Dearest Blog: Yesterday it was off to Marquee Cinemas for the strange-bedfellows double-bill of The Girl in the Spider's Web and Dr. Seuss' The Grinch. Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.
First up: The Girl in the Spider's Web. Lisbeth Salander finds herself tangled in a dangerous plot with a personal twist. Well, dear reader(s), about the nicest thing I can say about The Girl in the Spider's Web is that I had the theater to myself, but for one other couple that sat far from me, so I really enjoyed that bit.
Otherwise... The Girl in the Spider's Web is a joyless, violent exercise that fails to engage on any level. I'm not such a ninny that I expected sunshine and lollipops from the Dragon Tattoo series, but...yeeesh...almost everything about this is deeply unlikable. The plot holds no surprises, and the performances frankly aren't that interesting.
That's not to say Claire Foy doesn't do a fine job in a role that's fraught with physical and emotional challenges; it's just that there's nothing, really, to make it stand out from a dozen others who will undoubtedly compete for the big hardware come awards season. (The trailer for Nicole Kidman's Destroyer that ran beforehand only served to underline that point.) Wallander alum Sverrir Gudnason is appealingly earnest as journalist Mikael Blomkvist, and the bleak landscapes and grim, fractured score provide a perfect backdrop for the film's misery, but otherwise there's not much good to be said about this one. I struggled mightily just to stay awake. The Girl in the Spider's Web runs 117 minutes and is rated R for "violence, language, and some sexual content/nudity."
The Girl in the Spider's Web is yet another sequel that nobody wanted.
Of a possible nine Weasleys, The Girl in the Spider's Web gets two. Fangirl points: Stephen Merchant!
Next on the docket, Dr. Seuss' The Grinch. Benedict Cumbergrinch can come down my chimney any ol' time. The Grinch is one of those timeless holiday tales that could be made a hundred times for a hundred different generations and it'd probably always work. This current incarnation is a real joy, thanks to bright artwork, bouncy holiday tunes, and a delightful turn by Benedict Cumberbatch as the green holiday killjoy. Glorious visuals are the star of The Grinch, with cheerful holiday decorations coming alive to get viewers into the spirit LIKERIGHTNOW. Snippets of new and classic Christmas carols--while vexing to our anti-hero--pile on the cinematic cheer, culminating in a well-known, teeth-rottingly-sweet finale that hits you right in the feels no matter your age. There are some stocking stuffers for adults (note the tune Mr. Grinch is playing on the organ midway through) that willfully aspire to keep the movie from being kids-only fare, but, even minus those little winks, The Grinch is the sort of picture that should get pretty much anyone into a holiday frame of mind. Dr. Seuss' The Grinch clocks in at a quick 90 minutes and is rated PG for "brief rude humor." The Grinch has holiday magic to spare.
Of a possible nine Weasleys, Dr. Seuss' The Grinch gets eight.
Fangirl points: Cumbergrinch said my name. TWICE. (Christmas is the only time it pays to be named after a resident of Whoville!) Until next time...
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