The Criterion Collection

[bsweetness]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I liked The Social Network a lot.

Fincher's remake of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was lost on me, though. I did not care for it.

I read Stieg Larsson's trilogy first, then saw all three of the Swedish adaptations of the trilogy. I thought that the initial Swedish film was the best by far, but they are all quite good.
On a purely physical level, the actors (Rooney Mara, Danial Craig, etc.) in the Fincher version looked more like the characters that I imagined when I read the novels than the actors in the Swedish films did, but that is where the competence ended. The Nine Inch Nails soundtrack was one of the most obtrusive soundtracks that I have ever heard in a film, and the music often skewed the tone of the story 180 degrees off from what it should have been.
Also...

[Show spoiler]As much as I love Stellan Skarsgård (and as much as I want Criterion to hurry up and upgrade the original Norwegian version of Insomnia to Blu-ray), I was not keen on his casting in Fincher's adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Most observant moviegoers knew right away that he was the villain simply because of his cinematic past.

Fincher's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo seemed to be well-loved on this Blu-ray forum, so I'm probably ruffling a few feathers. I was not impressed, though.

To be fair, it wasn't a Nine Inch Nails soundtrack. The original score was crafted by Trent Reznor (who is the front man for Nine Inch Nails) and Atticus Ross, the same Oscar-winning duo that wrote the score for The Social Network. I thought it was quite fitting for the tone of the film.

And I was definitely one of those who thought Fincher's adaptation of the novel was superior.

[UNCMT9]

The Game is also my favorite Fincher. Love Seven and Fight Club but they have little replay value to me.

[Tin Drum]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I'm in the minority, but The Game is my favorite David Fincher film. The Criterion Blu-ray is quite stellar with the picture quality. Highly recommended!

Nevermind the picture quality. The sound quality is where it's at with this film. Amazing use of my sound system this disc.

Certainly not my favorite Fincher, though.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by bsweetness

To be fair, it wasn't a Nine Inch Nails soundtrack. The original score was crafted by Trent Reznor (who is the front man for Nine Inch Nails) and Atticus Ross, the same Oscar-winning duo that wrote the score for The Social Network. I thought it was quite fitting for the tone of the film.

And I was definitely one of those who thought Fincher's adaptation of the novel was superior.

You're right on that. I simply posted "Nine Inch Nails" because I listened to the new NIN track online a few minutes ago, and had the name on the brain.

I did not care for this particular Reznor score, though.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by bsweetness

To be fair, it wasn't a Nine Inch Nails soundtrack. The original score was crafted by Trent Reznor (who is the front man for Nine Inch Nails) and Atticus Ross, the same Oscar-winning duo that wrote the score for The Social Network. I thought it was quite fitting for the tone of the film.

And I was definitely one of those who thought Fincher's adaptation of the novel was superior.

To be honest, the novel wasn't exactly great. Without the presence of Lisbeth Salander, it would be a very by-the-numbers who done it

I'm admittedly a very visually oriented person, and I actually think David Fincher's last four films have been his finest in this regard. In recent cinema, I have not seen a finer montage than that of when Lisbeth freezes Wennerstrom's funds. Under the hands of anybody else, that would have been filled with clumsy shortcuts and exposition...

Originally Posted by Tin Drum

Nevermind the picture quality. The sound quality is where it's at with this film. Amazing use of my sound system this disc.

Certainly not my favorite Fincher, though.

Dead on! Even though I consider it one of his weakest, the near field mix blew me away! it was worth every penny.

[lastemp3ror]

Originally Posted by bsweetness

I thought it was quite fitting for the tone of the film.

I couldn't agree more. It gave the film more grit and also made it darker. I am sucker for dark films. Also why I like Fincher's films.

For me, films with amazing scores are almost as important as the story line itself. When I think of Braveheart, Amelie, Last of the Mohicans, etc, the first thing that pops in my mind is the score.

Love it

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

I'm admittedly a very visually oriented person, and I actually think David Fincher's last four films have been his finest in this regard. In recent cinema, I have not seen a finer montage than that of when Lisbeth freezes Wennerstrom's funds. Under the hands of anybody else, that would have been filled with clumsy shortcuts and exposition...

One the things that I liked most about the original Swedish movie adaptation is that it did an amazing job of depicting computer research and presenting this in a fascinating way to the audience. In most films, stuff just sort of happens automatically on the computer, or this aspect of an investigation is omitted. The Swedish movie was quite marvelous in handling this part of the story.

I loved the original novel, of course, and enjoyed the way that it brought me into the worlds of the family history, the finances, and the dynamics of editorial work. In truth, the first novel could work just as well as a stand-alone story.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Oh wow! That's one of the best films from the last ten years. I can't think of a single thing to knock on the film...

Your opinion lies way outside of consensus

I'm going to rewatch it whenever I get around to it, but when I first saw it, I found it pretty boring.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by iScottie

I'm going to rewatch it whenever I get around to it, but when I first saw it, I found it pretty boring.

You also thought 2001 was boring on first viewing...

[bladelia]

I own hundreds of soundtracks, and I think both Social Network and Girl with Dragon Tattoo are right up there with the best of them.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

You also thought 2001 was boring on first viewing...

When I watched 2001, I didn't even really want to watch it then. Plus, I only watched about an hour of it.

When I went into The Social Network, I was looking forward to it after all of the hype surrounding it, but it didn't feel like anything special.

[brandon_260]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I'm thinking that it's just a matter of time before Hiroshima, Mon Amour hits Blu-ray. Maybe an announcement over the next few months. I've been wanting to revisit this one badly.

I've only been able to see it once. I can't bring myself to buy the DVD when I know a blu-ray release is inevitable, so I was only able to access it at the library of my college town, where I no longer live. Hopefully before the year's end!

[afvet89]

Anyone pick up Medium Cool yet? Would love to hear opinions on it.Thinking about blind buying it but not sure.

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by Visco.

It looks like a lot of people are getting in on the amazon sale. The items all say "in stock but may take a few days to process"

I hope they find my copies..

They broke mine into 4 separate orders.... then within 24 hours I was getting email updates saying that "They can ship earlier than expected" and now I'm down to 2 separate orders, with 14 of them arriving probably within the next hour or so.


Gotta look at what I ordered and see what I plan to dive into first!!!!

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

You also thought 2001 was boring on first viewing...

Are you putting a lot stock in his opinions for some reason?

[shortmartin]

Originally Posted by afvet89

Anyone pick up Medium Cool yet? Would love to hear opinions on it.Thinking about blind buying it but not sure.

go for it, it's awesome, singular in the ways that it combines fictional storytelling and a verite documentary style to make you feel as though you're in the throes of Chicago 68. Makes a nice companion to Norman Mailer's book on the same subject, called something like "Miami and the Siege of Chicago." Anyways, definitely a +1 from for me for Medium Cool. Also check out Owl's excellent review of the BD.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

Are you putting a lot stock in his opinions for some reason?

Eh, it's okay to dislike 2001, I guess

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All my orders shipped

[afvet89]

Thanks man.I am gonna buy it.Always had a fascination of 60's history. I have numerous documentaries of the Vietnam War and really enjoy that kind of stuff. I was born in 71 so just missed out on the chaos of the 60's.

[Jett Rink]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Eh, it's okay to dislike 2001, I guess

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All my orders shipped

I like it if that matters.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by Jett Blu

I like it if that matters.