The girl with the dragon Tatoo, 2011

The Girl With the Dragon Tatoo, 2011
Director: David Fincher
Cast: Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Christopher Plummer



Stage: Home theatre, late night on an available evening


The Girl with the dragon in short: This English-language adaptation of the Swedish novel by Stieg Larsson follows a disgraced journalist, Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig), as he investigates the disappearance of a wealthy patriarch's niece from 40 years ago. He is aided by the pierced, tattooed, punk computer hacker named Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara). As they work together in the investigation, Blomkvist and Salander uncover immense corruption beyond anything they have ever imagined


Preps: I am not inclined to see the american version of a good swedish movie. But I am curious. Hence, need to see it.



Reality: Now, it's one thing making an american version of something existing. But a true copy? Come on, Fincher. It's lame, pathetic, it's not dignified. Why would you make the EXACT copy of the swedish original, only with the american cast? Bljah. I despise the approach. If you want to see the review of the movie, see my review of the swedish version of the same movie. It is a fact that the story rocks, the delivery is great, and the cast is superb (in both cases). Even both Blomkvists are similar. How low can you go.. if you are a genuine director, do a piece of your own? I have seen many people copying things, however, I never thought Fincher would get so deep. I admired him for his other pieces and was convinced he would make something apart from what we've seen in the swedish version. I was wrong. To me the swedish version is better, because it was first. This one is a lame follower. The exact copy. Only with James Bond. I cannot bow to this. I can only despise pure copying for the american (world market). Readers, check out the swedish version, it is better delivered.


My personal copy: 3,0 (only for the sake of the fact that I actually love the script, love the swedish version. However note this is only a copy. )


The girl on IMDB

Panic room, 2002

Panic room, 2002
Director: David Fincher
Cast: Jodie Foster, Kristen Stewart, Forest Whitaker




Stage: Home TV, late Saturday selection


Panic room in short: Recently divorced Meg Altman and her daughter Sarah have bought a new home in New York. On their tour around the mansion, they come across the panic room. A room so secure, that no one can get in. When three burglars break in, Meg makes a move to the panic room. But all her troubles don't stop there. The criminals know where she is, and what they require the most in the house is in that very room.



Preps: Hm. I have seen this piece at the movies in 2002, I liked it. Now I see it has Kristen Stewart, known for vampire saga Twilight as a beautiful Bella. Here I need to see her as a child.


Reality: Wow, beautiful Bella once really was a child. Here as Jodie Foster's diabetic daughter, she gains my confidence in her act. She was developing at that time, but least I see she has been working hard from the beginning (same thing as Drew Barrymore, for instance, starting off with ET.

Now, the Panic room is a perfect shelter for people that don't get excited in closed spaces. Ironically enough, Jodie Foster plays someone that really doesn't like closed rooms, nor supervision through cameras. An unusual story, where some leftovers are hidden after the last owner and aren't taken away quick enough. This is why the burglars come to claim the property, not knowing the house has been sold in the mean time and even more, has now new owners, actually living in the house. The threesome is amusing, showing underappreciation towards burglars. Maybe Finches' own fears or attempt to teach us about how things should be in this world. I doubt that most burglars come as a)fathers that want to give their son the best they can; b)really stupid coleric individuals that don't think two cm below their dicks or c) that they meet at the scene of the job with an armed really weird individual.

In any sense, the movie has a temper and energy, it will keep you high all the time and you will feel the need to ask yourself about the reality these characters are showing. Is it really impossible to get into the safe room? The only way to make the viewer believe is if you make an expert part of the burglar team, namely one that builds such cages. Even if the goal is to prevent burglars from getting into one of those.
Also, some tweeks, I don't buy. You just don't get your hand caught by steel doors and it is still there. It should be cut off. Maybe the choice of director to avoid 18+ rating. And some others.. barefeet people running on the glass not getting hurt is one of them. Hitting a man so hard and him still being conscious, another.. And a lot more. Still, a good showoff of what it might happen somewhere if..

The ending is a bit romantic and could be done a bit differently to get the tention to the peak, not to release it. I claim it to be a fairly good choice of a Sat night movie. It will make you think what would you do if you were in their shoes.


My personal grade: 6,0 (solid proof of concept for a Saturday night. Will get your blood running a bit faster. And you will rehearse the SOS code again :)


Panic room on IMDB

Seven, 1995

Seven, 1995
Director: David Fincher
Cast: Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Spacey, Gwyneth Paltrow


Stage: Home cinema, TV selection on a nice Saturday Evening

Seven in short: A film about two homicide detectives' desperate hunt for a serial killer who justifies his crimes as absolution for the world's ignorance of the Seven Deadly Sins. The movie takes us from the tortured remains of one victim to the next as the sociopathic "John Doe" sermonizes to Detectives Sommerset and Mills -- one sin at a time. The sin of Gluttony comes first and the murderer's terrible capacity is graphically demonstrated in the dark and subdued tones characteristic of film noir. The seasoned and cultured Sommerset researches the Seven Deadly Sins in an effort to understand the killer's modus operandi while green Detective Mills scoffs at his efforts to get inside the mind of a killer...
Preps: Hm.. n'th time to be seeing this. So good I cannot dare to miss it again, even though it's a tv version.


Reality: One of Fincher's most remarkable pieces. I absolutely adore the storyline and the disgusting tone he's following. Pitt brilliantly playing the rookie, Freeman also brilliant in the role of retiring cop. Paltrow one of the side roles, still remains true to the idea of the movie. The murders follow a pattern, still are exceeding each time with the evil note they possess. I have seen several similar case studies involving several murders, after all this is a grateful genre with a wide range of audience, however this one somehow reminds of the Silence of the Lambs in its evilness and making the viewer respect the murderer's actions - in a sense, I am not able to say he's punishing the wrong people. I just disagree with the idea that he is the mesia, taking God's hand into his own. Or justice, for all the atheists like me.
When Spacey is revealed, this is mere a cherry on the top of a pile of delicious fruit. It draws attention even more to the other side, making me respect the mind of someone so vicious and dangerous. The last deed is indeed the most vicious and psychological the hardest one to take into your system and you are just waiting for Pitt to explode in the last scene. Scenery carefully chosen, dialogues are leading to perfection. Some of dark humour involved, especially in the family atmosphere scenes (when Freeman comes to Pitt's home and meets the wife). Seeing the soft side of the rookie is somehow entertaining, however it brings the emotional part to the movie and attaches the viewer also to Paltrow, which was obviously the purpose to see the last scene in the most emot spirit ever.

There are several overachievers in the business, Seven seems to be one of them. In my opinion, one of the best movies in the genre, difficult to miss with its many repetitions. Also, remarkable flow of the cast at the end - vice versa as it was supposed to be. Finally, remark about the music. If you don't notice it during the piece, you will be surely surprised in the defilee - the last words coming out of director's mouth.


My personal rating: 9,5 (absolutely a must see)
Seven on IMDB

The Social Network, 2010

The Social Network, 2010
Director: David Fincher
Cast:Jesse Eisenberg, Rooney Mara, Andrew Garfield


Stage: home /laptop in my lap on a chilly evening


The Social Network at a glance: On a fall night in 2003, Harvard undergrad and computer programming genius Mark Zuckerberg sits down at his computer and heatedly begins working on a new idea. In a fury of blogging and programming, what begins in his dorm room soon becomes a global social network and a revolution in communication. A mere six years and 500 million friends later, Mark Zuckerberg is the youngest billionaire in history... but for this entrepreneur, success leads to both personal and legal complications.

Preps: I am overwhelmed and overexcited to see this, as I am a huge fan of social media from philosophical perspective. I have heard a lot about this piece and it strikes me that it will generate millions of new users of FB and reproduce this Zuckerberg's masterpiece and blow it into the galaxy. Plus, I am very curious what the biography might tell me, because I haven't been following for real.


Reality: In the same maneuvre as FB does to masses, I am struck by this piece, not letting my eyes drop the attention for one moment. Normalwise, I would follow a biography and a success story, however in this case I am stuck on the laptop like a glue. I have this deep profound respect for such geek programmers that shape the universe with a touch of their imagination. The movie slides beautifully between different periods of Facebook development and lets the viewer shape his own mind about the phenomena. It surely gives an insight into the start up period and it shakes with the basic philosophy of turning something into a big bang with energy of few individuals.
The success leads to partial endings of some stories - the movie politely inclines. Great or even the greatest friendships can be torn apart for the sake of money or change of philosophy at one stage. Being driven by the money is supposed not to be one of Zuckerberg's ideas.. nevertheless, with such success it's truly hard not to want to earn more and more, and here comes the greed.
In my opinion the movie lacks the period inbetween. The leap from 10.000 users to 1 mio is generally speaking, too fast for the viewer and in some sense, negotiates a perfect flow of the business in all the period inbetween. Well, I am curious about the period inbetween. The courtal procedures cannot be as tasty as it would be trying to depict the time from a small success to a billion dollar worth kid.
The cast is brilliant, I totally buy main actors. The friendship seems real you could taste it with a spoon. And also the creation of the great divide between them. And the master of Napster joining the party - absolutely brilliant.
In my opinion, a movie I shall see again soon. Definitely worth your time and consideration afterwards. No special effects, no music. Just Facebook. The king of this century afterall.



My personal rating: 8,0 (a truly unique and dazzling piece, definitely a must see in this period of social media)

Social Network on IMDB
The Social Network home page