Salt

Title: Salt
Directed by: Phillip Noyce
Starring: Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Andre Braugher
Genres: Action/Adventure, Drama, Thriller
Running Time: 1 hour. 39 minutes
Release Date: July 23rd, 2010
MPAA Rating: PG-13


Review: Jolie is gorgeous, of course, that goes without saying. She does just as well as a lead action hero as any other Hollywood star, and the same goes for her ass-kicking skills. Her foreign language abilities are better then most (Daniel Craig in 'Defiance', anyone?), and she has the "if looks could kill" stare down pat. In fact, I prefer her stare down to a lot of other Hollywood actors. In fact, I would have her stare me down all day long, if I never had to see Gerard Butler try "the look" ever again. So what is the problem?

Well, the problem lies not with Jolie, nor with the rest of the cast. They are all doing their jobs well. The problem is the plot itself, as it is very weak. To pick on anything else, such as the ridiculous twists or the play with the laws of physics would be unfair. After all, this is a Hollywood blockbuster action flick. The ridiculousness comes with the territory.

If you are looking for action, things getting blown to pieces, death defying stunt sequences, and lots of combat, you've come to the right place. If you are looking for a grounded, realistic plot with well developed characters, and even the smallest hint of common sense, you really should not be looking to Hollywood for that, should you?

Grade: 6

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (Luftslottet som sprängdes)

Title: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (Luftslottet som sprängdes)
Directed by: Daniel Alfredson
Starring: Michael Nyqvist, Noomi Rapace, Lena Endre, Hans Alfredson, Lennart Hjulström
Genres: Foreign, Thriller, Crime, Drama, Adaptation, Sequel
Running Time: 2 hours. 28 minutes
Release Date: October TBA, 2010 (United States)
MPAA Rating: R


Review: While currently not yet released in the US (the exact release date is still a bit murky, but it should hit select theaters this fall), this film is available in Swedish, and since I do speak the language, I decided to watch it.

The last installment of the Millenium trilogy is like a continuation of the second film, starting from the moment the last one ended (which were quite the cliff hanger). And while the the middle child of the series was a step down from the first film, 'The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest' brings the series right back up to previous glory.

For the third time, Noomi Rapace is the perfect fit for the female lead, although in this film, it is the rest of the cast that really drives the story line this time. The gritty Scandinavian film style is there, as always. The gripping tension is back, and 'The Hornet's Nest' really is a great end to the trilogy.

Grade: 8

The Girl Who Played with Fire (Flickan som lekte med elden)

Title: The Girl Who Played with Fire (Flickan som lekte med elden)
Directed by: Daniel Alfredson
Starring: Michael Nyqvist, Noomi Rapace, Lena Endre, Peter Andersson, Georgi Staykov, Paolo Roberto
Genres: Foreign, Thriller, Drama, Adaptation, Sequel
Running Time: 2 hours. 9 minutes
Release Date: July 9th, 2010 (United States) (Limited)
MPAA Rating: R


Review: Again, Noomi Rapace makes 'The Girl who Played with Fire (Flickan som lekte med elden) worth watching with her captivating performance. She is born to play this role. The second film in the trilogy gives us more of the same raw, explicit Scandinavian film style as the first installment did, but the change in director gives the audience a more streamlined and clear experience. Furthermore, getting a bigger window into who Lisbeth Salander is, and how her past shaped her, is great.

The suspence, which was gripping in the first film, is less so in 'The Girl who Played with Fire (Flickan som lekte med elden)', but not absent. I still found myself at the edge of my seat, waiting for the story to unfold, and that is after I have read the books! I'm hoping the third film cranks the suspense up to previous levels.

Grade: 7.5

Inception

Title: Inception
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Lewitt, Marion Cotillard, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Michael Caine
Genres: Action/Adventure, Science Fiction, Drama, Thriller
Running Time: 2 hours. 28 minutes
Release Date: July 16th, 2010
MPAA Rating: PG-13


Review: Visually 'Inception' is stunning, a marvel of imagination unlike anything that has come before it, and throughout the film I found myself staring, trying to take in every exceptionally created detail. The cast shines, their commitment to the story is evident in every scene. Marion Cotillard is as stunning as always, and both Page and DiCaprio are perfect fits, bringing easily believable characters to an unreal setting. Without their continuous and leading explanations, the audience could easily be lost.

Conceptually, in a time of tired remakes and dumb sequels, 'Inception' stands out as inventive and refreshingly intelligent. Nolan brings us to fantasy land, a fevered dream free of the normal laws of physics, where the restrictions of time and gravity no longer apply. If you let yourself go, you can come too, but this is no place to cling to reality by analyzing every detail.

With its 2 hours and 28, 'Inception' is long, and while it does cause some restlessness, the film is captivating enough to pull it off. One of the few Must See films of the year thus far, and one that will definitely make the Best of the Year list as well.

Grade: 9

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Män som hatar kvinnor)

Title: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Män som hater kvinnor)
Directed by: Niels Arden Oplev
Starring: Michael Nyqvist, Noomi Rapace, Sven-Bertil Taube, Peter Haber, Marika Lagercrantz, Peter Andersson
Genres: Foreign, Thriller, Drama, Adaptation
Running Time: 2 hours. 32 minutes
Release Date: March 19th, 2010 (United States) (Limited)
MPAA Rating: R


Review: I read Stieg Larssons books in Swedish last time I was in Europe, and it is a great story, very well suited for film adaptation. My Swedish friends and family have been raving about this film since it was released in Sweden, and I have been meaning to see it for quite some time. Since its US release was quite a while ago at this point, I thought I had lost my chance to see it on the big screen, but luckily one of the local independent theaters is still showing 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Män som hatar kvinnor)'.

'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Män som hatar kvinnor)' (the Swedish title literary means "men who hate women") is well made, brilliantly acted, dark, ultra violent, and produced with a distinctly Scandinavian style that is instantaneously recognizable. If you have seen any other Swedish murder mystery-type film (Wallander or Beck, for example), the naked, raw, unromanticized style will be familiar. If you haven't, I am sure you will notice it.

The first film in the trilogy is exceptionally violent, not in the Hollywood-esque blow stuff up way, but in a gritty, zoomed-in close, impossible to ignore way, and I found myself slightly shocked during parts of the film. With its 2.5 hours, the film is extremely long winded, but it is Noomi Rapace's amazing portrayal of the female lead which manages to make the film worth its length. I found myself wondering who will be able to carry this role in the Hollywood remake? What will Hollywood do to this story?

I would definitely recommend seeing the original, vs. waiting to just see the Hollywoodized version. Now, to see the rest of the trilogy.

Grade: 8

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Title: The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
Directed by: David Slade
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Ashley Green, Jackson Rathbone, Nikki Reed, Kellan Lutz, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, Dakota Fanning,
Genres: Drama, Romance, Adaptation, Sequel,
Running Time: 2 hours. 4 minutes
Release Date: June 30th, 2010
MPAA Rating: PG-13


Review: Once again I thought I would find myself in an unbearable crowd of screaming Twi-hards for the midnight premiere of 'Eclipse', but thankfully, for the 3rd installment of the Twilight Saga my local movie theater have started with "VIP" movie watching passes, which effectively removed the entire pain-in-the-ass aspect of catching that very first, frantic, middle-of-the-night screening (Thanks again, F!). To make the deal even sweeter, they also screened the previous two installments of the saga before the midnight premier. This whole "VIP" passes might be the best improvement to movies since popcorn!

So what about the movie?!? Anticipation has been high for this one, and both Twi-hards & Twi-haters has dubbed it with record-breaking labels. So, where did it fall? Was it "The Best Twilight So Far"? Or was it "The Worst Movie EVER"? For me, it was the best Twilight movie in the series so far, but that does not say much, since its predecessors were not exactly Oscar-worthy.

Some positives: 'Eclipse' is funnier than its prequels, thanks to the addition of witty, self depreciating quips to the dialogue. It is nice to see that these particular Twi-creators do not take themselves too seriously. Jacob and Charlie, in particular, were quite snarky. Also, the increased character development of some of the saga's supporting roles adds a lot of interest to the story. Another addition, that previously has been completely ignored, is the actual dialogues from the book. Both in 'Twilight' & 'New Moon' you see a lot of soundless lips moving while music plays, instead of hearing the actual conversations between the characters. This is something that has annoyed me throughout the film-series, since a lot of these conversations were very important for the story development, and outlined in great detail in the books. Finally the audience actually get to hear these conversations, instead of just seeing them play out silently.

Some of the negatives: One of the biggest negatives of 'Eclipse' is the lack of a decent soundtrack, which has been one of the notable strengths of the franchise in the past. 'Twilight' started things off decently, and the use of music in 'New Moon' defined the whole film. In 'Eclipse', however, the music is a non-participant, and that really subtracted significantly from the over all experience. Another pet-peeve were the wolves. While the face-colorings have improved in this installment, the general appearance and movement of the wolves has decreased, and their awkward lopes bugged me throughout the film. Then there is the [huge] issue of the creative eye of director David Slade; I can't say that I am a fan of the look that he choose for the film, and compared to 'New Moon' we're definitely moving backwards. The same goes for Slade's territory-marking efforts of altering previously set details, in his efforts to make the story his own.

Overall, though, I was generally pleased with the film. The alterations to the storyline were generally to improve the film-experience, and most of them worked well. All in all, 'Eclipse' doesn't disappoint, and it should do extremely well at the box office.

Grade: 8.5

Grown Ups

Title: Grown Ups
Directed by: Dennis Dugan
Starring: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, Rob Schneider, Salma Hayek, Maria Bello, Maya Rudolph
Genres: Comedy
Running Time: 1 hour. 42 minutes
Release Date: June 25th, 2010
MPAA Rating: PG-13


Review: Those who are comedically compatible with Adam Sandler may love this film. That is not me, however, and I certainly did not love 'Grown Ups'. It has some funny moments, some even hilarious, but mostly they are overshadowed by the tired Sandler-esque jokes, the mere presence of Rob Schneider, and the over-used gross-out factor. I walked into this one knowing it would not be my flavor of funny, and I was right. That doesn't mean people who are into this type of comedy won't like it.

On a side note; I was kind of delighted to recognize the lake house in this flick as the very same lake house that was used in 'Dan in Real Life'.

Grade: 4.5

Knight and Day

Title: Knight and Day
Directed by: James Mangold
Starring: Tom Cruize, Cameron Diaz, Peter Sarsgaard, Jordi Molla (II), Viola Davis
Genres: Action/Adventure, Romance
Running Time: 1 hour. 50 minutes
Release Date: June 23rd, 2010
MPAA Rating: PG - 13

Review: 'Knight and Day' is precisely what you would expect form a popcorn summer blockbuster starring Tom Cruise; funny, charming, dumb, and full of break-neck-speed action. Adding Cameron Diaz to the mix brings some verging-on-age-inappropriate flirty smiles and skimpy outfits (Cameron is really getting old, and starting to look it!). The end result is perfect for some light entertainment, if you are into that sort of mindless bubble-gum enjoyment. It is not normally my cup of tea, but since it came with AC in the scorching summer heat, it was definitely worth the ticket price.

This is the seconds release this summer with a similar concept, 'Killers' being the first. These movies are different enough that if they weren't released within weeks of each other, they probably would have been able to avoid being compared. As it is, however, I cannot help but to measure the two against each other. I would say 'Knight and Day' outdoes 'Killers' in every single way, and thus, it scores half a point higher than the previous.

Grade: 6.5

The A-Team

Title: The A-Team
Directed by: Joe Carnahan
Starring: Corey Burton, Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson, Jessica Biel
Genres: Action/Adventure, Comedy,
Running Time: 1 hour. X minutes
Release Date: June 11th, 2010
MPAA Rating: PG-13


Review: I am glad the 'A-Team' TV show was before my time, because I saw how disappointed the husband was with film, which for him, was a remake of a beloved childhood series. For me it was just another dumb, sometimes entertaining, frequently boring, action flick. The story line is thin, predictable, and clearly just a means to fire off one-liners and blowing stuff up. A waste of time.

Grade: 3

Get Him To The Greek

Title: Get Him To The Greek
Directed by: Nicholas Stoller
Starring: Jonah Hill, Russel Brand, Elisabeth Moss, Sean 'Diddy' Combs, Rose Byrne
Genres: Comedy
Running Time: 1 hour. 49 minutes
Release Date: June 4th, 2010
MPAA Rating: R


Review: If you saw this in a theater in my local area on opening day, and you were unfortunate enough to have The Woman with the Loudest Laugh Known to Man (me) in your theater, I do apologize, but I could not help myself; 'Get Him To The Greek' is almost too funny to see in public! I spent the entire movie either tigh-slapping-laughing, wheezing from laughter-related-oxygen-deficiency or having a cramp in both my cheeks & abs from laughing too hard for too long - all of which were extremely loud and surely obnoxious.

'Greek' is a home-run reminiscent of 'Pineapple Express' and 'The Hangover', and if you enjoyed either of those (or their equals) you will enjoy this one. The entire cast is perfect and hilarious, and Sean 'Diddy' Combs can surprisingly keep up with the rest of them. The party scene with the adrenaline shot is particularly memorable. 'The Greek' is good enough for DVD purchase - one I predict will be used quite a bit. This one will definitely make the Best of the Year list. Highly recommended to those that are comedically compatible.

Grade: 8.5