I Saw a Good Film During the Break

I had a rare visit to the local cinema, without children and instead in the company of David and Samantha.  This was following by a fantastic Thai meal afterwards, during which we spent plenty of time de-briefing on the film.

The film in question was The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, the English-speaking version with Daniel Craig.  I have to say, and hopefully it is not just that I don't get out much, that I found the film fantastic.  It was long, around two and a half hours, but the time just flew, and the intensity of the film made for a heavy but highly enjoyable experience.  There was the wince-inducing scene, which did indeed induce a wince from me and the whole audience, but also a "go girl" shout from the elderly gentleman in the front row, his sexual equality credentials belying his age and condition.

I have read all 3 books, and seen the Danish version of the film.  As far as the book-to-film issue is concerned, the two and a half hours did mean that more of the story could be included, but having said that there were small changes to the plot and big bits of plot missed out, but on the whole it conveyed very well the essence of the book and managed to cover most bases.  I also much preferred it to the Danish version, which was not hard as I did not like the Danish version much at all, which was a surprise since I am usually drawn to the dark and pared down approach the Scandinavians have to film making, but in this instance they let me down.

Overall, I would not hesitate in recommending it for anyone who likes a good film.

I also received The Killing, the original Danish version, as a box-set for Christmas.  Having watched the US version of The Killing, which we loved, and then the Danish version of The Killing II, which we loved possibly even more, we were ready to complete our education by watching The Killing.  We are on Episode 3 and are already hooked.  There is the inevitable comparison to the US version, from which it does differ in little ways*, but so far we are enjoying it immensely.  For us, the act of having to read subtitles means that we need to concentrate one hundred percent since even blinking for more than a second can miss important bits of plot.  This means that you really do get in to the plot and the action, totally absorbed by a totally absorbing story line.  Again, if you are liking what you are hearing, I strongly recommend these also.  Can't wait for the US remake of The Killing II.

I am up North today, at a Starfleet office near Heathrow, so am planning to soon make the long journey back down to the land of the sane that is the South coast, hoping I can do so before I catch any of the dodgy little illnesses from which they seem to suffer up this way.

Until next time.

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* Or, to be precise, there are little ways the US remake differs from the Danish original, but I did not want to split hairs in the main body, but down here in the footnotes, anything and everything goes