Don't Screw with this Chick

"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"

            Moviegoers were given only a taste of what director David Fincher was capable of with his feature debut of Alien 3 back in 1992.  The film received a lukewarm (at best) reception both critically and publicly.  Little did we know the true potential that Fincher possessed and what films of his we would treated to in the years to come.   Most recently the successes of Zodiac, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and The Social Network have propelled Fincher to an A-list status director.  His latest, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is an adaptation from the best selling novel of the same name.  There was also a Swedish version of the film that came out back in 2009.

            Lisbeth Salandar (Rooney Mara) is a computer hacker who's a real tough cookie and unlike anyone you have ever met as journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) soon finds out.  The odd pairing of Mikael and Lisbeth is because of Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer,) a member of the well known and very wealthy Vanger clan.  Henrik wants Mikael's evidence gathering expertise to help solve the 40 year old murder case of his niece Harriet.  He knows one of the members of the Vanger family killed her and he wants closure after all this time.  Mikael needs Lisbeth's help after he reads the starting background check she performed on him prior to lending Henrik his services.  Mikael knows that Lisbeth is able to obtain information by any means necessary.  Together the two of them delve into the disturbing past and present of the Vangers whose family members give new meaning to the word dysfunctional.  Someone on the Vanger's island doesn't want Mikael and Lisbeth snooping around, digging up the past.

            The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a fantastic high tech mystery where the characters are using technology to aid them in the solving of a crime rather than letting the computers do the work for them.  In a place where everyone is a suspect, the characters have to use their smarts to crack this case and to stay alive.  The script is both character and plot driven creating this great mix of suspense, intrigue, and sympathy.  It's brutally unapologetic in its portrayal of human nature.  There are some truly perturbed individuals in this world who do some disgusting and upsetting acts of violence and this film does not hold back by any means.  Fincher is no stranger on how to make his audience cringe and squirm with sequences that leave a lasting impression on you long after you have left the theater.

            When it was first announced that Mara was to be cast as the lead in the film, a wave of skepticism fell over the film community.  Was this young, relatively inexperienced actress really up for the task of taking on the role of Ms. Salander who Noomi Repace played so well in the Swedish version of the film?  The same could have been said when Justin Timberlake was cast as Sean Parker in The Social Network.  Those who are familiar with Fincher's work know that he doesn't let his actors give poor performances.  He makes them work by having them do dozens of takes before finally achieving the end result that appears on screen.  Mara had previously worked with Fincher on The Social Network so each of them hopefully knew what to expect from each other.  Mara's performance as Lisbeth Salander is just as fiery, throttling, intense, and clever as Repace's was.  Fincher has proven quite able to work well with young actors and continues to do so here. 

            Even though Mara is the highlight of the show, Craig is good here too.  He puts aside the guns, gadgetry, and garage collectibles for a change and shows us he can still act and should not be considered only an action star.  It is clear to see that Mikael has a very inquisitive temperament.  Like any good journalist with a high level of integrity he wants to find out the whole truth no matter how messy things may get.  Craig is the perfect ying to Mara's yang allowing for satisfying chemistry to shine through when the two are sharing the screen.

            The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is not for the faint of heart but for those willing to take the plunge you're in for one unforgettable ride.  Fincher, his cast, and his crew all come together for another memorable piece of cinema.  He has really hit his stride and shows no means of slowing down.  This is a film the adults in the family can enjoy during the onslaught of films that have come out just in time for Christmas.  Although this picture is harder to swallow than some of Fincher's other works The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo remains on par with much of his previous films.  Tense, thought provoking, intelligent, and gripping this is the present you will find wrapped in a black leather jacket under the tree.

Jean Harris: Human Doormat

"Mrs. Harris"

It's important for an audience to relate to or at least like one character when watching a film.  The HBO original Mrs. Harris gives us a look at the relationship (or lack thereof) between Jean Harris (Annette Benning) and Dr. Herman "Hy" Tarnower (Ben Kingsly.)  Both of these characters are incredibly unlikable and we feel detached from feeling any sort of sympathy toward either of them. Some of you may recognize Dr. Tarnower as the creator of the immensely popular Scarsdale diet back in the early 1980's.   

Mrs. Harris is one those films that drops us in the middle of the story right before the climax.  A distraught Jean goes to her lover Hy's house on a dark and stormy night to confess her final love she has for him before attempting to kill herself.  A struggle breaks out and Hy ends up shot and dying on his bed.  Who pulled the trigger?  The film then jumps to the murder trial at which we hear testimony from Jean, her friends, and Tarnower's family as they recount the tattered relationship the two of them had over the course of many years.

Despite some solid performances from Benning and Kingsly, Mrs. Harris is a troublesome film with characters and story that aren't worth caring about.  The relationship Jean and Hy have comes to together rather quickly.  Both of their intentions are unclear on what they want from each other.  Hy is a womanizer and clearly takes advantage of the recently divorced and vulnerable Jean.  Hy even goes as far to propose marriage to her, which he then later breaks off.  They continue to have an open relationship even though the good doctor has moved on to some blonde tart who is much younger than Jean.   Throughout the picture Jean brings up her prestigious degree in education and how much smarter she considers herself, especially when compared to Hy’s latest bimbo.  If she's so smart then why the heck does she stay with this creep?  Oh right, it's because Hy is the sole doctor who prescribes a number of uppers and downers for her.

Jean says she still loves Hy but the real reason is she loves his drugs.  Smart women make poor choices.  How very noir of the film, as the opening credits montage indicates to us.  It's unclear what Mrs. Harris wants to be.  What are we supposed to take away from this semi biographical pic?  We can't feel sorry for Jean because there aren't any redemptive qualities to her character.  She and Hy's relationship turns into dependency and nothing is ever progressed or resolved.  We are left going circles.  Just leave him!  

Mrs. Harris is a conflicting film that leaves us out in the cold.  The necessary connections to enjoy this film on some level are never made.  The subject matter is hardly attention grabbing with plot points that aren't worth caring about.  The film gives us the impression that Jean is an important person who has been walked all over her whole life and has real problems.  Yes, this is a true story and Jean Harris was a real person.  However, Mrs. Harris led such a depressing and tiresome life that it plays out more like a soap opera.  The performances from the film's two leads are there but the story sure isn't.  Benning and Kingsly have done far better work with much more engaging scripts.  Mrs. Harris is much like the Scarsdale diet, a low intake in just about everything.

Seven Days with Norma Jeane Mortenson

"My Week with Marilyn"

Actress Michelle Williams has done a decent job of distancing herself from the teen drama Dawson's Creek since it went off the air back in 2003.  Since then she has appeared in Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island, Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain, and Charlie Kaufman's Synecdoche, New York.  She has also earned two Oscar nominations from her work on Brokeback Mountain and last year's Blue Valentine.  Williams' latest feature could quite possibly get her a third nomination from the Academy of Motion Pictures for her stunning portrayal of Marilyn Monroe in My Week with Marilyn.  

Twenty-three year old film student Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne) is ready to start his career behind the camera.  He eagerly goes down to Sir Lawrence Olivier's production company in search of work.  After patiently biding his time Colin is hired on as Olivier's (Kenneth Branagh) third assistant director (a very crucial role on set.)  Olivier is about to start production on The Prince and the Showgirl and has cast Ms. Monroe in the lead.  The film comes at a time when Marilyn's career is at its highest.  Unfortunately she fails to impress Olivier and the rest of his cast and crew with her preposterous demands, incredible unprofessionalism, and inability to act.  The one person who instantly seems to fall under the spell of her magnetism is Colin.  He gets to know Marilyn on a much more personal level and becomes infatuated with her, heeding to her every request.  This also allows Colin to experience the real Marilyn Monroe, the one the public never gets to see.  Underneath the alluring beauty of this movie star lies the tragic mess of a woman. 

Williams is simply stunning in capturing all the glitz, glamour, and heartache of the blonde bombshell.  She does a fine job of showing us just how truly intoxicating her personality was.  How could anyone stay mad at her?  Even Olivier eventually breaks down in admitting the stupor she can leave a man in.  Williams also shows us the emptiness and detachment Marilyn has suffered that stems from her childhood as well as her addiction to pain killers.  We get swept up in her performance.  We aren't watching Michelle Williams do a caricature of Marilyn Monroe, she is Marilyn Monroe.  Branagh is also a delight to watch in the supporting role of the great Olivier.  His little quips and boiling frustrations as he attempts to direct his leading lady prove to be quite humorous.

My Week with Marilyn is a strong character piece that showcases some fantastic performances from its lead and supporting actors.  This is only but a glimpse in to the life of one of Hollywood's most attractive, elegant, and hypnotic women to have ever graced the silver screen.  There is no question that Williams owns this role and deserves the highest praise for her work on such an iconic figure.  This is a role that requires not only a lot of attention to detail but also a careful understanding of what it must have felt like to walk in Marilyn's high heels.  After watching this film you too will feel as though you have been in the presence of someone special.  This makes out to be one unforgettable week for sure. 

      

Good Luck Getting the Whole Truth

"Reversal of Fortune"

We have laws in place for a reason.  Lawyers, judges, juries, they all serve a purpose in our society.  Sometimes though the court system can be let's say... funny.  Reversal of Fortune is a film that flips our judiciary on its head in hopes of favoring one Mr. Claus Von Bülow (Jeremy Irons.)  He believes he was wrongfully convicted of crime he did not commit.  When Von Bülow's wealthy wife Sonny (Glenn Close) is put into a vegetative state, many questions arise from how she got to be in her seemingly permanent coma.  Was Sonny's coma self inflicted or was her husband up to something much more devious?  A jury convicted Claus of being the one solely responsible for his wife's condition.  This forced Mr. Von Bülow to enlist the help of attorney Allen Dershowitz (Ron Silver) to represent him in an appeals case to overturn his attempted murder conviction.

Based on actual events from Dershowitz's novel of the same name, Reversal of Fortune is a legal thriller that brings the phrase, "innocent till proven guilty" to mind.  Is Claus Von Bülow actually guilty, who's to say?  Dershowitz and his crack team of law students make a compelling case for Claus whilst trying to withhold any prejudices of their own they may have about him.  The film is told in a series of past and present sequences showing us the sparse ups and the myriad of downs in the Von Bülow marriage.  There are also scenes of Dershowitz and his crew compiling sufficient evidence that they believe will hold up in court.  These are all intertwined together to create a complex web of possible truths, half truths, and lies.

The source material here is quite good because it shows us an instance in the breakdown of the United States court system.  The dialogue we are treated to through the sublime performance from Irons is interesting to listen to.  Here is a man who has clearly been in an unhappy marriage for quite some time which leads us to think he was one who did the unthinkable.  This is merely scratching the surface.  While the film does take us in different directions, we don’t ever feel jerked around or toyed with.  Von Bülow is at his most vulnerable state but he never lets us see that.  Irons plays a real charmer.  Claus is cool, calm, and collected through the whole ordeal.  There's an air about him that leads us to believe he knows exactly what he's doing.  To describe Von Bülow as creepy would be too strong of a word, but unsettling or even better, strange is more appropriate.

Irons and director Barbet Schroeder give us an unforgettable character with an interesting story line that's a cut above the average legal thriller.  This is a more than just the issue of right and wrong.  It's not about beating the system but rather showing cracks in the judicial process when the evidence is dreadfully insufficient.  Dershowitz is up for the challenge no matter the moral cost he might suffer from the case.  Reversal of Fortune is one of those films that stay with you for days after watching it.  The film isn't necessarily unbelievable, but more of an, "I can't believe that actually happened" sort of flicks.

Save Me Lord Longford

"Longford"

Prior to winning an Oscar for his work on The King's Speech very few people knew who director Tom Hooper was.  He was probably better known throughout Britain for his work on numerous television shows.  It was only more recently that he stepped in to making films.  Hooper's first feature was an HBO original film called Longford.  After watching this film you'll have a better understanding of Mr. Hooper's directing style and why he went on to win at the Academy Awards.

Longford deals with the incredibly unpleasant subject matter of Myra Hindley (Samantha Morton.)  For those who are unfamiliar with this notorious name echoed throughout Great Britain during the 1960's, let's recap.  Myra and her lover Ian Brady (Andy Serkis) were both given life sentences for the horrendous atrocities they committed.  Their crime?  Murder.  More specifically, the murder at least three children.  Myra is vilified more so than Brady by the public because (as the film points out) she is a woman and women aren't generally seen as murderous psychopaths.  When she reaches out to Lord Longford (Jim Broadbent), who is known for his constant pledges to get reformed criminals released from prison, he is taken aback at how calm her demeanor and appearance is.  Could she have really killed all those kids?  Is this the face of a monster?  Those are the questions he keeps asking himself throughout the picture.  Longford is bound and determined to see Hindley eventually released from prison despite what his wife Elizabeth (Lindsay Duncan) and the rest of the general public thinks.  "If people think that makes me weak... or mad... so be it. That is the path I am committed to. To love the sinner, but hate the sins. To assume the best in people, and not the worst. To believe that anyone, no matter how evil, can be redeemed... eventually."  These lines of dialogue summarize his character’s approach to much of his life’s work quite well.  

This is an incredibly strong, character driven piece with a screenplay that has a theatrical quality about it.  These two characteristics were widespread in The King's Speech as well.  Hooper goes for minimal staging and camera movement giving his actors ample room to breathe.  He also loves close ups.  By utilizing the close ups on each actor Hooper is able to achieve a form of intimacy with the audience.  We are put right in the middle of those conversations no matter how horrific they may get.  There's no escape.  

Hooper gets primo performances from his cast.  The two scenes with Broadbent and Serkis together are the best.  Serkis plays such a great sociopath with everlasting creepiness that fills the room.  He is mesmerizing to watch.  You can't keep your eyes off him when he's on screen.  Broadbent and Morton are strong too.  We don't exactly sympathize with Myra but there's a certain enticing quality about her that makes us want to listen to what she has to say.  Broadbent plays the conflicted Longford adeptly.  He has his religious convictions about him that guild him through his decision making skills which may be a turn off for some.  Unlike Dead Man Walking there's no other side of the coin here.  Longford never once goes to visit families of the victims.

It's plain to see Hooper's directing style is one to keep watching for years to come.  He is definitely an actor's director.  He relies on them to tell the story and lets his camera sit back as an observer.  These are people's lives we're watching unfold.  Despite its one-sidedness Longford is an intelligent and disturbing film that gives us a window into the minds of people who are quite deranged and rather manipulative.  Hooper has a good understanding of the material and its characters.  He doesn't play with our emotions but instead gives us something to think about without being overly trite.

Celebrating Celluloid

"Hugo"

 

Words that come to mind when one thinks of the films from Martin Scorsese: violent, brutal, gangster, intense.  It is true that these terms do describe some of his pictures.  However Scorsese's newest feature, Hugo is nothing like anything he has ever done before.  The legendary filmmaker takes a walk on the wild side with his first family film that also happens to be his first attempt in 3D as well.  For fans of Scorsese's work may adhere to skepticism, rest assured Hugo is another solid effort from the director.

Newcomer Asa Butterfield plays the title role.  Hugo Cabret is an orphan living in the mechanical clockworks behind a Paris train station during the 1930's.  When a fire takes Hugo's father (Jude Law) away, he is left to fend for himself all alone in the world, no thanks to his alcoholic Uncle Claude (Ray Winstone.)  Before Uncle Claude leaves town he teaches his nephew how to wind all the clocks throughout the station.  This keeps Hugo immensely busy when he's not pinching a pastry or pocketing particular pieces of machinery to finish a discarded automaton that he and his father had been working on.  The foundling's thievery attracts some unwanted attention from the station master (Sacha Baron Cohen) and a very grouchy George Méliès (Ben Kingsly) who owns a shop in the station.  Beneath Méliès' irritable exterior lies his secretive past that Hugo and Méliès' Goddaughter Isabelle (Chloe Grace Moretz) must uncover which also might be the key to getting the mysterious automaton up and running again.

At slightly over two hours this is a pretty long family film so use discretion if you want to bring the wee ones along for this ride.  Hugo's story takes some time to get going, which is fine if you're one of the adults in the crowd.  The film has a surprising amount of depth and emotion that gradually makes you fall in love with the characters.  The character of Hugo embodies the reoccurring theme Scorsese has in every picture of his, acceptance.  This is a boy who lost the one person he held dear.  Who does he belong to now?  Where does he fit into society?  Butterfield brings a great deal of innocence to the role and easy gains our sympathies.  He holds his ground acting alongside Kingsly and Law, and even Christopher Lee.  This kid has a bright future ahead of him.

Scorsese has made it well known over the years that he loves the cinema.  This film showcases his abundant passion for the craft of filmmaking by taking us on a mini history lesson on the invention of the movie camera.  The images the device is able to capture, the stories it is able to tell, and the way films make us feel every time we sit in a darkened theater are all embedded throughout Hugo.  He is able to recreate some of the oldest of old school filmmaking techniques dating back to the earliest days of cinema thanks to his crew of top notch regulars.  Scorsese and his team should be commended for this beautiful adoration to the art of filmmaking.

Over the past ten years or so, Scorsese has really expanded his repertoire by giving us an incredibly interesting array of films.  He is one of those directors that just keep getting better with age.  Every frame of his has such passion and craft that is lacking from so many other modern pieces of cinema.  It's a joy to watch him tackle another genre seemingly with ease.  Hugo is the type of film that should appeal to the masses and for good reason.  Whether you’re young or old, Hugo can be appreciated on a number of levels.  This is a film from a director who has remained at the top of his game for quite some time now and shows no signs of weakness.  Hugo is a reminder of why we love movies.  Bravo Mr. Scorsese!