Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

Remember the first Mission Impossible movie?  A confusing mess of a plot involving double and triple crosses, some cool action set pieces, and Tom Cruise RUNNING.  Seriously, dude looks good running.  We’re now on film number four in this franchise and the plot line stays pretty much the same.  The setting around it though, hoo boy.  I hate to use the phrase “ACTION BLOCKBUSTER!” but watching Ghost Protocol it might as well have preceded every scene in huge block letters.  I’m not saying this is a bad thing, but for better or worse, the film has become a bit less cerebral and much more eye candy.  It’s a spectacle to behold, just don’t think it about it too much.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

So yes this is the THIRD article on Faceplant that deals with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  I reviewed the book a while back, and Enosh recently reviewed the Swedish film.  Here I will be discussing the musical version on ice that is currently taking America by storm.  Ok that isn’t true, but there IS another film that just came out that deserves some attention.  I have a much higher opinion of the Swedish film than Enosh does, so much so that when the American version of Dragon Tattoo was first announced my reaction was “damn it, WHY!”.  Well, the answer to that question is two words and sealed the deal on me paying some ducats to go see this movie:  David Fincher.  He made “the Facebook movie” (Social Network) one of the best I’ve seen in recent memory.  He’s the director of my favorite movie ever, Se7en.  The subject matter here is right up his alley.  I had high expectations for this film, which I am glad to say were mostly met.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: Hollywood hasn’t cornered the market on lame

After Elrood picked up the book The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo I decided to give it a go myself. Despite some very disturbing scenes I found the book entertaining on a level not reached by any other novel whose pages I’ve thumbed this year. So when I saw the book’s native sons had created a movie built on the book I had to take a look. And wouldn’t  you know it I found a rainbow inside? But you don’t have to take my word for it. Sorry, I think I’ve been watching too much TNG lately. Anyway, the Swedes made a movie based on the Stieg Larrson novel. Who apparently doesn’t drive fast cars around an airport just off the A281 in Guilford. Being Swedish the movie is subtitled which precludes about 80 percent of my friends from seeing it. The lazy bastards. Still I’ll soldier on for all you internets.

Quantum of Solace: I recant nothing!

I finally got around to giving Daniel Craig another shot. For those of you may not recall, I have a deep-seated hatred for Casino Royale and was United Artist’s, excuse me, MGM’s choice for the most recent Bond from the moment I learned Clive Owen was passed over for the job. It took me almost exactly three years to get around to it, but I finally got around to giving Craig’s second Bond installment, Quantum of Solace, a go. We’re off to a bad start with the poster. When’s the last time you saw Bond with a submachine gun as his primary weapon? Still. Everyone repeatedly said it was a great movie. They were not wrong.

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service: Lazenby gets the shaft

While browsing my Netflix queue I came across the description for “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” and was quite surprise to see it classified as one of the best Bond films of all time. Don’t get me wrong, George Lazenby puts Timothy Dalton and Daniel Craig to shame, but he was put in a rather awkward situation when asked to play a decidedly toned down Bond.

The sixth Bond film was the first to lack the dominating performance of Sean Connery, and a significant break from the previous installments in what would become one of the most epic and certainly the longest running series in film history.