RichC2

The original books are pretty well known (Millenium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson) Swedish novels (translated of course), the first movie came out in Sweden last year and is reportedly the highest grossing Swedish film to date ($83m). The US version is due in 2012, not sure if it's a re-adaptation of the book or a re-do of the movie.

2009 Edition:
Män som hatar kvinnor

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d: Niels Arden Oplev

Synopsis: Forty years ago, Harriet Vanger disappeared from a family gathering on the island owned and inhabited by the powerful Vanger clan. Her body was never found, yet her uncle is convinced it was murder and that the killer is a member of his own tightly knit but dysfunctional family. He employs disgraced financial journalist Mikael Blomkvist and the tattooed, ruthless computer hacker Lisbeth Salander to investigate. When the pair link Harriet's disappearance to a number of grotesque murders from almost forty years ago, they begin to unravel a dark and appalling family history. But the Vanger's are a secretive clan, and Blomkvist and Salander are about to find out just how far they are prepared to go to protect themselves.

US Release Date: March 19th, 2010

The sequels (The Girl who played with Fire and The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest) were also released in '09.

2012 Version -
Sony already has the rights with David Fincher showing interest - Carey Mulligan rumored to star.

Was reading Slant Magazine's 1 star (out of 4) review for the movie which intentionally or not, made it sound interesting, and going off their standards the score really doesn't mean anything, at all.

Giles

I loved the original, doubt the Hollywood version will be as good though.

eXcentris

People weren't thrilled with my thread.

http://forum.dvdtalk.com/movie-talk/...ium-movie.html

The books are great. First two films were released here in Quebec with the 3rd due in spring. Despite their low budget feel, they are pretty good adaptations of the films and the acting is excellent, especially from Nomi Rapace. I can't see how you could manage remakes without them being rated 'R'. Some of the more gruesome stuff would have to be taken out. I hate remakes but if it's Fincher at the helm, could be interesting.

Giles

^ the title 'The Girl With the Dragon Tatoo' is a cooler title for a thread....

Geofferson

Was the Swedish version of the movie faithful to the book? Will be curious to see what talent gets attached to the US version.

eXcentris

Yup, pretty good adaptation. They had to trim some stuff of course but the 1st film is 2 1/2 hours long so all the meat is in there, including the gruesome not so pleasant stuff. It's makes for a pretty dark and gritty thriller.

toddly6666

Here are the trailers for the two sequels:

THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE
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THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET'S NEST
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riley_dude

Weird. I just downloaded that book for my kindle. I didn't realize they had mad movies of the books.

asianxcore

Enjoyed the first book. Haven't got to the second one yet.

Hopefully there is a theater showing this around my area soon.

The Bus

Deciding between this or Mother this weekend.

Rypro 525

assuming you live in the bay area, its playing at a place called Albany Twin Landmark theater on March 19

RichC2

I'd personally see Mother first, but that could have to do with the fact that I've wanted to see that one for some time

eXcentris

1st one already on DVD/BR, 2nd one coming out April 13th (Alliance Atlantis). Sorry, french subs only.

RichC2

Roger Ebert's 4-star review: http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/...IEWS/100319981

Sessa17

I had absolutely no clue they made movies of this till just now. I loved the first book, still haven't read the second.

The entire time reading the book I pictured Russell Crowe as Blomkvist and Natalie Portman as Lisbeth thought they would be perfect if Hollywood ever made a movie of the books.

sleepyhead55

They've already made a movie for the third book. I didn't know that as the third book isn't supposed to be released in the States until later this year. Anyway, I really enjoyed the first two books. I liked the first one slightly more than the second one.

Probably watch this when it becomes available in my area. I've got to see Ghost Writer first though.

asianxcore

Thanks for the heads up. Albany is about 30-35 minutes from where I live.

Found out a local theater that plays a lot of Indie/Foreign Films got it and that place is maybe 10-15 minutes away. Going to go try and see it in the next week or so.

The Bus

Saw this over the weekend. Very late showing, long movie, and I was kept up late thinking about it.

It's a film like no other I've ever seen before: not because it was incredibly good or bad, but because of how it felt. It felt more like Episodes 8 to 12 of some sprawling, dense drama series (that would be on HBO, of course). The characters were extremely well-developed and only grew as the movie progressed.

My one complaint is that some of the more horrific scenes seemed gratuitous at times. They ultimately serve the plot, but they still seemed disconnected.

The movie, like Irreversible, has one of the most action-packed

sequences in recent memory.

I really enjoyed it.

Sessa17

Bus how does it compare to the source material? Although I'm assuming you haven't read it since you make no mention of it.

Dr Mabuse

I started it yesterday but stopped to go out last night.

I'm stoked to watch this now.

Dr Mabuse

What a fantastic film.

No wonder the critical world is on fire about this thing.

Great movie.

Yeah it isn't for the faint of heart. I already suspect I'll skip the US remake, almost sure about that. The US film system can't handle something like this, a bunch of 'water it down' film studio people and a US director will ruin it.

Hell Scorsese couldn't even handle 'Infernal Affairs', who's going to stay true to this?

The Bus

I have not although reviews in European sites seem to say it's as close as you can ask a book to be.

I wouldn't say this is this year's must-see foreign movie (a la Let The Right One In), but it's really good and it's one of the few thrillers I've seen in theaters that I'd want to see again.

eXcentris

The books were/are immensely popular here and I've heard very few complaints about the film adaptations. Personally, I'd rate the 1st film "*** 1/2" and the second "***" even though I'm well aware of the stuff that was left out. These are as good as film adaptations can be. Even the "red herring" The Bus mentions (I'm pretty sure I know which scene he's talking about) doesn't feel like a red herring to me because I can connect the missing dots. And some of these dots don't get connected (in terms of characterization/relationships) until the 3rd book.

Sessa17

Wow, no usual book-better-than-the-movie backlash. I really want to see this now, casting looks spot-on also from the clips I've seen.

RichC2

Saw this earlier tonight.

With exception of the ending being a bit drawn out, though nicely conclusive, this movie was more or less a perfectly paced thriller - even with the tangents. It isn't a perfect movie by any means, the plot itself is a bit old hat and predictable, but just great execution all around. The characters are really well done and the runtime (2.5 hours) went by extremely quickly.

Highly recommended for those that aren't easily offended by a little sex, nudity and violence. If they do a remake, I actually don't see why they shouldn't just give it back to Niels, he did a fantastic job and currently lives in New Jersey.

Interview with him: http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/...tor24_ST_N.htm