The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo (2011) review

I admittedly came to this movie with a little baggage. I saw the original film, so this movie wasn't going to escape immediate comparison. More than that I had been hurt  by a remake in the past. Death at a Funeral was a British comedy I enjoyed that had a limited release here in the US much like the original Tattoo. Three years later a remake came out starring Chris Rock which ruined the film by increasing the volume on everything. Subtlety of jokes, gestures, and reactions all became caricatures of their original version. It felt as if this that movie didn't think the audience would understand it any other way. I didn't want the same thing to happen with another film I enjoyed. So with that in mind let's go through this new film and see if I get hurt yet again.

Characters
Daniel Craig plays Mikael Blomkvist a disgraced journalist brought in to hopefully shed light on the disappearance of a girl 40 years ago. Craig plays Blomkvist very differently from Michael Nyqvist. I'm not just talking about how the actors portay the character with  Nyqvist's Blomkvist being a beaten man and Craig's Blomkvist seeming to carry this frustration from his legal problems. But the new film actually changes the motivation of the character. The original film had a connection between Blomkvist and the missing girl, while the new film has him be a stranger to the mystery. On top of that change, their is a point where I feel Craig's portrayal changes at one point. As I said his Blomkvist had this frustration, that with one more push and he would throw a punch at someone. Near the end new Blomkvist is being lead into what he knows is an unfavorable situation. And he doesn't try to escape or resist. That doesn't feel right for the character or for how the actor looks. Daniel Craig looks like a scrapper and him not fighting just doesn't seem right.

I was very impressed by Rooni Mara's performance of Lisbeth Salander. Even though the characters take some different actions I wasn't made to think of Noomi Rapace original performance. All credit for that goes to Mara who was working with a more handicapped role. In this movie they decided to drastically reduce the role of the titular character. In the original Salander keeps a fascination of Blomkvist work, eventually involving herself in the mystery. In this new version not only does she have to be brought in by Blomkvist, but she also isn't necessary for solving the mystery. There are other slight changes made to how the characters of Salander and Blomkvist interact but those are so minor compared to this change.

The Story
Davide Fincher did make a promise that he would not shy away from the more intense scenes and he came through. This is good because while those scenes may be hard to watch they are necessary to help present the theme and establish motivation. There were smaller changes made to script besides the character changes. Nothing to harm the story as a whole but I felt didn't hold as much weight as presented in the original. Going with the idea that how a movie is shot affects how a story is told I have to make comment on the look of the film. the sense of size seemed off. Rooms in this new film seemed so large while the island where the mystery took place seemed small. In the original film the reverse seemed true. It's something I probably wouldn't have noticed without viewing the original, but it was jarring enough for me to make mention.

Overall while this new film is not bad, the changes to the script hurts what where already good characters. Given the choice I would say watch the original which is readily available through multiple sources.

Before the Movies: Expendables 2

Theatrical movie trailers are important. More important than billboards, magazine ads, even TV spots. You see that first trailer is usually where a potential audience makes the decision whether to go to the future movie or not. Even with changes after testing if that first trailer has turned you off it can never recover. It's a trailer's responsibility to intrigue the audience without saying too much or too little. It is a difficult job for most movies. I have to say most because there are some movies that do not even need a trailer. These films just have the special something that speaks to some part of us. Here is such an example.


Expendables 2 by teasertrailer

As with the first film this movie is built on a simple love. A love of action films. If you have that love you are guaranteed to see this film. In its 1 minute run time this trailer says "Hey remember when all those names blew stuff up? Well here are more names who will also blow stuff up". It's aware of who will see this film and speaks directly to them. And damn if it didn't work on me. All I know is the idea of Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jean Claude Van Damme, and Sylvester Stallone all shooting people in the same movie really gets me pumped. Please don't judge me.

The Muppets

Full disclosure, I have been looking forward to this film since it was announced. For reasons I can't actually explain I love the Muppets. The Movies, TV shows, the obscure characters, they all hold a sweet spot in the hunk of coal known as my heart. So unless this movie was the spawn of Satan I was guaranteed to at least like this film. Spoilers: It's not the spawn of Satan.

The Characters
I think almost everyone knows the core Muppets: Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Fozzy Bear, Animal. Kermit is the nervous leader. Miss Piggy is the violent starlet. Gonzo is the embodiment of weird. Fozzy has no idea what's funny. Animal is an excitable wild man (Muppet?). So with those basics in mind lets focus on the the three humans and the new Muppet: Gary (Jason Segel), Mary (Amy adams), Tex Richman (Chris Cooper), and Walter

Gary and Mary are both fighting internal conflict. Gary wants to help Walter even when it negatively effect his relationship. Mary wants more time with Gary but doesn't want to rip him away from his family. These problems that don't amount to much more than a song resolution (a fun song mind you). The characters are presented as loving and understanding people so there is no doubt things will work out between them.

Tex Richman is the weakest of the human characters. He is an evil businessman looking to get more money and Muppets are in his way. He has Muppet called Uncle Deadly and Bobo the bear. He is given a villain quirk as is tradition in modern comedies (see if you can spot it). The only thing he is missing is the volcano lair and their may be one under his office building (oil is under a studio in the center of LA, so why not.) Cooper plays it appropriately hammy for what the character calls for, but I honestly think it would have been better if he was another Muppet with Cooper's voice.

Lastly we have Walter. He is an entirely new Muppet creation made expressly for this film. He loves the Muppets to obsessive and without a doubt the main character of this film. He is the sole reason for why the movie happens. As far as I can tell Walter is an exaggeration of Muppet fans, specifically Segel himself. I suspect the commonality between Walter, Segel, and even myself is we became fans after the original run of the Muppet show. Segel took his affection for the characters and much like Walter was able to join them on stage. And that sentiment is what leads us to the story.

The Story
I almost missed the true story of this film. What you're presented with is a generic plot about "the band getting back together". That story is an enjoyable one. The song and dance numbers are infectious. There are enough jokes for everyone from children to adults to enjoy. Does it have issues? Yes. Why does Segel have a Muppet brother? How is there oil under a studio in LA? Why Doesn't Gonzo use his successful business to help save the studio? No one knows. The lunacy of that surface plot doesn't leave you enough time to think about those things. You get caught up in the ride and that's OK. You're supposed to enjoy the roller coaster. As I said before there is a story hidden under that ride. That is the story of Walter. Walter's journey from fan to cast mate is what is propels the movie. And when I say Walter I actually mean Segel. This is Segel's story. Not only in the obvious as he gets to work with the Muppets, but also the story of his career. He found not only cohorts to make films with but also an audience just like Walter. I'm not sure if I've made my opinion clear enough.

So here's the bottom line, go see this movie. Like I said numerous times throughout this piece this is a fun movie. It is impossible not enjoy. I also am making the call now that the eventual DVD release should be picked up as well. Knowing the cast and having watched the trailers there guarantees to be fun deleted scenes and cast commentary.

Jurassic Park - The Game

I love Jurassic park 1 and 3. So when I heard that a Jurassic Park game was coming from Telltale I was filled with Joy. After playing the Back to the Future game I was convinced Telltale was perfect for handling my nostalgia. And while they definitely hit the metaphorical target, It wasn't a bullseye.

The Story
I thought the story was a clever idea. Instead of making a new excuse for more people to get on the island the game takes place during the first movie. This allows the game to tell it's own narrative while still showing the classic sets without it feeling forced. This story also expands on plot threads from the movie and the background of the island giving there new characters better motivations for their actions other than "just because". Unfortunately the nature of the game really messes with the pacing of the story. This is an action puzzle solver. While the action sections can be fun and even intense, the puzzles slow the story down noticeably even if they are brief. It's like if you're running down the sidewalk and come across a cross walk. You stop to make sure you're not struck by a car and then keep moving.

The Characters
Generic. That's the only word to describe these characters. The father and daughter who have grown distant. The hippy scientist who puts the main threat ahead of the survival of everyone. The Mercenaries: One who is working to save a child, One who has done bad things but is ultimately good, and one who we think is good but ends up being a bad guy in the end. We have seen these characters every where, some in this very franchise.

The Gameplay
The immediate comparison that comes to mind is heavy rain. During action sequences button prompts appear on screen that tell you how not to die. During puzzles possible important objects will be marked providing information or solutions. The system works but does cause the above mentioned story issues. I played on the PC using the mouse and keyboard. Don't do this. It is awful. This game was designed with a controller in mind. Without that controller a simple button press becomes 3 button press on the arrow keys. Researching the other platforms I saw that the PS3 version had a slight problem with button visibility. The game is dark and they didn't highlight the colors of the Sony controller. Now even playing with a controller I guarantee your going to die. Which you should, because death by dinos is amazing to watch. I'm not sure I enjoyed failing so much.

In the end if you enjoyed the Back to the Future game or the Ghostbusters game regardless of their faults then you will enjoy this game. Beyond that I would say wait for it to go on sale. It actually pains me to say that.

Assassin's Creed Revelations

I did it. I finished Revelations. I did in one day. I feel awful.

But lets place my mental state aside and talk about what's important. This is the last AC game with new toys and that's awesome. All the gadgets and weapons allow you to find a play style that suits you the best. In short this game is fun. Which honestly shouldn't surprise anyone.

Where the game loses me is the story. I love AC, I really do, but this game didn't have the same impact as AC 2 or Brotherhood. Everything told in the story was hinted at before, or didn't actually seem important enough for it's own game. This could have been just a few additional chapters to Brotherhood. With the lack of the side characters from previous games and the under use of subject 16 nothing in the story seemed especially noteworthy.

Overall it feels like this is a bad middle movie in a trilogy nothing vitally important occurs but exist to keep the story going to the climax. That all being said play this game. It's an Ac game. You go in to use hidden blades to stab people in the face. This game delivers that without problems.

The Perfect Host

We follow criminal John Taylor (Clayne Crawford) as he tries to evade the police after a bank robbery. His search for sanctuary leads him to the home of Warwick Wilson (David Hyde Pierce) who allows Taylor to enter under the guise of "friend of a friend". This leads Taylor to join the psychosis fueled dinner party he might not get to leave.

David Hyde Pierce is great in this movie going from gracious host to scared hostage to terrifying capture. And he sells all of them. What I really love about Pierce's performance is how you can spot where he slips into "crazy mode" and then goes full throttle shortly after with him eating food off his imaginary guest to keep the illusion going. There wasn't a moment that I doubted the character was capable of his actions, adding to the fear of what might come next. Clayne Crawford's character was also great to watch for multiple reasons. First and foremost it was a fully developed character. He had motivations for what he was doing and an intelligence hidden beneath the "common thug" exterior giving me a reason to hope he makes it out okay.

The only weakness of this movie comes in the last act of the film when I though there was one to many reveals. This isn't detrimental to the movie, but taking out one of the extra reveals would have  helped. Overall I am very pleased with the film and do recommend you go watch it. As of right now the film is available on DVD, Blu-ray, and Netflix Streaming.

Real Steel

Hugh Jackman's latest film was a surprise enjoyment. Going in I only expected a silly film about robots punching each other in the face. Basically Transformers all over again. And I got that on top of a great underdog story.

This movie draws you in to root for the damaged characters. Jackman's down and out former boxer. His estranged seemingly genius son Max . And Atom the mute junk yard robot with something special about it. You'll watch these characters all rise up from their perspective dumps and cheer them on. The audience in my theater became so wrapped in the movie that there was cheering when Atom began winning his match. If a film can bring a bunch of strangers to unanimously cheer for a fictional fight, how can it be called anything but good.

Do yourselves a favor and catch this feel good movie in theaters.

IMDB: Reel Steal