This is the thread in which we anticipate "Capote"

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Anyone seen it? The reviews have been extraordinary.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Thursday, 6 October 2005 20:12 (fifteen years ago) link

Some initial anticipation here: Truman Capote - cool or fool?

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 6 October 2005 20:17 (fifteen years ago) link

It seems likely that Hoffman will finally get his Oscar nod for this one.

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 6 October 2005 20:27 (fifteen years ago) link

I will see it.

― 400% Nice (nordicskilla), Thursday, 6 October 2005 20:27 (fifteen years ago) link

Most importantly, the film seems to grapple with the ambiguities and ironies embedded in Capote's obsession with the source material for In Cold Blood. Can't wait till it opens.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Thursday, 6 October 2005 20:33 (fifteen years ago) link

A film-critic friend of mine has seen it and says it is very good.

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 6 October 2005 20:39 (fifteen years ago) link

my girlfriend saw it (also a film critic) and said it was very bad, although hoffman was great.

― Jams Murphy (ystrickler), Thursday, 6 October 2005 20:48 (fifteen years ago) link

I saw it - a bit overlong, but otherwise excellent, hypnotic even.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Thursday, 6 October 2005 21:02 (fifteen years ago) link

omg hoffman was so forced it was like a big over long boring joke.

― howell huser (chaki), Thursday, 6 October 2005 21:42 (fifteen years ago) link

It seems likely that Hoffman will finally get his Oscar nod for this one.

That can't be a good thing, can it?

Off-topic and re: Oscar-bait, the Charlize miner movie's preview had me in hysterics!

― Eric H. (Eric H.), Thursday, 6 October 2005 21:47 (fifteen years ago) link

oh man, me too!

― 400% Nice (nordicskilla), Thursday, 6 October 2005 21:50 (fifteen years ago) link

I should know better but I keep looking at the thread title and wondering who's anticipating what about 'French letters'.

― M. White (Miguelito), Thursday, 6 October 2005 21:52 (fifteen years ago) link

Off-topic and re: Oscar-bait, the Charlize miner movie's preview had me in hysterics!

-- Eric H. (ephende...), October 6th, 2005.

"Norma Rae" meets "Silkwood."

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Thursday, 6 October 2005 21:53 (fifteen years ago) link

Jaymc ALWAYS mentions his "film-critic friend"!

― 400% Nice (nordicskilla), Thursday, 6 October 2005 21:53 (fifteen years ago) link

Haha. You hate him.

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 6 October 2005 22:30 (fifteen years ago) link

Ah! It's a "him"! The first clue has been spilled.

― Eric H. (Eric H.), Thursday, 6 October 2005 23:01 (fifteen years ago) link

is it Ray Pride? Rosenbaum? Roeper? Roger?

― gear (gear), Friday, 7 October 2005 00:36 (fifteen years ago) link

http://www.popculturecorn.com/print/stories/00/images/inline/hatedmovie-cover.jpg

― 400% Nice (nordicskilla), Friday, 7 October 2005 00:44 (fifteen years ago) link

Is it Fred Camper?

― Eric H. (Eric H.), Friday, 7 October 2005 00:55 (fifteen years ago) link

popbitch reckons hoffman will be an oscar favourite for capote

― gem (trisk), Friday, 7 October 2005 00:57 (fifteen years ago) link

WHY?? he was totally wrong for the part.

― howell huser (chaki), Friday, 7 October 2005 01:05 (fifteen years ago) link

its like they put bob ballaban in the film to tease us.

― howell huser (chaki), Friday, 7 October 2005 01:05 (fifteen years ago) link

i don't know why! i haven't seen it. i was just regurgitating someone else's opinion.

― gem (trisk), Friday, 7 October 2005 01:08 (fifteen years ago) link

Dudes, he writes for an upstart website. No one you've heard of. He is "friendly" with all of those famous critics, though. He said to me the other day, "After the History of Violence screening, me and Rosenbaum were talking, and he had this great point about..."

― jaymc (jaymc), Friday, 7 October 2005 02:19 (fifteen years ago) link

Haha... I try to avoid eye-contact with the film critics in Mpls.

― Eric H. (Eric H.), Friday, 7 October 2005 02:58 (fifteen years ago) link

jaymc, what's his name? (googleproof if you need to.)

― 100% WJE (Jody Beth Rosen), Friday, 7 October 2005 03:06 (fifteen years ago) link

Bri@n Tall3ric0. Google away.

― jaymc (jaymc), Friday, 7 October 2005 03:16 (fifteen years ago) link

*does so* Wow, that's an amazing collection of porn reviews and all, but does he do anything else?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 7 October 2005 03:16 (fifteen years ago) link

ah ok, don't know him. your description made him sound a little like someone i know.

― 100% WJE (Jody Beth Rosen), Friday, 7 October 2005 03:19 (fifteen years ago) link

i see he was quoted on trektoday.com!

― 100% WJE (Jody Beth Rosen), Friday, 7 October 2005 03:21 (fifteen years ago) link

haha

― jaymc (jaymc), Friday, 7 October 2005 03:25 (fifteen years ago) link

I'm...really sorry, John. But this is just too fucking cute:

I have a friend who sends out movie-related e-mails to a group of us every so often (he's an online film critic), and earlier this week he asked what we thought the box office would be like for "FF." It took me a really long time -- through the context of other people's replies, mostly -- to figure out that that meant Fantastic Four. I really had no idea there was a Fantastic Four movie at all, much less one opening this weekend.

-- jaymc (jmcunnin...), July 7th, 2005.

Probably just as well to see The Constant Gardener instead. My film-critic friend Brian say it's his favorite of the year so far.

-- jaymc (jmcunnin...), September 2nd, 2005.

That's okay, Eric, a film-critic friend of mine just called me a snob recently when I asked him rhetorically why I couldn't muster any enthusiasm to see The Incredibles, even though everyone I know who saw it liked it. And I'm supposedly on the "other side" of this debate!

-- jaymc (jmcunnin...), December 2nd, 2004.

Only 69% on Metacritic, but very high-profile raves from Denby, Schwarzbaum (A), and Ebert (****). I went partially because a film-critic friend of mine spoke so highly of it.

-- jaymc (jmcunnin...), May 26th, 2005.

I have a film critic friend who says this. Agree or disagree? When has voiceover worked, and when hasn't it?

-- jaymc (jmcunnin...), March 23rd, 2004.

Weird, my film-critic friend told me it was one of the best DVD transfers he's ever seen.

-- jaymc (jmcunnin...), August 19th, 2005.

― 400% Nice (nordicskilla), Friday, 7 October 2005 03:36 (fifteen years ago) link

bah!

― jaymc (jaymc), Friday, 7 October 2005 03:37 (fifteen years ago) link

It's adorable!

― 400% Nice (nordicskilla), Friday, 7 October 2005 03:38 (fifteen years ago) link

pwnage :-)

― 100% WJE (Jody Beth Rosen), Friday, 7 October 2005 03:38 (fifteen years ago) link

Can I too be the friend of your film critic friend? May we have tea together?

― 400% Nice (nordicskilla), Friday, 7 October 2005 03:39 (fifteen years ago) link

Did you find the quote where I said I'm not really even that close to him?

― jaymc (jaymc), Friday, 7 October 2005 03:40 (fifteen years ago) link

No! Scandal!

But he actually posted to that one thread!

― 400% Nice (nordicskilla), Friday, 7 October 2005 03:41 (fifteen years ago) link

film critics are the most pompous boring twats ever!

― 100% WJE (Jody Beth Rosen), Friday, 7 October 2005 03:41 (fifteen years ago) link

(xp) Yes, I had e-mailed him about it!

― jaymc (jaymc), Friday, 7 October 2005 03:42 (fifteen years ago) link

I also like it because the phrase "my film-critic friend" could totally have come straight out of your high school journal blog thing!

Anyway, Capote...

― 400% Nice (nordicskilla), Friday, 7 October 2005 03:42 (fifteen years ago) link

Haha... Adam is ILX's reigning concurator.

― Eric H. (Eric H.), Friday, 7 October 2005 04:35 (fifteen years ago) link

i was sort of hoping your film critic friend would be revealed to be none other than "the surprisingly shy, humble, ever-smiling Armond White!"

― gear (gear), Friday, 7 October 2005 05:00 (fifteen years ago) link

MY film-critic friend (who i haven't talked to in a while) IS friends with armond white!

― 100% WJE (Jody Beth Rosen), Friday, 7 October 2005 05:04 (fifteen years ago) link

is he an asshole in real life too??

― gear (gear), Friday, 7 October 2005 05:04 (fifteen years ago) link

i'll give you three guesses

― 100% WJE (Jody Beth Rosen), Friday, 7 October 2005 05:05 (fifteen years ago) link

Who are you referring to? Jºhn D3m3try?

― Eric H. (Eric H.), Friday, 7 October 2005 05:09 (fifteen years ago) link

― 100% WJE (Jody Beth Rosen), Friday, 7 October 2005 05:11 (fifteen years ago) link

n4t3 p4tr1n?

― j blount (papa la bas), Friday, 7 October 2005 05:20 (fifteen years ago) link

I love this game! This thread needs to be retitled the "guess who my film-critic friend is" thread!

― Eric H. (Eric H.), Friday, 7 October 2005 05:23 (fifteen years ago) link

Skipping 134 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

I'd be a lot more impressed with it if I hadn't seen or read In Cold Blood. Nothing it added to that story was particularly involving or worthwhile. Competent film, but I really would have prefered a movie about the making of Beat The Devil.

― Zwan (miccio), Friday, 31 March 2006 19:05 (fourteen years ago) link

It seems like Hollywood can't resist turning anything to do with the death penalty into an excuse for agonizing, oh-the-humanity portentousness.

True, but in this film it was supposed to be portentious and agonizing: Capote was himself was guilt-wracked and agonzing.

We see people having fun in this movie - notably when Truman's regaling his buddies with jokes to which we only hear the punch lines, never the set-ups - but we aren't allowed to join them.

Yeah, this is even more true, but again, I suspect it's Miller's intention to put the audience at a distance from Capote. A cuddly Truman would have been a horror.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Friday, 31 March 2006 19:05 (fourteen years ago) link

it's NOT a biopic, though! which is a curveball. i talked with my dad about this movie last night and it turns out we both had the same reaction: we thought it was gonna be about, y'know, CAPOTE, but then it turned out to be about capote writin a book, i.e. it was about the new york publishing industry in a certain era. which still coulda been interesting, cf. my above delight at the convergence of lad-di-da NYers and small-town Real Men -- SHURELY a front-burner topic in this red-state/blue-state age, if overdrawn -- but the movie just skated by it after a cursory, token nod -- we never get into the heads of anyone in kansas, and capote's "i'm like you" speech to the killer only underscored how little we learned about even capote's ambiguous relationship to this kind of milieu. the book is the hero, not capote, so the title of the movie sets up some expectations that remained, for me at least, unfulfilled

― Tracey Hand (tracerhand), Friday, 31 March 2006 19:15 (fourteen years ago) link

Anthony has a point, though. This movie's pace may have felt a lot brisker had Peter Lorre been alive to play the grouchy Irishman he played in Beat The Devil

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Friday, 31 March 2006 19:18 (fourteen years ago) link

i was never entirely sure why capote agonized over a guy he'd spent apparently two minutes talking to. not that i didn't believe it, but it was never conveyed.

― gear (gear), Friday, 31 March 2006 19:29 (fourteen years ago) link

that's one of the main things i liked about it! i hate "life of..." biopics!

― s1ocki (slutsky), Friday, 31 March 2006 19:41 (fourteen years ago) link

gear i actually DID like return to paradise!

― s1ocki (slutsky), Friday, 31 March 2006 19:42 (fourteen years ago) link

me too! Joseph Ruben rocks!

(so does a pre-gut Vince Vaughan)

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Friday, 31 March 2006 19:45 (fourteen years ago) link

http://www.jms101.btinternet.co.uk/full_sets/gold/circular_bold_std/hanged.gif

― gear (gear), Friday, 31 March 2006 19:46 (fourteen years ago) link

s1ocki OTM, a "life of" capote biopic would've been pretty boring. the "in cold blood" stuff was the most exciting thing that ever happened to him, and i think it was a GREAT idea to just focus on that instead of trying to cram in his childhood or the "alcoholic later years" or whatever. the only birth-to-death biopic i can think of that was actually good was "prick up your ears."

― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Friday, 31 March 2006 21:15 (fourteen years ago) link

the "in cold blood" stuff was the most exciting thing that ever happened to him

And meeting Gore Vidal, thus instigating a lifetime of delicious, creative insults and one-liners.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Saturday, 1 April 2006 01:43 (fourteen years ago) link

I think writing a script the day its shot with a bunch of drunken lunatics is way more exciting than interviewing folks in the bible belt.

― ant@work.com, Saturday, 1 April 2006 02:22 (fourteen years ago) link

five months pass...

Trailer for "Infamous" (2006)

from IMDB

While researching his book In Cold Blood, writer Truman Capote (Jones) develops a close relationship with convicted murderers Dick Hickock and Perry Smith

http://z.about.com/d/movies/1/0/D/d/8/infamous0327067.jpg

er... what?

― Slumpman (Slump Man), Monday, 4 September 2006 15:10 (fourteen years ago) link

I can accept two movies less than a year apart which are both about, oh i dunno, a volcano erupting. Or dinosaurs! But two movies about truman capote writing the book "in cold blood"?

too much capote!

― Slumpman (Slump Man), Monday, 4 September 2006 15:12 (fourteen years ago) link

they should have called the 2nd one "pacote"

― s1ocki (slutsky), Monday, 4 September 2006 15:13 (fourteen years ago) link

sandra bullock as harper lee OH NO!

― fellini-esque-lit-rockist (tehresa), Monday, 4 September 2006 15:21 (fourteen years ago) link

if it was called "peyote" i'd see it

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Monday, 4 September 2006 17:02 (fourteen years ago) link

I think this one was actually filmed first, actually, but got delayed.

― milo z (mlp), Monday, 4 September 2006 17:04 (fourteen years ago) link

how about Compote - Now Even Fruitier (har har)

― timmy tannin (pompous), Monday, 4 September 2006 17:05 (fourteen years ago) link

I have complete confidence this will be the better Capote film, excepting maybe Bullock as Harper Lee.

― Eric H. (Eric H.), Monday, 4 September 2006 20:49 (fourteen years ago) link

capote II: the legend of curly's gold

― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Monday, 4 September 2006 20:50 (fourteen years ago) link

Ok, this new Capote was the voice of Dobby the house elf in Harry Potter 2.

― Marmot (marmotwolof), Monday, 4 September 2006 20:57 (fourteen years ago) link

capote III: dream warriors

― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Monday, 4 September 2006 21:01 (fourteen years ago) link

Capote IV: Cruise Control

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Monday, 4 September 2006 21:11 (fourteen years ago) link

I can accept two movies less than a year apart which are both about, oh i dunno, a volcano erupting. Or dinosaurs! But two movies about truman capote writing the book "in cold blood"?

Yes, but according to Jack Nicholson, the 2005 film is "CA-POH-TEYY."

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Monday, 4 September 2006 21:14 (fourteen years ago) link

Capote 2: affected boogaloo!

Yes, but according to Jack Nicholson, the 2005 film is "CA-POH-TEYY."

er, how is it pronounced, then? CA-POAT? CA-POTTY?

― Slumpman (Slump Man), Monday, 4 September 2006 21:54 (fourteen years ago) link

"cap hoat"

― s1ocki (slutsky), Monday, 4 September 2006 21:56 (fourteen years ago) link

http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/images/smilies/Drudge_Siren_Small.gif BOB BALABAN IS IN BOTH!! http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/images/smilies/Drudge_Siren_Small.gif

― chaki (chaki), Monday, 4 September 2006 22:35 (fourteen years ago) link

When will some talented queen write and direct a film about the Gore Vidal-Truman Capote verbal slugfests???

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Monday, 4 September 2006 22:43 (fourteen years ago) link

kəˈpoʊ.ti

― Alba (Alba), Monday, 4 September 2006 22:55 (fourteen years ago) link

BOB BALABAN IS IN BOTH!!

-- chaki (chaki.tim...), September 4th, 2006.

whoa, same character, too?

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Monday, 4 September 2006 22:57 (fourteen years ago) link

he plays a younger version of himself (amazing wig) in this one.

― s1ocki (slutsky), Monday, 4 September 2006 23:01 (fourteen years ago) link

bob balaban is my dad

― PARTYMAN (dubplatestyle), Monday, 4 September 2006 23:04 (fourteen years ago) link

plz rename your blog that

― s1ocki (slutsky), Monday, 4 September 2006 23:09 (fourteen years ago) link

you have a blog again? i keep track. link?

― jed_ (jed), Monday, 4 September 2006 23:18 (fourteen years ago) link

same link as before

― PARTYMAN (dubplatestyle), Monday, 4 September 2006 23:28 (fourteen years ago) link

and slocki your wish is my command

http://fineturkishtobacco.blogspot.com/

― PARTYMAN (dubplatestyle), Monday, 4 September 2006 23:32 (fourteen years ago) link

maura: oh have you seen 'minor accomplisments' yet
maura: balaban is an exec rpoducer
strongo: oh yeah? then where's my mom's alimony

― PARTYMAN (dubplatestyle), Monday, 4 September 2006 23:39 (fourteen years ago) link

one month passes...

So I saw the trailer for Infamous last night before Science of Sleep and my friends and I were all looking at each other going "WTF." The thread revival of a month ago clears up some mysteries, but still.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 5 October 2006 19:46 (fourteen years ago) link

'infamous' might be better than 'capote', which actually isn't high praise

― gear (gear), Thursday, 5 October 2006 19:51 (fourteen years ago) link

We need you to post your thoughts re Science on that thread, Ned!

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Thursday, 5 October 2006 19:59 (fourteen years ago) link

I did already!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 5 October 2006 20:50 (fourteen years ago) link

Ok, this new Capote was the voice of Dobby the house elf in Harry Potter 2.

This bears repeating!

― Abbott (Abbott), Thursday, 5 October 2006 21:14 (fourteen years ago) link

five months pass...

So, did anyone here other than me see Infamous? I thought it was quite terrific. Much better than Capote, which left me rather cold. It's a cruel twist of fate that Toby Jones should turn in a performance like that and have it all but ignored because someone else got there first.

The relationship between Capote and Perry Smith made more sense to me in Infamous, as did Smith generally, in fact.

― Alba, Monday, 19 March 2007 17:29 (thirteen years ago) link

Infamous was more entertaining/involving than Capote. Less self-importantly dour, and yeah, the doomed romance angle worked better. Still a pretty cruddy movie, though. Not a total snooze, but not much more than that.

― Pye Poudre, Monday, 19 March 2007 17:34 (thirteen years ago) link

two weeks pass...

just saw capote two nights ago. i really liked a lot of it. chris cooper makes me happy in anything, to be honest. i loved the colours, the farms, the scenes at chris cooper's house, all of the harper lee scenes.

what really frustrated me was the end. i spent the last 40 minutes or so thinking "this will be great if they don't show the execution." the west wing, of all things, is really great at never ever showing 'important' moments. i.e. the state of the union address is never shown - we see the preparation and the fallout, and while we may see clips of the speech we never actually see the unmediated scene, because what the president says is irrelevant - it's the stuff around it, how we react to it, that we care about. the execution is irrelevant - it is the lead-up and fallout that matter. we know at a point that it is going to happen, and showing it is besides the point. that they felt the need to need to show the execution suggested that it was somehow important, and it really wasn't - the film is not about the killers or the crime or the system. it's about the book and the author, to which the knowledge of the execution matters, not the event.

i was really into the levels of fictionalisation, too - this is a fictionalisation about the process of fictionalisation, with the added fun of having been adapted from a book about the writing of a book!

― derrrick, Tuesday, 3 April 2007 09:14 (thirteen years ago) link

four years pass...

http://nymag.com/guides/fallpreview/2011/movies/moneyball/index2.html

kinda curious for the guy's new one, w/hoffman, pitt & jonah hill. this piece is sorta interesting, you get to hear pitt talking about movies (i always wonder how much + how huge actors watch films)

― sexual union prayerbook slam (schlump), Monday, 22 August 2011 08:41 (nine years ago) link

this jonah hill pic is too much

http://images.nymag.com/guides/fallpreview/2011/movies/movies110829_jonah_560.jpg

― johnny crunch, Monday, 22 August 2011 14:08 (nine years ago) link

six years pass...

I've seen this five or six times now--approaching comfort-film status (odd designation, I know). Love the music, Cooper and Keener and Balaban (even though, from what I've read about him, that's not William Shawn), PSH of course.

― clemenza, Saturday, 30 June 2018 15:57 (two years ago) link

two years pass...

Came to post pretty much exactly the same post I put here two years ago. I'm watching Shirley (still not finished), and in the middle of that thought this might be a good point of comparison, so I watched this again. I really love the contrast between the Kansas scenes and Capote holding court back in New York--one of the main things the film's about, really.

― clemenza, Monday, 22 February 2021 20:06 (one week ago) link

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