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, [...]]]>

The Fincher Version

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 [...]]]> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8YhED4IgQA

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.

In the meantime, look out for ACTA.

Also, hope you are watching ‘Lost Girl‘

PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo.

‘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 [...]]]> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YoTSMz6b-k

‘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:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ie51ov2jXck

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:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HnS_W2zA4E

With apologies to Leonard Bernstein, Steven Sondheim and Jerome Robbins.

Well, another road trip has concluded. Eleven days and 4 states. As usual with a California trip, we returned with much more than we took. Mainly 2 and a half cases of wine. The photo shows Irene and I with Sarah and Steve doing some barrel tasting at [...]]]>

Barrel Tasting at J. Johr

Well, another road trip has concluded. Eleven days and 4 states. As usual with a California trip, we returned with much more than we took. Mainly 2 and a half cases of wine. The photo shows Irene and I with Sarah and Steve doing some barrel tasting at J Lohr’s Paso Robles winery. Notice how we coordinated our clothes? Actually the winery requires us to wear them, so we are more visible and they don’t want a tourist run over by a forklift, or truck. We drove to Paso Robles wine country and tasted at several wineries, including one of my favorites, Turley Vineyards, a couple of small wineries and J Lohr.

I know that Turley Zins incite strong sentiments, but the first Turley zin I ever had was one of the most memorable wines I’ve ever tasted. usually, they are out of my price range, but on special occasions, or on vacation, I splurge.

Of course the trip wasn’t only about wine tasting (and purchases). We visited with Irene’s sister in Fallon, NV. And we spent time with family and friends in California. We had some good food, ate at some excellent restaurants, and generally had a wonderful time.We even had a lovely Sunday brunch in Oakland with Diane and Homan.

Sunday Brunch in Oakland

For some reason I like to keep track of my trips statistically. And, as usual, I put them in my blog. So here are the numbers: We traveled 2936 miles, and used 113.78 gallons of gas. That equates to an average MPG of 25.80. The gas cost $409.35 at an average price of $3.61. The cheapest gas was in Las Cruces, $3.139. The most expensive gas was (as usual) in Hawthorne, NV, literally the middle of nowhere. The price of gas was almost $1 more than a year ago. On our mid-west trip last September the average price of gas was $2.65. Of course in 2008, the average price was $4.22 on a similar trip.

Well, we are back in the desert now. The weather has cooled and fall has clearly arrived. The cooler weather is welcome. We have promises that visitors are coming in a couple of months.

Zack Hill 09/23/2011

 You start to worry about stuff like this  at my age!