Movie review: We Were Soldiers

Whoa. 

I watched this movie somewhat on a whim; I had seen the tail end of one movie that happened to be on television and was trying to find something else to watch since I didn't feel like watching Breaking Dawn, which was what had come on after the aforementioned movie. So I decided to look at what was on the DVR, and We Were Soldiers was one of the movies, so I decided I might as well watch it. 

So I did. I really liked it, actually. It was quite something. It's a Vietnam War movie. I know I've claimed in the past that I'm not a particular fan of war movies, yet for some reason I still watch them. I've seen Saving Private Ryan (Tom Hanks and Matt Damon), Full Metal Jacket (Vincent D'Onofrio, somewhat briefly), Apocalypse Now, Born on the Fourth of July (Tom Cruise), Jarhead (Peter Sarsgaard and Jake Gyllenhaal, among others) and maybe a couple others I'm forgetting. A small part of The Deer Hunter. Some of these I liked or disliked more than others (Apocalypse Now, for example, I thought was a colossal waste of time... three whole hours!!!). Saving Private Ryan lived up to its reputation of being a famous movie, Full Metal Jacket grew on me, somewhat surprisingly, Born on the Fourth of July was a bit of a different take on war movies, Jarhead was also good and I enjoyed the fact that Peter Sarsgaard was in it. But I digress.

Back to We Were Soldiers. For awhile I've felt that I should try to learn more about the Vietnam War, by various means. Some of that includes watching movies about/set during it. Within the last year, I also watched the PBS Vietnam War documentary series which I found to be highly informative, although I feel like I should've taken notes. One of the things that stuck with me from that documentary series was the shade of green of the American military uniforms -- I just thought it looked quite nice, so I wanted to get something in that same shade of green, ideally also in a similar style to the uniform shirts. Some time after watching the series, I happened to find a jacket matching those criteria at the thrift store! That was cool, even though it's not a Vietnam-era jacket. And it's comically large, but I've safety-pinned it to take in the back and have rolled the sleeve cuffs to somewhat mitigate that. The pockets are out of this world, especially for someone used to women's clothing. I wouldn't even really have to carry a purse if I wore that jacket! I haven't worn it much yet because it's not super warm and also doesn't have a hood (so no use for rain), but as spring proceeds hopefully I can get some use out of it. It'd be cool if I could get my hands on some replica 60s antiwar buttons to put on it. And a Bobby Kennedy for president button. That'd be cool. 
  
That was a bit of a digression too. I really liked the movie; I think it's on the same level as Saving Private Ryan, and I think maybe it even edges out Saving Private Ryan slightly, as far as subject matter goes -- the Vietnam War interests me a bit more than World War II does. Both movies were pretty brutal/gruesome in parts, both definitely had me holding my breath and my heart racing during a number of the battle scenes.

I think the title of this movie is nicely poetic, which you don't always get with war movies -- "We Were Soldiers Once... and Young" being the full phrase/title of the book the movie was based on. It reminds me of some kind of poem. (maybe it actually is from a poem?)

This movie was actually a somewhat unique/different take on war movies due to some of the cinematic techniques utilized in it. I really liked the music/scoring/soundtrack -- it really enhanced the movie and it was done in a way that I think is sort of unconventional for war movies, or at least as far as the other ones I've seen go. The music/soundtrack/scoring was graceful and orchestral. In a number of scenes/parts of scenes, the score would be the prominent audio and the sounds of the battle were faint/in the background, which created an interesting dramatic effect; again, something that I don't think is that common in the genre of war movies. Sometimes the motion would be slowed down as well. I guess what I'm trying to get at here is that the juxtaposition of the graceful, orchestral music and the chaos and violence of a battle was quite striking to me. 

The movie has a beginning section set at a military base in the US as the soldiers prepare to be sent off to war. Then most of the rest of it is set during the course of a single battle -- Ia Drang in 1965. It was based on real events; some of the names I recognized from prior reading/documentary-watching. Maybe halfway through the movie, at some point in the middle, a journalist -- war correspondent -- shows up to cover the battle. I wasn't quite expecting that, but that was kind of a cool touch since I would like to become a journalist myself, although not necessarily a war correspondent. While it could be interesting to be a war correspondent in the present day (covering the Middle East, most likely -- like Arwa Damon, who is pretty badass and whose work I should pay more attention to) or could have been interesting to have been a war correspondent in the Vietnam War, I think it would be/have been interesting in a terrifying way. The whole aspect of being in the middle of a war and all. We Were Soldiers conveyed that pretty well. The journalist portrayed in this movie was Joe Galloway, whose name sounded familiar so I must've read about him in the past or saw him mentioned in the Vietnam War documentary series. More accurately, he was a photojournalist, and in the movie he's depicted as taking photos with a Nikon (!) camera, which was also sort of an interesting thing since I happen to have a Nikon camera. It really did make me wonder what it might've been like to actually be a Vietnam War correspondent. And also about media ethics in that context. 

As an aside, I've also read about Vietnam War reenactments, which I think is an interesting concept because that's not the most common war to reenact. Yet there are some people who do indeed reenact it and there's actually a documentary about them ("In Country") that I should watch at some point. The people who were making said documentary had to dress up and act as period-appropriate war correspondents (although they were allowed to use their modern camera equiment) during the reenactment, which I thought was pretty cool -- perhaps someday I could participate in a reenactment like that. 

I said/thought to myself "holy fuck" a number of times during the course of watching this movie, it was that intense. But it was quite a good movie, and honestly I'd be open to watching it again. I'm not quite sure I'd really want to watch Saving Private Ryan again; I think I mentioned that in my review of that movie right after I had watched it, which you can find on this blog somewhere. I've read that some people consider Requiem for a Dream to be a movie that they only want to watch once and never again, although that one I have rewatched a number of times and would rewatch it more in the future if the mood strikes me and I have the time for it. 

In a way, I'd say the movie kind of felt like a mix of Saving Private Ryan, Full Metal Jacket (mostly setting-wise), and Requiem for a Dream -- it had a similar rawness like Requiem. 

The cinematography differed a bit from the other Vietnam War movies I've seen. Perhaps this was at least in part because We Were Soldiers was a 2002 movie, and the others were made earlier in time -- Full Metal Jacket was 1987, Apocalyse Now was 1979. Those two movies, I remember the cinematography as being more saturated/vibrant, in terms of colors. We Were Soldiers had a color palette of mainly warmer greens, which was also sort of different, because I feel like the other two movies had slightly cooler greens. In a few scenes, you could see that blood had splashed onto the lens of the camera a little bit, which was sort of an interesting touch. 

The end of it was well-done and I will admit that I cried a little bit. I usually do not cry about movies, although I can recall crying a bit towards the end of watching Titanic once.      

Throughout the movie are interspersed scenes of the military wives back at home, and I thought their clothes were interesting -- mid-60s fashions for housewives, so not the more hippie-ish stuff that younger people, like college students would have worn during that era.  

I've written nearly all of this fresh from watching the movie (I had to go look up the name of the specific battle this movie was based on), so now I'm going to go read a bit about the background of it and perhaps gain some additional context/knowledge about its production and that kind of thing. And find the name of that somewhat haunting song played over a few of the scenes. 

[^^^ approximately 1600 words! ^^^]

Movie review: The Departed

I finally got around to watching this movie. I had been meaning/wanting to watch it for the longest time -- currently it conveniently happens to be on Netflix. Leonardo DiCaprio AND Matt Damon are in this movie during their prime (now they're kind of getting a little old...), which makes it doubly appealing. 

Some other famous actors like Jack Nicholson are in the movie too, but I think he's weird looking so I don't go out of my way to watch movies he's in. The Shining was a weird movie, and dare I say, bad, even though it's famous and was directed by the famous director Stanley Kubrick. I watched it thinking it might be good because it's famous and I thought I should give more of Kubrick's work a look after watching Full Metal Jacket, but The Shining has disabused me of that notion. (well, I still might give A Clockwork Orange a try since it's also famous and maybe Eyes Wide Shut because Tom Cruise, but we'll see)

The Departed was directed by Martin Scorsese, also a famous director and who has done a number of movies with Leonardo DiCaprio, including Shutter Island which I thought was quite good and mind-fucky in a good way. Directors whose work I've enjoyed I do try to watch other movies they've done -- David Fincher (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), Martin Scorsese (Shutter Island), Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream), and I think maybe one other guy whose name I'm forgetting. I realize this set of directors has a diversity problem (as do famous directors in general), so if anyone wants to point me to dark thriller type movies directed by women and/or people of color, that'd be fun -- always worth it to expand one's horizons like such. I really should probably try to watch more movies directed by people other than (usually old) white men. I guess Boys Don't Cry is a start; that one was directed by a woman. Aside from that I can't really think of any others off the top of my head. Maybe I could become a movie director???

Back on topic, although the issue of diversity (really, in pretty much any field) is an important one. The Departed was a good movie, although it wasn't spectacularly mind-blowing in the way Shutter Island was and it didn't leave as much of an impression on me as Requiem for a Dream. Regardless, it was pretty solid and I wasn't disappointed -- I didn't think it was a waste of 2 and a half hours. This means it was better than, say, No Country for Old Men which I do think was a waste of time to watch and was a disappointment. While we're at it, Zodiac was also a disappointment (it could've been way better!!) 

It was a pretty brutal/violent movie but I don't really mind that -- kind of comes with the territory/subject matter. It's actually at least the third movie set in Boston that I've watched which I thought was sort of interesting to note. The others have been Spotlight (about journalists) and Black Mass (based on a true story about mobsters with a brief Peter Sarsgaard appearance). 

Matt Damon and Leo were good in their roles although I thought perhaps Leo's character could've been developed a little more -- the movie could've been a bit longer to include something like that. I also found the ending a little anticlimactic, actually -- I think I would've preferred a different ending, something that has a bit more panache. Although I can see why they decided to have it end the way it did. 

It vaguely reminded me a bit of Heat, but I think I liked this movie better -- I feel like Heat kind of dragged a bit but The Departed kept up a nice suspenseful pace, lots of deceit/deception. It could've been a bit more suspenseful -- I suppose perhaps I wish it had more of a sense that the stakes were higher. Yes, it could've been more suspenseful. 

Overall, perfectly decent movie, not a waste of time, Leo and Matt were good, although I think there was a little room for improvement. It wasn't mind-blowing, but I'm glad I watched it. I liked it better than Black Mass which was also focused on the subject of mobsters in Boston. 4/5 

Oh, and there was a cool-looking Brutalist building featured briefly -- I think it might have been supposed to be the police headquarters or something. 

I just looked it up -- I had been wondering if The Departed was based on a true story at all and if so, to what extent, and it turns out it was! It was based on the same people/characters featured in Black Mass, so that's kind of interesting... a fictionalized take on that scenario whereas Black Mass was explicitly based on actual people/events. 

I still have not watched Inception, also starring Leo. Years ago (literally!) I got it on DVD but still I have not seen it. You'd think this one would be next on my list. 

Also, as a rhetorical question, is Leonardo DiCaprio or Matt Damon a better actor/more famous? Perhaps one is the better actor as well as more famous, or maybe it's split, or maybe they're about equal.   

Scents

I know I blogged about a somewhat similar topic somewhat recently, but here we are again. I was at the grocery store earlier in search of some cream for my purse. I already have some cream that I keep in my bag for school, but I wanted some specifically for my purse (which is just a miniature version of my bag for school). 

They didn't happen to have the same kind that I had gotten in the past, so I had to choose something different (which I didn't entirely mind since I'm not in love with the scent of what I had gotten previously). It needed to be in a small sized container, have a tolerable/pleasant smell and not have a consistency that's too thick. 

There was some that I considered, but it was unscented and it turned out to be too genuinely unscented, which to me seemed mildly freaky. Usually, unscented products have a very slight scent of "unscentedness." So a truly unscented product is just a little too... bizarre. So that one was out. There were some others I also looked at, but they were in sealed containers so I couldn't test their consistency or scent, which are pretty intrinsic to whether or not I'd like them. Those were out too.

I ended up finding some that I could open up to see the consistency and scent. The consistency was agreeable and the scent was pleasant too. In fact, it happened to be familiar, which mildly surprised me since I hadn't remembered smelling it particularly recently. I think it smelled familiar because my grandmother used it. 

There are a few people who I associate with certain scents, scents of particular products they use. I take it that these scents are more a byproduct of using said particular product rather than an intentional decision to smell a certain way, like how using perfume or cologne is. 

So if or when I use one of those products and therefore take on that scent for however long it is until it wears off/fades, I usually end up thinking that I smell like whoever it is that also uses that product. And that's one of my primary thoughts regarding me having one of those particular scents.

Deodorant: The original thing that spurred considerable thought about this topic. I met someone and I thought he smelled really nice. Beautiful, in fact (and I told him as much). Naturally, I wanted to know what exactly it was that caused him to smell so beautiful. So I asked, and I got an answer: Speed Stick. Some time after having learned what deodorant it was, I ended up getting some for myself just for the sake of having (and occasionally using, when the spirit moves me). It smells so very much like him (unsurprisingly, as that's what he uses), which is pretty much all I can think about when I use it.  

Shampoo: My sister uses some shampoo by Garnier Fructis. It has a distinctive smell that's particularly noticeable right after she's washed her hair. It turns out they use that scent for some of their other products too, including this detangling/air dry spray that I recently started using occasionally. So now, whenever I've sprayed that on my hair, I end up thinking that I smell like my sister. It has a relatively strong scent until it wears off, so it's hard to not think about the fact that I smell like my sister when I use it. 

Hairspray: I don't use hairspray, but if I did and I used the same kind that my mother uses, I'm pretty sure I'd think that I smelled like my mother.

Sunscreen: This is a weaker association than the others, probably because it was only a couple times I was around this person when they used it, but I guess it's still worth a passing mention. Neutrogena, and I think I recall it smelling sort of coconut-y. 

(clean) Laundry: I recall a few people who smelled like laundry, although only one do I know the specific product -- Gain lavender. The other two I just remember smelling like generic clean laundry. 

My own personal scents these days primarily come from a selection of Dove deodorants. I prefer the ones that have more distinctive scents. At this time of year, I'm using their chamomile scent since I feel that it's a cozier scent and therefore suited for colder weather. Cucumber, for example, which I've used in the past, is a fresher scent and more fitting for spring or summer. 

I don't know if these scents are particularly noticeable on me since no one's ever commented on them. Except for coconut, since whenever I use coconut scented products, my mother complains. So I don't use them particularly often. 

When I feel like using Speed Stick so I can smell like *a certain someone,* I use a Dove deodorant that's less distinctively scented underneath it so the scents are less likely to clash. I'm not used to using only deodorant and therefore feeling kind of sticky/soggy (women's deodorants are generally antiperspirant/deodorant combinations) so it's necessary to use both kinds.  

While we're on this subject, I should mention the book "Perfume: The Story of a Murderer." Read it, if you haven't already. The premise is a bit odd, but it's somewhat related. Thankfully I don't need to kill anyone to capture their scent, I can just use whatever product it is they use to smell like them. 

Adventures in men's clothing

A number of years ago, I was at the beach on vacation and stopped by a beachwear store. A pair of men's swim trunks apparently caught my eye and I ended up getting them. They sat unworn until this summer, when I wanted to go swimming but didn't have any of my regular women's swimsuit bottoms conveniently on hand and hadn't been able to find any acceptable ones in stores. Then I remembered I had swim trunks, and I figured those would work just fine for the time being. I wore them and I liked it.

The one thing that baffles me is that swim trunks have functional pockets, which doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Swim trunks are intended to be worn for swimming, in the water. Whatever stuff you might have in your pockets, aside from keys and loose change, would probably get ruined by the water. Not to mention the stuff might fall out while swimming or otherwise moving around in the water. And women's pants for everyday, out-of-water wear don't even have pockets that functional. It boggles the mind.

This particular initial pair in question is a bright scarlet, with little geometric/abstract sailboats in yellow and white. I think they're acceptable to be worn as casual, non-swimming shorts. After the initial foray into swim trunks, I decided that I needed more. I happened to come across a nice pair at Target that has a relatively feminine print -- bright pink and white tropical floral. Also perfectly suitable for everyday wear, which I've made use of a number of times since I got them. I've particularly made use of the pockets. And people can't even tell that they're swim trunks unless I inform them.

Over the last few months, I've determined my taste in jeans and have gotten it down to a pretty specific concept. Not high rise (mid or low is fine). Ideally, cropped (which turns out to be regular length on me). Sturdy, substantial-feeling fabric, not too stretchy. Absolutely not too tight in the calves because I don't want my legs to look bulgy, which I absolutely hate. However, not too loose and sack-like because I don't want to look like a sack either.

Those criteria in mind, the slim/skinny boyfriend crop style tends to be about the closest I've found as far as a general favorite/ideal cut/style goes. Of course, this being women's clothing we're talking about, it's not that simple. Not every brand will carry that particular style every season. Even if they do, maybe they don't offer any colors/washes that I like, or maybe I just don't like their particular iteration of or take on that style. Maybe the fabric doesn't have a consistency I like.

On top of that, women's sizing is inconsistent, to say the least, which means I won't make purchases online. Not to mention how picky I am about fabric consistency, which can't be conveyed well without physically touching/stretching the jeans in question. Sizing isn't too much of a nightmare in person; I have an idea of which size to generally start with, and from there I'll just look at the jeans and visually assess how they run, whether that's for the brand at large or a particular style (boyfriend jeans tend to be cut large, so I would probably size down) and adjust accordingly.

The specific motivations and backstory as to how I ended up buying some men's jeans can be glossed over for now, but yours truly is now the proud owner of some black Levis 511s, size 29/30. I found them in a thrift store, believe it or not. Thanks to whoever donated them; I'm eternally grateful. They appear to be in pristine condition save for slight wear on one side of the button, which I actually find sort of interesting as a trace of the previous owner. 

Although they're a bit long (at least 90% of pants are, so I'm used to it) and I have to roll them, they otherwise fit wonderfully. Sturdy fabric! Not too stretchy! Not too tight in the calves so my legs don't look bulgy! FUNCTIONAL FRONT POCKETS! (my entire phone fits, or a stick of men's deodorant, which is larger than women's, and I'm sure many other things I haven't even thought to carry in pockets would fit too)

The back pocket placement perhaps leaves a little to be desired, but I've had women's jeans with pockets I believe to be more unflattering. Owing to the sturdier fabric, I think these jeans are actually warmer than the other pairs of women's jeans I have. These also don't have any premade holes in them. I'm not opposed to holes in principle, but sometimes you just want your jeans to look a little nicer.

Seeing how pleased I am with these actual men's jeans, I figure I might as well just eschew women's "boyfriend style" jeans altogether and just go for the real thing, men's jeans. Style-wise, the effect is pretty much the same and you get real pockets on actual men's jeans. Plus, shopping for Levis, 511, 29/30 is a lot simpler than trying to find a certain style across various brands/stores which may or may not be carrying it at any given moment.

All this in mind, there are certainly women out there with body types that would probably not work so well in men's clothing. I apparently have a manly figure so I'm able to make this work for me. After realizing that the men's jeans fit particularly nicely, I decided to look at some size charts. Turns out my waist/hip measurements align more closely with the men's size charts than the women's size charts (for women's sizing, they expect someone my waist size to have larger hips, which I don't). 

I do somewhat wonder if wearing these kinds of things makes other people think I'm a lesbian when they see me, but it's not like being a lesbian is a bad thing, and the pockets are too good to really care too much.
 

Deodorant flavors

You wouldn't believe the amount of thought I've put into this topic. I would assume that most people don't really care or think about it that much. 

In any case, let's get to it:

Chronologically, the first deodorant I can specifically remember using and liking the scent of was Degree "Pure Rain." A few years ago they discontinued this flavor, which disappointed me greatly since I thought it was a lovely smell. As the English language does not have a good vocabulary for describing scents, the best I can describe it as is somewhat fresh and fruity. 

To my surprise, a month or so ago I noticed that this flavor had made a return and was labeled as "NEW" on the package. It isn't new. It's old and they decided to recontinue it for whatever reason. I don't know why they discontinued it in the first place. This new version nominally smells the same, but when I use it, I find that it ends up smelling too much like baby powder for some reason. The old version didn't do that. 

In addition to Pure Rain, at some point or another, I used another Degree flavor, orange flower and cranberry which I also recall smelled nice. Unfortunately, that scent was also discontinued. Degree also has a scent called "Pure Clean" or something like that, which I think I tried at one point or another, but I didn't like it. 

I have emailed Degree asking about why they discontinued Pure Rain and how the new version doesn't quite smell the same. I doubt they're known for their customer service (unlike, say, a company like Patagonia) so I'm not too optimistic about receiving a satisfactory answer on this front, but hey, it's worth a try. Because their website is terrible, I had to go find the direct email address for customer service instead of just using the contact form on the website. Also, for some reason, they wanted my address on the contact form, which I don't really understand. I decided to just put my school's address, not my home address. In the end, it didn't really matter because I had to write a direct email instead. 

Now, I usually use an assortment of Dove women's flavors. The first one I remember using is the cucumber scent, which smells like cucumbers like you would expect. It's a nice, fresh, crisp and spring-like smell. I was considering getting that flavor again recently, but I decided against it in favor of the chamomile flavor, which I think is more cozy and fall-like, seeing as it's fall now. In the spring I might get the cucumber flavor again. I have never smelled actual chamomile, so I'm not sure how accurate the chamomile scent is, but I like it. I suppose some might consider it an old lady-ish scent though. 

I also have a pear flavor, which I can't seem to find in stores anymore, which also disappoints me. It smells very distinctly pear-y, which I like. I like deodorants that have distinct smells, unlike this Dove pomegranate flavor. It smells fine and alright, but it's too vague. I don't have that problem with the chamomile or cucumber or pear.   

Right now, I have three different deodorants to choose from: Dove chamomile and pomegranate and Degree Pure Rain. There's a small remnant of the Dove pear flavor, but it's not really enough to be practical to use. I like having variety on this front, depending on my mood that morning when I'm getting dressed. Some days I might go for the vague/indistinct pomegranate flavor, or other days I might choose the chamomile. 

Scent and memory/associations
Pyschologically speaking, scent is very connected to our sense of memory. In my experience, this is most evident regarding certain people who smell like specific scents. 

Cases in point: one of my sister's friends, who smelled like Gain Lavender laundry detergent. A guy I knew in high school who once used his mother's cucumber deodorant because he ran out of his own, and I noticed the scent. Someone I met this year, who smells beautiful; he uses a particular deodorant that I just happen to really like the smell of (I asked him what it was just a few days after meeting him). Now I strongly associate that scent with him. I would almost use it myself, but a) it's possible he might find that odd, at the very least and b) it's possible that scent on myself would be too distracting. (I guess I could test it out on the weekend, however?)  

A possible theoretical downside here is that if something goes wrong and for some reason, I end up hating him, that scent might be ruined for me, but that's really getting ahead of myself. 

Other people's deodorant
I think I'd like to do a survey of what deodorant the various people I know use. I'm curious about what might end up being the most popular brands and scents and such. I also want to go to a store and smell all of the various deodorants for sale and take notes about which ones I like and dislike. Additionally, I want to compare the packaging and marketing for men's and women's deodorant. It'd be a bit of an analysis of material culture, perhaps. 

At the moment, I only have a small selection of deodorant on hand. I have my Dove flavors and Degree, and also one men's deodorant. The men's deodorant claims that you can "Feel clean, masculine and confident," whereas the Dove says "Our best care for beautiful underarms." What if women also want to feel clean and confident? And maybe even masculine? What if men want to have beautiful underarms? (I don't understand why men aren't also socially expected to shave their underarms. Then maybe they could have beautiful underarms too. They have way more hair there and it can look bad.) 

Can smells be beautiful?
I think they can. I haven't asked quite enough people about this yet, but so far, there seems to be a bit of a gender split on this: women tend to say that smells can indeed be described beautiful, whereas men think they can't. Sometimes I smell a soap when I'm washing my hands and think, "This soap smells beautiful" or, on the contrary, "This soap smells ugly." And of course, a person could smell beautiful as well.  

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: