where: CINE ARTS @ PLEASANT HILL in Pleasant Hill, CA
when: Monday, July 26th, 2010
show: 5:30 p.m.
costs: $7.25 Ticket + $4.00 small Diet Coke + $13.09 dinner at HomeTown Buffet before the show ( + $1.00 Tip ) + $5.00 Benicia Bridge Toll = $30.34
auditorium: 3
seat: Right section, 4th row, 1st column
synopsis: In this sequel to THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, Lisbeth Salander ( Noomi Rapace ) returns to Sweden after a year's absence only to find out that she's framed for the murders of her guardian, a newspaper reporter and the reporter's girlfriend that more than likely were the result of the reporter's investigation of the extensive sex-slave operation that will implicate Swedish society's elite should the findings be put into print. But Mikael Blomkvist ( Michael Nyqvist ) is convinced of Lisbeth's innocence and sets out to try and prove himself right, ultimately uncovering unpleasant events in Lisbeth's past.
noteworthy scenes: 1.) Laser clinic; 2.) Snoop; 3.) Intruder; 4.) 'Phone call; 5.) New reporter; 6.) Retirement home; 7.) Lisbeth's apartment; 8.) Lottery tricks; 9.) "From Russia With Love"; 10.) Double murder; 11.) The church; 12.) Unanimous decision; 13.) Burglar; 14.) Fingerprints; 15.) Nils Bjurman's ( Peter Andersson ) home; 16.) Suspect; 17.) Coffee shop; 18.) Zala; 19.) Interrogation; 20.) Boxing gym; 21.) Kidnap; 22.) Barn; 23.) Lisbeth's e-mail; 24.) Hospital; 25.) List of prominent johns; 26.) Truth about Zala; 27.) Bjurman's cottage; 28.) Confidential file; 29.) Bikers; 30.) Lisbeth's father; 31.) News report; 32.) Monster; 33.) Motor vehicle records; 34.) P. O. Box; 35.) Alarm; 36.) Congenital Analgesia; 37.) The DVD; 38.) Reunion; 39.) A whore; 40.) A brother; 41.) The grave; and 42.) In the nick of time.
audience reaction: There was quite a crowd who turned up to see this movie. They seemed to be entertained by this movie because I could hear appreciative sounds coming from them every now and then.
recommendation: Although not as good as the first one in the trilogy, I still liked this 2nd installment. It goes without saying that this movie has a built-in fan base consisting of the readers of the trilogy by Swedish novelist, Stieg Larsson.
spoiler alert! If anything, Lisbeth's fingerprints would only be on the gun barrel and, perhaps, on the revolver's cylinder. Why? Because at least two people, possibly three, had their fingers on the gun handle and on the trigger. And being that Lisbeth had smaller hands ( hence, smaller fingers ), her prints would have been smudged-off from the critical areas of the gun that was used to implicate her in the murders; this would be true whether or not the murderer used gloves to hide his considerably bigger fingerprints. So, in a court of law, the evidence would therefore just be circumstantial, not conclusive! In the barn, while the bad guy was distracted, I would have picked-up the chain saw and used it on him! Why didn't the cops investigate Bjurman's cottage after he was murdered? They would have come across fingerprints galore! Why didn't Lisbeth asphyxiate? Where did Lisbeth get the cellphone to dig-out the dirt? She had to give-up her own cellphone earlier in her attempt to escape, if I remember right! Why didn't the old man wake up his son to help him investigate the noise? With all her wounds, how was Lisbeth able to wield the ax and use it? I thought that the bad guy ran into the house to get a gun--I would have!
fyi: Congenital Analgesia is actually a rare disorder. I wonder if the sufferers of such a disorder experience any sexual arousal at all? Hmmm ....
I just found out earlier today, Wednesday, July 28ht, that they will make this trilogy into an Hollywood production with Daniel Craig in the role of Mikael Blomkvist. And Sweden will still be the setting for the movie. But there's no word yet on who'll play the role of Lisbeth Salander--O, God of Hollywood Movies, please have the girl be much better-looking than Roomi Rapace! Thank you, Lord. Amen.
I had a Vietnamese co-worker who once lived in Sweden for about a year. He told me that in Sweden if you leave your bicycle unlocked, someone will take it BUT return it later in the day because that is how things are in that country: They share their bicycles with anyone. Of course, if you're someone like Lance Armstrong who owns $20,000.oo bicycles, it would be a good idea to have your bicycle under lock and key and with some kind of "Lo-Jack" attached to it, just to be on the safe side.
A $20,000.oo bicycle?!?!?! Hell! For such an high price tag, such a bike better be able to pedal itself!
And speaking of bicycling in Sweden, the natives prefer to ride their bicycles with the seat adjusted to such an height as to allow for the full extension of each leg in the power stroke. This is supposedly why the Swedish are long-legged.
word of advice: If you must, be discreet about your illicit affairs.
tidbits: While I was eating at the buffet, two girls seated in the booth next to mine were talking. The older sister was telling the younger one a make-believe story. In it, everybody around them dies. Then, their mom and their dad die. So, they go back to Mexico where they find people who are still alive. And they move-in with their grandparents. And they live forever--until they die! Sheesh, what kind of a story is that to tell someone at such a young age?
I have a much better children's story than that which I'm currently working-out the details on that I've tentatively entitled: Bedtime Stories .... ( 'Sorry, can't reveal more details here. And, nope, it's nothing like the Adam Sandler movie of the same title--not even close! All that I'm going to say about it is that it's a silly and funny one guaranteed to elicit laughs and giggles from the little brats come bedtime. )
I just left a dollar tip for the waitress because even though she was a very beautiful Hispanic girl, she never said, "Hi," to me at all. What a bitch!
Can you believe that this movie is rated, NR? It's obviously an R-rated movie, just like the first one! So, what happened ...? Something probably got lost in the translation.
After the movie, I went to the Dollar Tree Store next door to buy some stuff. I bought a bottle of The Works toilet bowl cleaner--this stuff really works, and it's the only one I buy. I also bought some corn chips, cheese dip, CD/DVD case, a five-pack of peppermint bubble gum, and a pair of industrial latex gloves. Also, I bought a pair of Smart HD View Wraparounds Sunglasses. ( "As Seen On TV." Ha, ha, ha. But they ain't kidding though: This pair of sunglasses actually cut-out the sun's glare--I've got to try this on next time that I go see an I-Max movie! )
