Pynchon

"Before The Devil Knows You're Dead".



Old ,venerated film directors shouldn't be allowed to direct movies like "Before The Devil Knows You're Dead". Old, venerated film directors should know their place.

Old, venerated film directors should see their old movies released on budget priced DVD or broadcast on television channels such Turner Classic Movies or Sky Movies Classic. If they are especially venerated, they should be happy to be invited to the Baftas or to the Oscars, be wheeled out to pick up a lifetime achievement award and be applauded by writers, directors and actors without a smidgen of the talent that they had at their peak.

Old, venerated film directors shouldn't be directing one of the best films of this year or any year. They shouldn't be overseeing astonishing powerhouse acting performances by talents such as Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke and Albert Finney, or film Marisa Tomei in such a way that she looks sexy and totally smoking hot. They shouldn't be so still at the top of their game that they can handle a complex script, with a fractured time line, detailing the events leading up to a robbery, the robbery itself and the aftermath of the robbery. They shouldn't be able to turn what could have been a good, if straightforward crime thriller into a seriously good piece of drama about relationships, stress, secrets and family.

Good job that nobody told Sidney Lumet that, isn't it?

"No Country For Old Men" tomorrow. I am feeling kind of unwell. A half a bottle of red wine will do that to you.

Lorraine and I split up on Saturday night. We were going to sell the house and everything. By Sunday morning we were not split up. It has been that kind of a weekend.

Labels: Movies