portman does a decent job as Jane Foster, but this isn’t really her movie, let alone anything for her to write home about. Don’t get me wrong, she wasn’t bad, this was just a small role, and she’s just coming off The Black Swan, those two things coupled together caused a bit of confusion, but in the end, she did what she had to and owned this role.

Idris Elba was controversially cast as Heimdall. There was an organization who actually threatened to boycott this film because of his skin color? Can you believe that? After all that hullabaloo, Elba does what he does with all his roles, treats them very professionally and delivers a knockout performance. To those people who wanted to boycott because of his skin color…well, I won’t type what I want to say to them….just use your imagination.

The sets were fantastic. Wait, let me take that back. Asgard and the lair of the Frost giants are spectacular, while the little town in New Mexico (which is somehow directly beneath Asgard –scratches head–) looks like nothing more than an old set they dug out from the studio archives and filled with extras. Did they really spend all their money on Asgard, I wonder?

The special effects were awesome, but in a film of this genre and with this subject matter, would you really expect less?

I was especially impressed with how much this film kept close to the source material. The one thing I would have liked for them to have kept, though is Thor’s helmet. He wears it when we initially see him, but he takes it off and it is never seen again. Something tells me, that we’ll get something similar with the upcoming The First Avenger: Captain America. Something about wings on a person’s head just doesn’t work these days, I guess. No wonder Flash hasn’t been on the big screen, yet.

I do have a bit of an issue with the pacing of the film, mainly when it shifts to Earth. It seems that down here the film drags on, except for the S.H.I.E.L.D. tent scene and the appearance of the Destroyer. Without those, this film all but makes you hate living on Earth because it is such a bore down here, as opposed to the non-stop action that occurs in the other worlds.

The mixture of action and comedy really works here, even better than it did in the first Iron Man. This is what a comic book movie should be, not something all dark and depressing, if you ask me.

Thor starts this summer off with a bang, and the subsequent films that are set to come out between now and Labor Day have some big shoes to fill. No, this film isn’t perfect, but it was something even better…entertaining! They also snuck in a subtle hint towards the forthcoming Avengers movie (after which, I’m sure there will be a sequel to this film). Do I recommend this film? Yes, Yes, YES!!!! you should drop everything and see it right now! It is that good!

4 1/2 out of 5 stars

Mamma Mia!

PLOT:

The film takes place on the enchanting Greek island of Skopelos (Kalokairi). The story begins at the remote Aegean island hotel, Villa Donna, run by Donna Sheridan (Meryl Streep), her daughter Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), and Sophie’s fiance Sky (Dominic Cooper).

Prior to her forthcoming marriage, Sophie nervously posts three wedding invitations (“I Have a Dream”) to three different men, one of whom she believes may be her father. From three cities across the globe, three men set off to return to the island, and the woman that had enchanted each of them 20 years earlier.

Back on that island, Donna is rousing her staff for the frenetic day ahead as Sophie’s bridesmaids and best friends Ali and Lisa (Ashley Lilley and Rachel McDowall) arrive and she shares with her best mates a scandalous secret: Sophie has found her mother’s diary and learned she has three possible dads; American businessman Sam Carmichael (Pierce Brosnan), Swedish adventurer Bill Andersson (Stellan Skarsgard), and British banker Harry Bright (Colin Firth). Without telling her mother, she has invited all three to her wedding (“Honey, Honey”), believing that after she spends time with them, she will at last know who her real father is.

Meanwhile, back on the Greek mainland, Sam, Bill, and Harry; strangers until today have met at the harbor. Fortuitously, Sam and Harry have missed the ferry to Skopelos (Kalokairi), and Bill offers them a lift on his yacht to reconnect with the woman who broke all their hearts 20 years ago.

Back on Skopelos, Donna is ecstatic to reunite with old friends and former “Donna and The Dynamos” bandmates, wisecracking author Rosie (Julie Walters) and wealthy multiple divorcee Tanya (Christine Baranski), and reveals her mystification at her daughter’s desire for a traditional wedding or any wedding at all. At the Villa, Sophie introduces Tanya and Rosie to true love Sky, and tells them about their idea of designing a website to attract tourists to the island. Donna explains her precarious finances (“Money, Money, Money”) to her girlfriends as she takes them on a tour of the Villa. Hounded by her creditors, Donna dreams of a “rich man’s world,” sunbathing on a yacht and being deliciously pampered. She is brought back to reality as an ominous crack appears in the courtyard.

The three men arrive, and Sophie smuggles them to their quarters and sheepishly explains that she, not her mother, sent the invitations. She begs the men to hide so Donna will have a fantastic surprise at the wedding; seeing the old friends of whom she “so often” favorably speaks. They overhear Donna working (humming “Fernando” to herself) in the storeroom below preparing to fix the crack and the men swear to Sophie they will not reveal her secret. Sophie leaves by the window just in the nick of time, as Donna peeps through the trapdoor.

She is dumbfounded to find herself face to face with the three former lovers she could never forget (“Mamma Mia!”), while the men clumsily make up excuses for their presence. Donna is adamant; they simply cannot stay. Visibly shaken, she confides in Tanya and Rosie (“Chiquitita”) a secret she has kept from everyone – she is uncertain which of the three men is actually Sophie’s father. No matter, as Tanya and Rosie rally her spirits by getting Donna to join in with the female staff and islanders accompanying a musical number intended to make her forget her woes. Donna and The Dynamos reclaim their glory days and champion the women of the island in a call to liberation (“Dancing Queen”).

Sophie finds the men aboard Bill’s yacht, and they take a trip around the gorgeous island of Skopelos (“Our Last Summer”) and tell her stories of Donna as a carefree girl. Upon their return, Sophie musters up the courage to speak with Sky about her ploy, but loses her nerve. Sky and Sophie sing passionately to each other (“Lay All Your Love on Me”), but are interrupted by the bachelor party that has descended upon Sky to kidnap him for his last night of freedom.

At Sophie’s bachelorette party, Donna, Tanya, and Rosie perform in a surprise one-night-only event as Donna and The Dynamos (“Super Trouper”). Sophie is delighted to see her mother rock out, but becomes nervous when the festivities are interrupted by the arrival of Sam, Bill and Harry. She decides to get each of her three prospective dads alone to talk.

The young bride uses the confusion of her amorous girlfriends’ dancing with the men (“Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)”) to speak with Sam about his love for Donna. Next, she’s on to Harry about his desire, if any, for children. Finally, Bill reveals that the old woman who gave Donna the money to invest in her Villa was his Great Aunt Sofia, and Sophie guesses she must be her namesake. That’s it! Bill must be her father! Sophie asks him to give her away and to keep their secret from Donna until the wedding

Over the moon, Sophie returns to the party. But her happiness is short-lived as Sam and Harry each tell her they must be her dad and will give her away (“Voulez-Vous”). A shocked Sophie can’t tell them the truth and, overwhelmed by the consequences of her action, faints on the dance floor.

In the morning, Rosie and Tanya reassure a frantic Donna they will take care of the men. Donna confronts Sophie in the courtyard, mistakenly believing Sophie wants the wedding stopped. Sophie angrily says that all she wants is to avoid her mother’s mistakes and storms off. An upset Donna is accosted by Sam, full of fatherly concern at Sophie getting married so young. Donna dresses him down, and both realize they still have feelings for each other (“SOS”).

Meanwhile, on Bill’s boat, Bill and Harry are about to confide in each other, but are interrupted by Rosie who is startled to find Bill, naked, making breakfast. Similarly, pulses are racing down on the sandy beaches as Tanya and young Pepper (Philip Michael) continue their May-December flirtations from the previous night (“Does Your Mother Know”).

With her plans falling apart and wedding in jeopardy, Sophie knows it is time to come clean to Sky and ask for his help. He reacts angrily to his fiancée’s deception and Sophie must turn to her mother for support.

As Donna helps her daughter dress for their wedding, the rift is quickly healed and Donna reminisces about Sophie’s childhood and how quickly she’s grown (“Slipping Through My Fingers”). Then and there, Sophie decides the only parent she’s ever known is the only one who should give her away. As the staff and bridesmaids accompany Donna and Sophie to the chapel, Sam lies in nervous wait. Donna waves the wedding party on, and he begs Donna to talk. She cuts him short, however, revealing the deep pain she felt over losing him (“The Winner Takes It All”).

After the ceremony begins, Donna can hold her tongue no more. She confesses to Sophie that her father is present but he could be Sam, Bill, or Harry. Sophie, in a shocker of her own, admits she invited them. The three men concur that they would be quite happy to be one-third of a father for such a girl. The surprises keep coming when Sophie tells Sky they should postpone their wedding and travel the world, as they have always wanted. It appears that preparations have been in vain until Sam steps in with the final curveball: he proposes to Donna.

She accepts (“I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do”); Sam and Donna then go through an impromptu ceremony, surrounded by the churchful of guests.

At the wedding reception, Sam sings to Donna, whom he has loved for 21 years (“When All Is Said and Done” [in the film only, not the musical]), which prompts Rosie to make a coy play for Bill (“Take a Chance on Me”). All the couples present proclaim their love and, magically, water from Aphrodite’s fountain of love bursts through the crack in the courtyard at Villa Donna (“Mamma Mia!”).

The story concludes as Sophie and Sky bid farewell to Skopelos island and sail away to a new life together (“I Have a Dream”), one full of hope and promise.

Donna, Tanya, and Rosie reprise “Dancing Queen” during the first part of the credits, then launch into “Waterloo” with the rest of the cast. Finally, Amanda Seyfried sings “Thank You for the Music”.

REVIEW:

Last summer, Hairspray was a surprise hit. Mamma Mia! did not follow in its shoes, at least not in the US. Apparently in Britain, it’s passed Titanic as the #1 film of all time. To be fair, I believe this film came out the same week as one of the summer blockbusters, but I can’t remember which one.

Watching this, I was surprised to find out that Meryl Streep can sing. I thought she was just an extremely talented actress.

The same goes for the 3 guys, although I think Pierce Brosnan is the weakest of the trio.

Two actors who are no strangers to blockbuster films make appearances in this film, but I almost didn’t know it was them. Rosie is played my Julie Waters, who may be better known as Mrs. Weasley from the Harry Potterfilms. Stellan Skarsgard is even more of a surprise because he is not covered in barnacles. Most know his as Bootstrap Bill from the Pirates of the Caribbean films.

Usually with a musical, the songs move the plot forward. However, in this one, it felt like they just were injected in to fill up some time. That being said, the music makes this film. If you take the songs out, this would be nothing more than your typical chick flick with the daughter getting married and not knowing who her father is.

While this isn’t the best movie in the world, it is obvious that the cast had fun making it, and in doing so make the film enjoyable for those watching it.

If you’re a fan of ABBA, then you’re going to love this film. It contains a ton of their songs. For those of us ABBA-challenged, it is still pretty good and worth seeing, but for me, it was just an average musical, not up there in the realm of West Side Story, Rent, Chicago, and others.

3 out of 5 stars