Review: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

Review: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

Rating: **1/2

Nonna's Rating: $$

Rotten Tomatoes: 51%

Audience: 68%

If you have not read all three of Stieg Larsson's Millennium novels and/or seen (and enjoyed) the first two movies of the trilogy, don't see this film. It just won't make any sense. For those of you who overlooked the flaws of the novels and the previous films because Lisbeth is one of the most compelling literary and screen presences ever, go see it. Blessedly, some of the most plodding story lines of the third novel are omitted from the movie: e.g., Erica's sojourn as a newspaper editor and Mikael's affair with Officer Figuerola. However, even with those edits, when Lisbeth is off screen, all we do is long for her return. And, although Lisbeth, when present, is largely silent for most of the film, we can't take our eyes off her as we puzzle about what's going on in her once bullet-riddled brain.

Hollywood is remaking these movies for the subtitle-averse. I have no doubt they can improve on the script, cinematography, and editing of these films, but I pity the poor girl (Rooney Mara) who will play Lisbeth. I can't imagine a tougher act to follow.

Nonna's Ratings:

$$$$ = Worth paying the Friday evening price
$$$= Worth paying the Matinee price

$$= Worth a rental
$ = Wait for cable
# = Skip it

Review: Hereafter

Review: Hereafter

Rating: **

Nonna's Rating: $

Rotten Tomatoes: 48%

Audience: 47%

One friend told me Hereafter was the most boring movie she'd ever seen: "Nothing happens." Another friend said she was deeply moved from the first, powerful scene all the way to the end. I had to see for myself. My assessment? It's somewhere in the middle of those two viewpoints, and it tends toward the former. The film certainly has the right credentials: directed by Clint Eastwood and starring the talented Mr. Matt Damon. All it needs is a decent script. The first scene, which focuses on a young woman caught in the power of a tsunami, is indeed masterful and terrifying, but it's all downhill from there. The story movies slowly and we're told (*spoiler alert* -- but who cares?) that there has been a vast conspiracy which has withheld scientific information about the afterlife from all of us (an afterlife which seems, BTW, incredibly boring). Religious institutions are, of course, involved in the cover-up. However, this conspiracy is mentioned and then dropped like a hot potato. I was expecting at least a little DaVinci Code mystery and mayhem to ensue -- but no such luck. So, don't bother with this film. Instead, watch The Sixth Sense again -- another view of the afterlife which is anything but boring.

Nonna's Ratings:

$$$$ = Worth paying the Friday evening price
$$$= Worth paying the Matinee price

$$= Worth a rental
$ = Wait for cable
# = Skip it

Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

Rating: ***1/2

Nonna's Rating: $$$$

Rotten Tomatoes: 79%

Audience: 91%

The penultimate Harry Potter film, Deathly Hallows, does not disappoint. It is, of necessity, a cliff hanger with the best yet to come; however, there's plenty of action and drama. The script follows the book closely, covering about 3/4 of the last novel and giving the filmmakers the ability to focus on those marvelous final chapters for the last film of the series -- due out next summer.

The focus in this film is on the three principal characters: Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Hermione (Emma Watson), and Ron (Rupert Grint). These three young actors carry the movie while the older English heavyweights: Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Jim Broadbent, and Michael Gambon (whose character Dumbledore is, of course, dead), have only small to virtually nonexistent roles. But the three Hogwarts students do a fine job, and Grint deserves a "most improved actor" nod. All three began as young, relatively inexperienced actors; we've watched them develop from childhood through adolescence and, now in this latest film, to young adulthood -- they're on their own with the weight of the world on the shoulders.

This film is dark and definitely not for younger children. My six year old grandson still panics whenever his brother watches a Potter DVD with Dobby the house elf in it. BTW, Dobby comes into his own in this film, stealing scenes and full of confidence, determination, and fierce loyalty to Harry.

The weakest part of the movie is also the weakest part of the book: the camping episode. It drags and seems as unnecessarily protracted in the movie as it is in the text. In another initially strange scene, Harry endeavors to raise Hermione's spirits by dancing with her. As he invited her to dance, the audience laughed nervously at the awkwardness of the moment, but somehow the scene transforms into one of ineffable sweetness as one friend cares for the needs and hurts of the other.

The movie is, in short, "Brilliant."

Nonna's Ratings:

$$$$ = Worth paying the Friday evening price
$$$= Worth paying the Matinee price

$$= Worth a rental
$ = Wait for cable
# = Skip it

Review: Megamind

Review: Megamind

Rating: ***

Nonna's Rating: $$$

Rotten Tomatoes: 67%

Audience: 79%

Max and Eli give "thumbs up" to Megamind. I stole glances at them several times during the movie and saw big smiles on their faces. And I wasn't bored or sleepy: I enjoyed it too. It passes the biggest tests of movies aimed at children: whether or not the kids were delighted and whether or not the adults are trying to read their watches in the dark. The animation was clever (we did not see it in 3-D) and the writing was diverting enough that adults could laugh too. The "message" was subtle but clear: "It's what's good in us that matters. You don't have to be buff and beautiful to be loved."

It also didn't hurt to have Tina Fey (Roxanne Ritchi) and Will Ferrel (Megamind) feverishly delivering lines that adults could chuckle at. On the other hand, the characters inevitably found themselves in situations that made the kids giggle. Brad Pitt does a nice turn as Metro Man, a stereotypical superhero, and David Cross is reliably funny as Minion, Megamind's, well, minion.

The film begins with ironic homage to the Superman origin story and continues that theme in Ferrell's uproarious sendup of Marlon Brando as Jor-El. It's certainly not Toy Story 3, but it was worth the trip.

Nonna's Ratings:

$$$$ = Worth paying the Friday evening price
$$$= Worth paying the Matinee price

$$= Worth a rental
$ = Wait for cable
# = Skip it