Yes, you are right. I read your initial comment and thought you had written about this film, but you were referring to Sorkin for “The Social Network.” I was confused when I made my comment- my mistake.

You’re absolutely correct that Steven Zaillian wrote the screenplay for The Girl With the Dragon Tatto. However, this is the first time he’s written a script for Fincher. I noticed you wrote:

Aiding him in this is screenwriter Steven Zaillian, who provides a smart and nicely structured screenplay; this following his Oscar-winning text for Fincher’s The Social Network from 2010.

I’m sure this was just a typo, but Aaron Sorkin was the one who wrote the script for The Social Network; you’ll remember he won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay last year, and thanked Fincher in his speech for making a movie about Facebook with the energy of “bank robberies.”

Thanks for your insightful comments. We are in strong agreement on this film.

Yes, the final shot in Fincher’s version is a nice touch, unlike the ending in the original, which I agree is a bit unsatisfying.

As for the screenwriter, I did check several other reviews on line after you mentioned that Aaron Sorkin wrote this, but every review I read referred to Steven Zailian as the screenwriter, so I believe that’s the case with this film.

The film’s most noticeable flaw is the coda, which despite it being necessary to tie up some loose ends, is a bit anticlimactic, espcially after the riveting scene where Salander races against time to save Blomquist’s life. This chilling scene is superbly directed by Fincher, especially as it’s the summation of everything we’ve learned about the investigation. So the final pieces of the puzzle don’t come off as that interesting (except for the film’s last shot) after we learn the identity of the killer.

Yeah, that whole montage of Lisbeth changing her identity and hacking into the billionaire’s account was fairly uninteresting, just as it was in the original Oplev film (again, a fault of the source material).

Still, I did like the final shot of Lisbeth motoring off into the darkness, in anger, after watching Mikael walk off with his lover. That was a HUGE improvement over the absurd conclusion of the Oplev film, which ended with Lisbeth strutting off into the Havana distance with a grin on her face — in a god-awful homage to The Silence of the Lambs.

Just for the sake of accuracy: the screenplay for The Social Network was actually written by Aaron Sorkin. It’s easy to get him and Steven Zaillian confused, though, since they both collaborated on the Moneyball screenplay back in the fall.

1) Where is Gosford Park? The best movie of 2001 as I remember it
2) A Beautiful Mind is a bad movie. I am surprised that you ever thought it worthy and am convinced that in 10 more years … you’ll review it again and knock it down even lower. Good performance by Crowe and Connelly can not save the viewer from the heavy hand of Oppie Cunningham.
3) Royal Tennanbaums has some of the best set pieces in any movie. By way of the Green Line bus is the one that really sticks out in my mind. Luke Wilson shaving his beard is another. Of course Gene Hackman is brilliant; the blond Wilson brother is idiotic; there are actually a host of great performances (and the aforementioned really bad one); so maybe this movie is less than the sum of its parts? Whatever, the point is that as a piece of cinema, the Royal Tennanbaums will stand the test of time.
4) I am considerably fonder of the Fellowship of the Rings than the other movies in the LOTR series. I am kinder to it now, than I was when it came out. I still would never give it even a C. Remarkable achievement; but so is running the Marine Corp marathon in 5 hours and throwing up at the end. I wouldn’t want to watch it.
5) I have a 7 year old. I’ve never watched Monsters Inc. As you allude to; who would’ve thought that the test of time would obliterate this movie. Toy Story, Shrek, Nemo, et al have thoroughly eclipsed this. And hey, how about the Muppets Movie 2011? … but I digress. And sadly I watch Alvin and the Chipmunks, the Squeakwell 10 times for every movie I’ve commented on just now. Also telling, I haven’t seen a single film on your list of 2011 movies.

On that sour note, I depart :)