tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5541500.post1517864666732801483..comments2024-03-29T11:29:58.276+09:00Comments on BigHominid's Hairy Chasms: "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" (2011 US version): reviewKevin Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01328790917314282058noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5541500.post-78856396725059040232016-10-14T01:27:15.129+09:002016-10-14T01:27:15.129+09:00Indeed, Kevin. That is one of my all-time favorite...Indeed, Kevin. That is one of my all-time favorite movie quips. But I now think that Jack's character "writes women well" because he reflects women's frustration with men's inability to understand them.TheBigHenryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04917973198063733316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5541500.post-67259697626824512112016-10-14T00:55:40.663+09:002016-10-14T00:55:40.663+09:00Henry,
Sounds like a plausible theory to me.
The...Henry,<br /><br />Sounds like a plausible theory to me.<br /><br />Then again, there's the cruel notion of femininity espoused by Jack Nicholson's character in "As Good As It Gets": when asked how he's able to "write women so well," his character replies, "I think of a man... and I take away reason and accountability."Kevin Kimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01328790917314282058noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5541500.post-79721729587930696752016-10-14T00:45:32.952+09:002016-10-14T00:45:32.952+09:00Kevin,
We have all heard the jokes about "wh...Kevin,<br /><br />We have all heard the jokes about "what do women want". But the older I get the more I am convinced that what women want is something men are incapable of giving them -- to be understood. Aside from our obvious differences, I believe the genders' concepts of "what makes sense" are fundamentally different. And that's no joke. But perhaps it is <i>the</i> proverbial spice of life.TheBigHenryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04917973198063733316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5541500.post-29699749212551554032016-10-13T14:56:51.562+09:002016-10-13T14:56:51.562+09:00Nathan,
Thanks for the insights and the recommend...Nathan,<br /><br />Thanks for the insights and the recommendations.<br /><br />Henry,<br /><br />It does feel like a big cosmic joke, sometimes, doesn't it.Kevin Kimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01328790917314282058noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5541500.post-26699099437380921242016-10-13T13:43:40.365+09:002016-10-13T13:43:40.365+09:00Hey, Kevin! I watched "Girl with a Dragon Ta...Hey, Kevin! I watched "Girl with a Dragon Tattoo" on Netflix some years ago. It was an incredibly powerful movie, and it was so good that I then read the book--and the two after (and the one by another writer after them!). I can't remember exactly what happened between Salander and Blomkvist, but I believe they did have a sexual relationship. I think your point is fair, though, and I had the same thought that you did. But I seem to recall that I was more troubled by how all that happened in the movie, as opposed to the book.<br /><br />That said, I think the novels themselves work really well--better than the movie, even. The first chapter of the first book is really boring--stick with it--but then things take off and before you know it, you can't put the book down--and once you finish one book, you begin the next and you read it straight through until *it's* done--at which point you just have to finish the trilogy! At least, that's how it was with me.<br /><br />You probably know that the Swedish title of the first book was something related to violence men use against women. Throughout all three books, Larsson portrays a massive amount of violence, creepy and horrible, against women. While it was wonderful to see strong women react and overcome these situations (e.g. Salander's revenge on Bjurmann was awesome!), sometimes I wondered if Larsson hadn't been too gratuitous in his descriptions--especially when they didn't seem to have too much to do with the main plot (as in a subplot in a later novel). The Bjurmann sexual assault scenes--both of them--were really hard for me to watch, and even to read. They were troubling.<br /><br />I hate to quote Jesus, but of another matter he said "by their fruits you shall know them." I found that the violence perpetrated by loser males against women in Larsson's writings prompted me to think a lot more about what is now conveniently-termed rape culture. I started to be more sensitive to the existence of patterns, structural patterns, of male abuse of women in even in our modern, western societies.<br /><br />"Girl with a Dragon Tattoo" is basically a murder mystery--but a very good one. The next two books blur the line between geopolitical spy novels and courtroom dramas. The way Larsson moved from one genre to another is absolutely amazing. I heartily recommend you read all three books! That's not to say that they aren't flawed, but they are eminently readable and very thought-provoking. Nathan B.http://nathanbauman.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5541500.post-73456419457123404732016-10-13T07:59:15.024+09:002016-10-13T07:59:15.024+09:00Kevin,
"I only wish Lisbeth's character ...Kevin,<br /><br />"I only wish Lisbeth's character made more sense, ..."<br /><br />There are not many men in this world who have <i>not</i> had similar thoughts about women they have known. I think it was God's little practical joke that He played on Adam via Eve's X-chromosomes :)TheBigHenryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04917973198063733316noreply@blogger.com