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The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (DVD)
by Doglovers
The plot
Harriet Vanger disappeared 40 years ago during a family get together on the island owned by her family.
Her uncle is convinced she was murdered that day and employs Mikael Blomkvist a journalist to investigate. Mikael is helped by Lisbeth Salander a computer hacker who is the girl with the dragon ... tattoo.
This review is of the Swedish version of this film. Based on a book by Stieg Larsson. This was filmed in 2010.
My Review
I am not really sure why but I had little interest in the book and the film so when my husband bought the DVD and asked me to watch it with him, I had no idea of the storyline and I think in a way that made the film more enjoyable as I had no idea what to expect.
This film took my breath away in lots of ways. The two main actors are superb , particularly Noomi Rapace who plays Lisbeth.
Noomi seems perfectly cast as Lisbeth who has been institutionalised in her past and is vulnerable to abuse in the present day. Her outward appearance and demeanour are tough and uncompromising, but she finds herself in situations where she is subjected to horrendous abuse .
She is monosyllabic in quite a few scenes but her performance is still extremely powerful as she manages to convey so much in her body language and facial expressions. She is a survivor though and a risk taker and comes into her own in several scenes, which I can't describe as I feel it would give too much away.
Her past is revealed in a series of brief flashbacks and clearly what has happened in the past is affecting her present situation as she has to report to a guardian. Some of the scenes featuring Lisbeth before she meets up with Mikael are really disturbing and I found them quite difficult to watch.
I thought Michael Nyquist gave a great performance too. He started out seeming quite bland but as he starts to investigate the disappearance and teams up with Lisbeth , he really started to grow on me. His performance is quite understated in comparison to Lisbeth and they make a perfect partnership.
The Vanger family are powerful and rich, but have a chequered history and several were members of the Nazi party. I am guessing that there is much more about each family member in the book , so I am looking forward to reading it.
The island where most of the film is set is beautiful. I always find myself wondering what era some Swedish films are set in , as there is usually a house or apartment that makes me think 1970's , the same with the fashion. But this is clearly set in the noughties and Apple must have been really pleased with all the free advertising they got in this film, as the Mac is another star in this film.
The story of what happens the day Harriet disappears is revealed from old photographs and it was fascinating to watch how the sequence of events plays out.
There are some extremely creepy and violent characters in this film and I really wanted them to get their comeuppance. I found myself having mixed feelings about Lisbeth mostly feeling sorry or admiration, but also feeling sickened by what she has done which is revealed in brief flashbacks.
This is a long film at 152 minutes but it didn't drag, it moved at the right pace for me. There were times when I was on the edge of my seat and there are many disturbing scenes of a violent and sexual nature which are really harrowing.
The only jarring note for me was the music, which I did not care for and seemed a little too obvious in places. I don't know who wrote the score, but I didn't think it fit with the style of film - my only criticism.
Would I Recommend
Yes absolutely but only if you like very long crime thriller films with subtitles.
An extremel;y powerful film with some very disturbing violence including graphic rape scenes. I felt uncomfortable watching these , but did feel they were integral to the film , but be warned as they happen at unexpected times, which makes them even more shocking.
My huband has read the book and normally will make comments when the film version adds or misses things, but he felt they did the book justice , even though they changed some elements of the story
A quality crime thriller with two brilliant lead actors - 5 stars from me. I can't wait to read the book and the others in the series.
Directed by Niels Arden Opley
Swedish with English subtitles
Available on DVD from Amazon currently £4.16
Certificate 18
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Roadkill (DVD)
by angelboouk
Film Only Review
~Roadkill~
Released : 2001
Running Time : 97minutes
Director : John Dahl
Rating : 15
Availability : from 38p (used and new) on Amazon
Roadkill aka Joy Ride is the first of two thriller films focussed around 'Rusty Nail'. The film focusses on the brothers road trip ... from Colorado to New Jersey where they plan on picking up Lewis' love interest Venna. The brothers play a prank on a psychotic truck driver known as Rusty Nail. He takes great offense at being messed around over a CB radio and plans to seek revenge on the brothers.
~Main Cast~
Lewis Thomas - Paul Walker
Fuller Thomas - Steve Zahn
Venna - Leelee Sobleski
Charlotte - Jessica Bowman
Rusty Nail - Matthew Kimbrough *uncredited*
Rusty Nail CB voice - Ted Levine *uncredited*
~My Thoughts~
I own this film as part of a DVD boxset and also own the second film, Roadkill 2 (how original!). The plot of this film is really good and a bit different. It is set in a dessert but rather than crazy, inbred hillbillies looking to feed on unsuspecting travellers, Roadkill focusses on a deranged truck driver who we never actually get to see properly until the end of the film. It is often just a voice or shadow. His truck is enough to add fear into anyone so the combination of truck and truck driver proves to be very sinister.
The film starts off well as we discover the reason behind Lewis' sudden decision to buy a car and drive many miles to collect his love interest Venna. Unfortuantely, his older brother Fuller has gotten himself in a bit of trouble. Lewis needs to collect him from a police station and he decides to tag along on the roadtrip. This proves to be a bad idea given Fullers lack of maturity.
The setting for this film is your typical, quiet backroad through the desert with the odd gas station and motel breaking up the journey. It is a typically American film. There aren't many characters in this film but the characters that are there are well used in the film. I was quite taken by Lewis at first. I considered him a romantic guy willing to travel to collect the girl he likes whilst remaining loyal to his family buy bailing his brother out. I quite like Paul Walker as an actor. Fuller on the other hand, was completely different. He had a full on attitude, quite cheeky and after convincing his brother to pretend to be a girl over the CB radio, rather careless and childish. Both guys are regular guys on a road trip. I cannot help but mention that Paul Walker is super hot in this film - drool!
Venna is a likeable character. Totally unaware of the issues the brothers have encountered on their journey but willing to go along with whatever was asked of her to protect her friend. I found the idea of Rusty Nail to be well executed. Whilst we never get to actually see him in full until the end, I was able to work up an image in my head of how we would look simply from his husky, rather creepy voice and actions. The voicetone was perfect given his role as the psychotic killer. Rusty Nail had the ability to taunt the characters without revealing too much of himself which I thought took a lot of skill and direction.
The film progresses well and there is a good amount of suspense scenes throughout. The brothers first stop off at a motel and arrange a meeting with Rusty Nail as their alter ego 'Candy Cane'. As you would expect, they do not reveal their true identies and another guest pays the price for this prank. This prank comes back to bite them in the rear end as Rusty Nail seeks revenge for being humiliated. Cue a lot of high speed car chases, stalkerish phone calls and kidnaps. Rusty Nail is keen to humiliate the brothers just as he was. This is quite amusing in one particular scene.
In terms of blood and gore, Roadkill isn't really too bad. It certainly isn't going to have you cringing and is more of a suspense film than a bloody film. I found that whilst there was quite a lot of threats and scares early on in the film, the real action was saved for the last 45 minutes or so. Prior to this, Lewis, Fuller and Venna were having some fun and generally enjoying the road trip. I found the ending of Roadkill to be really good as there was a lot going on involving all three of the main characters. It ended well but left room for a sequel.
~Conclusion~
I would say that Roadkill is more of a pyschological thriller than a slasher film. There is a great deal of suspense in the film and whilst I have watched it lots of times, I still don't get bored of it. I like the idea of not seeing the killer early on as it makes for a different sort of thriller and makes it more interesting in my opinion.
This isn't the best thriller film - not by a long shot but it is a really good film in my opinion. The plot is good and the film is generally well acted. It is a good film to watch with friends if you want something that isn't heavy with bloody scenes. I find myself wondering what will happen next especially when there is an eerie silence building up to something happening. Although I do not agree with the behaviour of Rusty Nail, a good message is sent out that you shouldn't play such pranks on those you do not know as it may come back to haunt you.
Roadkill is just the right length given the storyline. The 15 rating is perfectly fine for this film. There is a small amount of swearing and nude scents (perfect if you are female lol) but nothing major. It is quite a timid film compared to other films in this genre.
Overall I would recommend Roadkill. It won't have you hiding behind a cushion but does offer many thrills. Roadkill 2 is even better and I highly recommend that too.
Thanks for reading :)
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The Tourist (DVD)
by topsyturvy
A few weekends ago I was wanting to watch a film and a DVD I have had sitting in my collection for a while is The Tourist with Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp, it came out in 2010 and I had been meaning to watch it for a while. I think what had been putting me off watching it was that it had quite a mix of reviews and it didn't make me ... desperate to watch it even though it did have a good cast. The plot did sound good though and since I had no other films I really wanted to watch I decided to sit down and see what I thought of this film. The setting in Italy enticed me to watch it as well as I have been to Venice and wanted to see how they captured it on film.
PLOT
Now, to begin with a slight summary of what the film is about, it is set in Europe and was directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. It is a remake of the film Anthony Zimmer which I have never seen so I cannot comment much on this. So, Elise Clifton-Ward (Angelina Jolie) is being followed by the French police, this is how the film begins as she is working with the London Police, Inspector John Acheson (Paul Bettany). This Inspector has been after Elise's partner Alexander Pearce for a while who owes hundreds of millions but the complication in this is that he has undergone millions of pounds worth of surgery so that he no longer looks the same.
Elise is informed by the police to board a train to Venice and to pick out someone who resembles Pearce and make the French police believe this is really him. On the train, she meets Frank Tupela (Johnny Depp) who is just a normal American teacher who is on holiday here they start to get talking and become very close as the plot continues. It is a film which is set as a bit of a police run but also with a hint of comedy thrown in, I quite liked the style of it. The plot does continue on with a bit of a twist which I really liked, I had kind of worked it out myself while watching but it still seemed to pass quick and lots of action was going on through the film.
SETTING
Being set in Venice probably made this film more magical than it would have been set anywhere else, it had the glamour of Italy and the architecture which was stunning. It had the canals which made for some exciting action scenes as well as the luxury of the hotels and the buildings visited here, what more could you want. The whole look of the film was very classy and it was rich as well as adding that bit more to the look. I think Venice was the perfect setting for this film and it worked out, not only the setting in Venice but even the scenes on the train at the start worked well here, being rich in this film Elise showed the true beauty of Venice in her rich surroundings.
CAST
The cast in this film were very good indeed, Angelina Jolie as Elise, this seemed like the right kind of character for her. To be honest I am not her biggest fan and don't feel this role pushed her acting skills to the limit at all, she fit well but that's not to say she gave a fantastic performance as to me it seemed expected of her a role like this. She didn't make me warm to the character of Elise as she seemed like a cold, rich woman and I don't feel Angelina has the kind of essence that makes you like her on screen. She played the character well but didn't push the role further and her on screen chemistry doesn't really seem believable either.
As Frank, Johnny Depp did the best with this role that he could, he created a likeable character and I liked him from the moment he lit up the screen. He made it come across that he was a normal American man on holiday and this is what I liked, he didn't try too hard he was down to earth. Johnny Depp is a brilliant actor and he always does the best with what he can. This wasn't my favourite role of his at all though as I do feel he has done more exciting rolls but he can't be Jack Sparrow forever and to show his versatility by playing a normal guy shows that he can take on any role and make it his own and I think he made this film.
Paul Bettany was great as the Inspector in this film, I like that he challenges himself and always picks completely different roles and with this he really has gone for something different. He was believable as the Inspector and not likeable but it was good to see him play this character, he was convincing in the role, wouldn't expect him to be this part but it worked. He wasn't the most outstanding character in the film but yet again he did with the role the best that he could and that is the best thing about him. All of the cast in this film worked well to make it what it was and Angelina Jolie was probably the let down of this film in terms of acting and performance.
MY OPINION
I did really like The Tourist it was an easy film to watch, no complexity but a nice film to look at, and it took you into the glamour of Venice for a few hours. The ending worked well, it did pass quick while watching and there were some good comedy moments also but I didn't feel it was unique and special. The film did provide entertainment for a few hours but I wouldn't watch it again as once I knew what happened that was it for me. The film does have a plot, it isn't the most exciting but it is what it is, some bits are a bit unrealistic in this film but it does work and it wasn't as terrible as I had expected it to be from some ratings.
The acting was fine in this film but I can't say I would recommend anyone to watch it unless they were a fan of any of the cast members. Johnny Depp can definitely do better in terms of film roles and this didn't seem to me challenging plot. It is quite an easy plod along type of film that doesn't really get you thinking or doesn't have any stand out parts to it. It is a simple film with a pretty setting and a few laughs, good to watch at the weekend if you are bored but not a film you would get excited about. I'd say if you like European set films with a pretty lead actress and good looking actor and a few laughs and a bit of action then this is for you, if you don't like chick flicks or films with no exciting scenes then this isn't for you.
DVD
The DVD comes with a few special features it has:
- Bringing Glamour Back
- Canal Chats: interviews
- Traveling the Canals of Venice
- Action in Venice
- The Gala
- Interview with the director, Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
- Audio Commentary with the director
FILM INFORMATION
This film is rated as a 12A certificate and it has a running time of 107 minutes.
COST
If you are interested in buying this film on DVD you can get a great bargain on it, Amazon are selling it for £3.79 with free delivery, very cheap, probably cheaper than renting it on iTunes or something similar.
The official website for this film is http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/thetourist/.
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