Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

I know the film has been out for over a year and the DVD for a while but I only got to watch 'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo' - whose original and more potent title was 'Men Who Hate Women' (a far more appropriate title given the nature of the book) - the other day. Having read the Millennium Trilogy (this is part one) by Stieg Larsson last year I was always looking forward to the film versions of the books. They're made for film whether on the big or small screen (infact, I believe this film was originally a two part television film re-edited into a big screen version) as they're over the top, with plenty of puzzle solving, plot twists, melodrama, violence and filled with well drawn characters engaged in a plot that moves forward at a relentless pace. Underlying the books is of course a number of serious subjects including racism, patriarchal misogyny, sexual violence and globalization - a reminder that all is not well in social democratic Sweden, a country we often view as enlightened and liberal, a country unlike our own.

So, for those of you who haven't read the books I'm afraid you'll have to go elsewhere for a synopsis. Suffice to say that the trilogy makes for great holiday reading and if like me you're prone to reading thrillers late at night be warned; this book and its companions are pages turners and the chances of you getting much sleep are minimal.

So to the film, let me begin by saying that I'm glad I saw the Swedish version first. David Fincher is directing the Hollywood version next year with Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara (Tanner Hall, Dare, The Winning Season, The Social Network) in the lead roles and although I'm looking forward to seeing how they approach it I can't see quite how they're going to capture the psychological atmosphere of Sweden well as their Swedish counterparts.

Going Tribal - The Beauty of Tribal Tattoos

Tattooing has indeed grown more and more popular over the years. Where before it was shunned by the general public and considered weird, suspicious, and even evil, today it has become one of the most popular forms of art and personal expression. This surge in popularity posed a challenge for tattoo artists to widen the range of designs available in order for tattoos to become more appealing to people from all walks of life. Needless to say, they have risen to the challenge quite effortlessly. There are now countless tattoo designs for you to choose from, and these designs have been grouped into specific categories to make the choice a lot easier for you to make. Celebrity names and faces, cartoon characters and flowers are all popular tattoo designs, but perhaps nothing beats the pervasiveness and timeless appeal of tribal tattoos. What, exactly, makes tribal designs so popular? To what particular factor can its allure be attributed?

First off, tribal tattoos are very striking. Made up mostly of solid black lines and curves, it has the inherent tendency to catch attention and invite curiosity. Most people who see tribal tattoos are immediately drawn to the challenge of deciphering what the tattoo means, which makes it doubly attractive. Furthermore, tribal designs are very versatile. You can choose a preexisting design and use it merely as a base to create your own unique tribal tattoo. You can also fashion a tribal design to convey any meaning that has personal significance to you. But perhaps the best thing about tribal tattoo designs is that they can be very flexible. You can provide feedback while in the process of having a tattoo inked, and the artist can actually make adjustments to your chosen design as you go along. To accomplish this, it is best that you choose an experienced tattoo artist who is good at working freehand.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is the first of a trilogy based on the Swedish novels of Stieg Larsson. As I have not read the novels, I cannot comment on their transition to the big-screen. This film, however, is excellent as a stand-alone and is very well executed in nearly every aspect. I very much look forward to the rest of the trilogy which has already been filmed and released.