The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

When the Millennium Trilogy got translated into English - the mammoth size of the first book with an intriguing cover was too tempting for me to resist buying it. I bought it at the Chennai Book Fair at a 10% discount. I finished the book over three days - essentially seven hours of reading on my train-ride to and from work.

It was undeniably good the next purchase was buying the remaining two books.

The books have been successfully made into movies in Swedish. When David Fincher was named director for the English version - I was really happy after Se7en and Zodiac David Fincher has been a firm favourite. Please note I have not seen his earlier movies that cemented his name as a man who could muddle your mind with his movies like - Eraserheads. Daniel Craig after a pathetic show in Quantum of Solace and The Golden Compass redeems himself to an extent as Michael Blomkvist the journalist.

The movie belongs to but one character like the books - the girl - Lisbeth Salander - a hacker / researcher par excellence - a thin and frail girl with body art, rings, and openly bi-sexual a ward of the state because she attempted to kill her father when she was 11. Naomi Rapace truly deserved an Oscar for this role.

The movie is about bilionaire Henrik who wants Michael to investigate the case of a missing girl Hannah. How Michael and Lisbeth solve this case and uncover a serial-killer who sexually violated women forms the crux of the story.

The movie is technically banned from a theatrical release in India as far as I know because of nudity and disturbing behaviour on screen. It's a shame but well torrents abound and you know where to go to get the DVDs be it Palika Bazaar, Chor Bazaar, Burma Bazaar, Singapore Plaza, Chandini Chowk etc...

Watch the movie......

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

I am sorry I have not yet found time to see "Rock n' Rolla" and "Revoultionary Road."
So I present the review of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."

The movie is an adaptation of a short story of the same name written by J Scott Fitzgerald. The movie stars Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett. The story starts in a hospital where a lady on her death-bed asks her daughter to read from a diary. The diary narrates the life and times of Benjamin Button.

Brad Pitt is Benjamin Button. When he is born he is born with the features of an aged person who is about to die. He is abandoned by his rich father and left at the door-step of an old-age home run by an Afro-American couple. The lady takes great care of him and treats him like her son. He mingles with the other aged people in the building who treat him as an old man. They do not know that he is a child. He makes friends with Daisy the grand-daughter of a rich widow. The widow teaches Benjamin to play the piano.

A fascinating transition takes place as Benjamin grows younger with each passing day. He joins a shipping trawlwer, fights in the Second World War, has his romantic misadventures. He sends postcards to Daisy from all the cities that he visits.

Benjamin returns to the old-age home were his father meets him and tells him the truth-'Benjamin I am your father-Thomas Button." He continues running the family business of manufacturing buttons, is attracted to Daisy who has become a ballet dancer in New York.

Their paths cross again and after a series of incidents get married. They buy a house have a daughter and seem to enjoy life. Benjamin keeps worrying and says-" I want my daughter to have a father not a playmate."

He keeps growing younger and sells his company and creates an account/trust for his wife and daughter and leaves his home. He returns many years later as a teenager. His wife in the meanwhile has married another man and runs a dance-school. She is shocked to see Benjamin!

He once again goes. Then one day Daisy receives a phone call and goes to a child-welfare centre. A boy who is extremely incoherent and whose bag contains a letter addressed to her has been found. Daisy realises that this is Benjamin, Benjamin no longer remembers who she is!-"Excuse me, do I know you?"

Daisy takes care of the small boy as her son. She leaves the city and travels to another city as the boy grows younger and younger finally an infant. This is a really touching scene when Daisy realizes the infant has died.

When the girl reaches this part of the story in true cinematic style Daisy[the old lady] if you have not figured that out dies!

The movie is brilliant. Make-up(simply superb).Acting is top-notch and I have a feling Brad Pitt might win the coveted Oscar for Best Actor this year. The sets chronicling the changes in America across three generations is portrayed brilliantly. As usual David Fincher continues to mystify satisfy the audience with his works.

Go watch this movie. Deserves every bit of praise being showered on it and much-much better than the disillusioned, myopic, and Westernised opinion of Slumdog Millionaire.