The Reel Best & Worst Films of 2011, Part 2

2011 was a year of quantity over quality; box office numbers and attendance were down, and most of the top releases this year did not have that gotta-have-it-right-away appeal for first-day Blu-ray buyers. There might not have been a lot of great films, but were a ton of very good films, with many of them coming from the independent circles; many of the smaller releases reviewed better than the big-nuts studio productions (BLACKTHORN reviewed better than COWBOYS & ALIENS, for example).

Reel Speak reviewed 52 movies in 2011, nine of which went towards the Worst List. So whittling down 43 to just ten was a difficult task. Honorable mention must be given to HUGO, DRIVE, SHAME, THE SKIN I LIVE IN, THE IDES OF MARCH, BLACKTHORN, MONEYBALL, HIGHER GROUND, RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, THE BEAVER, THE MUSIC NEVER STOPPED, THE TREE OF LIFE and LEBANON, PA. All fine films.

Now on to business:

Reel Speak readers are certainly aware that there is no such thing as indecisiveness on this blog. With that in mind, no one should have a problem with a TIE for the no. 10 spot; not because this Blogger can’t make up his mind, but because the two films are remarkably similar in many ways. Both TAKE SHELTER and MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE are psychological mind-benders in which their main characters are tortured by a pending threat which may or may not be real. One film answers the question definitively, the other does not…but both methods work in the storytelling and with messing with the viewers head. Both are composed with an atmosphere so looming that you’re glancing over your shoulder, and both have outstanding performances by their leads (Michael Shannon for SHELTER, and Elizabeth Olsen for MARLENE).

Rounding out the trio of brain messer-withers is Lars Von Trier’s deeply atmospheric and tragic MELANCHOLIA. Composed more than crafted, MELANCHOLIA paints an intimate portrait of worldwide Armageddon from the unique perspective of two depressed people, and therein lays the genius; a depressed person is always feeling the end of the world, so why not put them in it for real? Characters rule here; there are no toppling bridges, no collapsing buildings or exploding national monuments, just pure raw emotion driven mostly by a career defining performance by Kirsten Dunst.

The tragedy in THE DESCENDANTS is a bittersweet one, as it tells the all important story of how good things can emerge out of great loss. The theme is centered on a broken family, and the characters are fleshed out so well it is hard to believe that anyone would have problems relating to them or the film. Beautifully shot in Hawaii, THE DESCENDANTS centers around an unexpected emotional performance by George Clooney that is bursting with raw feelings. Despite the tragedy in the story, this is one of the feel-good films of the year.

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO feels like the film David Fincher has been making his entire lifetime. All the best elements of his better efforts over the years are present, and this Blogger cannot think of a better director who was perfect for this adaptation. Thick with mystery and deeply atmospheric, TATTOO’s star is the cold and distant Lisbeth, played perfectly by Mara Rooney on many levels. The real super-sleuth of 2011 is Lisbeth, and a certain Downey Jr. ought to take notice.

If you have names like Gary Oldman, John Hurt, Toby Jones and Colin Firth in your film, you dang well better deliver something special; and special is exactly what TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY is. Outside of the incredible performances by the entire cast (Oldman in particular), the film brings the world of the 1970’s Cold War to life so well that you can feel the damp chill of London, the thick smell of tobacco and the sting of the whiskey glasses. Dense with plot and sharp dialogue, TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY is very much a film for grown-ups with mature minds; proving that you can have a film full of old men in three-piece suits sitting around talking and still be very, very good. A certain Guy Ritchie ought to take notice.

The animated film RANGO is inhabitated by talking animals. But make no mistake, RANGO is no kiddie film packed with fluffiness and sing-a-longs and toys. Gore Verbinski has created a film saturated in film lore; crafted with the Old West in mind and brought to life with the most stunning and breathtaking animation to date. The detail is jawdropping, but RANGO never rests alone on its visuals. It is a character piece, an adventure, a love story and a caper a rolled into one big fun barrel. RANGO was the most fun to be had in the theatre in 2011.

Thankfully, Steven Spielberg did not hire any talking animals for his WAR HORSE, but he still managed to make his four-legged beast Joey a likable character that everyone just had to root for. Set against a tragically magnificent backdrop of WWI, Spielberg returns to his old (and better) form by putting us on Joey’s back for an emotional journey. Despite its many twists and turns amidst a world gone mad, Spielberg still manages to make this film a simple tale about a boy and his horse. Only he can do that perfectly.

An emotional gut-punch is exactly what the mighty WARRIOR throws and you never see it coming. WARRIOR’s first stroke of genius is ditching the ROCKY formula in which the main character’s opponent is the villain, and instead makes the fighters people that we want to, and have to root for. The second stroke is making those two fighters brothers; brothers set against the backdrop of a broken family. Fueled by powerful performances by Joel Edgerton, Tom Hardy, and most especially Nick Nolte, the emotional power of WARRIOR sneaks up on you in a hurry. This Blogger hasn’t shed that many tears in the theatre since a certain KING made his RETURN.

Where WARRIOR went for the gut, the top two films go for the heart and are equally effective. Charming is the first word that comes to mind when writing about THE ARTIST; a black-and-white silent film telling the story about the downfall of silent film in the 1920’s. Less of a gimmick and more of an important story, THE ARTIST focuses a lot on character, and the important lesson of what happens when one can’t let go of the past unfolds silently. The silent-film treatment is a joy to watch and is brought to life by clever filmmaking and performances that have not been seen on the silver-screen in almost 100 years. THE ARTIST will be seeing gold.

Taking a nearly-obscure event in Hollywood history and turning it into a feature film is a difficult task, especially when the main character is one of the most beloved and fascinating figures who ever lived. Charming, romantic and fun, MY WEEK WITH MARILYN is the movie that sweeps you off your feet right away and never lets go. Not a biopic, MARILYN is instead a character study combined with a slight coming-of-age spin with loads of whimsical energy. The loveliness and mystery of Marilyn is brought to life by Michelle Williams in a breathtaking performance. MARILYN is the one film that had this Blogger smiling from ear-to-ear from beginning to end. That is a hard thing to do.

THE BEST OF 2011

10. TAKE SHELTER/MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE
9. MELANCHOLIA
8. THE DESCENDANTS
7. THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO
6. TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY
5. RANGO
4. WAR HORSE
3. WARRIOR
2. THE ARTIST
1. MY WEEK WITH MARILYN

The Reel Best & Worst Films of 2011, Part 1

Starting from the bottom-up…

2011 was a better year than 2010 from a standpoint of quantity; a year ago this time, putting together a list of the Top Ten Worst was a difficult task as there were many choices to mull over. This time around this Blogger could only find nine films worthy of being drubbed for their many faults. To be clear, this Blogger was sober enough to avoid critically-panned turds such as JACK & JILL, NEW YEAR’S EVE, THE THING, and THE THREE MUSKETEERS. The films listed here are the ones that had the potential to be decent, if not good; falling short of expectations is a major factor when judging, along with their own merits, if any.

So let’s take out the garbage…

Not meeting expectations is a big reason why Clint Eastwood’s J. EDGAR makes the Worst List. His biopic on J. Edgar Hoover may have featured some stellar acting by Leonardo DiCaprio, but Eastwood’s directing was bland and dull; leading to a very joyless affair that was un-interesting and snooze-inducing. Throw in some of the worst old-age make-up ever seen, and what you’ve got here is a failure to do anything right; no matter how high or low the expectations may have been.

Falling short again is Guy Ritchie in his second attempt at bringing Sherlock Holmes to life. His GAME OF SHADOWS film often flirted with greatness, only to prematurely pull out and shoot mindless video-game-like action sequences everywhere that were devoid of life. Entertaining, yes; but also empty with loud noises in place of plot and one too many naked fat guys for cheap laughs.

Years ago, Disney had a policy of never making a sequel unless they had a very good story to tell. That rule has gone out the window as of late, as the Mouse House now covets dollars more than standards. The result was the bland CARS 2 and PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES. Neither film carried a story anyone could give a hoot about, with the 4th entry in the PIRATES franchise suffering the most. Johnny Depp’s once Oscar-nominated character of (captain) Jack Sparrow was reduced to a parody of itself, surrounded by cheap-ass set pieces that looked like leftovers from a high school stage production. Throw in some boring action and a waste of a villain, and you’ve got a sinking ship.

Remakes and adaptations round out the Top (bottom) Five. Beginning with CONAN THE BARBARIAN, it is not clear if this was intended to be a remake of the 1982 film, or an adaptation of the novels or both; either way it didn’t matter as the film didn’t have anything in there to latch onto or care about, offering a rushed, paper-thin plot and looking a lot like a B or C-movie put together by the SyFy Channel.

The fantasy-spoof YOUR HIGHNESS might have been an original movie, but wound up being so bad one would wish they did try to remake something. HIGHNESS had a few neat ideas and often tried to pull a few Mel Brooks-esque gags, but unfortunately everything gave way to Danny McBride’s fart and dick jokes; not even Natalie Portman in her glorious thong could save this one. The same must be said of THE GREEN HORNET adaptation, which had a few moments of fun but also became just a vehicle for Seth Rogen and his (sigh) fart and dick jokes.

THE GREEN LANTERN may have been very ambitious, and looked like they had the perfect Hal Jordan cast in Ryan Reynolds. However, the film displayed no logic and less substance than the many LANTERN cartoons that have been produced over the years. It was wrought with awful dialogue, CGI-overloaded action and overall felt disjointed. If DC Comics ever wants to compete with Marvel for real in the movie business, they have to take things more seriously than this joke of a movie.

The Worst of 2011 not only falls dreadfully short of expectations, but fails miserably as a movie. Johnny Depp’s second venture into Hunter S. Thompson territory peaked a lot of interest from a lot of people, however THE RUM DIARY wound up being so abysmal the studio shelved the bloody thing for three years before finally releasing it to an unsuspecting public. The film had no plot to speak of, no theme, and had acting so cartoonishly ridiculous it made Fozzie Bear look like Sir Laurence Olivier. Many of these faults may have been able to earn forgiveness had the film put together a decent ending, however THE RUM DIARY wrapped with one of the lamest, cop-out conclusions this Blogger can ever remember; it offered zero closure and made the entire ride feel like a waste of time, a waste of talent, and an overall wasted opportunity. Fuck this movie forever.

THE WORST OF 2011

9. J.EDGAR
8. CARS 2
7. PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES
6. SHERLOCK HOLMES GAME OF SHADOWS
5. CONAN THE BARBARIAN
4. YOUR HIGHNESS
3. THE GREEN HORNET
2. THE GREEN LANTERN
1. THE RUM DIARY

A Reel Review: THE ARTIST

For the current short-attention span movie audience who needs everything spelled out for them in five minutes or less, sitting through a black-and-white silent film would likely be torture equal to nails on a chalkboard, and cynical audiences may look at a silent film made in 2011 as a gimmick to gain attention. THE ARTIST is neither; it is a silent film telling the story of the death of silent film in the 1920’s. That is its hook, its magic, and its gift.

In 1927 Hollywood, George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) is a silent movie superstar. He meets Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo), a talented actress and dancer looking to break into the business, and the two fall for each other. George encourages her, inspires her, and gets the studio boss Mr. Zimmer (John Goodman) to give her a role. Peppy embraces the new technology of “talking film”, and her career skyrockets. George meanwhile sees the new “talkies” as a perversion of the art and turns his back on it, and his career plummets.

THE ARTIST occasionally flirts with making a statement about the art of filmmaking being lost due to new and evolving technology, but wisely lets it fall to the background to focus on the characters. George is a stubborn devotee to his art; Peppy is young and eager to embrace her new world. One falls, one rises, and yet their fates seem to be interlinked throughout. Peppy struggles to keep George from falling into a booze-fueled, self-destructive spiral as his career, money and success disappears, and that is the heart of the story in THE ARTIST; the old being helped by the new.

Director Michel Hazanavicius (gezhundite) executes the world of silent film so well you’d think he’d been doing it since the 1920’s. The absence of sound is never used as a gimmick, and is instead a major part of the storytelling. It is impossible to have the story of THE ARTIST told with sound, as its heart and soul lies in the art of silent film; the gorgeous black-and-white cinematography is a sight to behold and love. The titlecards serve as dialogue and to move the plot forward in some very clever ways, and are augmented by a magnificent score that is true to the period and somehow sounds modern. Hazanavicius also employs some clever metaphors here and there; such as a powerful and emotional scene where George stares at a blank movie screen after his career ends.

Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo are perfect for the roles and also feel like they’ve been silent film stars for years. In a visual style where expressions and body language are so important, there is never a moment where we don’t know what the characters are feeling or thinking. It is perfect execution by the pair that is shared by the rest of cast, including John Goodman, Malcolm McDowell, James Cromwell, and Penelope Ann Miller.

In a current Hollywood where loud noises seem to rule, THE ARTIST is an absolute breath of fresh air and a charmer of a story. The timing of it is also perfect as the current movie industry deals with another internal battle; film vs. digital. THE ARTIST uses an old style to sell the future, and that seems to be its genius. Outside of all that, THE ARTIST will charm your heart away.

BOTTOM LINE: See it

A Reel Review: TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY

There is an early scene in TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY that is quite the Tell; Benedict Cumberbatch’s young character gets agitated as he angrily and unsuccessfully swats at a fly while driving, and the problem is eventually solved when Gary Oldman’s elder character simply opens a window. The scene sums up the film in this way: TTSS is not a movie for the impatient young mind, but for the mature wisdom that comes with age. It is a dense and brooding international spy thriller requiring patience, making much of current Hollywood “thrillers” seem like child’s play.

In 1973 Cold War era, the Chief of Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service, known as Control (John Hurt), suspects one of the men closest to him at the top to be a Russian spy (mole). This includes his top lieutenant George Smiley (Gary Oldman), Bill Haydon (Colin Firth), and Percy Alleline (Toby Jones), which he assigns unique codenames (hence the title of the movie). Control sends Agent Prideaux (Mark Strong) undercover to help extract the identity of the spy, but the mission ends badly, resulting in the resignations of Control and Smiley. After Control dies, Smiley is called out of retirement to secretly hunt for the spy again, this time with the help of disgraced agent Ricki Tarr (Tom Hardy) and new agent Peter Guillam (Benedict Cumberbatch).

As long as that above plot summary may seem, it barely scratches the surface of the many maze-like layers TTSS has. The secret to the mole’s identity seems to lie in the undercover mission which ended badly; how it came about, the immediate aftermath, and the ripple effects that lasted years later. The film then unfolds through a series of flashbacks, not always in chronological order; spreading the pieces of the puzzle across the table for us to piece together.

But piecing together that puzzle is not easy. Even with strict attention, clarity seems to be lacking here. A second viewing may be required to see if there is a “a-ha!” moment which reveals the mole’s identity, but it’s possible that there isn’t one; for TTSS is dense enough that the puzzle only makes sense when all the pieces come together at the end. But even with the complex plot, the film is a great watch.

Director Tomas Alfredson creates a great atmosphere powered by terse and tense dialogue as powerful as any cinematic gunfight or explosion, and still makes time for the great characters to grow and develop before our eyes. This is also a perfectly-executed period-piece; a world full of cigarette smoking, whiskey flasks in the office with rotary phones flanked by trenchcoats. In this 1970’s world, the mystery cannot be solved by gadgets, but by the mind.

Acting is superb, and it should be considering the heavyweight-champion cast. The most credit goes to Oldman, Hurt and Firth, and the film really reminds us how great they really are, and always have been. Bringing up the rear and equally impressive are Toby Jones, Mark Strong and Tom Hardy, with Hardy being barely recognizable. Perhaps the one gripe about the acting is that there are very few scenes in which these great actors get to face off against each other in an adversarial way; the few that do are so darn good that we just want more of it.

The reveal of the mole’s identity isn’t done with an attempt at a clever twist with loud noises and over-orchestration, and is instead executed with the subtle intensity the film carries throughout. TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY is indeed a bit of a maddening labyrinth to trek through, but like any good labyrinth has a pleasant reward at the center for those hearty enough to make it.

BOTTOM LINE: See it

A Reel Review: WAR HORSE

It can be argued that Steven Spielberg has not put together a knockout of a film since his 1998 WWII tale SAVING PRIVATE RYAN. Since then there have been noble efforts and outright disasters, all suffering some the same common problem of no real heart or emotion. A mediocre Spielberg can be better than most of the blockheads out there making movies these days, but the world has been missing the old Steven; the one that makes us laugh and cry all in one sitting. In his adaptation of WAR HORSE, Spielberg returns to the battlefronts of world war…and remembers to leave the Tin Man behind.

Albert (Jeremy Irvine) is a teen growing up in England just before the outbreak of WWI. His father Ted (Peter Mullan) and his mother Rose (Emily Watson) are about to lose their farm to their heartless landlord Lyons (David Thewlis). Ted purchases and young and spirited colt to help plow the fields and Albert forms an instant bond with the animal. The horse, named Joey, is eventually sold to the military when WWI breaks out. Albert enlists in the army himself, with the hopes of one day reuniting with his beloved horse.

WAR HORSE is an emotional journey right from the get-go. Joey and Albert’s bond is heartwarming and never feels corny or cliché. The early pressure of the family losing the farm and all that they have rest upon Joey and Albert’s belief in him, and it’s easy to get caught up in the drama and root for them both to succeed.

When the war arrives and separates the two, the film hits a whole new gear. The heartbreak Albert endures in losing his friend gut wrenching, but WAR HORSE is at its best when focusing on the adventures of Joey. Joey is eventually separated from his unit, and goes through a series of owners across the countryside throughout the war. The many people he meets feels episodic, but it works very well as the common thread of survival keeps things from becoming disjointed. Joey’s encounters bring him to both sides of the battle lines; at one point he is in the hands of the German army…the same unit that is firing upon Albert’s unit in the trenches.

Spielberg’s direction has not been this finely tuned in a long time. Every shot is composed beautifully; looking very much like a great work of art. WAR HORSE has a classic look and feel to it, and it overall feels timeless. The real triumph is the great “acting” that is done with Joey and the many other horses present; the actions and deeds the cast of horses must perform are amazing to see, (how do you get fifty horses to all look in the same direction at the same time?) and Spielberg finds ways to weave them into the story seamlessly; it never feels like a circus act.

Spielberg also manages to find ways for the audience to connect instantly with Joey; just one simple shot of the horse just makes wonder what he his thinking. All of this is brilliantly brought together by a GREAT score by John Williams.

There are great performances in WAR HORSE, with the bulk of the human credit going to Jeremy Irvine; His connection and emotion with Joey is very convincing. The supporting cast is also very good; from the many German and allied soldiers to the quaint villagers that Joey encounters.

WAR HORSE has many other storylines going other than Joey and Albert being separated by war, and each plotline comes together neatly and powerfully at the end. Spielberg has found a very good story in WAR HORSE, and he made it his own while giving us reasons to care; enough reasons to have us all reaching for the tissues more than once. WAR HORSE is a bittersweet tale; one of the best Steven has given us in a long time.

Welcome back, Steven.

BOTTOM LINE: See it

A Reel Review: THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN

The movies of Steven Spielberg in the last 13 years or so have very much been like the Tin Man from Oz; nice and shiny with no heart. In his film adaptation of THE ADVENTURES OF TITIN, Spielberg ventures into the world of motion-capture animation in collaboration with Peter Jackson, and backed by his old pal John Williams the stage seemed set for a fine return to the heartfelt glory the Bearded One was once known for.

Tintin (Jamie Bell) is an adventure-seeking reporter, who with his dog Snowy, comes across a model of the famed ship Unicorn; a famous ship in history which sank with a treasure. Tintin discovers that the model is one of three which contain clues to the treasure’s whereabouts. Tintin and Snowy are hunted by the diabolical Sakharine (Daniel Craig), and eventually run into Captain Haddock (Andy Serkis); who is the ancestor of the Unicorn’s captain on the night of her sinking.

So TINTN’s plot is not much more than a race-to-the-treasure tale. With a high-concept, mo-cap animation world, it was necessary to keep the main storyline simple for grounding. For the most part it works, although the many reveals are a bit clunky; one clue leads to another which leads to another, and in-between that are fantastic action sequences full of energy and wows. The action comes at you full-steam ahead, and only slows down to reveal another clue.

The hunt for the treasure and the big chase are just enough to keep TINTIN afloat, for in this adventure the characters are unfortunately left behind. Tintin the character is never explored; we never discover why he is the way he is or what his fascination is with adventure. With such a paper-thin main character, it’s difficult to really get caught up in the story. Younger audiences are likely to forgive this and see right past it, and it’s possible that older audiences will forgive it also…the film is just too damn fun to get grumpy over things like character development.

Spielberg is like a kid at Christmastime with his new technology. The worlds are rendered with astonishing detail; so lifelike they might as well just have shot it for real. As good as the world looks, it’s Spielberg’s talent to know what to do with it that makes TINTIN soar. His camera pulls off impossible real-world moves; ducking around corners, following our characters through city streets, and placing us dead-center into the action. The set-pieces are perfect for his imagination; pirate ships, cargo ships, deserts, airplanes, spooky houses and city streets are like a playground to him. John Williams gets to play too; providing a very fitting (albeit somewhat stock-sounding) whimsical score.

Motion Capture seems to have come a long way from the dead-eye look that the technology suffered through in its early days. The characters look great right down to the hairs on their arms. The astounding detail that went into the creation of the environments also goes into the characters; the faces of Haddock and Sakharine look just like Peter Jackson and Spielberg, respectively.

The voice talents are perfect throughout, with Daniel Craig and Andy Serkis stealing most of the show; what a treat it would be to see what those two actors looked like when they were recording their lines. Jamie Bell also does well with his lines, and smaller roles held by chums Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are also perfectly cast and played.

TINTIN is very much a delight to look at and live through; it is great fun and never bores. Tintin the character unfortunately gets lost in the TINTIN adventure, and that keeps any sort of heart coming out. TINTIN is another Tin Man for Spielberg, but unlike his others in the last 13 years, is worth seeing.

BOTTOM LINE: See it

A Reel Review: THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO

Director David Fincher’s adaptation of THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO is a film that is saturated with the man’s prior works. It has the shock value of SE7EN and FIGHT CLUB, the whodunit-ness of ZODIAC, and the subtle character drama of THE SOCIAL NETWORK. It is a film that he couldn’t make until this stage in his career, when all that he has learned and accomplished in the past finally pays off in a magnificent, triumphant way.

Mikael (Daniel Craig) is a disgraced magazine journalist who gets into legal and financial trouble after a story he writes with his editor (Robin Wright) is proven in court to be false. Looking for some redemption, he accepts an offer from Henrik (Christopher Plummer), the head of a rich family who lives on their own private island to solve the 40-year old mystery of a missing niece. Mikael enlists the help of Lisbeth (Rooney Mara), a freelance private investigator with a photographic memory and remarkable deductive reasoning skills.

To say much more about the plot of TATTOO would take up a lot of time and space, for the film is a dense story with several layers of mystery. Mikael and Lisbeth’s digging into the family history is a slow and prodding watch, but Fincher manages to keep things energetic and intriguing throughout; there is somehow always a foreboding feeling going on. The atmosphere that Fincher creates (thanks in part to Trent Reznor’s incredible score) hangs over everything so heavily you just may catch yourself looking over your shoulder while viewing.

TATTOO is not only successful in building a creepy and suspenseful mystery, but also in creating a great character drama in Mikael and Lisbeth’s stories. The two run parallel to each other for most of the film, but when they do finally meet, TATTOO really hits its groove. Mikael is an accomplished writer and gentleman who just wants to get something right. Lisbeth is a heavily tattooed, bisexual, chain-smoking punk-rock Goth girl whose crazy hair changes to suit her mood. She is a tragic character who has been shit upon her entire life and is desperate to find any sort of kindness and good in the world, which she does in the form of Mikael. The two cannot be more different on the surface, and more alike underneath.

Lisbeth owns the film; so much so that things seem to suffer whenever she is not in the frame. She is a super-sleuth, and very much a modern-day superhero. Her powers are her photographic memory, computer hacking-skills and modern gadgetry, and she’s not afraid to be bold when the situation gets deadly. TATTOO certainly sets a mighty stage for further Lisbeth adventures if they decide to forge ahead with the remaining two novels; she is a tremendous character.

Rooney Mara absolutely vanishes inside Lisbeth; it’s difficult to believe that this was the same cute girl from Fincher’s THE SOCIAL NETWORK. She nails the Swedish accent, along with the cold and detached look and feel that sells the character. She also convincingly pulls off the horror her character has to endure, when Lisbeth must go through what no woman should ever have to go through. Mara nearly upstages Daniel Craig, who is solid if not just a tad wooden.

The finale takes a long time to come around, as there are a ton of different storylines to wrap up. It does wrap up good and tight, and leaves a bit of an emotional cliffhanger that makes us want more. TATTOO is packed tight with a lot of story and character and is certainly not for the simple-minded, but those looking for the work of a refined and mature filmmaker with a talent for gripping storylines need not look further.

BOTTOM LINE: See it

A Reel Anniversary: The Fellowship and Beyond

In December of 2001, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING debuted in theatres.



The release of FELLOWSHIP, which was the first chapter in Peter Jackson’s trilogy of Oscar-winning films, was a dream come true for us book and film geeks. Deemed as “un-filmable” for over fifty years, seeing the characters and fantastic environments come to life on the big screen was an unforgettable experience. It was the first film in a franchise that would win 17 of its overall 30 Oscar nominations, including THE RETURN OF THE KING's historic sweep (including Best Picture) in 2003. The three films would also gross nearly $3 billion worldwide, and become the most significant entry into pop culture since STAR WARS.

On a small scale, there was something that happened to this Blogger and his friends that we did not expect. On a cold night in December 2001, under a very Tolkien-esque sickle-moon, I and a group of close friends gathered together at the magnificent confines of Cinemark theatres in Northeast Pennsylvania to view FELLOWSHIP for the first time. We had all been friends and colleagues prior to that night, but what happened after walking out of that theatre was something that not even The Wise could have foreseen.

Our own Fellowship was born. It was a term that we all latched on to. As in the film, we all connected with the theme of “fellowship”; where several individuals out of several backgrounds and beliefs came together, and stayed together. We referred to ourselves as The Fellowship from that night on; it was a term built out of friendship, brotherhood, and love.

Over the next two years, FELLOWSHIP and the following two films played a major part in our geek-lives. The films stayed in the theatres until the spring, the summer brought along the first peeks of sneak-previews and trailers, and fall delivered the DVD’s and eventual next theatrical chapter. We scoured the internet for glimpses of the next film, collected memorabilia, re-read the books and lived the films throughout the course of the year. It was a year-long celebration that lasted three years, and an experience we had not lived through since the early days of STAR WARS. And through it all, Our Fellowship grew stronger. What made it all the more special is that we all came back together each December, at the same place to see the next film; the same company, at the same theatre, for the same thing…three years in a row.



Our Fellowship proved to be strong outside of the ring of movies and geek-stuff; we gathered for libations, helped each other out through unexpected changes, and never let one another fall into shadow. Over the winding road of time there have many comings and goings, but the core of it endures.

This Blogger remembers his Fellowship in his own way every year; in a near-vigil like tribute, watching the trilogy only once a year…always in December.



Today, as in the films, Our Fellowship stands separated by time and distance. And just like in those movies, stands strong and steadfast despite the passing years, increasing miles, and life-altering changes. It is something we were never able to wrap our minds around and define, which is perhaps the way it should be; for the most powerful and special things in life should not be answered easily. Many things have changed since 2001, but we now remember our Fellowship by passing down our love for these films to new friends, lovers, and children. One stage of our journey may be over, but another is just beginning.

A Reel Anniversary: Ten Years this Month

A Reel Review: SHERLOCK HOLMES: GAME OF SHADOWS

One thing can be deduced easily when watching Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes movie adaptations; he must have been the kid who was bored out of his mind when watching the various TV adaptations that have been made based on the character. Those early works, whether it be a BBC production or Basil Rathbone feature, were admittedly chock full of old men sitting around talking, but still offered plenty of thinking-man’s drama. Ritchie’s final solution to the problem of making Holmes relevant to the current simple-minded YouTube generation is to pack the film tight with action, while occasionally stealing a page or two out of the source material. The end result in Ritchie’s SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS is a mish-mash of ideas that occasionally work.

Consulting detective Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) and his best friend Dr. John Watson (Jude Law) embark on a world-wide chase of the notorious criminal mastermind Prof. Moriarty (Jared Harris), who has embarked on a scheme to bring about world-wide destruction.

SHADOWS starts off with a literal bang; there is a huge explosion in the first 60 seconds (don’t any of you lot dare to poke fun at Michael Bay again), and it’s clear right away that this is a film searching for an identity; not knowing whether to be a straight-up actioneer or a crime-solving mind-game. It tries to do both; SHADOWS spends a lot of it’s time focusing on Holmes trying to outthink Moriarty and his thugs, and for the most part is interesting to watch. But, just when things feel like they are taking a turn for the smarter, SHADOWS takes a left turn into DIE HARD land, with plenty of gunfights and booms and bangs and explosions; tons of action sequences that do little to move things forward. The few thinking-man’s elements are outnumbered by the loud noises, and leaves SHADOWS feeling unbalanced.

Ritchie is clearly not realizing that lots of action does not always equal good drama, and another fault of SHADOWS is a missed opportunity in the chemistry between Holmes and Watson, who are incidentally being played by massive amounts of talent in the forms of Downey and Law, respectively. The two characters are given few opportunities to clash and contrast, and while they are good, they are just too few to leave a lasting impact. The few personal moments between the old friends are very good; ranging from Holmes’ loneliness to Watson’s search for stability.
Unfortunately for SHADOWS, the moments are not capitalized upon and leaves untapped talent and opportunities in the dust of its many explosions.

In crafting the film, Ritchie does manage to do well. The landscapes of London and various locations across the world are brought to life vividly. The ten-thousand action sequences do manage to be of some fun; even the ones that are ho-hum CGI driven. The many looks inside the inner-workings of Holmes and Moriarty’s minds are well executed, although seldom. The score is fairly magnificent, but does lack a memorable theme.

Downey seems to suffer from the film’s confused state; he doesn’t know if he should play Holmes as a genius or an Indiana Jones, so he tries to do both with mixed results. Jude Law probably suffers the most from the lack of development; while he acts his part well, his poor character seems to exist only as an occasional counter to Holmes’ behavior. Jared Harris turns in a noble effort as the ultimate villain, but again suffers from an underwritten script; his character is paper-thin with absolutely no motivations hinted at.

The finale begins with a remarkable verbal-chess match showdown between Holmes and Moriarty; a battle of mental wits that is an absolute joy to watch. The final battle is nearly too good, and it becomes clear that the film could have, and should have embraced such psychological mind-games. SHADOWS is a fun ride, never really bores and is loaded with laughs, but anyone looking for something with smarts ought to search elsewhere.

BOTTOM LINE: Rent it