The Girl in the Spider's Web: Lisbeth's look

I am quite the fan of the original Stieg Larsson Millennium trilogy. I have a thing about not wanting to potentially ruin my positive opinions on things I like by watching/reading addenda to them that aren't/weren't part of the original series and/or were considerably altered in some way from their original form. 

This applies to any of the Millennium series books after Hornet's Nest, which was the last one Larsson finished. Maybe the newer ones are okay or even good, but I liked the originals and I don't want to take the chance of being potentially disappointed by a lackluster sequel that wasn't even written by Stieg Larsson. 

Imagine my surprise this evening while watching television and happening to catch a glimpse of a movie trailer. From the scenes I saw, I thought it vaguely resembled a Scandi-thriller type movie, like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It turns out it was a trailer for the "sequel" (in a way) to that movie, which is actually based upon not "Played with Fire" but a new book that isn't one of the originals. That alone is reason enough for me not to see this new movie, but I also take issue with the recasting of the characters, particularly Lisbeth. 

It's quite possible that the new actress, Claire Foy, is a perfectly good and decent actress. This isn't about her acting ability (or lack thereof, perhaps, but I wouldn't know; I haven't watched anything she's been in), it's that she just doesn't have the right look for Lisbeth. 

Visually, I think they got Rooney Mara's appearance in TGWTDT just perfect for the character -- hair, face (which isn't something you can really change), clothing, etc. So I've been trying to figure out what doesn't fit regarding the recast actress. For one thing, her eyebrows just seem off, which could partly be because in TGWTDT, Lisbeth's eyebrows were bleached (I don't remember if that was specified in the books or just a decision made for the movie), which served to give her even more of a unique look. Aside from that, this new actress' eyebrows just look too... thin and refined. Too prim. Which is definitely not Lisbeth.  

And I think Rooney Mara just has a more... naturally mysterious look to her face, which is quite fitting for the character of Lisbeth. Thinking about it, a younger Jennifer Connelly (thanks, Requiem for a Dream) shares a bit of resemblance to Rooney Mara in TGWTDT. Here she looks vaguely Lisbeth-esque: 

Claire Foy seems to me to resemble... a combination of Rachel Maddow (MSNBC), Paget Brewster (Criminal Minds), and Sarah Paulson (American Horror Story). I have nothing against these people, but that kind of look just isn't Lisbeth Salander. Their facial features just aren't right. There's also something about her that just looks a bit too... old. I'm pretty sure that in the books (even though it's been awhile since I've last read them) Lisbeth is described as looking very youthful, even though she's an adult.

And the haircut they gave the new actress for the role of Lisbeth is just too... square. Too normal. It just looks like your average pixie cut or something. It doesn't look edgy enough. In fact, I can think of a normal person I know who has pretty much the same haircut. Mara's Lisbeth had a bit more of an interesting/unique thing going on with her hair. It wasn't a particularly conventional style. 

Overall, facially, I think Lisbeth's look should be softer, more unusual/unique/unconventional, more mysterious. Rooney Mara (along with the various makeup/hair/costume/character design/etc people) got it right. Unfortunately, this new actress, Claire Foy (and the other associated people responsible for how she looks in this new movie), did not. 
For your comparison/consideration: 

Not that I was going to even watch this movie anyways.     

For good measure, here are some other images of other funky Rooney-Mara-as-Lisbeth hairstyles from TGWTD: 

Selected missed connections, part deux

Because I have been too lazy/busy recently to really do any more Postsecret reviews, have something else that's sort of in a similar vein. I've taken to reading the local missed connections section on Craigslist, and here is a selection of some of the posts there that caught my eye...

curly-haired boy with a pocket square (Petworth Metro) hide this posting

© craigslist - Map data © OpenStreetMap

(google map)

kept ALMOST making eye contact with a curly-haired boy with glasses and a pocket square on a shared metro commute between Chinatown and Petworth. i kept thinking you were looking at me, but every time i worked up the nerve to look you in the eyes, you weren't looking AT me just in my general direction. and then you looked away. EVERY TIME! i was wearing a yellow dress and pony tail and drinking taro boba.

would it have been an adorable meet-cute if one of us just bit the bullet to say hi?
definitely.

will i see you again on the same commute?
probably.

would it be fun if you (or one of your friends who sees this) responded to this craigslist missed connections post so we could eat food and/or go to a park together?
let's see!

Tattoo Of Mountain Ridge (Arlington) hide this posting

© craigslist - Map data © OpenStreetMap

Washington Blvd.

(google map)

I saw you at the Giant on Washington Blvd yesterday (Labor Day Monday) and I noticed a very unique tattoo on your left upper arm and it looked like a small etching of a mountain top. I just returned from Monterrey, Mexico where I was continually consumed by the surrounding mountains. There was a gentleman between the 2 of us and I wanted so badly to approach you about your ink. If by chance you do see this or an acquaintance sees it and shares it with you, I would be very interested in the story behind it. Not only was the ink of interest, but your beauty also stunned me.

Your bright yellow hair wrap (Orange line) hide this posting

© craigslist - Map data © OpenStreetMap

(google map)

Your we're wrapping up your hair when I got on the train and you then had some fun trying to put your headphones on over the wrapping. We spoke for a moment, I listened to your music, and said goodbye when you got off the train. You have the most beautiful smile I have ever seen.

This one is from New York City, but I thought it could be interesting to take a look at the posts from there as well. Sometimes people post things that are more like poems and/or open, anonymous letters, like this:

I can't be your third hide this posting

© craigslist - Map data © OpenStreetMap

(google map)

Go ahead and paint over rust.
You might feel like you're creating
something new, changing the content, changing a life,
But paint flakes off in the rain.
Even dry, over time it will fade.
Spots of burnt orange will pierce through until the suffocated frame can no longer hold the weight of new layers.
The remains came first; they earned their name.
You twist waste and display it on walls in frames and during the day it makes you feel ok until eternal night falls and in a shared soil grave you both lay.
Stop beginning halfway while you willingly mute alterity plain;
You know.
True creation begins by breaking day on empty lots.
You're afraid of pain, so instead of wince you feign strength through stomached knots.

Oh, resist!
Stubborn fate, preserve rot, wait for the foundation to crack
In lightninged root stains;
But to agape ears this laconic verity will eternally ring
Beyond and within,
Trailing
That poorly oriented face.
At last, return home.
Shaken Free, hospitable chains dissolve and the disgraced spotlighting noema embrace recedes.
Combative fugue, you choose to wait--
If the floor can sink, it will.

Then dawn will force her undoing birth.
Violently centered or restored homecoming,
The same place.
If you aim to truly make, clear the space.
Turn remember to forgot, then watch!
Double-quick,
Fleet unthin,
Out of nought a nascent genesis.
Become!

--An instant,

A being,

Connected,

Overflowing:

Surprise!

I've been busy but right now I'm feeling rather fizzy in light of recent events this past week. To keep it short, I met someone. In person, the old-fashioned way (I think I'm over Tinder now?). That feels kind of quaint. Anyways, I realized that had we not ended up encountering each other again the next day (happily, coincidentally) when we were able to exchange phone numbers, those few minutes we spoke for the first time would've become a proverbial missed connection. 

That in mind, I decided to go and browse some of the ones that have recently been posted on the local Craigslist page to see what kinds of missed connections other people have had. This one was pretty striking:  

"you were there (everywhere) 

I remember when I first laid my eyes on you. It was a moment I did not squander. As soon as we made eye contact I knew there could be chemistry. I had the courage to speak to you. You were very accepting and kind. Your beautiful strawberry blond hair fell down the sides of your perfectly rounded cheeks. Your eyes were mesmerizing and your voice was tantalizing. You were very jocular and I loved how you sensed I was a nervous wreck and told me you "don't bite, unless you want me to". I stammered for most of our conversation and sounded like a bumbling local drunk stumbling out of a bar after hours on a late Saturday night. You were unbelievably quick lipped, witty, and intelligible.

I could not believe how open you were with me. You sat me down by the stool next to you. You told me about your day and plans for the near future. You told me about the things you hate. You told me about the things you love. You even told me about how you hated how you kick things over while you sleep. That smirk. Man that smirk. There was this way your eyes squinted just enough room for the sunlight to glisten through the slits of your eye lids. You would playfully swat at my hands while laughing. You would raise your brows up and down gleefully as you sipped on your latte that I would have given my life for to be that damned latte. 

I mustered up enough courage after two hours of non-stop chatting to finally ask you for your number. You took my hand and wrote it down with a pen. You signed it with a perfectly rounded happyface that could not hold a candle to your smile. I wanted to call you right away, but I didn't want to seem like a crazy person. So I kept my self-control under check. I waited for a few days. Few long days. Finally came that day. The day I was waiting for. With each number dialed I thought I would faint. My heart pounded against my sternum as it were trying to escape. Then a woman picked up and I squeezed out the weakest hello. It was your mother. She told me you passed away. Took your own life. She told me to pick up a letter you had written to me. Its beautiful. I wish I had contacted you earlier. 

You have changed me in ways I have never thought possible. I am confident. I am happy. I wanted to say thank you."

Someone's a good writer. 

Vietnam War documentaries and uniforms

Just recently I finished watching the Vietnam War documentary series that's currently on Netflix and aired on PBS last (?) year. Ten episodes and 18 hours later, here we are, presumably more educated/knowledgeable about the Vietnam War. Ever since I watched Full Metal Jacket, I thought that I should know more about the Vietnam War, which is part of the reason why I committed to watching the aforementioned documentary series.

I thought it was well-done, so I'm in agreement with what I remember reading in the reviews of it at the time of its initial premiere. It was long and extensive, but thorough. The chronological approach was sort of an interesting one, although now I think I'd like to look more into certain aspects of the war, such as the role of journalists/correspondents (naturally), among others. 

The soundtrack was pretty ace, featuring a lot of the quintessential 60s songs of the era, some of which I think I'd like to listen to more, in addition to my current music diet of a good amount of Joy Division (does that mean I'm a depressing person??). Sometime in the last few weeks, I read something about why classic rock has remained popular to this day, which was interesting although I don't completely remember what it said. 

It also reinforced my opinion that I would not want to have to fight in a war; that sort of experience seems like it would be just brutal and terrible. If a new war were to break out now, and perhaps the draft to start again, I would become an anti-war protester/modern day hippie. Maybe I'd also help some people burn their draft cards (is that still a thing? If it's not, we could just print draft card props to be burnt symbolically. As an aside, I wonder what might happen if I, a woman, attempted to register to potentially be drafted, seeing as only men are required to register, as they inform you on brochures at the post office). Speaking of which, I also liked the 60s aesthetic portrayed in the documentary's parts that covered the hippies/anti-war protestors. 

Related to this, I thought the American military uniforms seen in much of the historical footage used in the documentary were a particularly snazzy shade of green -- a sort of bluer green, not overly brown/yellow like some other military-esque greens are these days. Or maybe the shade just photographed/filmed really well on the film they used for cameras back then. The appearance of film photographs, in general, has a certain pleasing nostalgic quality to it. 

So naturally, I had to look further into this. It turns out that a) you can buy American Vietnam-era military uniform clothes on eBay, some for rather reasonable prices (and some with blood stains...). And b) there's a specific name for the color of those uniforms (OG-107, as in "olive green") which were discontinued in 1989, apparently. And somewhat related, c) there are many military surplus websites which sell... interesting products that I honestly had never really thought about before. Like Royal Mail carrier messenger-style bags or German police jackets/coats that say "POLIZEI" across the back, among others. What fun!! 

Related to this, I thought about the idea of military-inspired fashion and how a few years ago (I think, if memory serves?) the "utility jacket" was in style, and I, in fact, have one made in that style, from Forever 21. Now, a few years later, I'm actually fairly surprised at how long that coat has held up in relatively workable condition since you don't usually shop at Forever 21 for quality. For around $30 or so, what value!! I've worn that jacket into the ground, weather permitting. 

A key element of these military uniform shirts/jackets are the quadruple flapped pockets, at the chest and then around the waist. What a concept! Interestingly enough, in the past, I found a nice jacket at the thrift store, which is clearly a women's jacket, as it's a saccharine bubblegum pink. It has four pockets in the arrangement/style like on the uniforms. I barely even know what to do with all those pockets! In any case, owing to the color and the pockets, I'm going to scour eBay for a shirt or jacket that I might buy to wear for myself. It could be an interesting addition to my wardrobe. I'm somewhat worried about the fit, as the uniforms were naturally made for men, so they'll be large, but to what extent specifically, I'm not sure. Hopefully not too unflatteringly so.   

As far as other historical self-education goes, I also watched a shorter documentary series about Bobby Kennedy and his campaign for president, which culminated (or rather, ended) in his untimely assassination. That one made me wonder what it would have been like and how the world might've been different had he not gotten killed and went on to become president. Alas. We'll never know. There's an overlap between the Vietnam War era and Bobby Kennedy's campaign, which is sort of interesting how the two topics are connected. Some of the prominent issues in the 60s that Bobby Kennedy campaigned on are still relevant today, albeit perhaps in slightly different forms, and that struck me.