69th Golden Globes: Won vs. Predicted

No report for this show. Mildly boring, Ricky didn't deliver as much as we were hoping. Here's how I faired:

Best Supporting Mini-Series or TV Movie Actor:

Won and Predicted: Peter Dinklage - Game of Thrones

Best Supporting Mini-Series or TV Movie Actress:

Predicted: Maggie Smith - Downton Abbey (Masterpiece)

Won: Jessica Lange - American Horror Story

Best Mini-Series or TV Movie Actor

Won and Predicted: Idris Elba - Luther

Best Mini-Series or TV Movie Actress

Won and Predicted: Kate Winslet - Mildred Pierce

Best Mini-Series or TV Movie

Won and Predicted: Downton Abbey

Best TV Actor - Comedy or Musical

Predicted: Alec Baldwin - 30 Rock

Won: Matt LeBlanc - Episodes

Best TV Actress - Comedy or Musical

Predicted: Zooey Deschanel - New Girl

Won: Laura Dern - Enlightened

Best TV Show - Comedy or Musical

Won and Predicted: Modern Family

Best TV Actor - Drama

Predicted: Bryan Cranston - Breaking Bad

Won: Kelsey Grammer - Boss

Best TV Actress - Drama

Won and Predicted: Claire Danes - Homeland

Best TV Show - Drama

Predicted: Game of Thrones

Won: Homeland

Best Original Song

Predicted: "The Living Proof" - The Help

Won: "Masterpiece" - W.E.

Best Original Score

Predicted: Hugo

Won: The Artist

Best Screenplay

Predicted: Moneyball

Won: Midnight in Paris

Best Director

Predicted: The Artist

Won: Hugo

Best Supporting Actor

Won and Predicted: Christopher Plummer - Beginners

Best Supporting Actress

Predicted: Shailene Woodley - The Descendants

Won: Octavia Spencer - The Help

Best Foreign Language Film

Won and Predicted: A Separation

Best Animated Film

Predicted: Rango

Won: The Adventures of Tintin

Best Actor - Musical or Comedy

Won and Predicted: Jean Dujardin - The Artist

Best Actress - Musical or Comedy

Predicted: Kristen Wiig - Bridesmaids

Won: Michelle Williams - My Week With Marilyn

Best Picture - Musical or Comedy

Won and Predicted: The Artist

Best Actor - Drama

Won and Predicted: George Clooney - The Descendants

Best Actress - Drama

Predicted: Rooney Mara - The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Won: Meryl Streep - The Iron Lady

Best Picture - Drama

Predicted: Hugo

Won: The Descendants

Overall: 11/25. So fail. Oh well, I'll have better luck in February.

69th Golden Globes Predictions

Ah, here we are, again. It seems the one thing I do consistently is make predictions on what will win at awards shows. And as customary, its my warm-up round, with the Golden Globes! Usually I do horrible (especially in the television section), though last year I nearly aced the film category. We'll see. Nevertheless, here are the nominations, along with my predictions!

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Televsion

Peter Dinklage - Game of Thrones

Paul Giamatti - Too Big To Fail

Guy Pearce - Mildred Pierce

Tim Robbins - Cinema Vertie

Eric Stonestreet - Modern Family

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Jessica Lange - American Horror Story

Kelly MacDonald - Boardwalk Empire

Maggie Smith - Downton Abbey (Masterpiece)

Sofia Vergara - Modern Family

Evan Rachel Wood - Mildred Pierce

Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Hugh Bonneville - Downton Abbey (Masterpiece)

Idris Elba - Luther

William Hurt - Too Big To Fail

Billy Nighy - Page Eight

Dominic West - The Hour

Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Romola Garai - The Hour

Diane Lane - Cinema Verite

Elizabeth McGovern - Downton Abbey (Masterpiece)

Emily Watson - Appropriate Adult

Kate Winslet - Mildred Pierce

Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Cinema Verite (HBO)

Downton Abbey (Masterpiece) (PBS)

The Hour (BBC America)

Mildred Pierce (HBO)

Too Big to Fail (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Comedy or Musical

Alec Baldwin - 30 Rock

David Duchovny - Californication

Johnny Galecki - The Big Bang Theory

Thomas Jane - Hung

Matt LeBlanc - Episodes

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Comedy or Musical

Laura Dern - Enlightened

Zooey Deschanel - New Girl

Tina Fey - 30 Rock

Laura Linney - The Big C

Amy Poehler - Parks and Recreation

Best Television Series - Comedy or Musical

Enlightened (HBO)

Episodes (Showtime)

Glee (Fox)

Modern Family (ABC)

New Girl (Fox)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama

Steve Buscemi - Boardwalk Empire

Bryan Cranston - Breaking Bad

Kelsey Grammar - Boss

Jeremy Irons - The Borgias

Damian Lewis - Homeland

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama

Claire Danes - Homeland

Mireille Enos - The Killing

Julianna Margulies - The Good Wife

Madeleine Stowe - Revenge

Callie Thorne - Necessary Roughness

Best Television Series - Drama

American Horror Story (FX)

Boardwalk Empire (HBO)

Boss (Starz)

Game of Thrones (HBO)

Homeland (Showtime)

Best Original Song - Motion Picture

"Hello Hello" - Gnomeo & Juliet

"The Keeper" - Machine Gun Preacher

"Lay Your Head Down" - Albert Nobbs

"The Living Proof" - The Help

"Masterpiece" - W.E.

Best Original Score - Motion Picture

Ludovic Bource - The Artist

Abel Korzeniowski - W.E.

Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross - The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Howard Shore - Hugo

John Williams - War Horse

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture

Michel Hazanavicius - The Artist

Nat Faxon, Alexander Payne, Jim Rash - The Descendants

George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon - The Ides of March

Woody Allen - Midnight in Paris

Stan Chervin, Aaaron Sorkin, Steve Zaillian - Moneyball

Best Director - Motion Picture

Woody Allen - Midnight in Paris

George Clooney - The Ides of March

Michel Hazanavicius - The Artist

Alexander Payne - The Descendants

Martin Scorsese - Hugo

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

Kenneth Branagh - My Week With Marilyn

Albert Brooks - Drive

Jonah Hill - Moneyball

Viggo Mortensen - A Dangerous Method

Christopher Plummer - Beginners

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

Berenice Bejo - The Artist

Jessica Chastain - The Help

Janet McTeer - Albert Nobbs

Octavia Spencer - The Help

Shailene Woodley - The Descendants

Best Foreign Language Film

The Flowers of War (China)

In the Land of Blood and Honey (US)

The Kid with a Bike (Belgium)

A Separation (Iran)

The Skin I Live In (Spain)

Best Animated Feature Film

The Adventures of Tintin

Arthur Christmas

Cars 2

Puss in Boots

Rango

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical

Jean Dujardin - The Artist

Brendan Gleeson - The Guard

Joseph Gordon-Levitt - 50/50

Ryan Gosling - Crazy, Stupid, Love

Owen Wilson - Midnight in Paris

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical

Jodie Foster - Carnage

Charlize Theron - Young Adult

Kristen Wiig - Bridesmaids

Michelle Williams - My Week With Marilyn

Kate Winslet - Carnage

Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical

50/50

The Artist

Bridesmaids

Midnight in Paris

My Week With Marilyn

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama

George Clooney - The Descendants

Leonardo DiCaprio - J. Edgar

Michael Fassbender - Shame

Ryan Gosling - The Ides of March

Brad Pitt - Moneyball

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama

Glenn Close - Albert Nobbs

Viola Davis - The Help

Rooney Mara - The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Maryl Streep - Iron Lady

Tilda Swinton - We Need to Talk About Kevin

Best Motion Picture - Drama

The Descendants

The Help

Hugo

The Ides of March

Moneyball

War Horse

After the show I'll post how I did!

Troll 2 (1990)

I am in no way a connoisseur of terrible cinema. Sure I've beheld the cinematic atrocity that is Plan 9 From Outer Space because one simply kind of has to. I focus on seeing films that are supposed to be good or sound good, but I have to admit it is refreshing to see an awful film every once in awhile, if only to remind me why those other films actually are so good. If excellence is the norm then you quickly become hard to impress, until you witness something so horrible that you run back into the arms of Tokyo Story because now you feel it is a masterpiece compared to what you just saw.

But here's the thing about most "bad" movies: they are unforgivably boring. MST3K has remedied this problem by adding their uneven though often funny commentary to the lowest budget films in existence. But these films, if viewed without all the smart assery, would bore you to tears and you would more then likely switch them off after half an hour. The truly best of the worst actually somehow manage to entertain you on some perverse level, and keep you entertained throughout the entire thing.

Think about it. The worst films you've ever seen are films that made you angry and are films you would never consider watching again. They are usually films that upset you on some level, or just simply bore you to tears, or rape your senses. You don't think of the worst film ever with pleasure, you think of it with disdain, you try and erase it from your memory.

Troll 2 is certainly nowhere near the worst film ever made. But it is the best worst film I have ever seen. The acting is awful, the plot pathetic, the dialogue dreadful, and the effects abominable. All these elements come together to create a film you truly have to see to believe it exists. It's so bad, its actually enjoyable somehow.

And I think one of the key elements to Troll 2's success is that the plot actually moves. Scenes are not drawn out, there are a variety of characters to keep the film from dragging (especially when the protagonist is so vexing). The film makes up the rules as it goes, and while normally I would be offended by this, here I was fascinated.

I don't really want to get into the specifics of the plot, or point out the characters, or anything like that. I'm actually somewhat disappointed in myself for watching Best Worst Movie, the documentary made by Troll 2's child star about the cult following the film has developed, because it spoiled some of the delights the film contained (though certainly not all). Best Worst Movie and Troll 2 make a good double feature, and which one you watch first is irrelevant; though the film does show some of the best scenes, it leaves one of the most over-the-top characters off screen for you to discover for yourself. But make sure you watch the films together. They make a good companion piece.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is a bit of a curious film to me; I saw the original Swedish film during 2010's summer and found it to be a completely engrossing thriller, with a mystery that got more perverted the deeper you looked into it. Audiences, whether they like to admit it or not, are obviously fascinated by anti-heroes, extreme rebels, social outcasts, which can only begin to explain why the late Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy (as it has been dubbed) is such a huge hit over here in the states.

Certainly this tale is tailor made for its director, David Fincher, who revels in tales of social misfits and anti-system messages. His Fight Club is one of the ultimate "stick it to the man" films, ending in the destruction of America's financial sector. And I'm sure he was drawn to the material, if only so he could bring the character of Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara) to life. She is the ultimate Fincher heroine, with piercings, tattoos, and wacky hairdo, not to mention an independent streak that sets her apart from almost any other heroine in film.

Daniel Craig also stars as the film's other protagonist, Mikael Blomkvist, editor of Millennium magazine (where the trilogy no doubt draws its name), who has fallen under a scandal and lost his life savings because of an unfounded allegation he made against a fellow magazine mogul. Labeled with libel, he is whisked to northern Sweden where, on a remote island populated by a wealthy but estranged family, he is asked to investigate the murder of one of their members some forty years ago.

Lisbeth and Mikael stay separated for over an hour of the film as he begins uncovering a string of possibly related women murders, and she has an unfortunate run-in with a piggish social worker who will release Lisbeth's money to her in exchange for favors. Eventually they collide and the film focuses fully on the murders, though one wonders how much this will connect with Harriet.

The original title of the book and Swedish film is Män som hatar kvinnor which translates to Men who hate women. It's an apt title, considering all the content, though a film with that heading would never get recognition in the states (or a book for that matter) and the retitling is a bit more intriguing (though we never do learn the significance of that dragon tattoo). The film has an incredibly brutal rape scene and sex scenes that would have earned an independent feature an NC-17, but such is the Hollywood system that of course this skated by. Maybe its a sign of maturity on the MPAA's half that we can handle more extreme content, but then I remember Shame has an NC-17 rating.

But here's the thing: the film is almost identical to the 2009 Swedish one. Oh sure, it has a bigger budget, a more assured director, and a fantastic cast, not to mention a dynamite opening credits scene with a cover of Led Zeppelin's Immigrant Song that was quite the hit back when the trailer first dropped. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, who won Oscars for their unique and haunting score for The Social Network (2010) return as composers, but it feels like more of the same. Their style of music certainly lends itself well to the unease that surrounds this film, but at the same time I couldn't help but think back to The Social Network and its score.

There is also a structural problem with the film. It opens with Mikael's problems at Millennium, then introduces with the missing girl Harriet, then introduces with the string of women murders. Then each one of these threads is resolved from the murders on back, but the film suffers in the resolution between Mikael and his foes at the rival magazine. It's a protracted denouement that drags on and on after Harriet's plot is resolved, when we have little interest in what's going on.

The film just feels pointless. The Swedish version was thrilling and engrossed me, and this version felt like the same thing but in English. It's a sign of how lazy we are that we won't see the foreign language version because we don't like reading our movies (though anyone who got through the book should have no problem with subtitles). I feel even Fincher reflects this notion: he doesn't feel like he's trying here, like he simply watched the Swedish one and said, "Well, they did a good enough job, so I'll just make the same version in English, make millions, and call it day." Which I don't fault him for.

The performances are great, especially Rooney Mara as Lisbeth, but I also feel like they aren't too different from their Swedish counterparts. If I had to pick who was better, Noomi Rapace or Rooney Mara, I would have to go with Rapace because Mara's performance is clearly modeled on hers.

Anyone who doesn't know the material will surely be entertained, but anyone coming back to see if anything new was done will be disappointed. It's as pointless as watching Let Me In, the remake of Let the Right One In. At least when Seven Samurai was remade in America, they changed the story to cowboys so it felt fresh (though American samurais are something that wouldn't work anyway). I don't mind a remake if it does something new with the material, or approaches the subject from a different angle. True Grit was hailed as superior to the John Wayne version, though that also may be because forty years means something new can be done with the material.

I'm just tired of these pointless remakes. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Which reminds me of Gus Van Sant's shot-for-shot remake of Psycho. He was asked to remake it, so he did. There was very little wrong with that film, and it never felt dated, so Van Sant figured it would be the easiest thing to do. He had the right idea.

The Muppets (2011)

I've never really been into the Muppets. Sure, I saw their films as a child, and I loved them for it, but I still have never seen an episode of the show (blasphemous) and as a result, they are not a huge part of my childhood, as they are for others. That being said, this movie still provides people less in love with the Muppets with plenty of reason to enjoy the flick, as we get a round-up of all the classic characters, plus a new one.

The plot revolves around Gary (Jason Segel) and Walter (voice of Peter Linz), a man and Muppet who grew up together. Problem for Walter is he never really "grew" and as such feels like a bit of an outcast, until he discovers the Muppet Show and falls in love. Gary, Walter, and Gary's 10-year long girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams) go from Smalltown to Tinsel town to visit the Muppet studios, which they discover is in ruins. Walter further uncovers a plot by a rich Texas oil man Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) to demolish the studios to drill for oil that supposedly lies underneath. So Gary, Mary, and Walter enlist Kermit the Frog (Steve Whitmire filling in for the late Jim Henson) to roundup the old gang and put on a show to save the studio!

The film is very self aware, to the point that would make Mel Brooks proud, and gets a lot of mileage out of characters referencing the dance numbers they just performed, or other gags such as "travelling by map" because, well, its faster. Despite the original Mupeteers being all but absent, somehow Segel and co-writer Nicholas Stoller (who directed Forgetting Sarah Marshall) manager to make the dynamic between all the old Muppet characters work. Chris Cooper even gets some good scenes, including one random rap complete with sing-a-long text.

But where the film doesn't work is in the addition of the three "straight" characters, Gary, Mary, and Walter. Mary feels neglected by Gary, who always puts Walter first, and Walter is invited to participate in the Muppet Show and struggles with figuring out what his real talent is. The problem is, these stories are not very compelling, and I almost wish Segel and Stoller had written a script that did not include these characters. They are fine for the first 15 minutes, but once Kermit begins rounding up the gang, they are relegated to the background and you forget their stories because, well, they were boring, until it is suddenly brought back to the forefront to remind that, hey, these guys matter too.

Walter is also probably the worst Muppet...ever. He has no personality to speak of, versus every other Muppet who has something that characterizes them. And I won't give away what his "talent" is, but I felt cheated that the film didn't foreshadow this in some way. Walter just produces this ability out of his ass.

Top all that off with Animal's anger management problems, the tension between Kermit and Miss Piggy, and the pressure to put on the show and beat Tex, and you have a lot of plots spinning around. I would have much preferred the film if it had focused on the Muppets and left Gary, Mary and Walter out of it completely. But as it is, there is just too much going on, and though it produces some funny musical numbers (Man or Muppet and Me Party) it doesn't gel as easily as it should.

But I do want to reiterate that despite the plotting problems, the film is still a ton of fun. Cooper, Segel, and Adams are all clearly having a good time, and the vast menagerie of guest stars that show up is also entertaining. If a second film is made, I hope Walter is merely a secondary cast member, and that Gary and Mary stay put in Smalltown, USA.

The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Tintin (2011)

Tintin, in America, is almost a niche thing. You have to have accidentally been introduced to it in order to know what it is. In 3rd grade, my classmates began reading the comics in class, and I became so intrigued that I acquired the comics for myself from the library. Out of the 21 official volumes, I have read 19 (somehow never made it to two of them), but Tintin has been something that I have long since forgotten about.

Now here comes Spielberg, making a movie I would have desired 12 years ago, and one that I was skeptical about. Tintin came to Spielberg's attention in the 80s, when his Indiana Jones was compared to the intrepid reporter from Brussels. I'm thankful he didn't make the film then, even though he received Hergé's (Tintin's author) blessing to adapt it. But he didn't need to do another Indiana Jones then.

The formula of Tintin is almost Hitchcockian as he accidentally stumbles across trouble and then it gets worse from there (although unlike Hithcock's ombudsmen, he is a very resourceful and intelligent reporter). Tintin (Jamie Bell) himself is a one-dimensional character with no flaws, in both comic book and celluloid form. This is a bit unfortunate, but I guess I'm happy the screenwriters didn't try and saddle him with some made up backstory. Fans of the series will forgive this, but I'm not so sure newcomers will be as quick to accept the character.

Of course, this is why Tintin has a fairly strong array of supporting members, most notably the drunk, alliterative curser (though his vocabulary doesn't include anything that would make the film PG-13) Captain Archibald Haddock (Andy Serkis). Captain Haddock is a nice, dark contrast to the always optimistic, never-do-wrong Tintin, and his incompetence can be a bit predictable, but he shines at the right moment. There are also Interpol cops Thompson and Thomson (Simon Pegg and Nick Frost) and Tintin's dog Snowy.

I guess I should back up and give a brief summary of the story. Tintin purchases a beautiful ship model in a market, and is immediately harassed for it by two interested buyers (one is the villain, Sakharine (Daniel Craig)). He soon discovers a scroll hidden within the ship which contains a riddle, and sets out on a globe trotting quest to solve the Mystery of the Unicorn (the name of the ship the model is based on).

Probably one of the largest concerns with the film comes down to the use of Motion Capture, rather then just letting animators freely create the movements. It's a controversial format that has only been successful in James Cameron's Avatar (2009), and even that blended the Mo-Cap with live actors (and the mo-cap aliens had big eyes, so it was easy to erase the dead eye effect). Tintin is so far the best use of Mo-Cap I've seen (full use), and actually seems to address a lot of the dead eye effect issues. I still think the format needs some tweaking, and I still believe letting animators create the movements is the best way, but it still works really well in this film. Andy Serkis gives the best performance, and is a master of the art form, having portrayed Gollum, King Kong, and most recently Caesar in the last Planet of the Apes movie. His performance adds a lot.

But what it comes down to, besides story, besides character, is how much fun the film is, and I haven't been this exhilarated by a film in a long time. It takes its time getting going as Tintin gets a lot of scenes where he just speaks out loud to no one in particular (except his faithful dog Snowy) about the mysteries he is pondering, but once Haddock is introduced, the film takes off. From a thrilling sea plane ride through a thunderstorm, to an unbelievable 5 minute unbroken shot detailing a chase through Morocco, to a final battle involving shipping cranes. Spielberg takes the form of animation and uses it freely, and the result is pure...awesome.

At that's really the best justification for it: Spielberg does things in this film that could not have been achieved in Live Action without a significant amount of CGI, which would have made it look like a cartoon. The Moroccan sequence is particularly spectacular, but throughout the whole film Spielberg's camera moves freely, as if he's a child delighted by a new toy he's discovered. Granted all this movement might become a little sickening in 3D, but in 2D it is perfectly amazing (though I would like to see this on IMAX).

The film opens with a sweet scene where a man modeled after Hergé's visage (the creator of Tintin), sketches a portrait of the young lad that is exactly like the comic book drawings. We are then introduced to the "real" Tintin, and this is a memorable introduction for longtime fans of the books. But how this film will do in America is beyond me. It received an end-of-October release date across Europe and won't hit our cinemas until Christmas (in case you're wondering, I was in Europe when it came out, so I saw it then). The producers are hoping that it will do well enough in Europe that it will generate some interest in America, and if the film does well enough Peter Jackson will helm the sequel (once he's done with The Hobbit).

I highly recommend you all see it. It's a good family film as well, though some families may take the lampooning of Haddock's alcoholism as something that isn't appropriate for children (though I think they can handle it). It may not be perfect, but it's a damn good time at the cinemas. It's what Indiana Jones IV should have been.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)

In my travels through the U.K. I have noticed one amusing thing: many films that we got in America during the summer are only just now starting to surface here. I've seen posters and advertisments everywhere for films like The Change-Up, Friends With Benefits, and Jane Eyre. However, Europe also gets films before we do, as in the case of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (no release until Dec. 9th in the US) and Tintin (which comes out at the end of October here and not until Christmas in America). The opportunity to see a film several weeks before it comes out is something that entices me, so I jumped on the opportunity.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is based on a 1970s novel by John le Carre, adapted into a BBC miniseries staring Alec Guiness at the end of that decade. Why they decided to now make a movie is beyond me, but it certainly is an interesting piece to behold. I have not read the novel, nor seen the miniseries, so my exposure to this material was limited and I came to this with a fresh perspective.

The film concerns a hunt through MI6 for a mole, lead by George Smiley (Gary Oldman). The suspects include, but are not limited too, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Toby Jones, Benedict Cumberbatch, Ciaran Hinds, and David Denick (the cast also includes John Hurt and Mark Strong). The film is a confusing labyrith of spies and secrets, and to say I didn't understand the film is putting it mildly.

Eventually I stopped trying to piece together the film and just let the colds tones of Hoyte Van Hoytema's cinematography wash over me (this is, after all, a cold war espionage tale). The performances were all fine, especially Gary Oldman in the leading role as a the passive investigator.

But I couldn't help but feel there were pieces of the film missing. Part of my confusion is due, I think, to the film's lack of a set-up. We are barely introduced to our key players before they all start intermingling in various exchanges, until I couldn't tell whether what they were doing was for their government or for another.

The plot, I feel, is probably not complicated and screenwriters Bridget O'Conner and Peter Straughan mixed up events in the film to further confuse and mislead the audience, which is not clever but lazy. It seems like the fault of the film lies with the screenwriters and the director, Tomas Alfredson, whose most notable credit is Let the Right One In. This film definitely reflects that one's tone.

It is then left to the actors to try and help the audience understand what is going on, and excellent as they all are, I feel they more or less fall short in this pursuit. I'm not necessarily miffed because I didn't understand the film: I enjoy confusing thrillers that you need to revisit to fully grasp what is going on. I'm more pissed that I didn't care for any of the characters. Oldman, Firth, Hurt, Strong, Hinds, and so on, all seem at a distance, which may very well reflect the nature of the spy but leaves me feeling very excluded.