Over the Edge - January 18 THE LAND OF THE ICE AND SNOW The Girl With The Dragon lattoo Review CONTRIBUTOR ’ve read Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy and seen the | Swedish language film adaptation of The Girl With The Drag- on Tattoo. When I learned that the Hollywood system had plans to do their own adaptation, I was leery and sceptical of the decision; after all, I'd enjoyed the books and the Swedish film a great deal. Though with their warts, they were fine works of art in their own right, and I thought it was a bit too soon for a remake of an already-successful film. All this changed when I finally discovered who had been tapped as director of the American Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. I’d been a diehard fan of the work of David Fincher for some time. He challenged our concept of society and consumer psych- ology with Fight Club; he terrified us with the gruesome Se7en; he pushed our nerves to the breaking point with Panic Room; he warmed our hearts with The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Okay, so maybe not that last one. But he certainly captured the attention of the world with The Social Network, a brilliant piece of film that should have netted him an Oscar for Best Director (The King’s Speech won both Best Picture and Best Director). The Social Network is one of my favourite movies. It’s clever, fast-paced, and it doesn’t pander to the audience; above all this it is a smart film, and above that it is damn slick. I took a special in- terest in the film not only because of Fincher’s work, but because of the man he’d asked to score it: Trent Reznor, better known as the man behind Nine Inch Nails (indeed, he is Nine Inch Nails). The score was amazing, and clearly many folks agreed, as it got a massive amount of attention on its own. But that’s all another article. Fincher released his version of Dragon Tattoo in late December last year. I didn’t get a chance to see it until the second Tuesday of January, but it was certainly worth the wait. Fincher has made a clever film yet again, but it’s not reliant on snappy dialogue; Dragon Tattoo is an exercise in the old adage of “show, don’t tell,” and it drives that message home brilliantly. I don’t want to go into too much detail, in fear of spoiling that part of the film for any readers who have yet to see it, but keep an eye out for the little details. Where The Social Network used fast pacing and dialogue to ensure the audience paid attention, Dragon Tattoo uses action and setting. Fincher makes careful use of his camera’s movement and focus. With a minimum of dialogue, we are able to follow along with the central mystery of the film and uncover the truth just as Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara do in their roles. The acting, too, is superb. Rooney Mara is transformed into goth hacker Lisbeth Salander, the eponymous girl with the dragon Roony Mara in The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo, now in theatres. tattoo and steals the show. Craig makes for a convincing journal- ist as Mikael Blomkvist, his questions and investigations seeming just as true to life as the snow on the ground. And that’s some- thing else this film does right (no, not snow) — the oddities of the plot are stripped away to leave only a gripping mystery. It feels true to life, more so than the English translations of the books (in my opinion, of course), and it manages to twist the ordinary into the horrific by altering something simple and expected. My final word on this film is go out and see it — but be pre- pared. Not only is there plenty of quality work involved, there is plenty of disturbing imagery and action on screen. It is not for the faint of heart, and certainly not for the squeamish. If you’ve read the novels, youll know what I’m alluding to; if not, then let me assure you that things can get worse when they’re bad already. There’s a reason the original Swedish title was “Men Who Hate Women.” You have been forewarned. Oh, and about this article’s title — yes, it’s a lyric from a Led Zeppelin song. Either you’ll like the pounding industrial rock version that opens the movie or you won’t, but there’s no denying that it’s part of yet another damn slick movie from the mind of David Fincher. Vv SS8Oe ® See © ®e@e8eq- school newspaper is a vital and necessary part of at- tending university, whether you agree with what the riters are saying or not. They usually are the target of student rage and criticism, and are one of the most under- appreciated student-run services. They thrive solely on the sup- port of student volunteers and contribution. What better way to improve a campus newspaper than to pick up a pencil and start writing articles for it? Here are some good reasons to get in- volved with your paper. For the DARCIE SMITH ARTS EDITOR Love of Writing Reasons to Write for Your Campus Newspaper 1. You will learn to write better. 2. You will meet new people. 3. You get to cover awesome local events. 4. Covering events in the community introduces you to the culture of your city! 5 You can inspire others to write. 6 It looks good on a resume. 7. It will make you more creative. 8 You will expand your vocabulary. 9. You will learn leadership skills. 10. You can help improve the paper if you don’t like it. 11. Lead by example. 12. You can draw comics and cartoons for it. 13. You can create word searches or sudoku puzzles. 14. You can take pictures. 15. You can learn how to take good pictures. 16. You can gain confidence. 17. You will be more inquisitive. 18. People will notice you. 19. You can help new students by highlighting points of interest around campus and town. 20. ‘You can save newspapers! 21. You can learn about layout and production. 22. Your grammar will improve. 23. You can help copy edit. 24. You can learn to proof your classmate’s papers. 25. You can take your skills and tutor other stu-dents. 26. You have the opportunity to travel to amazing conferences. 27. You can spread the word — about anything! 28. Your reading skills will improve. 29. Your research skills will improve. 30. And sometimes... you can even make money doing it.