The best film so far this year, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a terrific thriller. Set in the wild but beautiful Swedish landscape, and with subtitles, the main characters backstory slowly unfolds but there is never a dull moment. The story is dark and gripping, the acting is great, with Noomi Rapace superb as Salander. The direction, music and photography are top class. It is even educational, I will try wetting my hands next time I make meatballs.
You could see what Martin Scorsese was trying to do with Shutter Island. A 1950's setting for a homage to the scary B movies of the time. Unfortunately it was a bit of a mess. For example, the dialogue was straight out of that time, but the expensive production values made you think there should be more. It was good to look at to be sure, but the plot did not make for a two hour movie. The actors lead by Leonardo De Caprio did their best, but ultimately failed to pull the film out of the mire.
Cheesy, hammy, manipulative, gooey, soppy, all the things I like best in a lightweight drama, The Blind Side had it all. I just sat back and let the Hollywood machine mangle my emotions. It was good. Sandra Bullock did a great job, and possibly just about deserved her Oscar, except she did dominate the film too much. But the sequence when tiny SJ organises fitness training for his new huge brother is a joy. What's not to like?
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