Guys see movies for a lot of different reasons. Most will only admit to getting excited for the newest raunchy comedies or fast paced action movies, but how many of them are secretly enjoying themselves when they get dragged to a date movie and are forced to see something a little more “girly”? Everyone has a few guilty pleasures hiding in their DVD collection, and it takes a real man to admit that he’s popped in Love Actually just as many times as the Bourne Trilogy.
This week’s theme is both a literal and figurative. We have one crazy movie about a girl, two movies to see with the girlfriend, and a documentary to check out when she’s not around.
The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo
Stop the presses! Here it is, this is the movie to watch for in 2011. Based on the literary phenomenon The Millennium Trilogy, this film is a remake of the 2009 Swedish film of the same name. Already dubbed “The feel bad movie of Christmas”, I think this film has a lot more in store for us than even this exciting teaser shows us.
Director David Fincher has been pumping out masterpiece after masterpiece the past few years, sending him on the fast track to becoming one of the most legendary filmmakers of our generation. With an early track record including such film school favorites as Se7en and Fight Club, he has since settled into a core group of creative collaborators that he has worked with on The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and, most recently, The Social Network, which has propelled him to the front of critical acclaim, box office success, and Oscar recognition.
He is working with the same cinematographer and editors as his last film, so you know that the production value has to be top notch. Additionally, he is getting another score from Trent Reznor which, judging by the music editing in the trailer (which you know he had to help with), it is going to be an incredible album on it’s own, apart from being a perfect soundtrack to the movie itself. Also worth noting is the screenplay was written by Steven Zaillian, known for Schildler’s List, Gangs of New York, and American Gangster. So yeah, their not messing around.
Giving away little to nothing of the actual plot, this teaser still gives a perfect sense of how cool this movie is going to be. Amazing editing paired with a great version of a great song make this one of the most exciting trailers this year.
And of course, the cast of this movie alone is worth talking about for days. Almost unrecognizable in this role, Rooney Mara plays the lead in this film. A relative newcomer, she really has only been in The Social Network previously (yes, she is the girlfriend at the very beginning of the movie). Fincher obviously saw something special in this girl to trust her with this role in this movie, but judging by the movie poster alone, her makeup and wardrobe definitely will deserve some recognition.
Filling out the rest of this cast are Daniel Craig (007, Cowboys & Aliens), Robin Wright (Forest Gump), and Christopher Plummer, who was amazing in the recent indie release Beginners.
When I first heard this movie was getting made, I was a little shocked at how fast they were pumping out a Hollywood version of an already successful foreign film. I mean, that movie was still fresh in people’s minds and the studio just assumed that it would be more successful domestically as an American film? But I have since gotten over that and come to terms with the fact that there is no way that Fincher will not only make this a cool film, but a good one as well.
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1
I was down for them to break up the last Harry Potter book into two movies, but do we really have to sit through two more years of this?
Ok, I know I’m biased, and either you’re a huge Twilight fan and you’re going to be stoked for this, or you’re like most people nowadays, completely over this whole pre-teen vampire craze.
It’s hard for me to judge exactly how good this movie is going to be because this trailer is more about getting teenage fans excited that showing what the actual film is going to be like. But judging by the plot summary of this last book, there is no way that this script can be taken seriously by any real film fan.
But ok, I have to stop being judgmental because I know I am far from the target demographic of this movie that will end up making a ton of money. What really gets me though, is the horrible waste of talent in this film. I mean sure, Taylor Lautner (who of course had to rip off his shirt for this teaser) is just a pretty teenage face, but Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, especially, are actually talented people who are going to have to work for years to get out of their Twilight reputations. Stewart was great in Adventureland, and even though it was ultimately a terrible movie, Pattinson gave a surprisingly decent performance in Remember Me.
And there is Anna Kendrick, who has recently become one of the most exciting young actresses in Hollywood. But you can’t really blame her for being in this, since it was Twilight that first brought her into the spotlight.
So if you’re a fan of the books, or a 11 year-old girl, I’m sure you’ll enjoy this movie, but I personally have long since gotten over seeing these movies, even for the sake of irony.
The Vow
I was originally going to label this as the “guilty pleasure of the week”, but I really only save that label for good chick-flicks. Even though I will watch Rachel McAdams in almost anything, I don’t even think that she will be enough to save this movie.
First of all, I cannot believe that they are releasing this trailer now for a Valentine’s Day release next year! Even if this was going to be some amazing, ground-breaking chick-flick, the target audience for this film is going to decide to see it less than two weeks before it comes out. I promise, even if a few people get excited by this trailer, it will either be completely forgotten by the time it actually comes out, or so over-marketed that it will make the Tron campaign look like a publicity stunt.
A cheesy, unbelievable premise, bad dialogue from actors that really need a strong director to mold their talent, and a predicable screenplay. Yeah sorry, as much as tried, I am not down. At least the cast should be nice to look at.
Documentary Corner:
Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest
Ok, I have a soft spot for music documentaries. If you have ever been into any type of hip-hop ever, or you just consider yourself a music lover, I promise this film is for you.
This film is not only about a hip-hop group, but about the beginning of the genre itself and about what it means to be a musician and what it is to truly love music.
At the very least, there should be some great interviews from some of the top names in hip-hop. Or, at least, this film should have some solid performances and good music.
