The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

I was surprised that Hollywood decided to remake the 2009 Swedish film of the same name, the original was so good and only just released two years ago!  This new version stars Daniel Craig and relative newcomer, Rooney Mara, and is in many ways very close to the original.  I thought good ol' Hollywood might tone down some of the more graphic scenes but in fact they did not.  They added a bit more fluff here and there, but when it came to the gritty material they kept it, well, just as gritty.  It is a good film, with a slightly complicated plot, but it all sorts itself out in the end.  I look forward to seeing how the next two remakes compare...

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

I have heard the argument that this second installment of the new Sherlock Holmes is better than the first, but my two cents is that it is still a disappointment.  For some reason I am going into these films with super high expectations, and maybe that is where my problem lies.  I blame the people who made the trailer.

Robert Downey Jr. is his usual fantastic, sarcastic, smarmy self which is always fun to watch, his supporting cast has panache, and Guy Ritchie's directing style is certainly unique but somehow this film still fails to deliver.  I think that despite all this greatness, the story itself is what dragged the movie down.  There was a lack of clarity surrounding the "bad guy" and his relationship with Holmes, which left the audience a little confused and therefore not as invested in the characters.

I wonder if there will be a third film, and if the trailer-makers will be able to fool me again...

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale

This film from Finland certainly has a unique take on the tale of Santa Claus.  Without giving too much away, the premise here is that Santa is in fact an evil creature who has been lying dormant, frozen in a mountain, until a team of American archaeologists excavate him.  Mysterious-ness ensues.  Beautifully shot with some impressive production design, what this film lacks in depth of plot it makes up for in creativity.  I can pretty confidently say that you will never look at Santa, or his elves, the same way again.

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

As anyone who reads my blog knows, I have an irrational love of action movies.  So it should come as no surprise that when I watched this movie, in IMAX, last night I left the theater with a smile on my face and the adrenaline pumping.  I specify IMAX because this film takes Ethan Hunt and his team all over the world, and besides beautiful establishing shots there are several exhilarating moments where I felt like I was actually in the movie, a very 3-D feeling without the glasses and headache haha

Very inventive, exciting chase/fight sequences paired with your typical end-of-the-world ridiculous plot, this movie almost seemed to be making fun of itself, with Tom Cruise delivering lines that seemed to poke fun at the whole Mission Impossible franchise.

My only real complaint?  The last four minutes of the film.  I don’t want to give anything away, but when you get there you will understand.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

I love a good espionage movie, but I will be the first to admit that this film either went way over my head, or was just so boring I couldn’t concentrate.  It was convoluted to a fault; almost to the point where it seemed as though the writers weren’t sure how to explain/advance the plot so the whole “leaving it to audience interpretation” seemed more like “we don’t know what is going on, you figure it out”. 

Case and point, I went to a preview showing of this movie and walking out of the theater there were representatives standing at the door handing out explanatory fliers, which included definitions of terms and a flow chart of characters in the film.  A FLOW CHART.  Seriously?!?

The Devil's Double

Unfortunately I have to make this one a quickie... (holiday season paired with general busy-ness and an upcoming flight, so much to do!)

It was entirely unplanned to happen to watch two Dominic Cooper movies in a row, but regardless he was great in this film where he starred as both Uday Hussein and his body double.  Movie was entertaining overall, if not a bit holy (as in plot holes) and vague at times.  The End.  hahaha.

The Escapist

I always enjoy a good prison escape movie, and with a cast including Brian Cox, Dominic Cooper, Liam Cunningham, and Joseph Fiennes once this film hit my radar it was Game On.  The basic storyline being that Cox's character is in for life, which doesn't seem to bug him, until x happens and he suddenly has an overwhelming motivation to get out.  He recruits other key people, and escape planning and execution ensues.

What makes this film a little different from other basic prison escape movies is that it cuts back and forth between the planning and execution timelines, edited in such a way that you learn about the preparation details right as you see them implemented.

This ain't no Shawshank, however a twist here and tweak there will keep you guessing until the end...

HOP - Hugo and The Immortals

This was a surprisingly good hop.  Had certain expectations set in my mind and where one movie well exceeded them, the other hit them right on.

HUGO - Nothing at all what I expected, I can confidently say that this movie was amazing.  On all levels.  Sound design, acting, story, and an overall beautiful and poignant piece of work.  It takes a little long to really hit its stride, but once it does, oh man.  I don't want to say too much, as I feel that watching without preconceptions is that best way to absorb this film, but I will say one thing - don't let the fact that this film is portrayed as a children's movie fool you...

THE IMMORTALS - I expected nothing from this film, other than an incredibly ripped and gorgeous Henry Cavill, and that is exactly what I got.  Plot?  Not important.  Continuity?  Pay no mind.  Just sit back and let the dirty sweaty abs distract you from thinking about the discord that is this film.  The only reason to watch this film is for the eye candy, and if you keep that in mind you will be quite satisfied with your viewing.

Trespass

Not as raw as Panic Room, or as entertaining as Hostage, this home-invasion movie is simply bland.  All the characters are stereotyped - Nicholas Cage as nerdy secretive businessman, Nicole Kidman as hot wife, a spoiled daughter, plus the typical accouterment of bad guys - desperate guy, violent guy, crackhead chick, etc.  There was one super hot bad guy, which was a plus.

The climax of the film was indistinguishable from the rest of the movie, I was like wait, that's it?  Someone once told me that Cage is only good in movies where he has a mullet, and I think I may have to agree...