F11: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo-Directed by David Fincher

"You need to be more......sociable."

I do not have any tattoos. Nor do I sport any piercings, although in high school I did rock an earring. I do not own a leather jacket or zip around town on a motorcycle, but I do own a laptop and like to consider myself quite savvy when it comes to googling something. David Fincher's adaptation of the first book from the best selling Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series hit movies screens this week, and hit is an understatement. An elbow to the ribcage or a reverse thrusting kick to the shins might be a little more appropriate analogy. These Girl With...books by Stieg Larsson are loved around the world and by all means do I think that David Fincher nabs the crux of why these books are so popular. The film follows journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) and his mission of piecing together the mysterious disappearance of Harriet Vanger, last seen 40 years ago. After being fired from his newspaper, Mikael is hired on by the scrupulous Henrik Vanger to help unravel the family's dark past. As Blomkvist begins to connect the dots, an incessantly gothic young lady crosses his path and aides Mikael in his "research". Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara) is an ultra aggressive, profusely pierced digital whiz who just so happens to have a dragon tattoo. Charming, intelligent and irrevocably precarious, Lisbeth is not someone to mess with.

This film was vintage Fincher (Fight Club, Social Network) and highly enjoyable. His gritty style of story telling is staggering and despite his use of dull, dreary lighting this film jumps off the screen. Coupled with a chilling score by Trent Reznor, and a ridiculously visual intro, some could say that this is Fincher's best work to date. Larsson's story is complex and hard to follow, but I think Fincher was indeed up to the task of conceptually bringing to life one of literature's most infamous characters. While the story is about solving an old family mystery, the first installment in the Millineum Trilogy is really about developing Lisbeth's wrecking ball of a character.  And developed she is. Just ask her ex-parole officer, and what he thinks of her after pushing his luck with the young Ms. Salander.

Overall, I think this movie was good but not great. A few years ago, an independent version of this film was released, one that in my humble opinion was much more authentic. Maybe is was due to the fact that the people in Sweden were actually speaking Swedish or that the actors were all unknown commodities. I guess it comes down to your own personal preference of moving going. Big name, Hollywood renditions vs. low budget, indy interpretations. See both and decide for yourself. Hopefully, Fincher has signed on to direct the next two sequels. I will be eagerly awaiting to see how Lisbeth Salander is further developed and how her path of destruction continues. In the meantime, I think I will be changing all my passwords and online banking information. Boom.

B8: Swamplandia! By Karen Russell

"Where had all the families gone? The families were gone. All at once, it felt like. Families had been our keystone species of tourists on Swamplandia and now they were rarer than panthers."

Feelings of ennui starting to claw at your gloomy winter afternoons? Try injecting a little swamp water into your reading diet. This latest novel by Karen Russell spotlights the exceptionally odd Bigtree clan and their family run alligator amusement park. For years the Bigtree's alligator wrestling act has lured mainland Floridians out to their snatch of swamp, but with the unexpected death of the Hilola (the mother), the entire operation is suddenly at stake. Ava, big sister Osceola, brother Kiwi and Chief all have different ideas on how best to save Swamplandia from financial ruin. A dubious plan dubbed Carnival Darwinism is hatched and set in motion, while the Bigtree's must now find away to pry visitors away from new amusement-kid-on-the-block World of Darkness. Outlandish enough? Chuck in a shifty character named Birdman, a backwood romance with the ghost of Louis Thanksgiving and an unexpectedly crimson gator hatchling for good measure and let the fun begin.

This book reminds me of something that I came across a few years ago, Geek Love by Katherine Dunn (which I also highly recommend). Another nutty family filled with outlandishly tantalizing characters, but I digress. Back to the swamp. I really enjoyed this book and think that Russell has a bright career ahead of her. Her attention to every quirky detail of this story is commendable as well as the years of research she spent learning the indigenous plants and animals of the Florida swamplands. This book really comes to life with her talent for character development and her penchant for creating a world around these characters that will stay will the reader long after you are finished reading. I appreciate her timorous prose and will start exploring tickets to an alligator wrestling show in Florida where my wife and I will be spending part of our upcoming holiday. If you and your loved one can't make it to the Sunshine State in the foreseeable future, try checking out this book. After all, the gift giving season is upon us and what better gift to give the one you love, than the gift of swamp.

B7: Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

"I wanted to make sure someone heard what I had to say."

Imperious. Idiosyncratic. Eccentric. Visionary. Revolutionary. Just a few words that float to mind when attempting to describe the portrait of Apple's founder. Steve Jobs was many things and this smartly written book about his legacy examines the moving parts that make up the man responsible for transforming the computer/movie/music/communications industries throughout his career. I was skeptical at first to read this book since it came out so quickly after Job's passing, but I am glad that I did. Built upon several years’ worth of personal interviews, Isaacson masterly composes the symphony of Steve's life, bringing new insight into his successes and the bridges that were torched in order to achieve them.

With the backdrop being the surrounding towns of where I grew up, it was extremely compelling hearing Job's life story. From his love of calligraphy to why he wore black turtlenecks, Steve Job was truly one of a kind. His chilly temperament and fiery passion for creating a legacy propelled projects he was involved with to unthinkable heights. He was the true embodiment of the yin and yang. Sensitive yet apathetic. Bohemian yet futuristic. He loved creative design, and at the same time was obsessed with the color white. The type of walking contradiction that carried the scorn of being put up for adoption his whole life, only to spurn the birth of his first child.

Steve Jobs was many things. Genius. Artist. Unscrupulous. Beloved. Maybe most importantly, iconic. This exceptional biography is one that you do not want to miss. You will probably see it this holiday season all over bookshops and cafes and for good reason. It's that good. So engrossing and authentic that Jobs himself did not read a word that Isaacson wrote, instead trusting that he would indeed capture what he had to say. Did he ever. Well done Mr. Isaacson.

F10: My Week With Marilyn-Directed by Simon Curtis

"Have faith in your talent."

While this may not be a terribly wonderful film, the acting in it simply is. Michelle Williams' portrayal of the legendary yet mercurial Marilyn Monroe is captivating and will surely garnish a Best Actress nomination. She has the innocently dense routine down and her imitation of Marilyn's voice convinces you that you are watching the famed starlet on screen. However great her role, she is almost upstaged by the performance of Kenneth Branagh, playing the iconic Sir Lawrence Olivier. Just like Williams, he dives into this role and delivers a wonderful performance, touching on many of Olivier's temperamental and quirky traits. Look for him to bag an award or two in the coming year.

The film retraces the adventure of directing Marilyn Monroe during the film The Prince and The Showgirl and her connection with one of the assistant directors, Colin, played by Eddie Redmayne. While Colin is a first time on set problem solver, the relationship between Ms. Monroe and Olivier sets the table for a brief romance between Colin and Marilyn. We get a glance into the kaleidoscope of what it would have been like to know Marilyn Monroe and how tormented she seemed to be off camera. I did enjoy this film and think that it is unmistakably worth viewing, as the acting alone will keep you captivated. Time period films are always enjoyable and this one with make you smile.

F9: Like Crazy-Directed by Drake Doremus

"I'll be there in 30 minutes."

For such a simple story, this film was immensely enjoyable. The premise follows the predictable trajection of girl and boy. Girl meets boy. Boy takes girl out. Girl and boy connect on a profoundly unique plane. Boy loves girl and wants nothing more than to be with girl. Only this time, girl did not follow the laws of immigration and violates the terms of her student visa and must return back to the UK.  What follows next is a tumultuous jaunt of ups and downs following the couple's budding romance.

I love the rawness of this film and the director's style lends to the authenticity of the story he is trying to tell. Both characters are portrayed in a light that makes you feel like you actually know them, or have come across them at some point in your own life. You find yourself really pulling for this couple and hoping that it works out for them, despite the physical and growing emotional distance that plagues their relationship. Weave in a killer soundtrack and some fresh camera tricks and this is not one you want to miss. See it.

F8: Anonymous-Directed by Roland Emmerich

"Of course you have a voice, you are an artist."

To write or not to write, that is the question in question in this recent release by Roland Emmerich. Did William Shakespeare really pen all of his sonnets, poems and plays? Or was he simply an eccentric, spurious individual that was driven solely by fame and glamour? I had heard of several theories on the authenticity of Shakespeare over the years, and the theory revolving around the Earl of Oxford being the main author is explored in this movie. Details such as Shakespeare being illiterate, and how nothing of his work was mentioned in his will, provide the groundwork for this theory.

While it is a truly complicated story and really hard to follow, I enjoyed this film based on sheer content. It is fascinating to be thrown back to a time where writing and acting was seen as such threatening devices and how scrupulous the leaders within the kingdom of England could be towards each other. Mistresses and scandal. Beheadings and whispers of arcane pregnancies. All of which add up to be a dramatic theatrical performance in itself. The acting was grand, the costumes magnificent and the scope of England during the Essex Revolution was brilliant. If anything, the editor of this movie could have done a better job helping the viewer connect the characters with the events.  The story jumps back and forth over different stages in Queen Elizabeth's life, sometimes muddling the flow of the events. Overall though, I would recommend this picture as the idea that greatest play write the world has ever seen, is not in fact who he claims to be. Decide for yourself......is it better to be a witty fool or someone with a foolish wit?

F7: Ides of March-Directed by George Clooney

"Integrity! Honesty! It is what this country is based on!"

This film will not blow your doors off within the first 30 minutes. There are not a lot of fancy camera tricks or adrenaline charged scenes. There is not even a savvy soundtrack to compliment the story being told. All this considered, I loved this film. Ryan Gosling is one of my favorite actors and he surely should be up for an Academy Award with this performance.

We get an inside glimpse of his life as a Campaign Manager for the dashing Mike Morris, played by George Clooney. Morris is everything a presidential candidate should be and at first glance someone who refuses to succumb to the moral indiscretions that perpetually plague most people in the political forum. Gosling's character, Stephen Myers, is up and coming on the political scene and has caught the eye of the opponent's party, led by Tom Duffy (Paul Giamatti). After a brief meeting with Duffy and an unlikely encounter with an intern, the inklings of implosion start to form and Myers is suddenly transformed from golden boy to political pariah.

You will get your money's worth alone from the acting in this movie. The tale is one we all know all to well; that of corruption and broken promises from those who hold public office. I strongly suggest watching this movie and see for yourself if you can see the train coming before it arrives. Good political movies are hard to find and I assure you this one will be talked about for a long time.