Capote

And this years Oscar for best actor goes to...


Oh how I loved this movie. I loved it so deep inside of me I wanted to jump into the screen. I loved every fucking moment of it. I have always admired Philip Seymour Hoffman as an actor of endless intelligence and creativity but I've always felt that he was working just a bit too hard to create something unique and although he always suceeds I've never fallen in love with him until I saw Capote. His performance is so perfect. It's the most subtle, effortless performance I have ever seen him give. He holds a phone in one scene and his pinky is way up but it's not funny or silly or commentary it just is. It's Capotes pinky. The whole movie is filled with stuff like that. The way he smokes, the way he buttons his jacket but also the way he listens and the way he turns introspective and then the way he switches into selfishness and childishness.

This is a difficult review to write because I loved every moment of this movie. Where does one begin?

The sound. There's an early scene of Capote clipping an article out of the paper with scissors and the sound it creates it's ominous and creepy and dangerous.

The costumes are lovely to look at, accurate but not costumey. They looked like real clothes worn by real people.

The lighting is mysterious and flattering and harsh all at the same time.

The direction struck me as utterly perfect. It was a thrill to see a new director shoot a big story without needing to show off.

The screenplay. Every scene was fucking perfect. I couldn't imagine a better way tell this story.

You know, I really can't write this cause I'm still thinking about it and I'm gonna see it again this week and I'm not articulating very well but it had a profound impact on me.

If you're a writer, be warned, there are uncomfortable questions in the movie about the nature of our business and the process of creating. What responsibility do we have to the people we write about? When the process is over are we assholes for walking away from the people who helped us tell the story? It's not a simple movie.

PS After to the movie I went to K-Mart to buy a light bulb and the harshness and crassness of the people was extra shocking to me after having just come from the world of Capote. I felt lonely after the movie. The world of Capote is so complex and rich and intelligent and then to walk into K-Mart. Oh Lord. Shell-shock. There are some truly sad souls on this planet and they all go to K-mart on Saturday afternoon.