Movie Review: BEGINNERS

BEGINNERS

2011
R


"Our good fortune allowed us to feel a sadness our parents never had the time for."
-- Oliver Fields

Beginners is a 2011 dramatic comedy directed by Mike Mills that tells a non-linear story of two generations of romance. The story moves back and forth between flashbacks and present day as Oliver Fields (Ewan McGregor) comes to terms with two major life events: his 75-year-old father Hal (Christopher Plummer) coming out as a homosexual, and his father's ultimate death at the hands of a cancerous tumor. In the aftermath of his father's death, Oliver meets a young actress named Anna (Mélanie Laurent) with whom he starts a relationship despite the fact that he has been less than successful in past romances. The audience learns about Oliver's father through Oliver's memories and the stories he tells Anna, all while they both try to cope with their own life struggles.

I've been meaning to watch Beginners since it made its initial theatrical run last June, and after it scored some early praise, I had a feeling it might resurface come awards season. After nabbing an Academy Award nomination for Plummer in his supporting role, I knew I had to give it a view before the ceremony. It seemed quirky and offbeat, and I'm generally a sucker for films like that.

While I don't have overwhelming praise for this film, I do have to say that it was incredibly well-made and offers quite the experience for the viewer. The non-linear screenplay is going to be hit-or-miss with most viewers - you're either going to love it or hate it depending on your personal preferences. When the film isn't telling the main character stories, it's delving into a series of compare-and-contrast moments between Oliver's present-day livelihood and either his father's, his mother's or Anna's past. It may seem a little off-putting at first, but it also brings a little bit of charm and originality to this story, as well as adds another dimension to the Oliver character. In a way, this film works more as a character study than a story-oriented movie. We're given three principal characters - Oliver, Anna and Hal - each of whom has their own quirks and oddities that ultimately create who they are. All of them have issues with which to deal, and in a way, that's what makes them all the more interesting. I can honestly say I can't remember the last time I've related as much to a character as I did with the Oliver character in this film, though I haven't decided whether that's good or bad just yet. We're getting very thorough character studies with beautiful arcs; if that isn't reason enough to watch this one, then I don't know what is.

Because the characters are so well-written, it stands to say that the acting should be just as fantastic. While I wasn't exactly blown away by the performances, I did think that our three main actors all did their best with how the screenplay was written. Most of the praise has been for Plummer's supporting role: he's already won at the BAFTAs, the SAG Awards and the Golden Globes, and we're still waiting for the Oscar ceremony. Despite this, I personally wasn't sure why he deserved all this hoopla. Yes, he's great in the role, but a part of me wonders whether all these ceremonies are simply trying to honor an older actor who hasn't won much during his career. He didn't nab his first Oscar nomination until his performance in 2009's The Last Station, and after losing that, one could make the argument that the awarding parties may want to throw Plummer a bone this time around. And I'm not pulling this idea out of thin air: a lot of people assumed Colin Firth would win last year's Best Actor race at the Oscars for The King's Speech after he lost the previous year for his performance in A Single Man. But I suppose we'll just have to wait and see. I thought McGregor was very good in his role, and Laurent does a fine job with the limited amount of screentime she actually receives despite being the central female character in the film.

Still, despite the misgivings I've just mentioned, Beginners still manages to strike quite the emotional chord, for me at least. Having only recently laid my grandfather to his eternal rest, the sentiments of losing an aging loved one resonate quite strongly with me. And my ability to relate with the Oliver character was rather eye-opening, so that only fueled the emotions I felt throughout the film. Will you have the same emotional reaction? Who knows. Maybe I'm just an anomaly, and everyone else simply thought it was a well-made film. You be your own judge.

Movie Review Summary
Grade: B+
1.5 Thumbs Up

Movie Review: THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO

2011
R


"The fear of offending is stronger than the fear of pain."
-- Martin Vanger

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a 2011 film directed by David Fincher that serves as a remake of the 2010 Swedish film Män som hatar kvinnor, which in turn was an adaptation of the late Stieg Larsson's 2005 novel of the same name. After he is sued for allegedly offering incorrect information about a high-level businessman, Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) is offered the chance to retaliate if he can aid aging patriarch Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer) in discovering the details surrounding his niece's disappearance nearly forty years earlier. Mikael has luck in the early stages of his investigation, but as time goes by and fewer and fewer clues surface, he enlists the help of a young hacker named Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara), who happens to be the person who exposed the miscues that led to his being sued. As the two dig deeper into the secrets that lie within the Vanger family history, they find a very convoluted plot that slowly begins to unfold, leading them to a strange and dangerous ending.

When I first heard about the proposed remake of the Swedish adaptations of Larsson's Millennium trilogy, I have to say I was a tad bit worried for a few reasons. First, I wondered whether initiating a remake so quickly after the success of the Swedish films was a good idea. The first of those films was released in Sweden in 2009 and hit the United States in 2010, so U.S. audiences only had to wait another year for an English-language version. While some quick remakes have found success (i.e., 2010's Let Me In, which was a remake of the 2008 Swedish Låt den rätte komma in, or Let the Right One In), I was still a little concerned about the prospects for this particular franchise. Secondly, because of the way the storyline is crafted, I could only think of a few possible directors that could have handled the remake. When it was announced that David Fincher would be taking the helm, some of my worries were silenced, but I still held a little bit of doubt. Ultimately, there wasn't any way I was going to be able to watch this film without comparing it to its Swedish predecessor, so I hope you'll forgive me if this turns into more of a compare-and-contrast piece than a straight-forward review.

There isn't much to say in terms of the film's screenplay that I didn't already say in my review of the Swedish version, which you can read here. I found Steven Zaillian's script to be tightly-written and intriguing, but I did have a few issues that probably serve as nitpicking more than anything else. One of my biggest issues was the fact that, while the film takes place in Sweden, every character happens to speak in English. Normally this wouldn't be much of an issue, but the fact that the filmmakers chose to leave all of the visually-written objects - including signs, posters and car decals - in Swedish threw me a little off. While I'm hearing English being spoken, I'm seeing words in Swedish, and it just took me a little out of the movie. That's not necessarily a good thing for any film, much less one that's throwing you so much information on a consistent basis that you need to be able to keep up.

We are getting a rather good ensemble cast, although I'm not sure it quite measures up to the one from the film it's following. Mara and Craig are fine as our leads, and Mara is getting quite a bit of praise for her performance, but I personally didn't think she came close to being as effective as Noomi Rapace was in her role. I was pleasantly surprised to see Christopher Plummer's turn in this one, even if his role didn't consist of much screen-time. Also be on the lookout for fine performances from the likes of Robin Wright, Stellan Skarsgård and Joely Richardson, who help fill out the cast list nicely.

At the end of the day, I thought that The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo did enough to keep me engaged, but I couldn't help but think that it just wasn't quite as good as the original 2010 film. Although it hasn't garnered much success at the box office, both of the series' sequels have received the green-light for production, so be on the watch for Mara and Craig to team up twice more in the next few years. Still, if you are looking to watch this film, I honestly think you should at least give the Swedish adaptation a chance. This one is good, but it's just a half-step behind its predecessor.

Movie Review Summary
Grade: B+
1.5 Thumbs Up

Trailer Breakdown: THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO

A teaser trailer has been released for the upcoming American remake of the Swedish film Män som hatar kvinnor, which translates to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. That film was the first of the Millennium trilogy and was based on a series of novels written by Stieg Larsson. I reviewed the original film in December, giving it a rather glowing review. It even fared well enough to nab three nominations in my personal "Best of 2010" list, so that should say quite a bit about its overall quality. When I first heard about the remake, my immediate thought was, "Well, of course they're going to remake it. That's what we do as Americans." However, as I heard the list of cast and crew grow, my feelings of worry slowly started to dissipate. Could we actually be getting a legitimate remake? I suppose we'll have to wait and see. Here's the new teaser trailer for your viewing pleasure. I'll break it down after the jump.

And now for some thoughts and questions that came up while I was watching the trailer:

1. This trailer is ridiculously fast-paced. Should we expect that from the actual film?
At the end of the day, this is just a teaser trailer, and it should be taken as such. It's purpose is to give us a taste as to what we might see in the film, so I'm not sure whether we should take any of the pacing style here and assume it will convey to the actual feature film. I personally thought that the original Swedish film was a little on the slow side, but that ultimately worked towards its advantage. The plot was so intricate that it almost needed to be a little bit slow in order for it to be understandable. This American remake, however, has David Fincher at the helm. He's known for creating some fast-paced flicks (i.e., 1999's Fight Club; 2010's The Social Network), but he's also shown he can slow it down (i.e., 2008's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button). Despite the blinding speeds shown in this teaser, I think the final product will end up being a little bit slower. However, if it does maintain a fast pace, I couldn't think of a director other than Fincher that I'd rather have handling it.

2. What's the storyline of the film?
There really isn't much in this teaser to get people interested in any semblance of a story. I think that this particular trailer works more as a means to grab the attention of people who may already be fans of the novels or the original Swedish films. Everything moves so quickly that it's almost impossible to understand anything that's going on if you don't have prior knowledge of the story. Still, the fast pace could draw some into the trailer in the hopes that they'll be receiving an action thriller come December. The trailer just doesn't give much in terms of guessing what might happen in the film. If you already know the story, then you're one step ahead.

3. Since we're not getting any clues to the storyline, what can we get from the trailer?
Because we're simply given a string of flashing scenes for nearly one hundred seconds, I think the thing that most viewers will take away are the actors featured within the trailer. For those of you paying attention, you'll be happy to find the following actors and actresses who will be holding important roles within the film: Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Christopher Plummer, Stellan Skarsgård, Robin Wright, Embeth Davidtz and Joely Richardson. It's a pretty legitimate cast list, if I do say so myself. Will they be able to hold up to the Swedish original? We'll have to wait and see.

4. Who covered "Immigrant Song" for the trailer?
I'm not quite sure as to the reasons behind using Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" in this teaser trailer, but I can say that I'm thoroughly impressed with the rendition offered by Academy Award-winner Trent Reznor and Karen O. It adds to the overall pace of the trailer, and it gives us a little taste of what we might be hearing once the final product hits theaters. Reznor is helming the score, of course.

5. "The feel bad movie of Christmas?"
Having seen the original film, I'd have to say that this might be the perfect tagline moving forward. I don't want to get into too many specifics about the storyline for fear of ruining it for those of you who may not know the story already, but it's definitely a visceral experience that's going to leave you wondering just how to feel.

Overall, I'd say I'm pretty excited about the potential for this particular remake. Having been a fan of the original film, I'd have to say that I do have rather lofty expectations. However, with the direction of Fincher and the look of this trailer, I feel a lot more confident in my overall judgment.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo will hit theaters in the U.S. on December 21, 2011.

Movie Review: PRIEST

PRIEST

2011
PG-13

Priest is a 2011 action film directed by Scott Charles Stewart that takes place in a futuristic, alternate universe where humans and vampires have lived on Earth together since the beginning of time. Their relations, however, have always been violent, with the vampires having the upper hand until the church began to train "priests" to combat them. After a prolonged war, the priests subdued the vampires and placed the ones still living into reservations. The priests were then discarded and sent to fend for themselves in the world of man. One day, our lead Priest (Paul Bettany) learns his brother and sister-in-law have been killed by vampires, who then took his niece captive. Going against the wishes of Monsignor Orelas (Christopher Plummer), the church's current leader, Priest sets out to find his missing kin with the help of a local sheriff named Hicks (Cam Gigandet). In response, the church sends out a small group of priests to subdue our hero; this group is led by a Priestess (Maggie Q) who may or may not have the church's best interests in mind. As time continues to pass, both groups must do whatever they can to reach their objectives before the vampire menace can reach the cities and retake control.

Before I get into my dismantling of this particular film, I'd like to acknowledge that I had high hopes going into the screening. When I first heard about Priest last year - I had the opportunity to see it at an advance screening but couldn't make the time - it sounded like another bit of rote action bits in the vein of 2010's Legion (which also starred Bettany). As I mentioned in my 2011 Summer Movie Preview, where I listed Priest as the film I was ninth-most excited to see this summer, all I've heard in the past few months was how excited all the cast and crew have been since wrapping their shoot. Bettany even went on to claim that it's the best screenplay he's read in years. All of their excitement got me a little jazzed up about this one, but in the end, I was sorely disappointed.

The reason Priest doesn't work is because we get a shoddy screenplay that doesn't offer much in terms of story, character development or dialogue. The story is relatively straight-forward, but it's so predictable that I found it difficult to keep myself engaged with each successive event. In terms of a character arc, I don't really think we're getting much. Then again, this isn't necessarily the type of film that needs one, so perhaps I'm being a tad harsh in that regard. And oh, the dialogue. My readers will know that I'm a bit of a stickler for some realistic conversation. By realistic conversation, I mean dialogue that fits the scene and the film and doesn't make me laugh or roll my eyes at whatever the character is saying. Unfortunately, this is where Priest truly falls short. There were quite a few moments while I watched the film that I found myself rolling my eyes or chuckling at some of the lines being delivered. When your audience can't even get involved with the dialogue, then there's major problems with your screenplay.

That being said, I can't bash the actors too much considering the level of drivel with which they had to work. Everyone was just a little too over-the-top for my personal tastes, but perhaps you'll enjoy it a little more than I did. Bettany, who I usually love and was one of those listed on my post of favorite actors, was probably the worst of the lot, to the point where it feels like he almost mailed in his performance. Plummer gives a decent performance in his limited amount of screen-time, but he's so underutilized that it almost isn't worth mentioning him here. Even Karl Urban, who I usually enjoy, brings a little bit more badness to the screen. I realize that the script wasn't great, but great actors find ways to level the playing field, so to speak.

The visual effects were rather good, if I do say so myself. I didn't see the film in 3D - I'm staunchly against the third-dimension when it comes to movie theaters, so I wouldn't outright recommend seeing Priest that way - but the visuals might look nice in that regard.

Overall, Priest is probably a movie you'll want to avoid. I wasn't very fond of the aforementioned Legion, but that film (which I gave a "C" grade) was miles ahead of this one. Save your money and wait until you can rent it.

Movie Review Summary:

Grade: F
1.5 Thumbs Down