Rumor has it that two Swedes may find their way into the movie. Stellan Skarsgård is mentioned as a possibility for the role of Martin Vanger and Max von Sydow may play his uncle Henrik Vanger. Rumors also has it that the director David Fincher wants all actors to speak English with a Swedish accent, and using Swedish actors may facilitate that task.

Filming starts in Sweden in September, and the movie will be released December 21, 2011.

Source: http://www.dn.se/kultur-noje/nyheter/max-von-sydow-patankt-for-millennium-1.1154876

Paula (Ingrid Bergman) plays the niece of a famous female singer who was murdered some years ago. Paula is living in Italy practising singing when she meets the man of her dreams. They soon marries and by his suggestion they move back to London and the house where Paula’s aunt was murdered.

I will not reveal too much, except to say that you have to search for a more creepier villain. The story is timeless and the acting is brilliant! Also check out Angela Lansbury (Murder, She wrote) as a 17 year young actress, playing the very cheeky maid.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

The direct translation of the Swedish title is “Men Who Hate Women” and violence against women is the main theme. The main characters are Mikael Blomkvist, a journalist, and Lisbeth Salander, an excellent hacker with questionable social skills. They work together to solve a cold case murder.

I was probably one of the last Swedes to watch this movie (better late than never). It had been a while since I read Stieg Larsson’s novel, which I think is a good thing whenever you watch a movie that is based on a book. In this case, many of the sidetracks from the 566-page novel was cut out of the movie, and the story is carried forward much faster.

Hollywood is planning to remake the movie with a completely new screenplay. So if you are one of those who stay clear of foreign movies with subtitles, you will have to wait for the American version. However, the English-language movie will have a much more international story than the Swedish one, which I why I recommend that you watch this one too. It is definitely worth seeing.

To watch a preview, visit Yellow Bird Pictures, the company that produced the Swedish adaptation.

The award winning American TV drama House, M.D. features Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie), a medical “detective” solving the most difficult medical mysteries. He is an infectious disease specialist, and he heads a team of diagnosticians at a New Jersey hospital. Most patients come to House and his team as a last resort, when no other doctors have been able to accurately diagnose and treat them.

House’s controversial hypotheses, antisocial and brutally honest behavior often cause clashes with his team, and he trusts no one, especially not his patients. He constantly argues with his boss Dr. Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein) over his duties and behavior, but she recognizes that it would be hard to find a more brilliant diagnostician, so she puts up with him. His only real friend is Dr. Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard), head of the Oncology Department.

I highly recommend this TV show, and I especially like how House resembles Sherlock Holmes and Monk in many ways. Just like them House is cynical and rude, but his unique ways of looking at things help solve even the most difficult medical puzzles.

1. Vertigo 1958
John “Scottie” Ferguson (James Stewart) plays an ex-cop who was forced to  quit the force after a trauma. An old friend of him comes to him and asks for his help – his wife behaves strangely, and he fears for her life.  Scotties job is to follow the wife and keep an eye on her. He does this and discovers that the wife seems to be obsessed with a woman who died years ago…. The rest  you have to see.

2. North By Northwest 1959
This is one of my absolute favourites!
Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) is mistaken for an agent and is kidnapped by a criminal organisation. They want information he of course can not give them. After barely escaping the organisation he becomes the prime suspect when an important UN delegate is murdered. Now he is wanted by the police as well as the criminal organisation and a cat and mouse chase begins….The plot may seem a bit messy but it will all be clear when you see it.

Watch and enjoy!

See also Criminal Pictures – the 1940´s

Shutter Island is a suspense/thriller that takes place on said Alcatraz-like island, which houses an institution for the criminally insane, complete with intimidating cliffs, rocky beaches, and chilly water preventing escape. Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo) arrive via ferry as US Marshals investigating a recent escape. They become increasingly suspicious when they realize that the witnesses have been coached, and that the doctors are hiding something. All hell breaks loose (pun intended) when a hurricane hits this small Massachusetts island, further complicating their investigation as prisoners/patients escape from the damaged buildings.

There are several hurdles to get past when deciding whether to see this movie. First, there is the suspicious timing. A February release puts it after all the last minute Oscar contenders, and also before both the March Oscar show and the start of the real box office season in May. The timing might be because of another hurdle, its genre—a mystery/suspense/thriller involving a (borderline cliché) insane asylum. Despite these hurdles, I saw this movie opening weekend and highly recommend it.

The horrible movie Righteous Kill had the tagline, “De Niro…Pacino…Need I say more?” Unfortunately, these legendary actors have become notorious for mailing in performances to these dime-a-dozen thrillers and thus just listing the names of these past-their-prime actors no longer carries any credibility as a tagline, so for me it fell on deaf ears. But if I were to come up with a cheesy tagline to try to get you to watch this movie, it would be, “Scorsese…DiCaprio…Need I say more?” Even at 67, Martin Scorsese still hits home runs, with an Oscar win only about four years ago with Departed. Like his other movies, this movie is violent and disturbing at times, but he uses the violent imagery to masterfully narrate a complex story and weave in mesmerizing dream sequences and flashbacks. And the once teen-heartthrob Leonardo DiCaprio, now 35, is in his prime as a leading actor. He finally won an Oscar with Blood Diamond, but had strong performances in Departed, Aviator, and Gangs of New York–three movies also directed by Scorsese. I would argue that they have teamed up successfully a fourth time with Shutter Island, and that Leo gives a powerful performance as the tormented lead character.

To complement DiCaprio, Scorsese and the producers assembled a stellar supporting cast, which includes Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, and Michelle Williams among others. Fans of Swedish cinema will recognize Max von Sydow who brings gravitas to his role as Dr. Naehring, whose “German” accent rubs Leo’s character the wrong way (we learn through flashbacks that he is a WWII veteran and liberator of a concentration camp). And I may be biased (I am fan of Bill Simmons’ columns/podcasts and Bill Hader’s SNL sketches), but I thought Ted Levine had a great, small performance as the warden—you may recognize him as Buffalo Bill from Silence of the Lambs or more recently from the show Monk.

With these arguments and observations about its cast and direction, I hope I have given you enough reasons to go see this movie and form your own opinion without my giving too much away about the plot.

John Arterberry

In the beginning of the movie the serial killer Lord Blackwood is caught thanks to the classic duo Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Lord Blackwood is sentenced to death, but he uses black magic to rise from the dead and Holmes’s logic and power of deduction is put to the test. Holmes and Watson try to catch Lord Blackwood before he can commit more murders and carry out his planned attack at the British Parliament.

Sherlock Holmes reminds me of the TV characters House and Monk. Holmes is cynical and rude but uses his senses and logic at a whole other level than others and can solve even the most difficult cases.

Sherlock Holmes is played by Robert Downey Jr. and his partner Dr. Watson by Jude Law. Perfect casting! There is a deep friendship behind the couple’s verbal quarrels. The friendship is put to the test when Holmes is not entirely pleased with Watson’s choice of fiancée.

The movie ends with a cliffhanger and we can look forward to an exciting sequel. I really liked the movie and definitely recommend it! I have to admit though that I have never read a Sherlock Holmes novel. But after having seen the movie I will definitely do so to see if the movie characters correspond to the ones in the novel. 

Two weeks ago the third and last movie in Stieg Larssons Millenium trilogy hit the cinemas in Sweden. I´m a big fan of Stieg Larssons books about Lisbeth Salander and I loved the first movie. The second movie was ok but not more. I feared that this movie might be less then ok but as it turns out it was a pretty good movie. As expected a lot of things has been cut from the book, but thankfully it was the right parts that had been cut.

For those who haven´t read the books please do so! I wont reveal anything so you can experience the books on your own!

To read more about the trilogy and find out when this movie opens in your country (if it does) Klick here!

Monk is one of my absolute favorite TV series. The eight and final season started in the United States recently, and I am eager to see if Monk will solve the crime of his lifetime – the murder of his beloved wife Trudy. Only time will tell. If you have missed the series until now I suggest you tune in.

Adrian Monk (played by Tony Shalhoub) is a former detective for the San Francisco Police Department. He was discharged after nervous breakdown due to his wife’s murder, and now he works as a private consultant for the homicide department.

Monk suffers from an obsessive-compulsive disorder and his numerous obsessions and phobias can at times make investigations difficult, but more often than not his sharp mind and unique ways of looking at things help solve the most difficult cases. Like Monk so often says: “It’s a blessing, and a curse.”

Visit the USA Network to watch full episodes, learn more about the characters, play games, and much more.

1. The Sherlock Holmes movies starring Basil Rathbone as Holmes and

Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson. I know a lot of people love Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes in the movies from the 80s but for me Rathbone and Bruce are and will always be the perfect Holmes and Watson. I also think the white and black adds a mysterious flare to the London fog. 13 movies were made.

2. The Maltese Falcon with Humphrey Bogart as the cool private detective Sam Spade is a text book example of a hard boiled movie.  It´s a cynical world where men dominate and women are decorations. Sam Spade is on the hunt for who ever killed his partner. The movie is based on Dashiell Hammets novel with the same name.

3. The third man is an interntional movie, set in Vienna after World War II. The city who, as many European cities during this time, has been damaged after the war is divided into 4 areas, each run by one of the four allias. A man arrives to a funeral of his friend. Strange things happen and he soon wonders if his friend really is dead and if not, what happened? The beautiful theme melody is one of the most memorable in the cinema history. Memorable  are also the final scenes in the sewers of Vienna. Starring is the american actor Orson Welles.

4. Rebecca is a psychological movie made by Alfred Hitchcock. A young woman (Joan Fontain) meets a wealthy and handsom man (Laurence Olivier) and they soon marry. The man has been married before but the first wife died. She quickly realize that she´s competing with this dead woman as the whole mansion breaths of her presence. The first wife (Rebecca) was beautiful, sophisticated, from the right class and the young women starts doubting herself and her marriage. And how did Rebecca die?