Sunday, January 8, 2012

Dragon Tattoo and Holmes

I finally got out to see the American version of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo yesterday, and it was as good as the Swedish version.  The casting was completely spot on.  Rooney Mara was fantastic as Lisbeth Salander, and the character of Lisbeth is such a fascinating one.  She is tough and smart, but has a tenderness at her core.  At the end of the movie I felt such sadness for her, as she had started to bloom with happiness and then her happiness is dashed. 

Daniel Craig inhabited the role of investigative journalist.  He wore glasses (and jeans) with style, and I love a man who appreciates a cat as a housemate. 

Sweden looked gorgeous throughout.  I would like to spend some time in that cabin for a retreat, although perhaps not in winter. 

The one negative is that I thought the beginning credits portion was too long and tried too hard to be cool.  I think they were going for an opening like the James Bond movies, but I didn't think it made sense or added anything to the very good movie that followed it.

On the reading front, I just finished the latest Laurie R. King novel, Pirate King, from her series featuring Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes.  The entire series is very entertaining, starting with The Beekeeper's Apprentice.  This novel has both pirates and moviemaking in its early days, providing plenty of drama to keep things interesting, not to mention Mary Russell rope climbing walls in the dark of night.

Both Lisbeth Salander and Mary Russell are fascinating female characters, with intelligence and hidden strengths that allowed them to overcome hard childhoods.  Different time periods, different countries, similarly intriguing women.

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