The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2011) rating: 8/10

The actors are more attractive in this Hollywood version of the Swedish film. I liked Plummer, Craig and Mara. Craig is notably better looking than his Swedish counterpart who had a fat face and wasn't in terribly good shape. This also lends significant realism (in my mind anyway) to the nominally lesbian Lisbeth's sexual pursuit of his character which didn't exist in the original.

While there is a certain lack of authenticity about

Imagine: How Creativity Works by Jonah Lehrer, rating: 7/10

The most valuable part of the book is the description of elements of improving creativity.

Having a more dominant right hemisphere of the brain is one thing that might not be altered (does a lefty automatically have an advantage here?). Being in a good mood could also be difficult to contrive.

But working in a blue room is condition which could be effected. So is having an environment encouraging lack of inhibition, yet allowing criticism of others, and featuring interaction with experts in various other fields. Just pretending oneself not to be an expert in a field is an interesting trick (prevents rejecting ideas out of hand).

Meanwhile the reader is treated to the secrets of the creative successes of Pixar, 3M and even Shakespeare.

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August 2012: It appears Lehrer made up Bob Dylan quotes in the book.  I wonder why he would do that.  To spice it up, I guess.  How did he think it would get away with it?

Drive (2011) rating: 8/10

I have not previously been inclined to like Ryan Gosling, but he's great and surprisingly (!) not unattractive here as the talented but directionless protagonist named 'Driver'. The dvd extras invoke Hitchcock, but I think rather Kurosawa. Driver is the quiet tough guy that does right in an unfriendly world. The driving scenes are mesmerizing and the soundtrack inspired. There is a great stylishness to the scenes. One of few films that I think I'll want to see again in a short time.

The Danish director, Nicholas Refn, gives a charming interview in the dvd extras. He seems a little more strange, yet interesting here.

J. Edgar (2011) rating: 8/10

I confuse J. Edgar Hoover a bit with Joseph McCarthy who was sort of his contemporary and also is currently seen as gay. But in my view McCarthy is observed as a greater hypocrite in that he actually attacked homosexuals while being gay himself. On the other hand, Hoover's discreet acquisition of secrets about Presidents is presented here as political self-defense of his position and his new bureau. In this movie, his motivations are shown as attempts to protect the country against communism, and his racism is shown out of context, such that we're not sure whether to fully believe them true of the man.

So the movie does a fairly effective salvage job with Hoover, meanwhile in his personal life showing him having an intimate, but non-physical relationship with Clyde Tolson. I agree with other reviewers that DiCaprio's accent is a bit intrusive. In their old makeup, DiCaprio and Armie Hammer are at times convincing and at others not really with DiCaprio moving his arms and long fingers far too fast for a fat old guy.