100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 59: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Director: Niels Arden Oplev
Genre: Thriller
Runtime: 145 minutes
Year: 2009
Starring: Michael Nyqvist, Noomi Rapace, Gunnel Lindblom, Michalis Koutsogiannakis, Sven-Bertil Taube, Ingvar Hirdwall, Peter Haber, Ewa Fröling, Marika Lagercrantz, Sofia Ledarp, Fredrik Ohlsson

Description: A journalist (Michael Nyqvist) is aided in his search for a woman who has been missing -- or dead -- for forty years by a young female hacker (Noomi Rapace).

Review: The Millenium series is probably one of the most talk about book series of the past years, written by Swedish author Stieg Larsson. At first, they look like standard Scandinavian thrillers, but the books eventually turn out to be page turning experiences, with a fascinating main character: Lisbeth Salander. And this was the biggest deal. Were they going to find the right person for this rol in the film?
Director Niel Arden Oplev decided to give Salander a bigger role in the film, which is a good thing. She is far out the most interesting part of the stories. But the movie starts out with Michael Blomkvist and focusses on him at first. He just quit his job at the magazine Millenium, after he lost a case in court. Blomkvist is hired by business man Henrik Vanger, to investigate the disappearance of his niece Harriët Vanger. During his search, Blomkvist teams ups with Lisbeth Salander. She is a young yet driven hacker. Salander always dresses in black and is covered with piercings and tattoos. It is clear that she is traumatized by things from the past and has lost contact with practically everyone in her surroundings.
To adapt a books with over 500 pages to film, you have to make decisions and still don’t lose the magic of the source material. Here they made the right decisions. The trial of Blomkvist, the first hundred pages of the film, are summed up in ten minutes for the film. Good choice. The film wins in tempo here. And the many affairs that Blomkvist has, are also brought to a minimum. The only problem I had with this film, is the same I had with the book. It’s too long and the last part drags and doesn’t feel needed.
Noomi Rapace is the right choice for Lisbeth Salander. It’s a though role to play and she does an excellent job.
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” is a strong thriller, that threated the source material with respect. It’s definitely better than the American version by David Fincher, which was also a good movie.

Rating: 4/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 118: The Drop

Director: Michaël R. Roskam

Genre: Crime/ Drama

Runtime: 106 minutes

Year: 2014

Starring: Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace, James Gandolfini, Matthias Schoenaerts, John Ortiz, Elizabeth Rodgiguez, Michael Aronoy, Morgan Spector, Michael Esper, Ross Bickell, James Frencheville, Tobias Segal, Patricia Squire, Ann Dowd, Chris Sullivan

Description: Bob Saginowski (Tom Hardy) finds himself at the center of a robbery gone awry and entwined in an investigation that digs deep into the neighborhood's past where friends, families, and foes all work together to make a living - no matter the cost.

Review: Again we had to say goodbye to a good actor. “The Drop” marks the last film for the in June 2013 diseased James Gandolfini. It’s a nice goodbye, because it’s a really good film.

The Belgian director Michaël R. Roskam got fame for his Oscar nominated debut “Rundskop”. “The Drop” is his first America movie. The term ‘drop bar’ means that criminals drop money at a bar, a so called bank for criminals. The bar’ Cousin Marv’s’ in Brooklyn is an example. Bob (Tom Hardy) and his cousin Marv (James Gandolfini) run it. Everything goes fine until a somewhat amateurish robbery takes place. Bob and Marv are held responsible for the stolen money and need to get it back.

A melancholic report from one of the many possible stories from the underworld of Brooklyn, that’s how “The Drop” can be described. Tom Hardy is a great actor and again shows that as the good guy Bob. It’s great how his character develops and how strong his performance is. James Gandolfini also does a great job. It’s not a very big role, but it’s memorable. Matthias Schoenarts is convincing as the dominant Erik and Noomi Rapace shines as well. A cast to die for.

That well written story also makes this movie good. The tempo is just right, not too fast, just the right buildup. “The Drop” is an overlooked film from 2014, that’s definitely a shame. It’s worth your time, because it’s a very good film.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 147: Prometheus

Director: Ridley Scott

Genre: Actie/ Science Fiction/ Horror

Runtime: 126 minutes

Year: 2012

Starring: Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, Guy Pearce, Logan Marshall-Green, Sean Harris, Rafe Spall, Patrick Wilson

Description: A team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a journey to the darkest corners of the universe. There, they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the human race.

Review: Director Ridley Scott doesn’t make it easy for himself. He tried to tell a story, located in the universe of his own classic “Alien” from 1979, to answer one question: where do we come from? Man who wants to meet his maker. Scientists Elizabeth Shaw and Charlie Holloway find a series of identical cave drawings in 2089. They think they know the answer to that question and billionaire Peter Weyland sets up an expedition. On spaceship Prometheus they are on a search for the truth.

The Prometheus arrives, with a crew of seventeen, on a planet similar to the one in “Alien”. The tension is built because you don’t know why each of the crew members are on the mission. The distant Meredith Vickers has to lead the crew and her help is android David.

Scott could have chosen to play out a cat and mouse game, but instead he focuses on David. His plans are revealed little by little, but it’s clear he’s the one with the most dangerous mission. Dangerous for mankind. The questions isn’t who is going to survive, but why David does what he does. There is no emotional impact whenever one of the crew member dies. And even though some scenes are pretty gruesome, they are never as anguished as in “Alien”.

The movie is visually stunning and detailed. This movie is beautiful in 3D. But beautiful pictures alone don’t make a good movie. Scott made this movie a bit too simplistic and the characters lack intelligence and depth. “Prometheus” is still a pretty good movie.

Rating: 3/ 5

Check This Out # 1

I thought of a new item. It just came to me. I love browsing the internet and sometimes I see amazing things I just want to share them. But you can not share everything on facebook or tumblr. So I decided to share it with you, on my blog. Photos, video's, websites, books, you name it.

I saw this great video a friend of mine posted and it's a musical flashmob in a subway. Just check out the link below.

Subway Flashmob

I saw this on http://somewhereontheiceplanet.tumblr.com/. From "The Fantastic Mr. Fox". A great film, but a fantastic book I'm planning on rereading next month.

Off course this video! Probably everyone saw it, but this is hilarious and the actual proof that the Britisch have humor. Rowan Atkinson at the 2012 opening of the Olympics.

Rowan Atkinson at 2012 Olympics

I saw a production still of the 2012 thriller "Passion" with one of my favorites Rachel McAdams and also rising star Noomi Rapace. It's about a young businesswoman who plots murderous revenge after her boss and mentor steals her idea.

So, if you saw anything awesome and you'd like the share it. Please do, send me anything you think I should check out. See you next time!