With better production values, a more fluid plot, and several more believable characters, the American adaptation of “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo” should be a definite improvement on the Swedish one. But it isn’t. With everything else aside, the main difference between the two is this: in the Swedish film, Lisbeth Salander is angry,…Read More
“Until recently, hardly anyone considered why some readers might actually prefer clichés to finely crafted literary prose. A rare critic who pondered this mystery was C.S. Lewis, who — in a wonderful little book titled “An Experiment in Criticism” — devoted considerable attention to the appeal of bad writing for what he termed the “unliterary”…Read More
Theories about lesbian satanist gangs are a crucial starting point for any police investigation. Never trust your father. Never trust your guardian. Never trust your estranged twin sister. Never trust male police officers. You know what? Just don’t trust anyone. Except for investigative journalists. Especially if they make constant references to Pippi Longstocking or use…Read More