The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The subtitle to this Swedish pot boiler is Men Who Hate Women. They should've stuck with that title, as you'll scarcely find a film with more angry, blinding violence perpetrated against women than you will here. One couple, who I thought was a little flaky even before the show started, walked out roughly an hour into the story after a particularly brutal rape scene. Unfortunately for them it was at that point the film really started to come together into an intelligent, crime mystery with a central character that I'm dying to see more of.That character is Lisbeth Salander, played with uncommon ferocity by Noomi Rapace. Lisbeth is a computer hacker by trade; a tattooed, body pierced punk by appearance. She's had a violent history of abuse stretching back years, growing up a ward of the State over various crimes. Her parole officer is a scumbag who abuses his power over her in the worst ways imaginable. Hers is not a life meant to be peaceful. She finds herself captivated by the cold case of a missing girl who vanished 40 years earlier. It's being investigated by a disgraced magazine publisher, Mikael Blomkvist, who comes to serve as her emotional anchor and mentor of sorts.
Based on the worldwide best selling series of novels by Stieg Larsson, of which all three books have already been made into features(an American remake is already on the way), I expected something a little less conventional in story. With the exception of Lisbeth, the story is nothing that can't be found on an episode of Cold Case, involving secretive relatives, religious fanatics, and red herrings. In effect the crime is secondary to what really propels the story, and that's the relationship between Lisbeth and Mikael, which is handled with maturity and some light moments of comedy. With all three films already made, we know the story will continue, but I wish it hadn't felt like the first part of a larger arc.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Diary of a Wimpy Kid does what any good kid film does, and that's speak to a certain truth we all can relate to. For instance, middle school. When the story's diminutive main character, Greg(Zachary Gordon), agonizes over how illogical the entire premise is(dudes who are shaving compared to growth spur free kids like himself), I can certainly relate. In my middle school there were guys who had alimony and mortgage payments to make, compared to skinny pencilnecks like yours truly.
Greg is an ambitious kid, with that most familiar of goals: to be popular. He thinks himself in the top 20 most popular kids in school...unfortunately school hasn't even started yet. When it does, he finds that reality might be a bit harsher than he thought. His best friend, Rowley(Robert Capron, who stole the entire film he's so good), is loyal and likable but ain't exactly ready for the cruel rigors of adolescence. He still wears t-shirts with his mom's picture on 'em. If Greg's going to reach his full popular potential, he's going to have to curve Rowley's childish tendencies, all the while avoiding the dreaded "Cheese Touch"; bullies in red pick-up trucks; gym class embarrassment; and oh yeah, there are girls to deal with now. Chloe Moretz(500 Days of Summer, Kick-Ass) shows up as Angie, the school newspaper editor who's wise beyond her years.
Wimpy Kid is based off a series of novels by Jeff Kinney, which started out as an internet cartoon. The film seamlessly weaves in stick figure cartoons that emulate the look of the series. Some of the funniest moments are Greg's interpretations of the people who populate his little middle school world. A fun family film with some hilarious scenes(Rowley and his Mom's dance off!) that brought back more than a few memories. The ending might've been too simple and clean, but those in the target audience won't find much to complain about.
