Catching Up With 2012

The holidays were very busy for me, so I wasn't able to see any of the movies that I wanted to. I haven't seen anything in the theater since I saw Muppets the day before Thanksgiving. So for the last week I've been playing catch up. So here's a recap of the movies I've seen in the theater so far in 2012.

 Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
Going to the movies on Christmas has been a tradition for the past few years. This was supposed to be the Christmas movie this year, as the first one was a few years ago. Unfortunately, pure exhaustion from the holiday season resulted in this one getting delayed. While this sequel wasn't as good as the first one, I still found it to be an enjoyable way to spend 2 hours. Robert Downey Jr. does not fail to entertain.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
For years, I have seen this book on the shelves as I browsed through my local Borders (R.I.P.). I picked it up a number of times to determine if it might be something I might want to read. Every time I would end up putting it down before I could finish reading the synopsis. I'm not sure what was turning me off of it because the story is one that I would enjoy. Perhaps it is the writing style. Despite my aversion to the book, I've had the Swedish film version in my Netflix queue for a long time, although never got around to watching it. I've read a lot of people complain about Hollywood "ripping off" perfectly good foreign movies to make Americanized versions. Personally, I think that re-interpreting the story to reach a wider audience it isn't hurting anyone and may draw more attention to the original films.

As soon as I saw the trailer for Fincher's version, I was immediately drawn to it and it jumped to my must see list. I'm a big fan of his work and have not been disappointed. This film grabbed my attention and didn't let it go until it was over. I thought Rooney Mara gave a fantastic performance as this intriguing character, Lizbeth Salander. This will definitely be a release day Blu-Ray purchase for me. It still didn't make me want to read the books, but I will be checking out the Swedish films. I don't want to have to wait years to find out where this story goes.

 

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
The latest movie in the Mission: Impossible series doesn't disappoint. It was a fun ride from start to finish. The scene on the outside of the building was dizzying and I'm sure would have been worth the extra money for the IMAX tickets had I chosen to go that route. I was amused by all of the Apple product placement. Rather than making up technology that doesn't exist, they found ways to use iPhones and iPads as hi-tech secret agent devices. Where can I get those apps? The movie definitely left me in the mood to watch the older films, which I haven't seen in a few years.

 The Artist
Every year I make it my mission to see all of the Best Picture nominees before the Oscars. Even though the nominations haven't been announced yet, this one is pretty much guaranteed to be one of them. This movie is a perfect example of why I try to see all of the nominees. This is the kind of movie that may have been totally off my radar. I hope people go out and see this film. I know the idea of having a silent film in black & white isn't going to appeal to a broad audience, but I was definitely charmed by it. I've never watched a silent movie before, but I was concerned about the potential for boredom. I think Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo were wonderful. Both were able to make me relate to their characters without saying a word. Dujardin's smile is infectious. I don't know if this will be my personal pick for Best Picture this year, but I really enjoyed it and am glad that I got to see it on the big screen.