I hope this guy isn’t some sort of omen. He visited our home near the end of March. He (or she) and his/her partner buzzed around the house and appears to be hanging out in our neighborhood since I have seen them since I took this photo. He is , of course, a raven. I’m not enough of a birdwatcher to tell if he is a common or Chihuahua raven. I know they are not rare birds, but they are unusual in our area.
Wow, two months since I last updated this. It was a hectic tax season, and I really felt exhausted by the end. I’m glad the big push is over. But, I’m still doing taxes. I have a full slate of appointments on Wednesdays through June.It always amazes me that people can’t get it together by April 15th (17th this year).
I’ll have more updates soon. Just wanted to let you know I’m still here.
One of my favorite young actresses is Jennifer Lawrence. I thought her Oscar nominated performance in ‘Winter’s Bone‘ was the best performance of the nominated actresses in 2010, and was definitely better than Natalie Portman’s performance in ‘Black Swan‘. So, when I heard she had been cast in the film version of ‘The Hunger Games’ I was curious. Mostly because I had never heard of ‘The Hunger Games‘. So, last fall I read the trilogy.
Let me digress… ‘The Hunger Games’ is part of a genre called ‘young-adult fiction’. Personally I don’t know what that means. When I was a kid growing up in Illinois, the library in our town had a ‘children’s’ section in the basement, and the upper floors were for adults. I could not wait to get into 7th grade and junior high school, because it meant I could get a card for the Big library, and escape the basement. I read voraciously. I was encouraged by my father who believed that there was no book that wasn’t worth reading. (Of course that was before today’s penchant for self aggrandizing puff books, and unsubstantiated, slanted ‘UN-authorized’ biographies.) So, to me, there are only 2 classes of books, Children’s (kiddie) books, and everything else.
Anyway, apparently ‘young adult’ means “there ain’t no sex… and nothing to upset the typical stereotypes”. Despite these handicaps, there is a lot to like about ‘The Hunger Games’ trilogy. The trilogy was written by Suzanne Collins. The three books are ‘The Hunger Games’, ‘Catching Fire’, and ‘Mockingjay’. They are meant to get people to think about politics, totalitarian governments, and in the final book they delve deeply into trust, and why one should be skeptical of governments and politicians. I found the books somewhat frustrating to read. The heroine, Katniss, is obviously a tough, kick-ass young woman who can take care of herself. But in between her action sequences there are periods of self-doubt and ‘I’m just a girl’ anguish. Apparently those were thrown in to not upset the ‘young-adult’ genre. Despite that, in the third book “Mockingjay”, Katniss gets schooled in trust, and making up her own mind.
The movie is scheduled to open in about 3 weeks. There has been a carefully organized advertising campaign that certainly has the book’s admirers whipped into a frenzy. It started with a frenzy of speculation about the possible cast. Then the carefully timed release of the cast announcements. Early on Entertainment Weekly had Jennifer Lawrence on the cover in full Katniss makeup. There is a web site, Facebook page, Twitter account to follow. There was a teaser released on the web, followed by a full 2 and a half minute trailer. Then came a Superbowl trailer. This week the cover of people magazine, You can buy trading cards, or a special edition HP Folio notebook. And, don’t forget the mall tour. I was going to embed the trailer, but embedding has been disabled. Certainly the movie’s producers anticipate it will be the next BIG thing. It all seems way too much. I think it could be a good movie, but even if it is a decent movie, I doubt it can live up to the hype. I see disappointment ahead.
In case you haven’t seen the trailer yet, follow the link to the web site. thehungergamesmovie.com
Whenever I make a list of favorite films (something I hate to do) I always forget this film. Then when I am reminded of it again, I remember how much I really love it. Released in 1944,directed by Otto Preminger, starring Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews, Clifton Webb, and Vincent Price, this is Laura:
Dana Andrews plays a police detective investigating the murder of Laura Hunt (Tierney). Everyone seems to love Laura, and as detective McPherson investigates the murder, he too begins to fall for her, after seeing a painting of her that hangs in Laura’s apartment. Halfway through the investigation, there is an extremely bizarre twist that changes the entire direction of the mystery and the film. The film is full of sharp acerbic dialog that makes it a delight to watch. And then there is that unforgettable theme song.
Well, i have seen the David Fincher version of Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and have some thoughts on it and the Swedish version of the film. I had to re-read the book, and view the film a second time before I finally decided how I felt about the film. Basically, I prefer the Swedish version. And, I can sum it up by saying that the title is “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo”. The American version could have been called “James Bond Tames a Street Urchin”.
Neither version gets it exactly right. And, both films took many liberties with the books various sub-plots. That is to be expected in a book almost 600 pages long. Neither version could get the length of the film down either. In fact the American version clocks in at a hefty 158 minutes, six minutes longer than the Swedish version. The American version stays a little closer to the book, keeping the timeline pretty much intact. But my biggest issue is with the characterization of Lisbeth. She is not quite the ass-kicking, take-no-prisoners, wild child as portrayed in the Swedish version, but, she is not the lost little waif who falls in love with the handsome publisher either. Clearly in the American version, James Bond, I mean Daniel Craig is the main protagonist, and Lisbeth is a supporting character.
The big problem with the movie is best illustrated in the climatic scene (spoiler alert) when Lisbeth saves Blomkvist from Martin Vanger. In the American version, she asks James Bond… Bloomkvist “Can I kill him?” before chasing after Martin. Lisbeth would never do that. In the book, she merely says “I’m going to take him”, as she runs out the door. In the book, Lisbeth was a much more self confident character. In the aftermath of Martin’s demise, she instructs Dirch Frode on the best way to handle the situation. Frode even realizes that he, the lawyer and problem-solver for the company is now “…taking orders from a child. She had somehow seized control of the situation and given him the guidelines that he himself was unable to formulate.” That is what is missing from the characterization of Lisbeth in the American version of the film! The Swedish version erred by characterizing Lisbeth too much the other direction. But still, I wanted a strong female character, and Fincher did not deliver. Maybe he was afraid that American’s weren’t ready for a strong female character. In the book, Lisbeth is not a likeable character, but you wind up rooting for her. That is How Noomi played her in the Swedish version.
The love story was wildly over-played in the American version. While the Swedish version played it down. In the book, Lisbeth struggles to understand her feelings for Bloomkvist. She finds him different from other men and thinks she likes him. But, she’s not the love-sick puppy portrayed in the American version.
The Strong Lisbeth
I had a couple of other issues with the American version’s casting. Aside from Craig, who was mis-cast as Bloomkvist, the character of Armonsky seemed off. In the Swedish version (and the book) he was older and more of a father-figure to Lisbeth. And the character of Bjurman was off. The Swedish Bjurman exuded an air of dread and danger. The American version’s Bjurman, just seemed like an over-weight college professor taking advantage of his position.
Maybe, the American version suffered from too much hype. But just looking at the posters for the two films is a good example of my feelings. In the American version, Daniel Craig is front and center, and Rooney Mara (Lisbeth) is behind him and in profile. In the Swedish poster, Noomi Rapace (Lisbeth) is the only figure in the poster. The title is “The Girl…”, not “The Journalist…”. Of course the original Swedish title “Män som hatar kvinnor ” translates as “Men Who Hate Women”.
And in a news update (since I have been busy with taxes) after a strong publicity push by (among others) Google and Wikipedia, congress has indefinitely postponed a vote on SOPA or its sister initiative PIPA. Indefinitely postponed means “an election is coming, and we don’t want to anger our donors by voting against it, or anger our constituents by voting for it.” But, after the elections, I’m betting big money will prevail.
‘Lost Girl’ is a Canadian TV show on the Showcase Network. I got interested in it last year and have seen all 13 episodes of season one and 12 episodes of season 2, so far. Apparently it is a hit in Canada, because this year it was extended to 22 episodes, and recently was renewed for a third season. While I have told several people about the show, it has been hard to find it here in the US because it was not broadcast here. That is all changing on January 16, as Lost Girl will get its US debut on the SyFy Channel.
Yes, it’s another action adventure fantasy story. But what sets this one apart from the most other fantasy dramas like ‘Vampire Diaries’, is that it does not take its self too seriously. There is plenty of humor in the series, and one gets the feeling that the characters are definitely giving a wink and tongues are firmly planted in cheeks. It seems like the actors are having fun doing this show.
I always found that ‘So Serious’ tone a real turn-off on shows like ‘Vampire Diaries’ or Movies like ‘Twilight’. One of the reasons I liked the first Conan movie with Arnold, was that it did not take itself too seriously. I mean come on, that genre is called ‘Fantasy Fiction’ for a reason. Anyway, much to my delight this show does not set a serious tone. Canadian actress Anna Silk is both fierce and desirable as Bo, the succubus. I first heard about ‘Lost Girl’ from the After Ellen blog, when it was recapped on the IMDB News blog. IMDB covers entertainment themed blogs from TV Guide, to Roger Ebert, to… After Ellen.
Here is the SyFy Channel promo:
If you are so inclined, give it a watch. And, you really need to see the first episode, to meet the main characters and get the back story for the story arc that season one follows. You can watch all 4 previews to get an idea of what the show is like. And here is a clip from ET-Canada where the cast talks about season 2:
My favorite character on the show is Kenzi, played by Canadian actress Ksenia Solo (TV series ‘Life Unexpected’, movie ‘Black Swan’) as Bo’s roommate/BFF. Kenzi brings a lot of humor to the show:
Two years ago, I wrote a couple of posts about ‘The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo’, the book and the Swedish language movie (movies, there were 3). Since I wrote my entries all three movies in the trilogy have been released in the US and on DVD. In fact a new DVD release has the trilogy plus additional footage from the Swedish series that totals over 9 hours! So, I would be remiss not to comment on the just released US version of GWTDT. I am naturally leery about US remakes of foreign films. Too often they are disasters, and at best they are adequate. For example, look at the Swedish vampire film ‘Let the Right One In‘. It was remade in the US as ‘Let Me In‘, it lacked the edge and sexual overtones of the Euro version. At best it was adequate. Another sad example was the German film ‘Mostly Martha‘. That was a slight but enjoyable film about a woman chef who has to take in her suddenly orphaned niece, and the changes that it causes in her life. Remade in the US as ‘No Reservations‘, it was a total disaster, dull, leaden, lacking the quirk and finesses of the Euro original, and weighed down by its big name stars.
So, despite my reservations that US film makers can’t (or are afraid) to make a truly edgy movie, I have to admit that the marketing campaign that has been built around the film has piqued my interest.
The early reviews have been generally positive, But, I must admit that I liked the Swedish version more than many critics. I liked Swedish actress Noomi Rapace‘ portrayal of Lisbeth Salander. The US actress, Rooney Mara, is an unknown quantity to me. But it appears she is not trying to be the same character that Noomi portrayed.
Rooney Mara (L) and Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth Salander
Interestingly, Noomi is in competition with the US version of the film, as she is a co-star of the newest Guy Ritchie film, ‘Sherlock Holmes, Game of Shadows‘. And she will also be seen this summer in the new Ridley Scott film ‘Prometheus, where she gets top billing along with Charlize Theron.
I have liked much of director David Fincher’s previous work. So, although I haven’t seen this film yet, I am interested.
One complaint I had about the Swedish version was the length of the films. All 3 of the theatrical releases clocked in at well over 2 hours. It doesn’t appear that Fincher could keep the length down either. The official run time for his version is 158 minutes.
Well, Merry Christmas everyone! Yes, the snow is melting today, the temperature is in the mid-40s and the sun is out. The mountains still have plenty of snow, but around the house it is gone, except in the shady spots. The weather forecast is for increasing temperatures throughout the week, hitting the low 60′s by Friday, so the snow will all soon be gone.
We are having a quiet Christmas, just the 2 of us. We’re fixing Cornish hens for dinner. I considered turkey because I love the leftovers, but, you just can’t find one small enough.
No, I don’t live in the high Sierras. In fact the highest peak in the Organs is just over 9,000 feet. But for a few days they will look high, and cold.
Where is everybody… oh, wait, maybe its me. Gee, welcome back. So, what has been going on? Well, shortly after my last entry, we had to make an unplanned trip to Illinois. My older sister Pat passed away in late October. The trip coming so quickly after our vacation to California was exhausting. Frankly, I didn’t feel like updating the blog for a while.
Then Irene’s sister Shirley came to visit for Thanksgiving. This was followed less than a week later by a visit from our old friend from California, Linda. While Linda was here, I had to go to Albuquerque for AARP’s Tax training for the upcoming Tax season. And, then I started back to work at CAA, preparing for the upcoming tax season. To top it all off, the weather has not been very cooperative. We have had snow on at least 3 different days, and it has been rather cold. When it snows here, the town comes to a halt. Las Cruces does not own a snow plow, and is not equipped to clear city streets. After 8+ years living here, I am convinced that New Mexicans are some of(if not the) worst drivers in the country. And, Las Cruces drivers are the worst in New Mexico. So, when it snows, one takes one’s life in their hands if they venture out. Fortunately, the snow rarely lasts longer than a day or two.
Now, that I have written all of that out, it seems like a busy 2 months for a retired guy.
I wasn't dreaming of a white Christmas, but I got one anyway!
Oh, by the way, I took this photo with my HTC Droid Incredible-2.
