I agree about Tinker. It feels like he got nominated, because that movie had that pedigree and this was their 'catchup' nomination.
So I finally watch the new The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Rooney was so damn good, disappeared into it. Craig did his thing with what he was given too, but this movie is kind of an unwatchable abomination to me.
I haven't been so disappointed by a story I already knew since Watchmen, which ironically this reminds me of a lot. I get that same emotionless, tongue in cheek feeling from it, and I never expected that. I mean I saw Let The Right One In for the first time a little while before I saw Let Me In in theaters...loved them both. And Infernal Affairs was fresh on my memory when The Departed rolled through, but this...CP was right, this is a pointless, terribly unneeded film.
Knowing the source material well enough (the original films) gives you a different kind of expectation. Let The Right One In didn't have nearly as much to improve, but Let Me In was a worthwhile film. What made me have such high hopes was that the original's movie plotting wasn't good. The main parts of the story were, but the plot, point for point was whatever. The pace of the story was off. The original's dialogue (translation?) wasn't that good. The male lead added very little. The cinematography... *ye shrug* The rush conclusion to the end was underwhelming...then shocking and anticlimactic at the same time.
So you've gotta think...THIS...with an amazing character like Lisbeth...this director?? That's just leaving it hanging over the plate.
Nope.
From the beginning, the opening credits are amazing and promise a film you never really get. All the clarity and white noise problems from the og are right there again. I know there's a lot of Swedish corporate/political/prestige information to get across, but they already made that film where it was hellbent to put you to sleep before that scene happened. But that movie had subtitles you could read and already exists.
I mean, this is where I thought Fincher would kill it. Son, you made The Social Network and Zodiac. How can't you improve the waspy elite getting investigated about murder for an hour? Even if you did care, this movie will give you every opportunity to stop. It's just faceless family member after faceless family member. Are we supposed to admire how clean and well lit the shot is? Or how good Craig's accent isn't? Or how beautiful those outside shots of Sweden are?
This movie is about Rooney Mara's character, Lisbeth Salander and she's barely in the first half of it. And her scenes are edited in so badly. Something big and character defining will happen one scene, completely unrelated Craig scene will happen, then she's back and over it. And to make things worse nothing she does in the first half has anything to do with the second half.
There's no pace and barely even any initiative or drive. It's as slow and boring as a real 40 year old cold case missing person would be. And there's no perspective. No one to help us enter this world (Craig's character for damn sure ain't it). We learn nothing. Throughout the whole film...a 'murder' mystery...we gain almost nothing. There's just this inherent feeling that there are only a couple characters with faces in the whole movie, but even then you wouldn't care if they did something 40 years ago. It's a cold case. And you never get the feeling like the danger's really still there, EVEN AFTER HE GETS SHOT. Nothing feels like it's important today and why should it?
When I saw Swedish Dragon Tattoo...I just heard that it amazing. I thought it was about some Veronica Mars type chick solving crimes.
Is there anyone who doesn't know there's a rape in this movie?
Knowing for myself is one thing, but I watched it with someone who never saw the Swedish movies and it was just obvious when it was gonna happen. Hell, whether you knew or not, this movie is so much less suspenseful and sensational that the original. It's just cold and matter of fact about everything.
And %$*!!# up as I feel about it. They tamed down the scene enough that it's not violent enough to get a deep emotional response out of you or as bad as the original's or as bad as they hype it up to be or really worth showing at all? If you're gonna show it uncut, then it has to be terrible. If you're not than find an artistic way to imply it. I don't know what to say.
And Sweden. Sweden is my next biggest problem with this movie. If you're gonna remake it, why the hell would you still set it in Sweden with all the same places and plot points? That movie already exists. Why wouldn't you move it to the Hamptons or something? Do you understand how affected and stupid it feels after a while. Everyone talking with a Swedish accent in English in Sweden in a direct American remake of a Swedish movie from 2 years ago...
And Daniel Craig... I'm the idiot who thought the Mikael from the original was almost worthless and schlubby and didn't have much to him or the character. They didn't change the character much at all except now he's played by Daniel Craig. That changes most of the dynamics of the film, but they don't take advantage of any of them. The best interactions he has are with his cat and when they gave him like 45 minutes of the first hour...he accomplished nothing. But at least as that schlubby journalist, you get why he's helpless and in over his head. You get why he's so emasculated and desperate that Lisbeth isn't uncomfortable around him. And when he argues with her in the Swedish film, you can tell he's trying to overcompensate. In this...that's just Daniel Craig playing it cool with a bad accent.
What made Let Me In work so well was that it made a point to improve on every failed scene from the original. It was like Blade Runner: the Final Cut, but with a better boy actor, better old guy, better cop and more inspired plot and staging in parts. This movie.
They didn't fix, change or improve anything besides the cinematography, some acting and a few lines here and there. Other than a couple trivial things, this is the same movie, but more disappointing.
I get why the hype died so quick and the Oscars looked this movie off. If being a remake wasn't enough, it's a remake with everything going for it that wasn't as good as the original. It's technically very well directed and only really well acted by Rooney, but not well written, plotted, paced or edited. It's just there.
That said, that quick, new adventure, last 10 minutes was better than the whole movie before it.
And I didn't realize I typed that much til just now...
Must be how JapanAir feels.
6/10
She literally looked and acted like she was not all there. She was terrific. But then the story got lame, the whole Jung/Freud dynamic was not as interesting as I hoped and though Fassbender and Viggo was solid, I would rather they were squaring off in Eastern Promises 2 or something like that. Having them debate why every single dream in their life makes them horny was a waste of what they can do. But for the purposes of seeing the 3 main performances, it's ok if you can get thru it. Hour and 40 minutes, and you can wake up and go onto something else. 
