Congratulations Ms. Bigelow and your Hurt Locker! Well done and well deserved!

I went to a screening the other day and the movie is still with me.

This 2 ½ hour Swedish film is about an investigative magazine journalist; Mikael Blomkvist (played by Michael Nyqvist), who is called to the home of Henrik Vanger (Sven-Bertil Taube), head of a very wealthy family. Vanger asks Mikael to investigate the unsolved 40 year old murder of his niece Harriet. What follows is a fantastic journey of twists and turns uncovering the past 40 years of movements of the large Vanger clan in order to try and discover who killed Harriet.   

Along the way Blomkvist is intercepted by Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace), a short, skinny, misfit punk who is covered with tattoos and piercings and who just happens to be one of the best computer hackers and investigators around and who after hacking into his computer and looking at the clues in the murder case, starts a distant collaboration with him.

This highly acclaimed mystery is based on one of the books in a trilogy of bestselling books by Swedish author Stieg Larsson. Unfortunately Larsson died of a heart attack in 2004 and did not see his writings come to the big screen.

According to WSJ.com/Speakeasy: “Three movie adaptations have been made of the books so far. “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” the first in the series, opened earlier this year in Europe. According to Music Box Films, the company behind the movies, the Swedish-language film has grossed more than $100 million so far, with English-speaking territories still to come. Niels Arden Oplev, who directed the first movie, said it had a budget of $7 million.”

While the story is based on the book – it is an old one that we’ve heard before – basically a cold case re-opened with new clues – there is also a number of violent scenes in the film however those scenes moved the story forward and were not just thrown in for shock – they were also handled with tact. Finally, the way that director Niels Arden Oplev shoots and shapes the actors‘ performances along with his superb pacing, is able to fully hold our attention completely through all 2 ½ hours.

With that said – what I really want to talk about – and what makes this movie memorable is the amazing and truly Oscar-worthy performance turned in by Noomi Rapace as the extremely disturbed but brilliant hacker Lisbeth Salander. Normally a viewer gets lost in a story – but here one gets lost in the character. She carries this film every step of the way. When she is on screen Lisbeth is what our eyes are on… when she is off screen – we look for her to return. I do need to say here that Ms. Rapace IS The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Don’t miss it!

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO – A Whodunit/Thriller/Suspense/Horror

Release Date: March 19, 2010 / In Swedish with English Subtitles / 152 Minutes

Touched down! (Just landed) Back in NYC – Miami was great – but always nice to come home… even if it IS a cold one! 

Imagination is more important than knowledge.  Einstein

J-E-T-S JETS-JETS-JETS !!!

IT IS VITAL that cash donations are made for instant relief (first aid, medical supplies, food, etc).

Here are a few great, easy ways to donate instant cash to reliable organizations:

THE EASIEST WAY TO DONATE IS BY TEXT MESSAGE:

Text-based fundraising is all about immediacy.

The donation amount is simply added to your next phone bill.

It’s all so quick and convenient, you can give in the moment.

There’s no chance of you forgetting to do it later.

The following organizations are accepting TEXT/SMS donations in the US only:

• SMS text “HAITI” to 90999 to donate $10 to Red Cross relief efforts
• SMS text “YELE” to 501501 to Donate $5 to Yele Haiti’s Earthquake Relief efforts
• SMS text “GIVE10″ to 20222 to donate $10 to Direct Relief
• SMS text “HAITI” to 25383 to donate $5 to International Rescue Comittee.

For the people who want to do a more conventional donation, here are the organizations web sites I Suggest:

The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund -  www.clintonbushaitifund.org

UNICEF relief work in Haiti - http://www.unicefusa.org/?gclid=CNiBzYOhp58CFQwdswod3k81zw

Direct Relief International - http://www.directrelief.org/

SMS text “GIVE10″ to 20222 to donate $10 to Direct Relief

World Vision –

http://www.worldvision.org/worldvision/eappeal.nsf/egift-haiti-earthquake-relief?Open&campaign=113655125&cmp=KNC-113655125

American Red Cross - http://www.redcross.org/

SMS text “HAITI” to 90999 to donate $10 to Red Cross relief efforts

BILL CLINTON FOUNDATION - http://www.clintonfoundation.org/

YELE HAITI - http://www.yele.org/

SMS text “YELE” to 501501 to Donate $5 to Yele Haiti’s Earthquake Relief efforts

International Rescue Comittee - https://www.theirc.org/crisis-haiti

SMS $5 donations can also be made by texting “HAITI” to 25383

THANK YOU !

May all your reflections be good ones

May all your Landscapes be seamless

May all your wraps be happy

And may all your hours be magic

Here is wishing that all of our movies get made…

Happy, Healthy and Prosperous  New Year… 2010

Bruce

Well here it is… my first official Blog “ POPCORN CHATTER” on Bruce Lucas Films!

I am new to Blogging and I am not sure what I’m doing yet!  I have several categories on my blog but I don’t even know exactly how to use them yet either!

So please be gentle and have patience as I jump right in with both legs and arms and start blogging – I’m sure I’ll make my mistakes and take my lumps… but we all have to start somewhere and we all get where we’re going… eventually!

I also don’t know what issues will be discussed, but I have a feeling that I’ll just be spewing my thoughts on all different things that come into my mind and that I read about. It will almost all be geared toward the film industry of course but I would say anything in the entertainment realm is fair game to Blog about… and maybe once in a while even some other issues that affect us all globally…

I will most certainly write my opinions on new films that I screen or see.  Now understand… I’m no reviewer and I am in no way a critique… but like everyone else in the world, I DO have my opinions and isn’t that what Blogging is all about? So I WILL be talking about the movies I see; good, bad or ugly!  

I have not decided how often I’ll be posting – I DO know it won’t be at regular intervals – just when I have something to say or some news or opinions or thoughts… for those who might be interested!

I will be posting photos whenever I have some good ones. Right now I have photos up from the Venice Film Festival that I attended. I’ve been there several times and it is always a blast and a great experience. I love Venice… I love Italy!  Amore Mio !

In particular, and if all goes well, I hope to be blogging about the projects and  films I am working on. I will keep an account of how things are progressing with all aspects of a project. From optioning a property… to editing and “tweaking” a script, to looking for funding, casting, production and basically the entire gambit. This is what I really look forward to  – getting a project off the ground and pulling it all together… ah-h-h Heaven!

Feel free to respond and post your thoughts as well – I’d love to hear what you have to say.

You can also follow me on Twitter and on LinkedIn – There are links for them all over the site!

I wish you all a Wonderful and Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanks for reading and see you back here soon!

Much appreciated,

Bruce