Tell us what you thought of 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'

The film hits theaters today

By Kristopher Tapley Wednesday, Dec 21, 2011 2:19 PM

Rooney Mara in "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"

Credit: Columbia Pictures

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After all the behind-the-scenes drama on embargoes and what not, David Fincher's "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" finally opens nationwide today and you'll be able to see it and gauge for yourself. If you heard last week's podcast, you heard pretty much all I have to say on the matter, but in brief, I find it to be Fincher's least compelling film to date, a waste of resources on a property that wasn't enlivened or elevated at all by the presence of all the talent involved. I do, however, believe that Rooney Mara's performance is something special. But enough about what I think, what do you think? Tell us here when/if you get around to the film this week.

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Kristopher Tapley
Editor-at-Large

Kristopher Tapley has covered the film awards landscape for over a decade. He founded In Contention in 2005. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Times of London and Variety. He begs you not to take any of this too seriously.

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Next 77 Comments

Matthew Starr

It does not engage at all but I don't know if it's Fincher's least compelling. If I had to choose I would probably watch Panic Room again rather than this but mainly because Panic Room is shorter. These books are just not meant to be translated into cinema and hopefully Fincher does not waste years finishing this trilogy.
December 21, 2011 at 3:27PM EST Reply to Comment
- Laura Stewart I think you invaded my thoughts and copied them! I felt the EXACT same. It's a solid film (well, you might disagree with that), but it did feel like a waste of time on Fincher's part. Mara was quite good. I thought she gave Noomi Rapace a run for her money. BUT, I still don't think she will get nominated. It's not the kind of film or performance that I see the Academy showering with nominations. Mara's performance is not showy enough... apart from the physical transformation. She has such a blank look on her face... not a bad thing b/c the role calls for it, but like I said-- not showy. I'd give it a a B-. Also, rape scene: VERY AWK when your parents are sitting by you. Last time I take them to see a Fincher R movie!
  December 21, 2011 at 5:01PM EST
- Matthew Starr I'll see anything with my parents. Never had an issue with that. I remember once I was watching Mulholland Drive and my dad came home right during the lesbian sex scene with Naomi Watts. He watched for a few minutes and then went on his way.
  December 22, 2011 at 2:07AM EST
Joe W

Saw it last week at a PGA screening. My biggest gripe is that it drags on for 20 minutes too long. I have not seen the Swedish version or read the book, so I am judging it solely as a movie and it didn't need all the extra fat at the end. Also the build up to the climax was tense but not that climatic and the reveal felt really obvious. A lot of great things happening. The opening credits were awesome, the tension and atmosphere were intense, performances were great across the board (Rooney Mara... WOW). But it didn't add up that much. Definitely below Social Network, Fight Club, Seven, and Zodiac as far as Fincher movies go.
December 21, 2011 at 3:32PM EST Reply to Comment
- Matthew Starr The opening credits as a stand alone are nice but they make no sense within the context of this film. It's not like Seven where the opening credits are not only awesome but are also used to introduce us to the faceless killer.
  December 21, 2011 at 3:35PM EST
- Paul Outlaw Oh yeah. Excellent opening credits.
  December 21, 2011 at 3:36PM EST
- Kristopher Tapley I'm glad you said that, Matthew. I mentioned it on Twitter a while back. They are incredibly arbitrary.
  December 21, 2011 at 3:46PM EST
- Rashad Opening credits normally are arbitrary, so I see no reason to criticize them. Fincher has his reasons, which he explained in some article, but I don't give a shit. It was great.
  December 21, 2011 at 8:52PM EST
- SJG Yeah I don't understand the frustration over the arbitrary titles. They look cool... that's good enough for me. And it's not like the images themselves were wholly unrelated to the film... flowers and sex and dragons and women and rotting bodies and stuff. It seems like an odd criticism.
  December 21, 2011 at 10:43PM EST
- Matthew Starr They seemed out of place to me and that is not something I normally feel about opening credits.
  December 21, 2011 at 11:16PM EST
Paul Outlaw

I was loving it until the Zurich sequence. Then the air went out of it for me. Mara is great, as are Craig and the villain (who I will not spoil). Once again I was bothered by people in a non-English speaking country talking to each other in English with accents. But maybe that's just me.
December 21, 2011 at 3:35PM EST Reply to Comment
- Laura Stewart You're not the only one. I got into a big discussion with some friends who had seen the film who had similar gripes about the English accents.
  December 21, 2011 at 5:03PM EST
- Chris I believe what Paul is saying is he finds it weird that they are speaking English but have Swedish accents (except Daniel Craig who I guess couldn't be arsed).
  December 21, 2011 at 5:24PM EST
- Laura Stewart Craig sounded like he was speaking with an English accent, no? Either that or he was failing miserably at his Swedish accent.
  December 21, 2011 at 6:39PM EST
- Frank Lee Even worse, some of the Swedish newspaper articles are in Swedish and some are in English.
  December 21, 2011 at 6:52PM EST
- Paul Outlaw Yeah, Chris got my drift.
  December 21, 2011 at 9:25PM EST
- Liz Frank Lee--I'm so glad you brought that up. I was expecting the accents to be all over the place, so that came as no surprise. But what was with the newspaper articles and other printed materials (like the "Polis" patches on the police)? Did no one notice that half the time they were in English, and the other half they were in Swedish?
  December 21, 2011 at 10:47PM EST
Brent

Not having read the books or seen the Swedish film (those are on my list of things to do soon) I really enjoyed it. Rooney Mara was easily the best part, and I'm not sure if I've seen such acting commitment in other Fincher films (Se7en and Fight Club maybe) but I definitely enjoyed it more than I enjoyed Zodiac and Social Network. I will agree that the ending of the film is too long and dragged on when I thought it would end. But I just felt that it was such a good technical film with beautiful cinematography and film editing. The score helped the tension of the film along so well. But overall, I would put this as my third favorite Fincher film, behind Fight Club and Se7en.
December 21, 2011 at 3:48PM EST Reply to Comment
Jake

I haven't read the books or seen the Swedish film (I will be doing those shortly) but I really enjoyed this film. I felt that it flowed really well and the story was very compelling the way Fincher brought it to the screen. Easily the best part of the movie was Rooney Mara. I haven't seen acting commitment in a Fincher film (maybe in Fight Club or Se7en) like she gave in TGWTDT. It was more than just the acting and story though. The technical side of the movie was brilliant, mostly the video editing and cinematography. I love when Fincher and Cronenweth work together. And the score was fantastic, pushing the tension in the important parts. The film did seem to drag some at the end, and maybe that should have been shortened, but overall, this is one of my favorite Fincher films I've seen, right behind Fight Club and Se7en.
December 21, 2011 at 3:53PM EST Reply to Comment
SJG

I just completely don't get why people are so down on this movie. I absolutely adored it. I'm really going to have to go back and start rewatching early David Fincher stuff because I've never liked him as a filmmaker until The Social Network and now this, and I love both of them, largely because I do think he brings stuff creatively to the material that wouldn't otherwise be there.

There's a part of me that wants to write a looooooooooooooooooong drawn out post on everything I loved about the movie, because I feel like there are incredibly nuanced things other people are just outright missing, but I don't have the energy to make that effort and I'm sure no one wants to read a novel-length post anyway.

The long and short of it is that I think this is probably the most intelligent and effective middle-brow, popular, mainstream-ish fare we've seen in a long, long time.
December 21, 2011 at 3:57PM EST Reply to Comment
SJG

Also.... Rooney Mara really should be getting more traction for Best Actress consideration than she has been. I thought the performances all around were quite good, but hers was amazing.

Taking for granted that Williams, Streep, and Davis are in basically no matter what (as I'm sure they are, though whether they all deserve to be is another question), and that Tilda Swinton really does have the edge over Glenn Close for nabbing the fourth spot (which seems increasingly to be the case), I just can't stomach the thought of Mara missing out on that fifth spot.

I mean, I love Charlize Theron as much as the next guy, and I know a lot of people are behind Elizabeth Olsen and Felicity Jones and a number of other people, and I understand but don't share the sympathy for Glenn Close.... but Rooney Mara just deserves to snatch that fifth spot, she really does.
December 21, 2011 at 4:04PM EST Reply to Comment
- Laura Stewart No. Theron does, mister!
  December 21, 2011 at 5:04PM EST
- SJG I had a feeling that you might be the naysayer on that, lol.
  
  If I were supreme dictator of the Oscars, Theron and Mara would both be in the top five, fwiw.
  December 21, 2011 at 5:30PM EST
- Laura Stewart Haha sorry :) And I would be ok with you being the supreme dictator of the Oscars b/c that is a list I like!
  December 21, 2011 at 6:37PM EST
- Paul Outlaw Mara can get in on the "Carrie" precedent, but she's still not one of my sentimental five.
  December 21, 2011 at 9:27PM EST
- Laura Stewart What is the Carrie precedent? Carey Mulligan?
  December 22, 2011 at 12:36AM EST
- JLPatt I would assume he's referring to the movie "Carrie," hence the quotations marks.
  December 22, 2011 at 1:52AM EST
- Paul Outlaw Definitely the movie. I was referring to Sissy Spacek's Best Actress nomination for playing a very damaged but powerful heroine in a genre flick.
  December 22, 2011 at 6:02AM EST
Jeffrey

Not a fan of the opening credits. In fact, I'm not a fan of the way they introduced any of the characters or the plot. I have read the books (not that it otherwise matters) and I think there was a way to adapt this story for cinema, it just needed a lot more tweaking and some bravery. With some changes to the story, they were able to clean up the end a bit. If only they had done this with the beginning. HOWEVER, Rooney Mara is unbelievable! It's not Fincher's least enjoyable work. I enjoyed it much more than Panic Room. The sequel really could be their opportunity to make something remarkable. It just didn't happen this time.
December 21, 2011 at 4:07PM EST Reply to Comment
Corey

I thought it was awesome. The editing and pacing of the film were spot on. The score was fanatastic and oscar worthy. Rooney Mara deserves an Oscar for this as well. As for Finchers movies, i would probably rate it:

1.Se7en
2.Fight Club
3.The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
4.Zodiac
5.The Social Network
6.The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
7.Panic Room
8.The Game
9.Alien 3

All around a fantastic movie and i cant wait to see it again.
December 21, 2011 at 4:07PM EST Reply to Comment
- Matthew Starr I'll bite..
  
  1. Seven
  2. Fight Club
  3. The Social Network
  4. Zodiac
  5. The Game
  6. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  7. Alien 3
  8. Panic Room
  9. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
  December 21, 2011 at 4:28PM EST
- Kristopher Tapley 1. Fight Club
  2. Zodiac
  3. Se7en
  4. The Social Network
  5. The Game
  6. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  7. Panic Room
  8. Alien 3
  9. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
  December 21, 2011 at 5:20PM EST
- AndrewM679 1. Zodiac
  2. Se7en
  3. The Social Network
  4. Fight Club
  5. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  6. The Game
  7. Panic Room
  
  Haven't seen Alien 3 or GWTDT.
  December 21, 2011 at 9:05PM EST
- Paul Outlaw 1. Fight Club
  a. "Only" music vid
  b. "Vogue" m.v.
  c. “Freedom '90” m.v.
  2. The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
  3. The Social Network
  6. Se7en
  d. "Express Yourself" m.v.
  4. Zodiac
  e. “Bad Girl" m.v.
  5. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
  f. “Janie's Got a Gun” m.v.
  7. The Game
  g. "Who Is It" m.v.
  8. Panic Room
  h. "Straight Up" m.v.
  i. "(It's Just) The Way That You Love Me" m.v.
  j. "Cradle of Love" m.v.
  k. "Oh Father" m.v.
  l. “Real Love" m.v.
  9. Alien 3
  m. "We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off" m.v.
  December 21, 2011 at 10:07PM EST
- Paul Outlaw Se7en really is #6, right under TGWTDT.
  December 21, 2011 at 10:13PM EST
- Laura Stewart 1. TSN
  2. TSN
  3. TSN
  4. TSN
  5. Fight Club
  6. TSN
  7. Panic Room
  8. TCCOBB
  9. Se7en
  10. Panic Room
  December 22, 2011 at 12:39AM EST
- Rashad Fight Club
  The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
  Zodiac
  Se7en
  TSN
  The Game
  Panic Room
  Benjamin Button
  Alien 3
  
  December 22, 2011 at 2:23AM EST
- Michael haven't seen The Game yet, but I'd rank them..
  
  1. The Social Network
  2. Seven
  3. Zodiac
  4. Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
  5. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  6. Panic Room
  7. Fight Club
  9. Alien 3
  
  December 22, 2011 at 1:47PM EST
- PHIL it's hard for me to rate his films in order as i think most are overrated. seven and fight club especially. not much there but style. the opening credits for seven are some of the best ever. the game is a laughable mess. didn't believe any of it's high concept schlock for a minute. his only films i have enjoyed:
  
  1. The Social Network
  2. Zodiac
  3. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  
  For me, his best work is in music videos.
  December 23, 2011 at 1:50PM EST
Kristopher Tapley

Everyone keeps mentioning Panic Room. I have always disliked that film, too, but having watched it again recently, it's engaging, at the very least. Leto/Whitaker/Yokam are all great. It's overly stylized but it doesn't bug me as much as it once did.
December 21, 2011 at 4:12PM EST Reply to Comment
thekingbulletin

Sometimes a story is actually hurt by an exceptionally assured director. I think that's the case here. I like the Swedish one better because it was directed with a justly straightforward agenda. Fincher, on the other hand, seems like he's trying to give weight to so-so material, and the result is off-putting.
December 21, 2011 at 4:22PM EST Reply to Comment
JJ1

Whenever something is getting polarizing reactions (omg, best ever! omg, protracted cold case episode!) ... I usually fall somewhere in-between. And that's how I feel this time, as well; but leaning more towards the positive.

I thought it was good; absolutely fine. Assuredly made. Well shot. Moody. Well acted (especially by Rooney Mara - still prefer Noomi Rapace). I enjoyed Craig as Mikael, but think he needed to dig deeper with the character. Wanted more Christopher Plummer, the man is awesome. I also feel the film goes on a tad long after the climax, but that's the story, isn't it? Overall, solid film. Nothing exceptional, and nothing bad. I also don't mind the rape/nudity/female abuse stuff. Well ... of COURSE I do, but what I mean is, I didn't mind the content of the story.
December 21, 2011 at 4:24PM EST Reply to Comment
- JJ1 For what it's worth, my 1130am viewing had a lot of people in attendance. Could be a hit. Reactions I heard were "that was good" and "maybe I should have read the book first".
  
  And on the opening credits, I liked it as a standalone sequence. But I agree, not sure how it fits in with the rest of the film.
  December 21, 2011 at 4:26PM EST
Frank Lee

As SJG stated, the movie works well as mainstream entertainment, which is somewhat surprising considering the silliness of the material. But I see Kris's point: this is probably the most impersonal movie Fincher has made, and it suffers for that reason. Most people agree that his movies have split cleanly into the good/great (Zodiak, Social Network, Fight Club, Seven) and the not so good (the other four). I would place this at the bottom of the top group, above Alien3, Panic Room, The Game, and Benjamin Button.

But can someone help me out with the plot? SPOILERS TO FOLLOW, EVEN FOR THOSE WHO HAVE READ THE BOOK OR SEEN THE SWEDISH FILM. DON'T SAY YOU WEREN'T WARNED.

If the Joely Richardson character in London is actualy Harriet herself, not cousin Annita, where the heck has cousin Annita been for the past 40 years? Did I miss how the film accounts for her? Or did the film just pass over that?
December 21, 2011 at 4:42PM EST Reply to Comment
- SJG This was something I discussed with my wife... there's TWO throwaway lines of dialogue where Daniel Craig says, "And then Anita and her husband died 20 years ago?" and Joely Richardson says, "You have done your homework. Yes, they died in a car accident."
  
  Although if Blomkvist knew this I don't understand why he didn't, uh, realize that Anita couldn't be dead 20 years ago AND living in England, but whatever. I don't really understand when he made this realization, or how it was relevant. But apparently Anita's the one who randomly died and no one ever knew. But thank god Harriet's all right!
  December 21, 2011 at 4:53PM EST
- Liz Anita would have had to move off the island not long after Harriet left, and completely cut off communication with her family. She lives under an aassumed name, marries, and dies, and only Harriet is notified. Mikael discovers all this after Martin dies.
  
  Er, I guess?
  December 22, 2011 at 12:00AM EST
JJ1

I also think the film suffers BECAUSE it could be a miniseries. yes, the film is 2 hours 35 minutes long. But I think the "story" could have been fleshed out ot be made more interesting. Further character development was called-for. And if the story actually ended as the film ended ("oh, Mikael is with his work slampiece, I guess I'll just ditch his jacket, drive off ... the end") -- then that's a pretty inconclusive, drab end.

I say all of this, and yet, I really did appreciate a lot in the film. It's a quality movie. I just think this series is very difficult to make thoroughly compelling.
December 21, 2011 at 5:18PM EST Reply to Comment
Chris

I haven't seen the movie yet (looking forward to it, like Fincher and liked the books), I just came here to say those banner ads where Louise Roug of Newsweek keeps calling the film "unapologetically grown-up" on a loop are annoying the crap out of me.
December 21, 2011 at 5:31PM EST Reply to Comment
Nick

While I'd still place Benjamin Button as Fincher's worst, this came close. Would only say it's above average based on Mara's performance. What an incredibly unengaging mystery this turned out to be. There's NOTHING interesting or different about it. It truly felt like an extra long HBO version of a cross between Law and Order: SVU and Cold Case or something. Kind of stunned at the rave reviews after finally seeing it.
December 21, 2011 at 6:20PM EST Reply to Comment
- Laura Stewart It's at a 79% based on top critics-- not really raves :/
  December 21, 2011 at 6:38PM EST
- Frank Lee "I'd still place Benjamin Button as Fincher's worst." Agreed.
  December 21, 2011 at 6:50PM EST
- JLPatt No way. "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" is spectacular. One day (more) people will realize this.
  December 21, 2011 at 8:04PM EST
- Paul Outlaw We already do.
  December 21, 2011 at 10:09PM EST
CaptainCanada

I liked it a lot. Strong characters and atmosphere, and the plot through to almost the end is well-handled.

The film's main weakness is some aspects of the plot which I assume are inherited from the book (I'm thinking mainly of the last bits). At first I thought that bringing up Blomkvist's archenemy again was some kind of sequel hook, but then they just rapidly resolved all that. Doesn't feel like a particularly natural conclusion (though I liked the understated final moment).

Rooney Mara was superb.
December 21, 2011 at 6:23PM EST Reply to Comment
@TakisGaris

Today I felt like Fincher's homecoming back to his Seven days, and that was the most pleasant surprise for me. His latest oevre has exhibited a tendency toward manic attention to detail, at the expenditure of pure feeling and connection. Technically Fincher has developed his visual flair incredibly much, but alienated himeself for cinematic pleasure. Still he can't resolve his plots effectively by the very end. Many alt. endings if no endings at all. Dragon Tatto, a considerably lesser material,has been the finest opportunity to showcase his trengths and conront his weaknesses. A stellar turn by Mara and the great score by Treznor is a mustkeeper from a movie that I wish would be the last contribution to the trilogy on the part of Fincher. He needs to move on.
December 21, 2011 at 6:55PM EST Reply to Comment
CaptainCanada

Kris earlier objected to the place of Lisbeth's rape within the narrative. I think it serves a clear thematic purpose (the theme of violence against women, and it makes Lisbeth and Harriet somewhat parallel figures), but my actual niggle with that scene was more mundane.

Namely, I don't really buy that Evil Social Worker would do it, given that, as he himself reminds us several times, he has read Lisbeth's file and knows about her history of violent behaviour. She wouldn't be on the top of my list of wards of the state to abuse, given that.
December 21, 2011 at 7:19PM EST Reply to Comment
- Kristopher Tapley It's extreme and her response isn't really enough, in my mind. And taking it to humor in the elevator scene makes it worse. And the "theme" of violence toward women is pretty thin. What great statement is made on that by this story? It's fetishistic.
  
  Anyway, agree with your second point.
  December 21, 2011 at 8:51PM EST
JJ1

1. Se7en
2. The Social Network
3. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
4. Zodiac
5. Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
6. Fight Club
7. Panic Room
8. The Game
9. Alien 3

December 21, 2011 at 7:25PM EST Reply to Comment
- Kristopher Tapley What's with Fight Club being so low?
  December 21, 2011 at 8:51PM EST
- JJ1 To be honest, FC is a film I wasn't wild about (though I appreciated elements of it) when I saw it. I have only seen FC once and it was many years ago. It may be time for a re-watch, huh?
  December 21, 2011 at 9:40PM EST
I loved this film! Great performances all around (especially from Mara), the story, which comes from a novel I also love, was adapted very well and told at a nice pace. The score was PHENOMINAL! I am trying to make my points breif as I'm not trying to write a review here, but I will say it's my personal pick for best film of 2011. My favorite to least favorite Fincher Films: 1.Zodiac. 2.Social Network. 3.Se7en. 4.The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. 5.Fight Club. 6.The Game. 7.Benjamin Button. 8.Panic Room. And I have yet to see Alien 3.
December 21, 2011 at 7:51PM EST Reply to Comment
Parrill

My thoughts...http://shootingthescript.wordpress.com/2011/12/21/men-who-hate-women-who-text-during-movies-the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo-and-other-thoughts/...Which are more in line with Kris's.
December 21, 2011 at 8:20PM EST Reply to Comment
Rashad

I was not looking forward to this, but I must say it's probably my second favorite Fincher film. I thought this was fantastic, except for the wig/banker part towards the end, but Mara made up for it at the end.

Kris, I think you're wrong about the fact that Mara was the aggressor towards Craig sexually. Unlike the Swedish version, there's context to what she's doing there, and it's trying to calm Blomvist. It's not like she pulled off the sheet and started riding him. She even let him be the aggressor by letting him be on top.
December 21, 2011 at 8:55PM EST Reply to Comment
sean_temple

The Girl with the Dexter Tattoo is like 4 or 5 different movies. Some great. Some cheesy and lame. Some boring. Some tense. Some feminist-ish.

http://watchthetempletoppleover.wordpress.com/2011/12/21/the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo-u-s-vs-sweden/
December 21, 2011 at 9:02PM EST Reply to Comment
- Laura Stewart Dexter Tattoo... Ha ha ha ha.
  December 22, 2011 at 12:38AM EST
Bugh Gerrer

1. Zodiac
2. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
3. Se7en
4. The Social Network
5. Fight Club
6. Panic Room
December 21, 2011 at 9:05PM EST Reply to Comment
Dalurae

It's a great entertainment. A faithful adaptation, straightforward storytelling, superbly acted especially by Rooney Mara, chillingly and beautifully shot, and nicely edited, especially the crosscutting between scenes with Lisbeth and Mikael before they finally meet and start working together, and spot-on pacing, making the 2-1/2-hour movie feel like a shorter one.
Technically I think it's well-made. But it was unfortunate much of the fun comes from watching Mara's turn as the iconic Lisbeth rather than the investigation plot itself. Its whole women-retaliate-against-male-violence argument felt facile. Though I found it kind of exhilarating when Lisbeth brings the rapist guardian to justice, and though I felt sympathetic toward her, I thought something about the way the character is treated or observed was bordering on fetishism. I don't know. I appreciate Larsson's motivation behind writing the trilogy and why Fincher took interest in this project, but I don't think TGWTDT makes an effective feminist argument.

Nonetheless the movie's quite an entertainment. I'd give it a solid B.

I'd rank Fincher's movies:
1. The Social Network
2. Fight Club
3. Seven
4. Zodiac
5. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
tie 5. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
7. Panic Room
8. The Game
9. Alien 3

But then I need to revisit the bottom 3...it's been a long time since I saw them.
December 22, 2011 at 1:17AM EST Reply to Comment
Logan

Not only is it not as compelling as the Swedish original, the sound mixing is terrible. At times the jarring music score drowns out the dialogue. I kept having to whisper "What are they saying" and getting a shrug from my companion.
December 22, 2011 at 1:33AM EST Reply to Comment
Nick

What did you guys think of the editing?? I thought the Swedish film handled the two story lines quite well and was pretty fluid, but this one seemed way too choppy. Just me?
December 22, 2011 at 1:59AM EST Reply to Comment
- Rashad There's nothing the Swedish film did better.
  December 22, 2011 at 2:20AM EST
- JJ1 Disagree. I slightly prefer Noomi Rapace. And I definitely prefer the dynamic btwn. the 2 Swedish actors to Craig/Mara.
  December 22, 2011 at 1:34PM EST
- Rashad There is no dynamic between the two in the Swedish version. Nyqvist has no personality, and Noomi dominates the relationship. There is a much greater balancing act in Fincher's, especially since Craig brings so much to the role.
  December 22, 2011 at 3:26PM EST
The3rdNipple

Kris, I find myself agreeing with you about 90% of the time when it comes to films. I haven't seen the remake yet bc of my gut feeling which was confirmed by last weeks podcast.

But I have to ask... have you seen the original version and did you like that one? (I enjoyed the original version a lot.)
December 22, 2011 at 3:28PM EST Reply to Comment
Bryce

1. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (100)
2. Zodiac (100)
3. Se7en (100)
4. The Social Network (100, 98 w/ "You're not an asshole Mark, you're just trying so hard to be")
5. Fight Club (95)
6. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (85)
7. The Game (90, 75 with dumb ending)
8. Panic Room (75)
9. Alien 3 (65)
December 23, 2011 at 7:14PM EST Reply to Comment

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UPDATED: FEB 25, 2013

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Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Cannes Film Festival 2013

Tell us what you thought of 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'

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Tell us what you thought of 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'

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Tell us what you thought of 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'

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Oscar Guide 2013 - A new category previewed every day until the big show

Best Picture

Best Director

Best Actor

Best Actress

Best Supporting Actor

Best Supporting Actress

Best Adapted Screenplay

Best Original Screenplay

Best Cinematography

Best Costume Design

Best Film Editing

Best Makeup And Hairstyling

Best Original Score

Best Original Song

Best Production Design

Best Sound Editing

Best Sound Mixing

Best Visual Effects

Best Animated Feature Film

Best Documentary Feature

Best Foreign Language Film

Comments

Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

Matthew Starr I'll see anything with my parents. Never had an issue with that. I remember once I was watching Mulholland Drive and my dad came home right during the lesbian sex scene with Naomi Watts. He watched for a few minutes and then went on his way.

Matthew Starr The opening credits as a stand alone are nice but they make no sense within the context of this film. It's not like Seven where the opening credits are not only awesome but are also used to introduce us to the faceless killer.

Paul Outlaw Oh yeah. Excellent opening credits.

Kristopher Tapley I'm glad you said that, Matthew. I mentioned it on Twitter a while back. They are incredibly arbitrary.

Rashad Opening credits normally are arbitrary, so I see no reason to criticize them. Fincher has his reasons, which he explained in some article, but I don't give a shit. It was great.

SJG Yeah I don't understand the frustration over the arbitrary titles. They look cool... that's good enough for me. And it's not like the images themselves were wholly unrelated to the film... flowers and sex and dragons and women and rotting bodies and stuff. It seems like an odd criticism.

Matthew Starr They seemed out of place to me and that is not something I normally feel about opening credits.

Laura Stewart You're not the only one. I got into a big discussion with some friends who had seen the film who had similar gripes about the English accents.

Chris I believe what Paul is saying is he finds it weird that they are speaking English but have Swedish accents (except Daniel Craig who I guess couldn't be arsed).

Laura Stewart Craig sounded like he was speaking with an English accent, no? Either that or he was failing miserably at his Swedish accent.

Frank Lee Even worse, some of the Swedish newspaper articles are in Swedish and some are in English.

Paul Outlaw Yeah, Chris got my drift.

Laura Stewart No. Theron does, mister!

SJG I had a feeling that you might be the naysayer on that, lol. If I were supreme dictator of the Oscars, Theron and Mara would both be in the top five, fwiw.

Laura Stewart Haha sorry :) And I would be ok with you being the supreme dictator of the Oscars b/c that is a list I like!

Paul Outlaw Mara can get in on the "Carrie" precedent, but she's still not one of my sentimental five.

Laura Stewart What is the Carrie precedent? Carey Mulligan?

JLPatt I would assume he's referring to the movie "Carrie," hence the quotations marks.

Paul Outlaw Definitely the movie. I was referring to Sissy Spacek's Best Actress nomination for playing a very damaged but powerful heroine in a genre flick.

Matthew Starr I'll bite..1. Seven2. Fight Club3. The Social Network4. Zodiac5. The Game6. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button7. Alien 38. Panic Room9. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Kristopher Tapley 1. Fight Club2. Zodiac3. Se7en4. The Social Network5. The Game6. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button7. Panic Room8. Alien 39. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

AndrewM679 1. Zodiac 2. Se7en3. The Social Network4. Fight Club5. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button6. The Game 7. Panic Room Haven't seen Alien 3 or GWTDT.

Paul Outlaw Se7en really is #6, right under TGWTDT.

Laura Stewart 1. TSN2. TSN3. TSN4. TSN5. Fight Club6. TSN7. Panic Room8. TCCOBB9. Se7en10. Panic Room

Rashad Fight ClubThe Girl With The Dragon TattooZodiacSe7enTSNThe GamePanic RoomBenjamin ButtonAlien 3

Michael haven't seen The Game yet, but I'd rank them..1. The Social Network2. Seven3. Zodiac4. Girl with the Dragon Tattoo5. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button6. Panic Room7. Fight Club9. Alien 3

Kristopher Tapley Everyone keeps mentioning Panic Room. I have always disliked that film, too, but having watched it again recently, it's engaging, at the very least. Leto/Whitaker/Yokam are all great. It's overly stylized but it doesn't bug me as much as it once did.

Liz Anita would have had to move off the island not long after Harriet left, and completely cut off communication with her family. She lives under an aassumed name, marries, and dies, and only Harriet is notified. Mikael discovers all this after Martin dies.Er, I guess?

Chris I haven't seen the movie yet (looking forward to it, like Fincher and liked the books), I just came here to say those banner ads where Louise Roug of Newsweek keeps calling the film "unapologetically grown-up" on a loop are annoying the crap out of me.

Laura Stewart It's at a 79% based on top critics-- not really raves :/

Frank Lee "I'd still place Benjamin Button as Fincher's worst." Agreed.

JLPatt No way. "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" is spectacular. One day (more) people will realize this.

Paul Outlaw We already do.

JJ1 1. Se7en 2. The Social Network 3. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button 4. Zodiac 5. Girl with the Dragon Tattoo 6. Fight Club 7. Panic Room 8. The Game 9. Alien 3

Kristopher Tapley What's with Fight Club being so low?

JJ1 To be honest, FC is a film I wasn't wild about (though I appreciated elements of it) when I saw it. I have only seen FC once and it was many years ago. It may be time for a re-watch, huh?

Parrill My thoughts...http://shootingthescript.wordpress.com/2011/12/21/men-who-hate-women-who-text-during-movies-the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo-and-other-thoughts/...Which are more in line with Kris's.

sean_temple The Girl with the Dexter Tattoo is like 4 or 5 different movies. Some great. Some cheesy and lame. Some boring. Some tense. Some feminist-ish.http://watchthetempletoppleover.wordpress.com/2011/12/21/the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo-u-s-vs-sweden/

Laura Stewart Dexter Tattoo... Ha ha ha ha.

Bugh Gerrer 1. Zodiac2. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button3. Se7en4. The Social Network5. Fight Club6. Panic Room

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SJG I had a feeling that you might be the naysayer on that, lol.

If I were supreme dictator of the Oscars, Theron and Mara would both be in the top five, fwiw.

Matthew Starr I'll bite..

1. Seven
2. Fight Club
3. The Social Network
4. Zodiac
5. The Game
6. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
7. Alien 3
8. Panic Room
9. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Kristopher Tapley 1. Fight Club
2. Zodiac
3. Se7en
4. The Social Network
5. The Game
6. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
7. Panic Room
8. Alien 3
9. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

AndrewM679 1. Zodiac
2. Se7en
3. The Social Network
4. Fight Club
5. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
6. The Game
7. Panic Room

Haven't seen Alien 3 or GWTDT.

Laura Stewart 1. TSN
2. TSN
3. TSN
4. TSN
5. Fight Club
6. TSN
7. Panic Room
8. TCCOBB
9. Se7en
10. Panic Room

Rashad Fight Club
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Zodiac
Se7en
TSN
The Game
Panic Room
Benjamin Button
Alien 3

Michael haven't seen The Game yet, but I'd rank them..

1. The Social Network
2. Seven
3. Zodiac
4. Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
5. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
6. Panic Room
7. Fight Club
9. Alien 3

Kristopher Tapley

Everyone keeps mentioning Panic Room. I have always disliked that film, too, but having watched it again recently, it's engaging, at the very least. Leto/Whitaker/Yokam are all great. It's overly stylized but it doesn't bug me as much as it once did.

Liz Anita would have had to move off the island not long after Harriet left, and completely cut off communication with her family. She lives under an aassumed name, marries, and dies, and only Harriet is notified. Mikael discovers all this after Martin dies.

Er, I guess?

Chris

I haven't seen the movie yet (looking forward to it, like Fincher and liked the books), I just came here to say those banner ads where Louise Roug of Newsweek keeps calling the film "unapologetically grown-up" on a loop are annoying the crap out of me.

JJ1

1. Se7en
2. The Social Network
3. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
4. Zodiac
5. Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
6. Fight Club
7. Panic Room
8. The Game
9. Alien 3

Parrill

My thoughts...http://shootingthescript.wordpress.com/2011/12/21/men-who-hate-women-who-text-during-movies-the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo-and-other-thoughts/...Which are more in line with Kris's.

sean_temple

The Girl with the Dexter Tattoo is like 4 or 5 different movies. Some great. Some cheesy and lame. Some boring. Some tense. Some feminist-ish.

http://watchthetempletoppleover.wordpress.com/2011/12/21/the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo-u-s-vs-sweden/

Bugh Gerrer

1. Zodiac
2. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
3. Se7en
4. The Social Network
5. Fight Club
6. Panic Room

Logan

Not only is it not as compelling as the Swedish original, the sound mixing is terrible. At times the jarring music score drowns out the dialogue. I kept having to whisper "What are they saying" and getting a shrug from my companion.

Nick

What did you guys think of the editing?? I thought the Swedish film handled the two story lines quite well and was pretty fluid, but this one seemed way too choppy. Just me?

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