I watched Infamous this weekend, which is probably best described as "Capote-lite". It stars Toby Jones, the actor who didn't win an Oscar for his portrayal of Truman Capote, although he is quite convincing. Sandra Bullock is also very good as my favorite author, Harper Lee, and Daniel Craig is convincing as Perry Smith, the real life murderer played by Robert Blake in the film version of "In Cold Blood".
Gwyneth Paltrow has a bit part as a club singer in the opening scene that is completely out of place in the film. All I can think of is that she paid off the director to let her display what she must believe are her singing talents.
Capote was probably best described as a funny little man, but his book, In Cold Blood, is a truly amazing literary work - I read it originally many years ago, and listened to it as a book on tape a year ago. By all accounts, the writing and research took a toll on Capote emotionally, from which he never recovered, and I highly recommend it. The movie version is also a must see. It's good to remember that before Blake was a tabloid headline, he was a gifted actor. I also recommend Infamous.
posted by Diane at 2:21 PM
8 Comments:
it sounds interesting--I read "In Cold Blood" years ago but have only seen parts of the movie on TV, I really should watch the whole thing.
sage - it's definitely worth watching
In Cold Blood was an amazing book, and Capote was an amazing writer. Somehow, I despite being an english major, I didn't get turned onto him until the movie came out, and then I read a ton of his stuff. The interesting thing is to read the book after you've seen the film, and you KNOW how personally involved he was with the prisoners, something that totally doesn't come into play in the book. He clearly became obsessed with knowing the truth of the murder of that family in the farmhouse. Not nearly as magnificient, but similarly researched is Grisham's "An Innocent Man."
If you've already got a taste of Gwyneth's singing skills, I would recommend staying far away from "Duets". Torture!
edit - I agree - after I saw Capote, I went back and re-read In Cold Blood, and it took on a whole new meaning. I have the book Capote on which the film was based, but haven't read it yet
mishy - she is simply dreadful
I saw Duets. It really made me envy the deaf.
Aside from the horrid singing in Duets, the worst part in it for me was trying to watch Huey Lewis "act"
Haven't seen anything lately but it's good to keep up on the internets.
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