Posts Tagged dragon tattoo
Dragon Tattoos – Tips For Finding the Perfect Dragon Tattoo
Posted by Metro in Uncategorized on February 20, 2012
Men who love to have their bodies inked are drawn to dragon tattoos. this design simply appeals to them. People who have no background about dragons may find this bizarre, but to those who know most, if not all the things about dragons, they would really search far and wide for the perfect design for them.
For those who do not have a hunch of the significance of dragon tattoos and their symbolism, allow me to share an overview. Aside from the obvious reason that dragons are strong and mystical, they have alluring qualities, based on folklore and myth that have made them the most sought after designs by people. Examples of these qualities are good luck, charm, source of wealth, courage and bravery, power, and freedom. And because of these qualities also, an equal number of women have them on their body.
Now, knowing the general idea about dragons is not the end of the quest. That was just the beginning in finding the perfect dragon tattoo for you. You may wonder why? Aren’t all dragons supposed to be the same? the answer is no. Not all dragons are the same. There are two types of dragons and each type has different breeds, depending on their origins. Because of that, the first tip in finding your great dragon pattern is to know the answer to the question, what kind of dragon are you? You have to know if you are a western type of dragon or an eastern type.
To differentiate these two, you have to know their characteristics. Western dragons are known to be fierce, evil and mercilessly throw fire to anyone living. Eastern dragons on the other hand, are good and serve as guardians. the best known eastern dragons are Chinese, Japanese and Korean dragons. all of them have their specific virtues that are loved by people.
The second point you need to consider is the place where you ink your design. the area where you tattoo your dragon is important. the spot can give life to your dragon. From the shoulder going to the front is a good place to animate your dragon design. this can be good for men. the lower back is also excellent. Both men and women can use this part of their body. the final tip is the color of your ink. Dragons are trademarks of certain cultures. Black ink is safe but putting additional colors into the design is acceptable as well. however putting too many colors may no longer be as perfect as you wanted your dragon tattoo to be. And so, it is also wise to ask the opinion of the tattoo artists because they are experts in this field.
Craig enjoying life with, beyond Bond
Posted by Metro in Uncategorized on January 28, 2012
NEW YORK — the time off from James Bond has been very good to Daniel Craig.
In the three years since the release of “Quantum of Solace,” Craig has made his Broadway debut (“A Steady Rain”); starred in the World War II-era tale of Jewish rebellion, “Defiance”; joined up with Steven Spielberg again (“The Adventures of Tintin,” following their earlier collaboration in “Munich”); and starred in the summer blockbuster “Cowboys & Aliens.”
Now, he has added yet another major franchise to his plate, with David Fincher’s remake of “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.”
At this point, the early misgivings of the “Blond Bond” seem laughable. Craig has emerged as one of the biggest British movie stars. more than that, he’s already managed to prove that — maybe more than any previous guardian of the tuxedoed spy — he won’t be pigeonholed by the role. Craig has not just grown into Bond, but, perhaps, beyond it.
“It’s a very fortunate time for me at the moment,” Craig said. “So I’m just trying to grab it with both hands.”
Though Craig, 43, is known for being careful of his privacy, he comes across as relaxed. Self-deprecation is his fallback, and he often chortles sheepishly at his own wit. though his screen presence is bleak and still, his manner is more loose and jocular. he met a reporter in the lobby of a new York hotel for a recent interview, but Craig isn’t visiting — this is his hometown now.
“It was one of those decisions in my life where it was like going, ‘I want to be here.’ Thankfully, I’ve got very good reasons,” he says, presumably alluding to his wife Rachel Weisz and her 4-year-old son. Craig and Weisz (his co-star in “Dream House,” released earlier this year) wed privately in June. he has a teenage daughter from an early marriage.
Though Craig’s personal life has become an increasing interest to tabloids, he’s maintained a degree of elusiveness. Even in risible concepts such as “Cowboys & Aliens,” he seems somehow above the fray, consistently projecting an air of professionalism and intellect.
Fincher calls him the “giant planetary body” of “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” around which the other characters (such as Rooney Mara’s Lisbeth Salander) orbit. the director is clearly taken by Craig, whom he compares to Robert Mitchum and Kirk Douglas — agile leading men with calm exteriors and smoldering eyes.
“He’s obviously got a physical presence and a sense of menace,” says Fincher. “But he has this ability to be available for the other actor. It’s a selflessness. It’s a movie star thing. It’s knowing how to create a conduit for the audience.
In “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” Craig plays intrepid journalist Mikael Blomkvist, who teams up with Salander to investigate a long-dormant missing woman case that unravels the sordid history of a wealthy Swedish family. It is, of course, based on the best-selling novels of Stieg Larsson, whose books were adapted into a trio of Swedish-language movies.
If the film succeeds, it will generate at least two more films — meaning Craig could be simultaneously attached to two big movie series. He’s currently a third of the way through shooting his third Bond film, “Skyfall,” directed by Sam Mendes (who previously directed Craig in “Road to Perdition”). His contract has an option for a fourth Bond film, but more than that seems likely. Bond producer Michael G. Wilson recently said he hopes to sign Craig for another five films and make him the longest-running 007.
Asked about the prospect of carrying two franchises, Craig says, “We’ll see how ‘Dragon Tattoo’ does, but, yes, of course, I’d love to come in and do (more),” he says. “This is something I really believe in and I want to put all of my effort in to. I’ve just got to find time to live and that’s kind of the only thing that really matters now.”
Donald Simrock – The Creator
Posted by Metro in Uncategorized on January 19, 2012
I produce one or more shoots for each issue based on its content. I keep a finger on the pulse of the beauty trends and follow beauty companies with their newest creations. It’s a lot of fun!
Your work has been nominated for best makeup at the Mtv Video Music Awards. Do you have aspirations to branch out into film like your former mentor, Pat McGrath, who created Rooney Mara’s look for the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo?
While I’m not mapping out a plan to blaze into the film industry, I would be willing to take on the challenge. It’s a completely different machine. Pat did, as she always does, an incredible job leaving her mark in history yet again.
When you worked with Lady Gaga did you have carte blanche when creating her look or was the effort collaborative?
I was brought on initially by her management to establish a solid look for Gaga. Sort of a “polishing” to get the ball rolling. We worked together and she was always very trusting. it was a lot of fun to talk about the game plan with her before each project. she has worked very hard to get where she is now. It’s pretty amazing actually.
What is your beauty philosophy?
Honesty, confidence, compassion and diligence reveal true beauty for me.
Advertisers are slowly acknowledging the economic power of older women and catering their advertising as such. What do you think about the West’s preoccupation with youth?
Advertising plays a major role in creating the ideals of beauty. We live in a world where breast impants and botox injections are common among teenagers and plastic surgeons have payment plans. I would say that advertisers are fully aware of who has the greater economic power [women] and advertise accordingly. a younger, successful looking woman in an advert appeals to both a younger market as well as the more mature market for different reasons. Kind of killing two birds with one stone, if you will.
What are your influences and how do you incorporate them into your work?
I tend to be influenced by all kinds of things: art, nature, history, architecture, culture, you name it. The fun part is figuring out ways to translate them into another context like make up. the possibilities are endless.
How have you evolved as an artist over your career?
You learn the mechanics of your industry, you become more efficient, more informed and continue to grow throughout. It’s a constant state of evolution, a work in progress.
You’re known for your flawless finish and perfecting skin. What are a few tricks you can share with our readers to achieve that effect at home?
It all starts with what you put in your body. Eat clean and drink lots of water. Keep it simple. Moisturize well before putting any product on. Make sure to match your foundation and concealor properly. Work in thin layers rather than coating your face all at once. Some of my absolute favorite companies are M.a.C, Tom Ford, Temptu, Lancome, Urban Decay, Yves St. Laurent and Embryolisse.
You’ve been known to take everyday objects and transform them into makeup. Can you tell us about your process and how you translate the world to the face.
It’s fun to use unconventional items for make up. A jar of poppy seeds, a piece of string, or a sheet of plastic definitely have the possibility of becoming “makeup”. the challenge comes in finding the best way to apply these kinds of items and how to display them effectively. Sometimes the intent is to make the item blend in; to actually belong there. sometimes you want to make a statement and be more bold. Variety is the spice of life.
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Kam On Film: ‘The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo,’ Sherlock Holmes 2′ and What’s New In Theaters
Posted by Metro in Uncategorized on January 14, 2012
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Columbia Pictures
Rated R for rape, torture, brutal violence, profanity, frontal nudity and graphic sexuality.
Fincher Makes First-Rate Adaptation of Grisly Swedish Crime Saga
Mikael Blomqvist (Daniel Craig) resigns from his position as editor of Millennium Magazine after being unable to substantiate the incendiary allegations he’d made about a corrupt billionaire (Ulf Friberg). Fortuitously, the disgraced journalist is soon secretly approached by an intermediary representing recently retired industrialist Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer) to investigate the mysterious murder of his beloved niece, Harriet (Moa Garpendal), back in 1966.
Mikael jumps at the job offer, since his desire to escape the media circus surrounding him in Stockholm conveniently dovetails with the aging patriarch’s need to reopen the case right on location at the family’s secluded estate where Harriet had disappeared into thin air. An additional incentive is Henrik’s promise to provide the proof necessary to overturn the libel conviction.
Straightaway, Mikael moves up to the remote island of Hedestad in northern Sweden, and starts sifting through the boxes of 40-year-old evidence. After unearthing an array of sordid skeletons in the Vanger family closet ranging from anti-Semitism to sadomasochism, he realizes that he sure could use the help of an assistant, and takes Henrik’s suggestion that he collaborate with Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara), a brilliant, if bizarre-looking, computer whiz.
Mikael is willing to pardon the young hacker’s tattoos, multiple piercings and punk hairstyle because of her passion about catching any creep who’d harm a female. and her technical skills do prove to be the perfect complement to Henrik’s uncanny ability to interview surviving witnesses despite their putting on aristocratic airs. Still, not surprisingly, the closer they come to solving the mystery, the more dangerous a situation they find themselves embroiled in.
So unfolds the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, a worthy remake of the Swedish-language thriller of the same name just released in 2009. Directed by David Fincher (The Social Network) this English-language version is actually a rarity in that it is an improvement over its foreign film original.
Both movies are based on the first installment of the trilogy of novels by the late Stieg Larsson, and Sony Pictures has already committed to adapting the other two books to the screen, too. Here, scene-stealer Rooney Mara is nothing short of riveting as the ever-edgy Lisbeth, while Daniel Craig disappears into his role as Mikael sufficiently so you forget about the fact that he also plays James Bond.
An intricately-woven, edge-of-your-seat whodunit as graphic and grisly as it is cerebral and mind-bending.
Running time: 158 minutes.
Sherlock Holmes 2: a Game of Shadows
Warner Brothers Pictures
Rated PG-13 for drug use and intense violence.
Holmes and Moriarty Match Wits in Action-Oriented Sequel
Once again, Guy Ritchie has served up a bombastic interpretation of Sherlock Holmes, which will undoubtedly have Sir Arthur Conan Doyle purists squirming in their seats. that disclaimer notwithstanding, anyone open-minded enough to forgive the blasphemous action sequences is in for a cinematic treat every bit as cerebral as it is visually captivating.
Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law reprise their roles as Holmes and Dr. Watson, respectively. and Jared Harris has joined the cast to play the pair’s diabolical archenemy, the inscrutable Professor James Moriarty.
At the point of departure, we find Holmes in the midst of throwing a bawdy bachelor party for his loyal sidekick who is set to marry a fetching lass named Mary (Kelly Reilly) the very next morning. However, after the wedding, the newlyweds’ travel plans go awry immediately courtesy of a comedy of errors in which the bride is unceremoniously tossed off a train leaving her hubby and Sherlock to share the honeymoon suite aboard the Trans Europe Express.
It’s just as well, anyway, given the fact that the perspicacious Holmes has been the only detective able to connect the dots among a series of recent slayings, including the murders of an Indian cotton tycoon, a Chinese opium trader and an American Steel magnate, as well as some suspicious bombings in Strasbourg and Vienna. the super sleuth has figured out not only that it must be the work of Moriarty but also that the maniacal madman might be trying to trigger an international incident.
Next, a frenetically paced, cat-and-mouse caper unfolds in which the protagonists chase the endlessly clever professor from France to Germany to Switzerland. Along the way, they are assisted in this endeavor by Holmes’ hulking brother (Stephen Fry) and a gypsy fortuneteller (Noomi Rapace) with the proverbial heart of gold.
Just brace yourself for the sort of stylized, high-impact fare for which director Ritchie is best known. Still, besides the bravado and over-the-top derring-do, the adventure does also allow for intellectual interludes during which Sherlock and his nemesis match wits in a rather refined fashion.
Welcome to the 21st Century edition of Sherlock Holmes, a well-rounded gent as likely to flex his brawn as his brain!
In English and French with subtitles.
Running time: 129 Minutes.
OPENING THIS WEEK
Kam’s Kapsules:
Weekly Previews that make Choosing a Film Fun
For movies opening December 23, 2011
The Adventures Of Tintin (PG for violence, drunkenness and smoking). Steven Spielberg directs this animated adaptation of the classic comic book series about an intrepid young journalist who is abducted from Europe to Morocco where he escapes his kidnappers to embark on a perilous quest for hidden treasure. Voice cast includes Daniel Craig, Simon Pegg, Andy Serkis and Toby Jones.
The Darkest Hour (PG-13 for profanity and violence). Sci-fi horror flick about the struggle to survive of a quintet (Olivia Thirlby, Emile Hirsch, Rachael Taylor, Joel Kinnaman and Max Minghella) stranded in Moscow during an invasion of Earth by aliens in need of a power supply. With Dato Bakhtadze, Gosha Kutsenko and Veronika Ozerova.
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (PG-13 for profanity, disturbing images and mature themes). Post 9/11 drama about a 9-year-old boy’s (Thomas Horn) desperate search for the lock that matches the mysterious key left behind by his father (Tom Hanks) who perished in the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. With Sandra Bullock, Viola Davis, John Goodman and Jeffrey Wright.
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (PG-13 for violence and intense action sequences). Fourth episode in the espionage franchise finds Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his fellow secret agents (Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton, Simon Pegg and Josh Holloway) going rogue to clear the IMF’s name after a bomb blast flattens the Kremlin while they just happened to be carrying out an undercover operation in Moscow. With Ving Rhames, Michelle Monaghan and Tom Wilkinson.
War Horse (PG-13). Steven Spielberg directed this World War I saga about a young man (Jeremy Irvine) who enlists in the British Army after his beloved horse is sold to the cavalry. With Emily Watsaon, Benedict Cumberbatch and David Thewlis. (In English and German with subtitles)
We Bought a Zoo (PG for mature themes and mild profanity). Screen adaptation of Benjamin Mee’s bittersweet memoir recounting the grieving widower’s (Matt Damon) decision to relocate his family to a dilapidated estate with 200 exotic animals on the premises with hopes of refurbishing the zoo while rebuilding their lives. Cast includes Scarlett Johansson, Thomas Haden Church, Elle Fanning and J.B. Smoove.
Albert Nobbs (R for profanity, sexuality and brief nudity). Glenn Close plays the title character in this genderbending drama about a lesbian who passed as a man for over 30 years in order to survive in 19th Century Ireland. With Janet McTeer, Brenda Fricker, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Brendan Gleeson and Mia Wasikowska.
The Flowers Of War (Unrated). Historical drama based on the Geling Yan novel about a mortician (Christian Bale) who poses as a priest in order to save the lives of prostitutes and parishioners during the Japanese’s rape of Nanking. With Shigeo Kobayashi, Bai Xue and Paul Schneider. (In English, Mandarin and Japanese with subtitles.)
In the Land Of Blood and Honey (R for sexuality, nudity, violence, rape, ethnic cleansing and profanity). Angelina Jolie directed this romance drama set during the War in Bosnia revolving around a Serbian soldier (Goran Kostic) who reencounters a Muslim ex-girlfriend (Zana Marjanovic) now being held captive in a POW camp. With Fedja Stukan, Branko Djuric and Nikola Djuricko.
Miss Minoes (PG for rude behavior, smoking and brief profanity). Carice van Houten stars as the title character in this kiddie comedy about a cat that morphs into a woman in order protect its quaint hometown from developers with evil intentions. Cast includes Theo Maassen, Sarah Bannier and Pierre Bokma. (In Dutch with subtitles.)
Pina (PG for sensuality, smoking and partial nudity). Reverential biopic about modern dance maven Pina Bausch (1940-2009), featuring both tributes to and performances of four pieces by the late choreographer. (In English, French, Russian, German, Spanish, Croatian, Korean, Italian and Portuguese with subtitles.)
Kam On Film: ‘The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo,’ Sherlock Holmes 2′ and What’s New In Theaters
The Girl Who Loved Journalists : CJR
Posted by Metro in Uncategorized on January 12, 2012
Reports — January / February 2012 The Girl who loved Journalists
Stieg Larsson’s posthumous gift to an embattled industry
Subscribe to the Columbia Journalism Review at our special Web rates.
Comments Post a Comment
I believe the reason we haven’t seen an argument for “the books’ value as illustrations of both the difficulties and the importance of the journalistic profession” is because it’s a pretty weak argument. Blomkvist is a failure as a journalist as the first book opens. He succeeds via illegal means — through the talents of a gifted hacker named Salander who has a photographic memory and other superhuman intellectual powers. It’s tricky to celebrate these books/movies as great PR for journalism because they are fraught with ethical problems. we shouldn’t hack into the hard drives of suspicious characters. or their cell phones, as I used to think everyone knew. I don’t think readers/viewers of the Dragon Tattoo franchise walk away with admiration of journalists and journalism so much as they do with adoration of Salander the Superhacker Feminist Vigilante. Alas, she is pure fantasy.
I thought that the remarkable thing about Swedish journalism from the first book was that it has a professional organization much as a legal bar association in that profession. in the first book it dealt with ethical issues as I remember.
Her hacking talents—not unlike, come to think of it, those of the Murdoch cretins but in this case used only for good—make it possible for Blomkvist to become privy to all sorts of secrets that would elude a mere mortal journalist.
Perhaps a little more consistent metaphor isn’t Murdoch but Wikileaks…except, once again, the journalist gets a free ride.
This retired newsman recently started subscribing to the WSJ, largely because they offered a subscription deal I couldn’t refuse. I mention this only to segue into the question of book reviews in newspapers (or, more precisely, the paucity of same) mentioned in Alterman’s column. I have been much impressed by the book reviewing in the WSJ, Every day a book review in the editorial section (frequently intended to make an editorial point, but so what) plus a weekly run down of books seemingly tailored to my interests. they somehow have my reading-preference profile down pat even though I’m WAY out of step with their editorial worldview. WSJ in my opinion outflanks the NYT’s Review of Books by being lean and mean whereas the NYT is loaded with reviews they are obligated to write because they have a free-standing magazine to fill every week (sort of like cable news networks having to fill a 24-hour news hole every day) and just because they are — after all — THE NEW YORK TIMES. nothing wrong with that, either.I recently scored a reviewing gig for our local weekly newspaper which regularly reviews numerous books, some of national import as well as those written on local subjects by local authors. One need only to add a journal or two like the new York Review of Books to this mix to have a very good handle on what’s going on out there in the book publishing sphere. I quite understand where mr Alterman is coming from in his lament for the erosion of feature material in today’s newspapers, but it seems to me that book reviews are not — so far, at least — the most endangered species thereof.
I almost cried while reading “The Girl who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest,” in which the character Erika Berger, a female editor of a large daily newspaper, confronts her CFO. she reminds him that cutting staff would hurt the newspaper’s capability, therefore reducing its size and advertising revenue. they effectively tell her “not to worry her pretty little head” about it. how many times have we gone through that dance?what I really took away from the first book was an ethical battle between hackers and journalists. Larsson makes the case that traditional journalists have checks and balances in place. Hackers like Anonymous do not. While his story does demonstrate the necessity of computer espionage regarding crimes against people across international lines, one could take away from the books that sort of thing has more of a place in law enforcement rather than journalism. This was before the British phone hacking scandal.
Not exactly relevant to article but, why a flat-abs Hollywood hunk when a Kenneth Branagh with a few added lbs would have perfectly fit the bill?
Enjoyed the trilogy, and the Swedish films, and this article. I do find it interesting that virtually nobody seems to comment on the huge and obvious plot hole in book 1. There are over 40 framed flowers, sent annually to mr. Vanger since the 60′s. the novel is set in the early 2000′s. even the most cautious sender 20-40 years ago (avoiding, e.g., fingerprints) would not have had the notion of avoiding deposits containing DNA, which even a drop of sweat or brushing against the frame would have left behind. with 40 frames, the flowers themselves and a week at a 2000′s era lab, Vanger (or Blomkvist, in his stead) would have known that the sender was not only related to him at a certain distance (which he already suspected), but would have known that person was female. If the packages also contained DNA from the confederate (very likely), he would have known the relation and that she was female.
Samples of DNA from a few more Vanger relatives (easy enough to pick up from those on the island and in boardrooms, from the trash, basic detective work), and their identity would have easily been pinpointed by elimination.
It is curious that in all that, Vanger and Blomkvist seem to live in a world where modern DNA testing does not exist. and yet Vanger, as a man with great resources, could have easily hired such a testing lab, and both, but especially Blomkvist, would have been well aware of DNA science.
I’m just saying …
One extra bit of irony in “The Girl who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest” title… the dynamic duo of this series — combining journalism skills with illegal technology and “research” skills — has something in common with a fictional character of 70 years ago, the original Green Hornet radio series, in which a newspaper publisher, frustrated with the ability of editorials to clean up the town, took to vigilante tactics to not only uncover facts, but intimidate, trick and frame the bad guys… sometimes with unknowing help from the paper’s reporting staff.
(Not to be confused with the less journalistic and more kung-fulish TV series or the 2011 film, which features a journalism and criminology graduate seeking work as a secretarial temp and a drunken buffoon becoming publisher.)
http://jheroes.com/2011/01/26/the-hornets-nest-was-a-newspaper/
i’m so agree with all this stuff, prof Alterman! i’m from italy, journalist as well. i first read Blomqvist chapter 1 after having passed the professional exam, asbolutely by chance, and I remember i thought: “I should have read it before the exam!”. anyway. moreover, i think that italian journalism environment is more similar to the swedish one than to the US way of working…
It’s stupid exercises like this that make a J-school degree unnecessary, in “old school” industry and today.
