What is Sweden? Part Seven – Vampires and Girls with Dragon Tattoos
Here are two more subjects in our ongoing investigation of What is Sweden?
1. Vampires. Sexy and dangerous. And in the top three of that list is Swedish actor Alexander Skarsgård. He’s been called the Millennium Man by L.A Times for his portrayal of the 1,000-year-old vampire sheriff Eric Northam in HBO drama True Blood; a role that has given him a following, the Skarsgårdians. He’s an upcoming star and the one to keep an eye on. Yes, he is pretty much Hollywood’s version of me.
He is also known here around the office for being the one who still hasn’t accepted my friend request on Facebook. Come on Alex, press the little button. It’s me, Sika, Sweden’s version of you.
2. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Better known in Sweden for its original name Män som hatar kvinnor, is released on the big screen in the U.S on Friday. The European box office smash is based on a book by Stieg Larsson and has gotten acclaim both from critics and audiences. Someone has even been quoted calling it The best Movie since the Shawshank Redemption.
That last quote was taken from a message board on imdb.com made by what I suspect is one of the crew members from the movie shoot. I’m guessing lead actor Michael Nyqvist.
No, even if the two movies have one thing in common, they are both based on books, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is not nearly as brilliant as Shawshank (who currently resides at no.1 on imdb’s top 250 list), but it is still a good movie. So if you get the chance, see it. If not for any other reason, do it for the education and the ongoing exhibition of What is Sweden?
