A Couple Movie Reviews

I had to see what all the hubbub was about this year's Oscar nominated movies so I rented Good Night and Good Luck; Capote and The History of Violence. I couldn't bring my self to rent the Brokeback Mountain movie because there was just too damn much light in the Blockbuster. If they would have had a curtained area like a lot of the other video stores I patronize, maybe. With my luck I would have rented it and one of my manly Pirate crew would have been coming into the store as I was leaving and they could have seen me renting the "Gay Cowboy" movie and my reputation as a Pirate would have been in jeopardy. Hell, my reputation already is in jeopardy after I told the blogworld I liked chick flicks. But I had a response for that one. "I like them (chick flicks) because it allows me to get a better understanding of what women want in a relationship". I don't think I want to use that one for the Brokeback Mountain flick.

As I said I did check out three of the films that had nominations. First, The History of Violence is down right crap. It is poorly done and makes little if any sense. It has a lot of violence, obviously, but it just doesn't cut it as a good movie. I did like William Hurt's character and his rendition of it but I am bias since he has a family connection. I would save your money and rent anything else.

Secondly, Good Night and Good Luck. It is shot in black and white to depict the era. I hate to say that because "era" wasn't all that many years before I was born. It is well written and covers a historical event and its characters as well as any historical film does. I like the performances and the message is strong. We live in a great country and we all should be free to think and believe the way we want to without reservation or threat of imprisonment. I think the witch hunts in anytime in our nation's history reveals a little too much of who we are and where we have been as a country. And its not all pretty.

But I did have a few problems with the movie and the message. Joseph McCarthy was a staunch warrior in the FDR movement. Though he was a Republican only because of the position of the Democratic party in Wisconsin at that time he was always a FDR supporter and ran in close proximity of Joseph Kennedy and his machine. There is some reason the historical movies, documentaries and debates seem to want to leave the Kennedy connection out of it when discussing the Red Hunt. The Kennedy's were as deep in this Red Scare as any political power group in Washington at that time. Furthermore, there was at the time a real effort underway to undermind the United States and there were many in this country's entertainment industry and political industry that were bent on bringing the USA down. This has been proven over and over after the fall of Communist Russia through an array of documents.

That said it was a good movie and very well done. It is worth watching but I would encourage others to do a little research for themselves to fill in the blanks. George Clooney certainly has a political agenda with his rendition of the events at that time.

Capote. It is slow, leaves a lot to imagination, disjointed at times and is very well photographed. I think it also catches the essence of Truman Capote with the outstanding performance by Phillip Seymour Hoffman. He received a well deserved Oscar for his acting.

I am far too bias to write an objective review because I love Capote's work, I love Hoffman's acting and anytime a movie displays the life of a writer I fall into deep admiration borderling on envy. I can not get enough about the writers before our time and I simply love any story about them.

To have a peek at the life of Harper Lee and Truman Capote, life-time friends, considered literary giants by me, I get all wrapped up. When I was watching the movie I saw Dill and Scout following Jem on another adventure to draw Boo Radley out of his dark and dingy house or to get a peek at him sitting in a dark corner of his home. I see the cabbage patch fiasco and hear the long winded tales spun by the summer visiting Dill.

If you like the life of a writer and you will like the idea of developing a novel, which this is what the movie is all about, you will like this movie. If you have never read any of the works by Capote of Harper Lee's infamous book you may find this movie boring.

I would suggest Capote, then Good Night and Good Luck and forget about The History of Violence but that's me.

I would be remiss not to tell my favorite story about Truman Capote. Truman Capote was quit the celebrity about town-type. He spent a lot of his time in the social limelight with many surrounding him and gayly listening to his story telling. He garnered a lot of attention. One night as he was with friends telling another long story he was approached by a bossomly admirer who bared her breast and asked if he would autograph her breasts. Truman the true showman he was, obliged. The admirer quickly shot off to show her table of friends. Her jealous husband not wanting to be out done approached Truman's table and requested that Truman autograph a part of his body. The man then unzipped and displayed his penis to Truman Capote and all those sitting at the table. After seeing the appendage displayed inches from his face, Truman Capote remarked in his gay southern twang, "My sir, you may be too small for me to sign my full name but I would be more than happy to initial it for you".

Don't blame me if you don't like either of these movies or you love them all I am not Roger Ebert.

It is Wednesday and I hope you inspired someone today.

Peace...