The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo: Movie Review

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo: Movie Review

Rating: 6/10
Cast: Michael Nyqvist, Noomi Rapace
Director: Niels Arden Oplev
Based on the first of the popular Millennium trilogy books by Swedish author Stieg Larsson, this adaptation sees Michael Nyqvist playing an idealistic Swedish journalist Mikael Blomkvist who's called in to investigate a family crime.
Blomkvist's just lost a libel case and has plenty of time on his hands - so he's drawn into the disappearance of a 16 year old niece of a wealthy CEO from 40 years ago.
As Blomkvist digs deeper, he's followed by a cyber hacker Lisbeth Salander (Rapace) who believes she has what it takes to help him solve the case.
However, as the case progresses, there are more skeletons in the closet waiting to come out - and both parties have plenty to lose as their respective nooses tighten.
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is a slow burning thriller - despite the beauty of the desolate white Swedish landscapes, there's very little beauty in the thick complicated plot. And in Lisbeth's case, thanks to abuse and some pretty horrific scenes, the darkness is as black as it comes.
It's that darkness which may scare some off - it's not an easy watch. But it'd be wrong to write off the Girl With The Dragon Tattoo - it's a challenging and complex film which requires a depth of intelligence from its viewers to keep up.
Both Nyqvist and Rapace are good in their morally complex roles - you are never really 100% sure who's to be trusted and who you should be cheering for - in fact Lisbeth's character may end up polarizing some even if she is an anti-heroine in the style of the Sopranos - but it's these flaws and foibles which make The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo compelling to watch.
The ultimate denouement (which finally comes after a mammoth 150 minutes) leads to a clutch of unanswered questions. It's these which may tempt you back to rewatch the film to see if there's anything you've missed - and, to say the least, the door appears to be well and truly open for the second and third books to be made into films.

Nyqvist and Rapace make odd bedfellows and an uneasily odd partnership - however, if both are on board for the sequels, I'll be back to see how this trilogy pans out.

The Lovely Bones: Movie Review

The Lovely Bones: Movie Review

Rating: 8/10
Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Mark Wahlberg, Susan Sarandon, Stanley Tucci, Rose McIver, Michael Imperioli
Director: Peter Jackson
So let the Lovely Bones debate begin.
It's had mixed reviews prior to its Boxing Day release - and to be honest, this take on Alice Sebold's much loved novel will continue to divide many. (More on that shortly)
Irish actress Saoirse Ronan plays American teenager Susie Salmon, a rural Pennsylvanian girl whose life is brutally cut short one day by a predatory neighbour, George Harvey (a wonderfully malevolent Stanley Tucci).
Stuck in the Inbetween world, Susie watches as her family falls apart as the hunt for her body and killer continues to no avail. Will she receive justice and will her family live happily ever after?
The Lovely Bones is by turns, heart in your mouth moments of horror and tears of unadulterated joy. As Peter Jackson explained at the New Zealand premiere this take on the book is a deeply personal one - and I'm guessing that's where some of the mixed reviews have come from.
Personally I loved this film - there are some incredible visuals and flights of fancy which are just liquid on the eyes. Clearly the effects employed in the realisation of the InBetween are just awe inducing and lead to sensory overload. Specifically the first scenes when you see Susie enter that ephemeral other world, the colours are so bright, the images so clear that it's just unlike anything you've ever seen.
However, it's back on earth that there is also much to enjoy - and to be honest, a little to nitpick at.
Mark Wahlberg and Rachel Weisz are good in admirable parts but it's their story of a family falling apart in the film which feels a little rushed - perhaps somewhat inevitably some of the earthbound action suffers from being book ended by the fantastical scenes of Susie's world. Consequently you maybe don't feel as much as you could for their heartbreak - it's nothing against their performances whatsoever; just merely their place in the film.
That said there really does need to be accolades showered on Saoirse Ronan the piercing bright blue eyed ingénue who plays Susie - she brings so much to the role; the exuberance of youth, the heaviness of despair and the sadness will just at times crush you. She's incredible in this. As is Rose McIver as her feisty sister Lindsay - a brilliant performance from an actress to watch out for.
Much the same needs to be said about Stanley Tucci's predator killer George Harvey. This is one of the most chilling character performances I've seen in a long time - menacing, creepy and just terrifying, this understated turn will leave you squirming uncomfortably in your seat. It's to Peter Jackson's credit that this role's so underplayed, it actually makes it worse for those watching because he gets away with the murder.
And that's the other thing about The Lovely Bones - the murder. The build up to this is just terrifying and is made even worse because you know what's coming. As the tension's ratcheted up, what you imagine happening is worse in your mind rather than what actually happens (in this case) off screen. Plus the scene right after is as heartbreaking as anything else you'll see this year.

Granted if you're a huge fan of Alice Sebold's book, you may find yourself a little disappointed with the adaptation - but to be honest, everyone takes a personal approach to this film, Peter Jackson included. The Lovely Bones is stunning in places - and will leave you horrified in others; go along and enjoy the spectacle that Peter Jackson's created on a smaller more intimate scale than any of his other epics.

Sherlock Holmes: Movie Review

Sherlock Holmes: Movie Review

Rating: 6/10
Cast: Robert Downey Jr, Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong, Eddie Marsan
Director: Guy Ritchie
Ah, the quintessential hero could really only be played by the quintessential comeback kid.
So it is with this new take on Sherlock Holmes which sees Robert Downey Jr taking on the mantle of the detective.
Upon capturing evil Lord Blackwood (played with the usual flair by Mark Strong), Holmes (Downey Jr) is taunted by his promises that it's not over.
Things get even more surreal when Blackwood apparently rises from the dead and begins to terrorise London.
And despite this being Holmes and Watson's last case together (Watson's off to be married), the pair soon find themselves pulled back into the English criminal underworld as Blackwood's true machinations begin to unfurl.
As if that wasn't bad enough for Holmes, his one true love, the untrustworthy Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams) is back on the scene - and it appears she's got plenty of secrets to keep Holmes intrigued.
Sherlock Holmes is a good reintroduction into the characters - but I have to admit, I felt much of the muddled plot was there simply to serve as exposition ready for the sequel (once you've seen it you'll understand why - and there's no spoilers here).
That said, there's much to admire about this latest rendition of Holmes - Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law have an excellent partnership as Holmes and Watson respectively; the pair are like brothers and Holmes can't resist pulling Watson back in the more he tries to get out of the crimesolving game.
Downey Jr makes a great Holmes - and director Ritchie plays his Holmes as a bored genius; Sherlock's feckless and restless when he doesn't have a case to solve - and he's never happier than when he has a riddle to deal with. Once again, Downey Jr proves the screen presence - although it's mainly thanks to his foil of a human Jude Law that the partnership works so well. The pair's bickering and squabbling clearly hides a deep love - and Holmes is jealous that he's about to lose his long time companion to a woman. It's these kind of character tics which really make Holmes quirky and reinvents him for the 21st century.
Mark Strong is as good as ever in the character role of Lord Blackwood - his taunting and teasing of Holmes clearly does a lot to show once again that Strong is an incredibly menacing and versatile actor onscreen.
Guy Ritchie's also brought that inevitable sense of Lock Stock cinematic style to ancient London - I had to admire the way he used his traditional slow mo shots to show how Holmes deals quickly with a problem in his head before physically dealing with it. In one fight scene, Holmes works out mentally how he will incapacitate his opponent through a series of slow mo cut shots - then seconds later, we see the physical action. It's a great way to demonstrate how Holmes' intellect and quick thinking works.
If there's to be a criticism of Sherlock Holmes (other than the film feeling like it's getting us ready for Sherlock 2) then it's that thanks to a slightly muddled plot, it never quite crackles and fizzes as well as it should - witty dialogue, quick repartie and some good (at times comedy) action pieces (including a very novel set piece on a dry docked boat) work well but the story drags it down slightly.

Holmes is clearly where the heart is, and Downey Jr's already said he will play the role again - so it's clear that the game is indeed afoot.

Alvin and The Chipmunks 2: Movie Review

Alvin and The Chipmunks 2: Movie Review

Rating: 5/10
Cast: Alvin, Simon, Theodore, Zachary Levi, Jason Lee, David Cross, Wendie Malick
Director: Betty Thomas
Alvin and the gang are back in this hideously titled follow up to Alvin and the Chipmunks.
This time, Alvin, Theodore and Simon are facing a life away from their pal Dave (Jason Lee - who's reduced to a mere cameo in this sequel) after an accident at a concert lands him in hospital.
Dave dispatches the helium voiced trio to live with his nephew Toby (Zachary Levi) - and as an added bonus, Dave decides it's time for them to go to school.
As if the peer pressure of fitting in at an American high school wasn't bad enough, the Chipmunks face a new threat - a female equivalent trio, the Chipettes, who are being masterminded by former manager Ian Hawke (David Cross) who's determined to get back into the big time and rain on Alvin's parade.
Can the Chipmunks beat their toughest ever threats and triumph?
So it's summer and the movies are all really about entertainment at the moment particularly with the school holidays now in full force.
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel isn't bad entertainment - it just unfortunately fails to bridge the all ages gap. There'll be some younger movie goers who'll love the fart gags and the continuing pratfalls of the main cast - and that's perfectly fine.
But for the older portion of the audience (ie the mums and dads who are dragged along by their brood), it may be a little more of a struggle to get through. The human actors - David Cross and Zachary Levi (of TV2 fame as Chuck) acquit themselves well - Levi continues to get by on his lovable goofiness and slacker charm whereas Cross proves why he's such a comic genius by steering his Ian Hawke away from stereotyped bad guy into idiotic despot territory.
The Chipmunks themselves are all fine - at times, they sparked off memories of the Gremlins because of their continuing buffoonery.

However, there's some morals on display here too - Alvin has to learn some harsh lessons about never abandoning family as well as peer pressure and that pride comes before a fall; Brittany, Eleanor and Jeanette, the new Chipettes provide the requisite romantic spark but all in all Alvin and The Chipmunks - The Squeakquel is a fairly light piece of unsubstantial holiday entertainment.

Morris A Life With Bells On: Movie Review

Morris A Life With Bells On
Rating: 6/10
Cast: Chas Oldham, Derek Jacobi, Ian Hart, Dominique Pinon
Director: Lucy Akhurst
Morris dancing - it doesn't sound like your average choice for a film.
However, this spoof doco about the perils faced by the world of Morris could change that.
Set in rural England, a documentary team follows the life of Derecq Twist.
Actor Chas Oldham is Twist, a young morris dancer whose moves have set the world of the dance alight and whose thoughts of modernization are causing ripples within the governing body who oversee all things bells and sticks.
However, Twist is expelled from his local group and cast asunder from the UK world of Morris dancing by the powers that be.
So Twist heads abroad to follow his fame and worldwide reputation and its there that he starts to realize that while you can take the man out of morris dancing, you cant take the morris dancing out of the man.
This mockumentary is quite a gentle film - if you're blessed with a knowledge of rural parts of England and their quaint ways (thatched cottage roofs and slightly accented speaking) it may well appeal to you a little more than the average viewer.
There's a casual charm to the central cast; Twist's wrapped up in his morris ways but he has a disarming attitude which hooks you in from the start. Derek Jacobi as Quentin Neely, the head of the morris dancing organisation, is full of the pompous self importance and priggery you often find on jumped up committees worldwide. And as for the cameo by Pinon (Delicatessen) as the French sailor who washed up on the shores and discovered the joys of the Lord of the dance, well, quelle amusement there.
The humour is sly and wry there is a lot of casual throwaway comments which will catch you out if you're not paying attention. A lot of the dialogue is very similar in places to Spinal Tap at one point, one character says they are all about the 3 Ps - passion, practice and the desire to be best. It's that kind of subtle humour which reels you in without realizing.
There is actually plenty of serious Morris Dancing (aside from the American Backstreet boys style number) which shows the cast, while slyly mocking the subject, clearly has a lot of admiration for how it's done.

Morris A Life With Bells On is an antidote to the bigger Christmas blockbuster fare - it's got rural rustic charm all over it and will leave you with a wry grin through out.

Avatar: Movie Review

Avatar: Movie Review

Avatar
Rating: See below
Cast: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang Michelle Rodriguez, Giovanni Ribisi
Director: James Cameron.
Wow.
It's been a long wait for the world James Cameron - along with WETA - has created for Avatar - and it's finally here.
Sam Worthington is Jake Sully, a paralysed former Marine who takes his dead brother's place on a mission to new world Pandora.
It's there that the Earthlings find themselves in conflict with the planet's indigenous people, the Na'vi (a 10 foot tall, blue skinned cat like spiritual race)
The Earthlings want to get their hands on a rich deposit of unobtainium, a rare mineral which could prevent the energy crisis back on earth.
However, that deposit is slap bang in the middle of the Na'vi's spiritual land - so Sully is sent in (via his own blue skinned Na'vi avatar) to try and see if there's a solution - be it military or negotiation...
So, what can you say about Avatar?
Blessed with superlatives already by critics worldwide (including Peter Jackson at the launch of the Lovely Bones ) and now given Golden Globe nods , it's fair to say Avatar is nothing short of a wondrous cinematic visual experience.
Weta has done such a thrilling job bringing James Cameron's vision to life - lush landscapes bristle with plant life made up of purples, oranges and deep greens. Every attention to detail in the world around the protagonists has been captured - in the early stages of the film, the cameras pan round technology of holographic scanners in a command centre as if it were the norm. The world is set up so quickly that pretty soon you adjust to life on another world.
The stop motion technology used to bring to the Na'vi and the wildlife around them to life also needs to be shouted about - it's game changing in terms of what films can do. And will do from now on. I can guarantee you've never really seen a film like this (other than in your mind's eye when you've been reading certain books) - the Na'vi are a fully formed breathing entity complete with layers of detail and glistening spots in the depths of the jungle.
I really don't have the words to explain how awe inducing it is up on the big screen - this is a film that will remain as an experience in 2D cinema, but will lose its majesty outside of the 3D world where it's brought to life. It's outstanding the level of detail which those behind the camera have gone to (see if you can spot the subtle difference between the Na'vi and the humans' Avatars)
However - yes, I'm sorry to be the bearer of some bad news - there are a few niggles with Avatar.
It's not the most original of stories - the plot (such as it is) is predictable and the usual adage of it being a big blockbuster light on plot does come to mind. All of the actors are good in their roles (although it's a little disheartening to see Zoe Saldana's Neytiri character go from strong warrior to female sidekick - and the marine in charge Colonel Quaritch - played with stereotypical Marine arrogance by Stephen Lang is so one dimensional). Sure, these are the usual complaints about plot, character development etc.
Yet, I'm more than happy to concede that (and even shout about the fact) Avatar is a game changing film and revolutionary - it's raised the bar so high in terms of effects that it'll be a struggle to see anything live up to its standards and the experience.
Granted, this first film is really about showing off the results of the technology - the challenge will come in the stories James Cameron will tell on the world in the sequels.
You really do have to see this on the big screen - and preferably in 3D to fully experience what Cameron - and Richard Taylor's Weta team - wanted you to live through.

Rating: 10/10 for effects and WOW factor - 5/10 for plot

Amelia: Movie Review

Amelia: Movie Review

Rating: 5/10
Cast: Hilary Swank, Richard Gere, Ewan McGregor, Christopher Eccleston
Director: Mira Nair
Hilary Swank stars as the symbol of optimism and hope to many during the great depression in this latest attempt to bring Amelia Earhart to the screen.
(The first of course was the button nose Amy Adams in this year's Night At the Museum 2)
Earhart's story is obviously one which is well known given how her final flight turned out - although the mystery behind it has never been solved, there's been endless speculation about what exactly happened when she disappeared.
Book-ending this film is that flight - as the film opens, Earhart's in the plane with her navigator - but from there, we're cast back into the past as we see exactly how she became interested in the whole business of flying and cracking the gentlemen's club of the time. The story's told in flashbacks as we see Earhart taking her final flight, the 1937 round the world attempt from which she disappeared.
Earhart first meets with publisher George Putnam (Richard Gere) who asks her why exactly she wants to fly. He's after a female face to help sell a book - and interest - in aviation. But Putnam's reckoned without Earhart's moxy and her ambition to fly solo (something which was framed upon in the boy's club of the time).

Amelia is a disappointing biopic - despite Swank's uncanny resemblance to Earhart, there's little passion in the film - even an affair with Ewan McGregor's Gene Vidal is brushed over without any real depth and feeling. And Putnam's desire to keep Earhart and his jealousy over her friendship with Vidal is fumbled over as well. It's a case of missed opportunities with this biopic.
Earhart was clearly a conflicted, passionate character - she was forced to endorse products she didn't believe in because of the harsh reality that a lack of product placement would mean no cash to finance the flights. We see her give in with little fight and it's frustrating.
Director Mira Nair's used to great effect old aeroplanes and some of the old reel footage which exists of the flights at the time (the newsreels fade into excellent recreations of the scenes) and there's a wonderful sweeping score.
But set against the backdrop of the Great Depression, I never really got a sense of how Amelia Earhart was the modern hero to those who suffered so badly in the 30s - and I certainly never felt that the filmmakers got that message across well enough.

There's a simplicity of story telling within Amelia - but unfortunately it's a little too broad brush and treats the subject a little too lightly. It's very tempting to say the biopic rarely takes off (sorry) but in all honesty, Amelia just doesn't gel together; the story's a little flat and it's hard to emotionally engage with Amelia herself and sympathise with her plight as she tried desperately to pioneer her way in the skies.