Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol - A solid action movie with well-shot action. That's really all that you need to say about it. If you like good action, it's got good action. If you want story, well, you won't get it here. Tom Cruise is at his best here, suave and in control from start to finish. The other characters fill out their niche roles well enough, and there's some good interplay between them over the course of the movie. Brad Bird gets major props for pulling it all together and keeping his foot on the gas for two hours.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - A guided tour through the seven layers of Hell. It's dark, it's brooding, and David Fincher doesn't pull any punches. The way it's shot [courtesy of Jeff Cronenweth] and the music [courtesy of Reznor and Ross] all are perfectly in harmony to give the entire film and oppressive, surreal feel. Somehow a snow-covered island seems dark and ominous. The acting is top-notch is well, headlined by Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara [especially Rooney, who takes over every scene she appears in]. Ultimately, it's a very compelling film that does fall apart just a bit at the end when you realize how convoluted it all is and how it's really just a murder mystery at its core.
