Tough girls on film

[Gob]

Tough girls on film, gotta love 'em! (well maybe not Grace Jones)...

[Crackpot]

unfortunately most of those movies sucked ass.

[BoSoxGal]

But a handful of them were pure genius.

[Gob]

Yeah, but movies like The Long Kiss Goodnight" and "Charlei's Angels" were worth seeing for Gina Davies / Lucy Lui alone

[@meric@nwom@n]

It's a far cry from when women always fell down when pursued by the monster.

[Jarlaxle]

They missed a few...offhand, Peta Wilson as Mina in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and Catherine Zeta-Jones in The Mask Of Zorro and Entrapment. (Well, more "smart" than "tough" there...) Also Angelina Jolie as "Acid Burn" in Hackers.

[tyro]

While not a movie, the character of Emma Peel on the show The Avengers was the fist time I remember seeing a woman in a role as being independent and ready to kick ass.

I held a torch for Agent 99 of the Get Smart show.

[Gob]

Emma Peel was so fucking hot!

As was Joanna Lumley as Purdey.

[kristina]

Did you see her in "Sapphire and Steel" with David McCallum? Sci-fi series that ran from 1979-1982; a local public TV station broadcast it in the late '90s IIRC. They were sort of time and dimension shifting beings, whose purpose I never quite got, but I watched it whenever it was on, always hoping for revelation!

[Guinevere]

Anyone yet seen The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo ? Noomi Rapace kicked some serious ass:

[kristina]

Somebody mentioned the book to me yesterday, Guin, saying she thought I would like it. I'd never heard of it before, but plan to investigate.

[Gob]

Did you see her in "Sapphire and Steel" with David McCallum? Sci-fi series that ran from 1979-1982; a local public TV station broadcast it in the late '90s IIRC. They were sort of time and dimension shifting beings, whose purpose I never quite got, but I watched it whenever it was on, always hoping for revelation!

\

Yeah, I loved that back when I was a spotty adolescent.

[Big RR]

Guin--Just saw it this weekend; you're right, she was the perfect (anti-)heroine. And, unlike many action movies, the movie was quite good as well. Not typical tough woman sexploitation.

I've heard a US remake in in the works; how good do you bet that will be?

Kristina--I haven't read the books, but my understanding is that there are three that are all based on the same main character, Lisbeth Salander, a kick-ass hacker and investigator. One thing I have read, however, is that the books are different from the storyline of the film, so if you saw the film, make sure you don't expect the same exact thing. Based on what I have read, I think the books are more directed to women getting back at all the violence perpetrated toward them--the original Swedish title of the first book (the one called in English The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo) is Men Who Hate Women.

[Guinevere]

I've read the first two books, which were excellent. I loved the first, and liked the second (The Girl Who Played with Fire) even more. While Lisabeth is the anti-heroine, there is also a hero (flawed but good) who repeats in the books as well -- another excellent character Mikael Blomkvist. I'm anxiously awaiting the release of the third book (The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest) in the US (supposed to come out late May) or to get the hand-me-down British translation which came out late last year from my friends who have all been eagerly passing it around.

The film was quite faithful to the book, but like many complex stories had to pare down some details. I think they did an excellent excellent job, and I can't imagine another version coming any where as close. After all, this is an intensely Swedish story, so it makes sense to have it filmed in Sweden, using Swedish actors.

Definitely read the book, and the whole series. Not one person I've recommended them to has been disappointed!

[Big RR]

Guin--I plan to read them when I get a chance. and I am interested in your point about the film being faithful to the book--that is counter to what many of the critics have said (and the only negative press I've read on the film). Glad to hear that it's not necessarily the case. FWIW, I think Lisbeth's character is one of the most interesting original characters I've seen in a movie in a very long time, and I loved the way the film slowly but surely peeled away the veneer to shed light on her real character. I think this is common in Swedish (really Scandinavian) fim making (at least the movies that make it here; Bergman was amaster at it), which is not all that surprising. In a stoic and reserved society, being able to get a glimpse into the secrets and motivations of another is rare, and is a reason to view a film (Strindberg and Ibsen did much the same with their plays). I know it is the reason I go out of my way to see as many movies from there as I can.

[Guinevere]

Crap, my entire post disappeared. In short: BigRR -- it was complicated book with several subplot lines. The movies trimmed them enough so you could focus on the main story without doing damage to any of it (IMNSHO).

And yes, the slow reveal of the personalities is fabulous. The book felt so essentially Swedish to me, which was one of the things I loved about it (and why I can't imagine anyone else making the movie).

[kristina]

Well, I'm off to the bookstore! I've got a long flight coming up on Thursday (off to Maine to nurse the papa after a hip replacement) and I'm in need of a good read!

[tyro]

Crap, my entire post disappeared

Aside, not to hijack the thread.

Guinevere, did you get the sense that you had successfully posted your reply but later could not find it?

[Guinevere]

Tyro, yes, exactly. I posted it, then went to "see your post" or whatever that link is, and I ended up with a blank reply screen. Went back to the thread and nothing there. Used the back arrow and see if something was in the cache, nothing there.

Kristina, happy travels and enjoy the book!

[Crackpot]

Did you check to see if you accidentally save it? (I've done that on a few occasions)