Karthik Calling Karthik

Take Fightclub, replace Tyler Durden with a telephone, Ed Norton and Helena Bonham Carter with a couple of whiny annoying wimps and you have this piece of trash that should never have graced celluloid.

Rating: *

The Girlfriend Experience

Steven Soderbergh has always been a hit or a miss in my book. This film about a high class Manhattan call girl is a magnificent curve ball with no batter in sight. He hopes to give the film a quasi documentary feel by casting a real honest to goodness porn star in the lead. But all Sasha Grey's non-existent acting skill and pallid screen presence does is to exposes the empty script and lifeless story.

Rating: *

Pi

The famous Darren Aronofsky thriller about mathematics and a man's obsession with numbers to unlock an universal code in nature. Shot in grainy black and white film maybe to lend some authenticity to the film, it left me feeling underwhelmed. Maybe the build up of the hype over the years lead to bloated expectations.

Rating: * +

Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Mikael Blomkovist (Michael Nyqvist) is a respected financial reporter whose name has been dragged in to the mud when he is convicted of slander. Facing time in prison, he takes up a 40 year old case of a missing girl to primarily keep him away from the spotlight. He is soon joined by Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace), a socially awkward but brilliant researcher. The film takes advantage of the beautiful Swedish countryside as you are treated to some lush landscapes. However, that beauty won't save you from the grittiness and depths of human psychopathy embedded in the movies.

Based on Steig Larrson best selling novel, the two words that best describes this film is intrigue and violence. From the start to finish you are leaning forward as plot layers are revealed, while bracing yourself at the graphic violence splashed on the screen. Reading the book before the movie is a boon and a curse. It gives you the much needed background to the characters but takes away from the suspense. Either way, you will be left wanting to watch the next installment.

 

Rating: * * *