" The girl with the dragon tattoo "

Year: 2009
Verdict: 9/10
Directed by: Niels Arden Oplev
Suede Title: Män som hatar kvinnor (original title)



I had a copy of this film awhile back already but couldn't find any free time,
this weekend I finally did.

Based on the novel by Stieg Larsson, which is divided into 3 books,
the Swedish version was the first to hit cinema and the author's name instantly
became famous. Unfortunately for the author, he died before he could share his insights to his readers.

Although I haven't watched the Hollywood remake yet played by Daniel Craig,
I think the original one was executed well with a powerful cast and a believable story.




It is a fictional story of a stubborn but determined journalist named Mikael Blomkvist, who works for the newspaper called Millennium.



He became controversial after his failed attempt to exposed a prominent financial buss. man named Wennerstrom.



He was sentenced to jail for slander, but before his arrest, received a call from a lawyer representing a prominent family named Sir Henri Vanger to investigate the disappearance of his niece, Harriet Vangers some 40 years ago.









Sir Henri believes that her disappearance has something to with murder and Mikael is his only hope, as everyone even the police dept. has given up.



With this major task ahead, one girl was as curious to find out this unsolved mystery.
That girl is the punk, young and rebellious Lisbeth Salander.



Tormented by the abused of her father during the childhood and has been and to psychiatric hospitals for sometime.
She relies on a guardian, who she meets from a weekly basis,( i think), to report about her whereabouts and daily life.









She was recently haunted by his new substitute guardian, who has a sadistic tendency, a pervert who sexually and physically abused her.
But Lisbeth is a strong headed girl and a prolific hacker, she doesn't give up easily.



Meanwhile, as she digs deeper into Mikael Blomkvist's case.
she inserts herself into the investigation, thereby, helping the journalist find the truth behind its mystery and Harriet's allegedly number codes written in her journal.





It is a riveting tale of suspense and murder, and a surprising tale of love as well.
A well thought film,
the setting shows us the backdrop of Sweden's dark and peaceful suburb.







It is a film not to be missed, an ending one couldn't imagine.
It gets you inside the mind of a sick serial Nazi rapist killer.







A good ending and an unforgettable twist.

" Black Butterflies "

Verdict : 7/10
Year: 2011
Directed by: Paula van der Oest

Starring: Carise VanHouten- Ingrid
Liam Cunningham - Jack Cope

Black Butterflies is based on a true story of an African (white) poet named Ingrid Jonker.









The film narrates about the life of a great poet, then, struggling for freedom, justice, acceptance, in search of her identity and love that she couldn't sought from her father.





It starts off with a simple childhood living near the sea, being carefree and barefoot, but all that childhood memories were shattered when her mother died and
both, here sister and Ingrid were forced to live with their father, who couldn't seem to love them, less care for them.
Distraught by his father and a failed marriage, she instantly fell hopelessly in love with writer Jack Cope.
But John, who is a political writer as well wasn't accepted by Ingrid's father, who
I think plays the President of Censorship.



John's romance with Ingrid suddenly turned bitter.
Him, still facing a messy divorce, while her, became clingy to the point that he couldn't write anymore.





Deeply affected by this, again, affecting her mental stability.
She had an abortion and life became more miserable than ever.





In the end, Ingrid's psychological imbalance got the best of her, a few attempted suicides, allegedly having multiple affairs, raising a kid.
She finally committed suicide and was found at sea.






I'm not familiar with African writers/poets, so this is an interesting film for me.
Although, her life story is a bit predictable like any other tragic artists, faced in a cul-de-sac situation of lost and sadness.

I could still say it's a good film, blended with inspiring and touching poetic verses, a nice setting esp. the beach view.
I wish the story didn't focus too much on depression and her illness but on her writings and her talent as well.





In 1994, Nelson Mandela read one of her famous poems called Die Kind= The Child, dedicated during the Sharpeville Massacre in Africa, where Apartheid was a great issue during that time.






" The child that died at Nyanga "

The child is not dead

The child lifts his fist against his mother

Who shouts Africa! Shouts the breath

Of freedom and the veld

In the shanty-towns for the cordoned heart

The child lifts his fist against his father

In the march of the generations

Who are shouting Afrika! Shout the breath

Of righteousness and blood

In the streets of his embattled pride

The child is not dead

Not at Langa nor at Nyanga

Nor at Orlando nor at Sharpeville

Nor at the police station in Philippi

Where he lies with a bullet through his head

The child is the shadow of the soldiers

On guard with their rifles saracens and batons

The child is present at all assemblies and legislation

The child peers through the windows of houses and into the hears of mothers

This child who just longed to play in the sun at Nyanga is everywhere

The child grown into a man treks on through all Africa

The child grown into a giant journeys over the whole world

Carrying no pass

" Biutiful "

Verdict: 8/10
Year: 2010
Directed by: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu



Biutiful is a touching tale about life in the brink of desperation.
A middle aged man named Uxbal is the main cast in this film played by Javier Bardem.
Uxbal is of Mexican descent, nearly broke as he tries to make ends meet.



He recently found out that he's a terminal illness and has only months to live.
While constantly struggling to provide a better future for his kids, leaving her deranged Bipolar and drug addict wife behind.



He does odd jobs of recruiting illegal immigrants providing them with work that are underpaid and
are usually against the law and in between jobs, he is also a clairvoyant,
sometimes, he visits funeral parlors and offer his insights on their loved ones,
if the dead has any last words to impart before they go to the light.



A bit ironic for its title.
The story focuses on moral and social issues.
It's about poverty and life in the slums.
It gives us another picture of Barcelona, not commonly seen in brochures
and also talks about the immigrants living there, their hardships and sacrifices they have to make in order to survive.



If you're in a low mood, then I don't suggest you to watch this film.
It's captivating but disturbing, life changing but real heavy drama and
full of bitterness and sadness.
Looking at it from a director's pov though, it's well directed and its attention
to detail was definitely brilliant.

Photo credits from this official Site.

" Carancho "

Verdict: 7/10
Year: 2010
Directed by: Pablo Trapero

Starring: Ricardo Darin
Martina Gusman



"It is estimated that over 8000 people die in traffic accidents in Argentina every year. "
so begins the story of Sosa- played by Ricardo Darina and Lujan- played by
Martina Gusman.




Sosa is a bottom feeder, lowlife lawyer who seemed to care for the victims and relatives of those
affected by the accident but was actually the opposite of what he portrays.
He looks for clients who are in desperate need of help,
carefully choosing his potential victims, particularly in public hospitals.




On the other hand, a young newly recruited paramedic doctor named Lujan started her graveyard shift that night.
She stumbled upon Sosa, eyes met with a bit of spark, but with some hesitation as to whether this man was too good to be true.
Lujan was a woman who seemed tired of her monotonous life and has a partial addiction to drugs.
What happened that night was unbeknownst to her.
What she didn't know was all that was about to change.



Sadly, as in every tale where crime and gangs are involved,
a tragic ending was bound to happen.
Throughout the film the setting was mostly during the night,
the setting was in the real slums of the streets of Argentina.
There's a sense of crudeness as to how it was shot but in a good way.
It shows us the harsh reality of life.



Undoubtedly, Ricardo Darin's performance was stunning.
He can play tough and be romantic at the same time.
I find the ending a bit sad and disturbing esp. when Lujan was going mad.
She was acting all hysterical that her voice became a nuisance.



I also find some of the sub plots a bit off and redundant but nonetheless,
still an interesting film to watch and worth your time.

" Stanley Ka Dabba "

Year: 2011
Directed by: Amole Gupte
Verdict: 7/10




The story of Stanley may seem usual if not predictable about the life of a mere child living in India.
From the beginning, the film draws our attention in a classroom full of naughty and noisy kids.
A teacher who loves her job and always made them smile and laugh at their mischievousness or
Another, who's often too strict with a stern face, uninterested in his students and monotonous and
yet another teacher, who never appreciates his students, shuns a poor kid because he
doesn't have a tiffin box, he doesn't care about anything except his stomach, eats his students' lunch, to the point of
expelling a kid from school... talk about gluttony.



The school was run by a catholic and the students were well-off, they all seem to be except for this particular kid.



Stanley -
who was the main character of the film seems to be leading a jovial and youthful life,
but as always, what's seen on the outside was a camouflage of lies and pretensions.
Inside, he's a troubled kid who's confused, lost, exploited and sometimes bullied.
But despite all this, Stanley never give up, with a good heart and a dream of his own.
He strives for a better life and education.



A bit of sublimity and humour in the film.
It has beautiful script and a story that's thought provoking in the end.
I assure you, the last ten minutes can be life altering.
The soundtrack is a sore though, I like some of the soulful sound, but others were a bit too loud for my taste.
This film, clearly shows the harsh reality of life in India, the struggle to alleviate poverty,
esp. the youth where they're mostly exploited and used by adults for their own selfish reasons.
In the eyes of an innocent child, all they ever wanted was to play and be happy.
But the cruelty in his surroundings changes all that and as he gets older,
the once youthful, charming kid isn't the same anymore.



click here for more photos!

and watch the trailer here: