The Millennium Trilogy

The Millennium Trilogy kind of goes along with the Halloween theme, right? Maybe just a little. It's really dark, suspenseful, and intense! You ask what is The Millennium Trilogy? It's the ever so popular books turned films by Swedish author Stieg Larsson. The Trilogy includes The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl who Played with Fire, and The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest.

So far, only the first two parts of the trilogy have been released in the U.S. with the final installment reportedly coming to theatres today (29th of October).

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

This is a very refreshing film. It combines the darkness of Let the Right One in and suspense of The Bourne Trilogy. In short, the film is about an investigative journalist, Mikael Blomkvist, who is hired to solve a missing person's case. The story line is complex and truly interesting and the action is exciting. There a lot of character development and layers upon layers of background stories and plot lines. But, ultimately, what makes The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo so great is the character Lisbeth Salander.

Lisbeth is the girl with the dragon tattoo who is also a brilliant hacker. She uses her skills towards private investigations. But she is a social outcast and very damaged from events that happened during her childhood. She is not pleasant or likable; but throughout the entire movie, I was rooting for her. She is a character rarely seen in film.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a must see. It's a film that is really exciting, packs many good punches, and a bit lengthy but, in the end, not long enough.



The Girl who Played with Fire

Unlike the first film which was shot through the perspective of Mikael Blomkvist, The Girl who Played with Fire is seen through the perspective of Lisbeth. This installment of the Trilogy is more focused on Lisbeth--her life, her family, and the events in her life that made her who she is. There is an interesting case that Mikael and Lisbeth are involved in, but, about half way through, the film becomes centered on Lisbeth.

I must say that The Girl who Play with Fire is not as great as The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and is at times too complex and confusing. The first film was really exciting because there was kind of a time bomb that kept you on the edge of your seat; the second film kind of does the same thing but is a bit toned down. And the nature of the suspense and chase is different. But I think if you liked the first film, you must see the second one to understand more about the first one and the last one. The stories of the first and second installment are tightly linked and really present themselves as a body of work. (And it would be good to watch it to understand The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest.)

(Trailers can be kind of annoying huh? Imagine listening to someone talk like that all day.)

Waah this is exciting! I'd love to see the cast on the red carpet at next year's Academy Awards.

The Virgin Spring

I am happy to announce that I finished watching The Virgin Spring. It was not an easy task. I don't really know what to say about the film. So many good things have been said about the film from professional critics, and it even won the Best Foreign Language Film at the 1961 Academy Awards. But to me, the acting is overly dramatic, unbelievable, and the visual is not impressive or exceptionally artistic.

Maybe I just don't know how to view this film, where to place The Virgin Spring in the history and context of cinema. Perhaps, in 1960 when the film was released, it was quite something; but as cinema evolves, our expectation of films changes in a way that a film like The Virgin Spring is not understood for its aesthetics and becomes more difficult to appreciate.

There are, however, some great topics/themes that the film explores: religion, vengeance, sexual innocence, and justice. Fifty years later, these topics are still quite relevant.

I could not find a trailer for this film so below is the first ten minutes of the film. Enjoy!

The Auteur Series: Ingmar Bergman

I have a love for all things auteur. My favorite auteurs to date are Wong Kar-Wai and Wes Anderson. Sadly, they're a bit vanilla and have become household names. (Okay, maybe not.) So I am hoping to expand my list of favorites.

For the next few weeks or even months, I will be watching films by Ingmar Bergman, an influential Swedish director who is very much approved by the Criterion Selection. As some of you might know, I have a love for all things Criterion Selection too. Furthermore, I also have a love for all things Scandinavian. So, needless to say, I think Bergman is a pretty good choice for me to embark on this Auteur Series.

Just to add a little more understanding of Bergman, Bergman is the idol of some of the most relevant directors today whom we always see at movie award shows. Todd Field, director of In the Bedroom and Little Children, Ang Lee, Woody Allen, and even Park Chan-wook, director of Oldboy have cited Bergman as their influence.

Woody Allen praised Bergman as "probably the greatest film artist, all things considered, since the invention of the motion picture camera." So I am looking forward to what Bergman has to offer. The first film I will be watching is The Virgin Spring. My one and only concern...Bergman's films are black and white films--something I have difficulty viewing if they are not for a class.