THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO

Not as good as I expected.  A locked-room (actually a locked-island) mystery procedural crossed with Antonioni’s =Blow Up=.  I haven’t read the book, so I can’t compare. A few harrowing scenes that earn its R rating, but the movie is a bit plodding as you sift through all the evidence.  The eponymous girl saves it.  She has great presence.

FF=1

THE CRAZIES

Pretty damn good. The storyline unfocuses a little now and again but things keep moving. Some very intense scenes. I think Timothy Olyphant would make a good Jack (but I’ve said that since “Deadwood”).

FF=1

ROBIN HOOD (2010)

It’s too long, and it’s more of a prequel to the familiar Robin Hood story we all grew up with, but I enjoyed this film. I can’t speak much to the history (I know Richard died in France but I don’t recall Philip invading the British Isles), but I was carried along by the various treacheries and betrayals that pepper the plot, and excellent action sequences (which you expect from Ridley Scott).  I didn’t find much chemistry between Crowe and Blanchett, so I tended to FF through those scenes.

FF=2

KICK-ASS

What a romp. Chloe Moretz steals the whole damn film. (No surprise why she’s now got more film offers than any other actress in Hollywood.) Turn off your critical faculties, suspend your disbelief from the top branch of the highest nearby tree, then sit back and let it happen.

FF=0

DATE NIGHT

A pleasant surprise. A mistaken-identity farce that requires ninja-class ability to suspend disbelief, but has some laugh-aloud lines. James Franco (as “Taste”) gives a lesson in how to steal a scene from the stars.

FF=1

I SELL THE DEAD

I enjoyed the hell out of this film. Proof that good actors and an engaging script don’t need much of a budget. One twist was easy to spot, one took me by surprise but was nicely set up. Well worth a rental. Really.

FF=0