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| Marc |
 Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2012 4:32 pm |
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Joined: 19 May 2004
Posts: 8424
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Bart,
you're right. The Swedish version of Dragon Tattoo is a fine film. I was being hyperbolic, but what else is new?
I'm a big Fincher fan and it's been awhile since I've seen the Swedish version. My reaction was kneejerk. I am also quit smitten with Rooney Mara. |
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| Befade |
| Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2012 6:18 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 3784
Location: AZ
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Quote: Quote:
I'm sure Rooney is fine
She's more than fine, she's awesome.
And David Fincher's take on TGWTDT is far superior to the Swedish one.
The first film has a Danish director. I loved the second, too. (Except the ending didn't feel smooth.) I was struck by Rooney Mara's body language.....the vulnerability and sensitivity it expressed. |
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| bartist |
| Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2012 2:06 pm |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
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Location: Black Hills
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Marc wrote: Bart,
you're right. The Swedish version of Dragon Tattoo is a fine film. I was being hyperbolic, but what else is new?
I'm a big Fincher fan and it's been awhile since I've seen the Swedish version. My reaction was kneejerk. I am also quit smitten with Rooney Mara.
Ahhh. Well, I'm quite smitten with Noomi Rapace, so everyone's happy.
And, yes, Befade, that's right, the director of the Swedish version is Danish. Some of my ancestors might cringe at this, but I'd say that's a distinction without much of a difference.  |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2012 2:36 pm |
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| Oh, I think Danes and Swedes are quite different. |
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| bartist |
| Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2012 2:45 pm |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
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| They all reek of herring and angst. And their countries all look like genitalia of some kind. I'm half-Swedish, second generation, but I sometimes claim to be Norwegian because they had all the good fjords and I'm a bit envious. Until 1905, we were all one nation. Norwegian and Swedes can understand each other, and I have to wonder if making a language distinction is really called for. It's something like a Scotsman and a Texan having a conversation. Hmm. |
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| Syd |
| Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2012 4:53 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12929
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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| In The Danish Poet, the title character reads a book about notable Scandinavians supposedly from one Scandinavian country who are actually from another. However the Poet himself is Danish-Danish despite spending time in Sweden. |
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| bartist |
| Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2012 9:26 am |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
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That's the one in the 2006 Academy short film collection, right? Will check it out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mREkFAWiaLA
Looks like youboob edited it down to a tiny nub. Crap. |
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| shannon |
| Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2012 10:18 am |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
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The Swedish Girl With Dragon Tattoo was merely okay. Besides the performances and the charisma of the two leads, it's a fairly non-distinguished little mystery flick. I liked it just fine, but it's nowhere near greatness. (I remember reading that the Swedish trilogy was made-for-TV, and made really, really quickly in order to cash in on the success of the books. If so, kudos for succeeding as much as they do.)
I'm anxious to see Fincher's, but I'm not anxious to experience the same story for the third time in less than a year, which is why I haven't seen it yet. I'll probably wait for dvd. For what it's worth, Rooney looks more like the character is said to look in the books (small, frail, figure of a 11-year-old boy, but strangely sexy nonetheless) than Noomi Rapace, who's a bit too strong and voluptuous, though she's a good enough actress that this doesn't matter. |
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| shannon |
| Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2012 10:30 am |
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War Horse has a few moments of brilliance (mainly the battle scenes and the part with the English and German soldier), but overall isn't really worth talking about. The beginning, pre-war, section of the film goes on way, way too long and I didn't care about anything that happened in it. And I wanted to kick that goose. Then the war happens, the movie picks up and I'm liking it just fine, then the section with the French grandfather comes and that's just cringe-worthy, but relatively short so whatever, and then there's more war and I'm liking it just fine again, even thinking bits of it are brilliant, and then the war's over and the movie just becomes TERRIBLE. And it's capped off by that coda. Small packets of the audience, including myself, were laughing out loud. It's awful, awful, awful. Granted, the majority of the audience applauded at the end, which caused those small packets, including myself, to laugh even more. I'm glad I watched it, but I can't really recommend it.
Also, I understand that this is primarily a children's movie, hence the need for PG-13, but the battle scenes, as good as they were, were seriously hampered by the lack of bloodshed. |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2012 11:39 am |
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| Haven't seen those movies but enjoyed your comments about them, shannon. Very good concise description of your critical ups and downs as War Horse unfolds. Or should I say, unravels? |
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| bartist |
| Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2012 11:57 am |
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Yeah, I like that sine-wave style of reviewing, given how many movies tend to fluctuate in quality.
Interesting that Noomi is more voluptuous than the book -- hadn't read Stieg Larsson's book, so just accepted her looks. As Shannon says, she's good enough actress to convey a kind of boyishness anyway, both through acting and wardrobe/makeup. Also didn't know the Millenium films were made-for-tv, but that's probably not untypical of smaller countries...if you need to raise money for a film, sometimes you have to get in bed with the devil. |
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| Joe Vitus |
| Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2012 12:00 pm |
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| Shannon loves about War Horse what Republicans love about the Middle East. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2012 12:28 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Shannon's just plain wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong about War Horse, a great movie if there ever was one.
I was one of those know-nothings who applauded at the end.
It is not a children's movie, btw. Nothing like a children's movie. I would elucidate this with details, but that would involve SPOILERS and I'm not in the mood.
I do, however, agree with Shannon about the goose. |
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| Syd |
| Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2012 12:40 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
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I mostly agree with Shannon, except that I rather liked the section with the grandfather and the girl (the girl more than the grandfather). The sequence beginning with the horse encountering the tanks (the next generation of cavalry) and ending with the barb wire is the best in the film.
After this and Secretariat, I've concluded Billy is a horse person. |
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Rocky Laocoon foretold of Troy's doom, only to find snaky water. They pulled him in and Rocky can't swim. Now Rocky wishes he were an otter! |
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| shannon |
| Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2012 12:45 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
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I wasn't referring to those that applauded as "know-nothings", just putting that out there to note that I'm in the minority in it not working for me. You liked it, cool. I went to the movie wanting to cry, but it was all a bit too silly.
SPOILERING
The coda may have worked had it not been preceded by that silly auction sequence. All of that could've been left completely. The kid and the war horse are reunited, cut, then coda. Perfect. But nope, we have to sit through 15 minutes of stupidity. The french grandfather reappears suddenly and bids 100 pounds (may as well have been "one zillion pounds!") for the horse that his dead granddaughter spend two days caring for. What the hell? When last we left you, grandpa, your little shack had been ransacked by the Germans. They didn't even leave you your precious cooking pot. How the hell did you come up with 100 pounds, while the entire British army is only able to scrape together 29 pounds to give the kid to bid with? By making friggin' jam? Really? You must've sold an awful lot of jam in the month or so since we've seen you, grandpa. Go away. |
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