Critic defies review embargo

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’ve had a bunch of ‘Girl With the Dragon Tattoo’ posts. I apologize, but this one’s indirectly related to the David Fincher remake of the Swedish film.

‘Dragon Tattoo’ is Fincher’s follow up to his Oscar nominated ‘The Social Network’ and comes out Dec. 26, billed as “The feel-bad movie of the season.” Suffice to say, it’s got a lot invested in it. And on Monday, The New Yorker film critic David Denby released a review on the film, 8 days before the date agreed upon by all film critics.

The New Yorker ran the article regardless, which was a positive review I’ll note, but the controversy stemmed from the written agreement that Denby and other critics signed. It’s a matter of principle. Critics get to see advance screenings of movies. Newspapers can plan their budgets accordingly and run the story, so their readers get the review before the film comes out.

Producer Scott Rudin called the flub “completely unacceptable,” and put Denby through the wringer. Director David Fincher had a different strategy, agreeing with Rudin, but understanding that we live in a world with constant internet access and that it’s impossible to keep a lid on anything these days, let alone a giant blockbuster like ‘Dragon Tattoo.’

Despite the controversy, The New Yorker hasn’t missed a beat. The story’s their most popular and, as of now, Denby’s not getting sued. Regardless, it still leaves those principled critics with a bad taste in their mouth.

Via NYTimes

Trent Reznor’s “Dragon Tattoo” soundtrack features 39 tracks

I’ve been excited for David Fincher’s ‘The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo’ remake since seeing the teaser trailer in July. What pulled me in was Trent Reznor and Karen O’s cover of the Zeppelin classic “Immigrant Song.” It’s got all the elements of the original — the captivating howl (which Karen O emulated beautifully) and a hypnotic, driving rhythm. But the dark, pensive nature of most of Reznor’s work seemed to fit Fincher’s remake, more so than how his talents were utilized soundtracking ‘The Social Network.’

Reznor’s soundtrack is coming out next Friday, before the film’s release near Christmas. And what astounded me most is the sheer volume of his opus: 39 tracks, around three and a half hours. Is the movie that long? I hope not, and it probably isn’t. But I think the sheer volume could mean two things. One: Reznor was so immersed in the look and feel of the film that he was inspired to an almost gratuitous extent (in a good way); or two: he just wrote whatever he wanted, whether it fit or not. I tend to be trusting, so I’ll go with option number one.

Either way, I’m excited to hear/see the film when it comes out on Dec. 26th.

via NME