The Column of Randomosity: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Six hundred and forty four pages. Six hundred and forty four. That’s the length of Steig Larsson’s worldwide bestseller, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, and I blew through it in a week. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not one of those people that read a book a week or something, I’m not a crazy reader. I guess I can partially attribute it to the fact that I was a lazy bum this summer and didn’t have a job. But a larger portion I attribute to the sheer brilliance of the novel itself. I mean, the books gotta be good if you blow through six hundred pages in a week, right? The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo was truly one of the most captivating novels I’ve ever read.

There are a lot of subplots to the book, but I’ll try and summarize as generally and simply as I can. Mikael Blomkvist (the dude who wrote the book is Swedish, excuse the weird names) is a political journalist who was recently convicted for libel. Libel is basically when you attempt to discredit a company, or portray them in a negative light. He exposes a corrupt businessman, but doesn’t have enough evidence for his claim. Discouraged and stripped of his reputation, Mikael considers leaving his position as head of his political magazine Millenium. Mikael is offered a job opportunity by Henrik Vanger, an old, wealthy businessman who is head of Vanger Industries. He hires Mikael to investigate the disappearance of his sixteen year old niece, Harriet, who has been presumed dead since the late 1960’s. Mikael soon discovers that the Vanger family has a dark history; one that includes Nazism, abuse, etcetera. He is soon joined by investigator Lisbeth Salandar, a socially withdrawn computer hacker. Salander is an emotionally damaged woman (having been sexually abused), but has a tough persona. Mikael and Lisbeth join forces to find out what happened to young Harriet Vanger, and come across some grisly discoveries in the process.

In the summer I sat in my backyard wearing shorts and a tank top reading the novel, and months later I sat in a cold movie theatre bundled up in my jacket. Nearly half a year after reading the book, I sat in the movie theatre watching the film adaptation of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. I first have to establish that I’m slightly biased against the director, David Fincher. David Fincher is very hit-or-miss with me. I loved his films such as The Social Network, Panic Room, and Seven. I personally however was not a huge fan of Zodiac or Fight Club (yes, I didn’t like Fight Club that much, get over it). I was slightly skeptical going into the movie, and worried that it would not match the brilliance of the novel. I had watched the 2009 Swedish version of Dragon Tattoo and enjoyed it, and I hoped this would meet my expectations as well. So ok, my verdict…

It was weird. Well, the book was weird too. I liked it, but it was weird. The opening credits sequence is a bit…out there (you’ll see what I mean if you watch it). Cool, but out there. The movie corresponded to the book wonderfully, it left out a few plot lines but they weren’t entirely necessary to begin with. Daniel Craig, whom you may know from Casino Royale and Cowboys and Aliens, quite accurately portrays the character Mikael Blomkvist in my opinion. I feel like he looks a little young to be Mikael, but his performance was well done (and you have to love those piercing blue eyes). But the show was stolen by the potential Oscar nominee Rooney Mara, who plays the memorable role of Lisbeth Salander. She was honestly really dedicated to the role, and I appreciate that. A little background on Mara: she played a brief role in The Social Network as Mark Zuckerberg’s ex-girlfriend. She is the daughter of Timothy Christopher Mara, vice president of player evaluation for the New York Giants, and granddaughter of Wellington Mara, who was co-owner of the Giants. She’s basically football royalty.

The twenty six year old actress had to undergo a tremendous transformation to play Lisbeth. Lisbeth’s character is described as being extremely petite and having short, choppy black hair. She has numerous piercings on her face, including her eyebrow, nose, and lip. She has another piercing…not sure if I can mention it in the school newspaper though (you catch my drift). And the thing was, all those piercings Mara had to get were legit. Mara had to actually get poked with a bunch of holes to play the character. That’s dedication, man. Lisbeth’s character wears leather, androgynous clothing. She speaks in a very robotic, emotionless tone. She rides a motorcycle. In the role, she’s not the most attractive of people out there…she’s kinda freaky looking. But if you have a few minutes Google her and see what she actually looks like, she’s actually pretty attractive. In regards to her performance: it’s a difficult role to play, but Mara really nailed it. I have a lot of respect for her to take on such a hard, unique role.

Ultimately, I thought the movie was quite good but did not quite live up to the book. I’m biased though, I mean, having read the book first it’s my obvious preference. The style of David Fincher was…interesting, to say the least. It definitely fit the tone of the plot but I’m not sure if I was liking the style all too much. That wasn’t enough to ruin the movie for me though; the film was carried but such wonderful actors and an enticing plotline.

I highly suggest seeing The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. It’s rated R for some pretty intense sexual violence sequences, so if you’re under seventeen you need parent’s permission (I would say sneak in but I’m not sure if I can be promoting that here!). Personally I would advise you to read the book first, because it might be a little confusing having not gotten all the details behind everything. If you go in cold though, you should be able to figure things out ok. So yeah, that’s my (very long winded) opinion on The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. I’m really hoping Rooney Mara gets that Oscar nomination!

The Column of Randomosity: Nostalgia

Remember The Muppets Show? Maybe it was a little bit before our time, but surely some of us have seen some of the old Muppets movies. My sister and I used to watch The Muppets Wizard of Oz and Muppets from Space all the time; we can still quote it to this day. I’m a seventeen year old senior, and yes, I went to go see The Muppets movie that was recently released in theatres. Actors Jason Segel (Forgetting Sarah Marshall) and Amy Adams (Enchanted) were accompanied by the famous Muppet crew: Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Animal, Fozzie Bear, and newcomer Walter, to make this truly enchanting and memorable film. Segel, who also wrote the screenplay, felt honored to have revived the classic puppet phenomena. Having grown up with The Muppets, he felt very strongly about creating this film. In an interview, Segel was asked “Did you really burst out crying when you first heard Kermit speak at a read-through of "The Muppets" script?” He replied “I did. It wasn't like a burst-out kind of crying; it was much more embarrassing than that. It was like the slow cry where you're trying super hard not to let anyone know you're about to cry so you're pursing your lips but they're quivering, and next thing I knew there were tears streaming down my face and there was nothing I could do to hide it.” Jason, I’m sure Jim Henson would be proud.

Well, I didn’t write my own screenplay or anything, but I kinda felt that way while watching Toy Story 3. I know that’s a totally random tangent I just took, but go with me here. Having been a huge fan of the Toy Story movies when I was younger, watching Toy Story 3 was an awesome blast from the past. It brought back Woody and Buzz, and Rex and Potato Head, and all those characters that just made being a kid…well, awesome. And that part at the end, when Andy drives away to college and leaves the little girl all his old buddies to play with…I had to hold back those tears, man.

I’ve had quite a few more of those nostalgic instances (minus the tears). I had my friends over a few weeks ago and we watched Mulan, which I haven’t seen in ages. Although I hadn’t seen it in years, I still knew all the words to the songs, and so did they. We literally belted out singing to “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” in my basement (best Disney song ever? I think yes!). My parents laughed at us afterwards, no biggie.

And even this morning, I was in class talking with my friend about old TV shows. We quoted old Spongebob episodes (“Chocolate…I remember when they first invented chocolate, sweet, sweet chocolate…I ALWAYS HATED IT!” remember that one?), and talked about shows like Hey Arnold, Doug, Rugrats, Dexter’s Lab, Pokemon, Fairy Odd Parents, All That, The Amanda Show, Rocko’s Modern Life, you know, all those classics. I probably forgot a few, but oh well. There’s something so special about those shows, at least to me anyway. I feel that pang of nostalgia every time I think of them. A few weeks ago I watched some old episodes of Hey Arnold (thank you, Netflix!) and I still remembered the words. Sometimes I even find myself searching the old theme songs on Youtube.

The shows you watch when you’re a kid never get old, I guess that’s the point I’m trying to make. I’ll be eighty years old and I’ll still be able to quote those shows or sing songs from those movies. They stay with you forever. And just because they’re oriented towards kids doesn’t mean we can’t still love them. We never really stop being kids, anyway. I know that’s all cliché or whatever, but I think that’s true. I think we’ll always retain that wonder we felt during our childhood. And one of the best ways we can cling to that is through those old movies and shows we used to watch. I think that’s how Jason Segel felt about the new Muppets movie. I think it was his way of recreating that sweet simplicity of childhood. For himself, and for us.

The Column of Randomosity: Horror Moviefest

So it’s October. Summer’s finally gone and the leaves are all red and orange and crunchy. It’s cold but not cold enough for the winter jacket yet. You’re finally settled into the school year, and you’re not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. But you know what else October means? Oktoberfest! Nah, I’m kidding. October means Halloween. Carving crooked grins on pumpkins, eating way more candy than your stomach can bear, and lest we forget: costumes. As we all know, Halloween is synonymous with spooky-ness: ghosts, ghouls, the whole shebang. Everyone’s always looking for a good scare. So guys and gals, what better a time to have a…HORROR MOVIEFEST!

Now, ok. What’s a moviefest you ask? I shall explain. My friends and I coined the term a few years back. A few friends go over someone’s house, pop a bag of popcorn in the microwave, and watch a whole bunch of movies. So basically it’s a movie marathon…just with a cooler name. This month we’re planning a “Horror Moviefest”, a day full of horror movies and thrillers. It really is a fun way to spend the day with some friends, so if you’re looking for something to do, have your own moviefest! I, being the extremely awesome and generous person that I am, shall provide you with some scary movies that might make your list.

I’m going to start off with a classic: The Exorcist. Some of my friends say “The Exorcist isn’t scary it’s stupid, blahhh,” well, no, they’re wrong. The Exorcist is really freaky. And I’m not talking the stupid sequels like The Last Exorcism and The Exorcism of Emily Rose, no way Jose. You need to watch the original; Linda Blair, 1973. It’s about a young girl who becomes possessed by a demonic spirit, and her mother’s battle to restore her back to normal. She hires a priest to perform an exorcism on her daughter in order to rid of her of the evil creature residing in her body. It might sound a little lame, but trust me, it’s not. There are some really disturbing scenes in that movie. The thing that stuck with me most was the girl’s scarred face, green eyes, and deep, twisted voice. I still have nights when I lay in bed, trying to fall asleep, and her face pops in my head. Needless to say, I have trouble sleeping after that. The Exorcist is one of those scary movies that stays with you, no doubt about it.

The next movie I’m going to list isn’t really a “horror”, it’s more of a thriller. But I don’t care, it’s still making my Halloween moviefest list. The movie is called Se7en (pronounced Seven, the 7’s just there to be fancy). Starring Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt, Se7en is the story of two police officers trying to find a serial killer. The killer targets his victims based on the seven deadly sins: gluttony, greed, sloth, envy, wrath, pride, and lust. The ways in which he murders his victims depends upon the sin. For example, for gluttony he forces an obese man to eat until his stomach explodes (don’t worry, I didn’t really spoil much there, that’s at the beginning of the movie). The ways in which he murders his victims are elaborate and fascinating. It’s a movie that makes you cringe and that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Plus, it has Morgan Freeman. How can you go wrong there?

The last movie I’m going to list a lot of you probably won’t like, but I’m still going to mention it. Carrie, based on the short story by Stephen King (the “King” of horror), is the story about an outcast teenage girl who possesses telekinetic powers. She lives with her crazy psycho religious mother, and endures much teasing from the other kids at school. As the movie progresses however, her powers begin to develop and become more potent. When a horrible prank on Carrie at the high school prom goes wrong, chaos ensues. A lot of you are probably going to think it’s slow and corny…and it is. But the plot is really good; better than most horror movies these days.

If you’re looking for blood and gore then don’t watch any of those movies, because these are far from what are considered “slashers”. The Exorcist, Se7en, and Carrie are psychological horror movies; they’re more disturbing if anything. All three of those are real classics though, you really should go check them out. But hey, if you don’t want to waste the time renting it from the library, then go to the movies and see Paranormal 3.

So have a happy Halloween guys! Go splurge on some scary movies.

The Column of Randomosity: Seasonal Songs

I wasn’t really sure how to start off this whole column deal, so I guess I’ll start with my name. Hi! I’m Julia Day (yes, as in SaturDAY and SunDAY). I’ve been on the newspaper since my freshman year and I gotta say, I love the paper. I don’t know about you, but writing is a really cathartic thing for me. It helps me express my thoughts in a coherent and organized way…in a way I never really seem to accomplish with speech. If you want me to be completely honest with you, I had no idea which direction I should take this column in. Should I do it purely on movies? TV? Should I focus on music instead? Too many choices. So this column is going to be random. Totally and completely random. Filled to the brim with randomosity (you get the picture). I’m going to write about whatever’s on my mind, so if you want to sit here and read my brain splurges please feel free! And if not, hey, that’s cool too.

Alright. I’m gonna through this idea out to you. So, try to remember the first time you heard a specific song (I’m going to use “Party Rock Anthem” as an example, even though I hate that song with an intense passion). The first time I heard Party Rock Anthem was in my Drivers Ed car this past summer. Now every time I hear Party Rock Anthem, I think “summer”. Right? Don’t you kind of get that? You associate seasons to songs? Ok, maybe you don’t, but I do.

Every few weeks I go on music splurges. I’ll surf Youtube or leave Pandora on for hours trying to find new stuff, and when I hear songs I like I download them and make a playlist. The playlists correspond to the months during which I basically listened to the songs on repeat (so I’ll have a July-August 2011 playlist, or a September-October 2011 playlist). I don’t know, it’s just my thing. “What’s on your playlist this month, Julia???” Well, (insert your name here), I’m so glad you asked! What DO I have on my September 2011, Back to School playlist? Let’s review. I’m going to warn you that I listen to mostly alternative rock (sometimes indie I guess, too) so if you like rap and the stuff they play on the radio…please stop reading now. Seriously. I ramble.

The beginning of the playlist is just a bunch of pretty random songs. “Artistic License” by The Starting Line, “Come Back Home” by Two Door Cinema Club, “Empty House” by Paper Route, “The L-Town Shakedown” by Patent Pending, “Jeremy” by Pearl Jam, “Your Woman” by White Town, “Icky Thump” by The White Stripes, “Teenage Tide” by Letting Up Despite Great Faults and “Pumped Up Kicks” by Foster the People. So yeah, pretty random list there. If you guys are looking for new songs, search those up on Youtube because they really are all so great.

Now I’m going to get into some cool bands I’ve been listening to (those were just some random cool songs I found). I was looking on the Wikipedia page of “List of Indie Pop Artists” (I did not search this on my own, my friend sent it to me), and I saw the name of this band called The Fratellis. I recognized the name but I didn’t remember how, so I searched them up and listened to their songs. After hearing a few I was hooked and started downloading like nuts. I’ll mention my favorites by them. “Henrietta”, “Flathead”, “Baby Fratelli” and “Mistress Mabel” are really upbeat, catchy songs if you want to listen to something to boost your mood. “Whistle for the Choir” is a great song, but it’s a little slower. Same goes for “Look Out Sunshine!”. The Fratelli’s most famous song is “Chealsea Dagger” which was featured in an Amstel Light commercial. I’ll be honest, it’s not my favorite by them, but it’s pretty catchy.

Next is the new Red Hot Chili Peppers CD, I’m With You, their first album in six years since Stadium Arcadium in 2006. I was slightly hesitant going in to listen to the album, only because their other albums are just so hard to beat. By the Way was my first RHCP album, and it’s my favorite because of that. “Can’t Stop” and “The Zephyr Song” are just amazing, you can’t top that. Californication is obviously great too, and so is Stadium Arcadium. I’m With You’s first song, “Monarchy of Roses” didn’t sound great to me at first, but the more and more I listened the more it got stuck in my head. It’s a great song to start the album off with. A few of my favorites are “Annie Wants a Baby”, “The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie,” “Meet Me at the Corner”, and “Brendan’s Death Song”. Out of all of them though, I have to say that “Brendan’s Death Song” is my favorite. It may be considered slow by RHCP’s standards, but it’s so melodic and beautiful…I just love it. Overall I liked I’m With You, but it definitely doesn’t beat the classics of By the Way, Californication, and Stadium Arcadium.

So that’s my Back to School playlist. If you’re looking for some new music, I highly suggest you check some of these songs out. They’re not like the stuff you hear on the radio…these songs strike emotions in you, their lyrics are meaningful. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Going Ape for "Apes"

It was a while ago now, probably about ten years ago that my dad introduced me to the movie Planet of the Apes. And I’m not talking about the 2001 Mark Whalberg remake of Planet of the Apes, I’m talking 1968 Charlton Heston Planet of the Apes. The original. That’s where it’s at. So for any of you that saw the 2001 version and thought, “Wow, this is horrible,” well, that’s because it is. It doesn’t do the 1968 version much justice.

For those of you that haven’t seen the 1968 Planet of the Apes, I highly recommend it. While it may be considered somewhat “slow” by today’s standards, the movie has a very unique and interesting plot line. Three astronauts crash land on an unknown planet in the year 3978 AD, that seems to be uninhibited by any intelligent life. Taylor, played by Charlton Heston, is the leader of the group. Eventually, the travelers come across a tribe of mute and primitive humans. While they are questioning how this could be, the tribe comes under attack from a band of masked horsemen. Being mistaken for part of the tribe, Taylor’s two comrades go missing, and he himself is captured and shot in the neck rendering him speechless. He wakes up to find that his capturers are actually a race of highly intelligent and advanced apes, that have developed their own religion, military, government, and science program (much like our own society). While being medically treated, Taylor befriends Zira (Kim Hunter) and Cornelius (Roddy McDowall), a chimpanzee couple that take an interest in his seemingly far advanced “intelligence” (as opposed to the mute, underdeveloped humans they are accustomed to). The plot thickens as Dr. Zaius, the communities political and religious leader, attempts to silence and kill Taylor for reasons unknown. When Taylor, Zira, and Cornelius escape to try and free him, Taylor stumbles across a surprise that brings him to his knees (not going to spoil it, and if you know anything about pop culture, you should know what the ending is).

This was one of my favorite movies growing up, it’s a great science fiction flick. So imagine my surprise when my dad told me that there is a new installment to the series coming out this summer: Rise of the Planet of the Apes. It is supposed to be a sort of “prequel” to the original movie, showing what happened before the apes took over. Upon hearing this news, I was both excited and nervous. While I’m excited to see the plot they have developed and the special effects they have incorporated (special effects that will most certainly surpass the makeup and costumes of 1968), I’m worried it might take the same path that Planet of the Apes (2001) did. And let me tell you, that one was a bummer. I really hope this movie meets my expectations and is a respectable addition to the Planet of the Apes series.

So far, I don’t know much about the plot. I watched the trailer on Youtube and it seems slightly vague. It appears that it takes place modern day. Scientists are working to find a cure for Alzheimer’s and are using apes as test subjects. When one ape, Caeser, starts to rapidly develop and mutate, things start to get out of control. It will star James Franco (Spiderman, 127 Hours), and Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire). John Lithgow (who you may know more formally as Lord Farquad from Shrek, or The Trinity Killer from Dexter) is rumored to have a roll as well. And for all you Harry Potter fans, Tom Feltom (aka Draco Malfoy) is a known addition to the cast.

The movie Rise for the Planet of the Apes will be released in theaters August 5^th, 2011. Don’t feel as though you need to have seen Planet of the Apes to understand the plot. That’s the glory of a prequel, you can go in without having much knowledge of the series at all. But from my own personal recommendation, I say watch Planet of the Apes, it’s really a great movie. As for Rise, I’m holding high expectations, and I really hope they are met.