The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo 2009

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo staring Michael Nyqvist (Mikael Blomkvist), Noomi Rapace (Lisbeth Salander), Lena Endre (Erika Berger), and Peter Andersson (Nils Bjurman) is not a family time movie.  If you have read the first or all three books in the Millenium Trilogy you can agree that the Swedish version follows the novel very closely.  Michael Nyqvist is a good actor and just how I expected Mikael Blomkvist to be. He isn't the best looking man on the planet but compared to Daniel Craig (who is going to be playing this part in the American version) is a great pick for the main character. Noomi Rapace, playing my favorite character ever, has just enough attitude for this part. Lisbeth Salander is described in the book by a young girl who looks like a teen age boy and who can kick any ones ass that crosses her. I haven't seen Noomi in anything else she has played in, but she plays this part well. She looks the part, I hope by making her clothes baggy and adding dark make up, and is very convincing when the character needs to be tough. Lena Endre doesn't have a very big part in the movie, in the third movie you see much more of her. Then there is Peter Andersson that plays the despicable Nils Bjurman. He portrays the sinister pervert perfectly and I can't picture anyone else in the part when I read the book.
The actors portray the characters well. The story line is complex, but not too much. There is a variety in moods spanning from light with a touch of humor to dark and victorious. There are no special effects that I can comment on. This movie is all about the actors and how they bring the well known and loved novel to life and I think they achieved that perfectly. Though it is in Swedish and if you don't like subtitles then don't bother trying with this movie. It is one of those movies that you have to pay attention too.
All in all I give this movie a 4 out of 5. Mostly because Lisbeth Salander kick ass in the movie and books.

Cant take subtitles? Don't worry they are filming the American version and will be out in theaters I assume next year.

The Green Hornet

The Green Hornet, staring Seth Rogen (Pineapple Express), Jay Chou (nothing important), Cameron Diaz (Theres something about Mary), and Christolph Waltz (Inglorious Bastards); lived up to my expectations.  If you want a good action hero movie then don't cast a comedian in the main role. Seth Rogen is funny in all the other movies he has done and is quite hilarious in this movie, but not a super hero.  He did nothing but talk and wine the whole movie.  Jay Chou, as Kato, was the coolest kick-ass-iest character in the movie, basically fighting crime while his ugly yet funny "hero" over shadows him.  Cameron Diaz, getting on in her years, played an office assistant while also writing articles and researching for the news paper the green hornet owns, and completely ruining the view of women in the work place by only getting the job that pays nothing and means nothing by her looks. The only person i have nothing bad to say about in this movie is Christolph Waltz, the awesome bad guy. He was the ultimate Nazi in Inglorious Bastards and his attitude carries over in this movie. He tried to be funny and hit the nail on the head, asking his victims "am i not scary?" in a very desperate way right before he shoots them with a very awesome double barrel gun. All in all i would give The Green Hornet a 2.5 out of 5 stars.