Kick Ass

Regular school kid Dave determines he should change the world for the better by mimicking the superheroes from his comic books. A gangster decides he is responsible for the actions carried out by Big Daddy, a real but secret superhero.

This is a parody of superhero films in the same vein as Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. It has affection for the material, some riveting fight scenes better than a lot of big budget affairs but has a good laugh poking fun at how patently ridiculous it all is.

It also has controversy in the form of an 11 year old girl who uses the C word which has scandalised the Daily Mail. The context of her character is a girl, older than her years, brought up by an angry nutter of a dad. It is clear at all times that it is fantasy. The juxtaposition of a "defenceless" young girl and the gangsters she fights lends a humour always found when little meets large. In this context, a single use of the c word is really not as shocking as it might sound.

Neither Hit Girl, nor the violence is sexualised as the Mail claims. And while the violence is glorified in balletic fight scenes, the real consequnces of it are also clearly demonstrated in others, something few action films bother with making this film considerably more balanced than other less controversial but more violent films.

But while there is much to debate about violence in cinema and role models for young people that isn't the point of this film. It's an inventive action film shot through with humour for people who want a bit of entertainment. In other words it's kick ass.

The Girl With Dragon Tattoo

Convicted and soon to be jailed journalist Mikael is commisioned by an old man to dig around an old murder case and see what he can find. Joined by abused parolee and hacker Lisbeth they uncover a much wider more brutal series of murders.

The strength of the film is it's characters and the time given for them to develop. With the notable exception of a sadist who you wouldn't want to see more of, time is allowed between plot points to draw them out. Seemingly irrelevant events lend undestanding of motivations at key points in the finale.

The pacing is unusual for a film, more closely resembling a feature length Wallander than a thriller. Over half the film has passed before Lisbeth and Mikael actually meet It is long and there's little particularly cinematic about it but it's engrossing if you're willing to give it the time.

A final warning is that the content is tough going at times. There are 2 very graphic sexual assaults depicted in particular that may be mire than you can stomach. The translation of the original Swedish title The Men Who Hate Women is an accurate summary.