dirac

To call a woman a ‘dog’ in reference to her looks is as offensive as it ever was, and the expression is still distressingly common. President Clinton is often referred to as the Big Dog, as a compliment or jovial nickname. Yes, I think Edwin Denby tells that story.

Thanks for posting, Giannina. I think that the Damon/Minghella version is closer to the book (although the character of Tom is softened and as Quiggin notes above, the movie is really too lush - I guess unvarnished Highsmith is a bit much for a big budget film). Liking Damon helps, I agree.

Perfectly appropriate, PeggyR. Thanks for posting. Have you seen it?

Thanks for posting, innopac. Interesting site.

Thanks for posting, Farrell Fan. An interesting review.

Politics will probably come up in this thread at some point, but let's keep it to the topic at hand and focus on Penn's day job.

Jude Law works for me, although Delon is pretty pretty, too.

Also note that 30 minutes on the History Channel means rather less than that - the commercials are numerous and annoying.

miliosr, what did you decide? Have you seen either of them yet?

It hasn't reached my area yet, but I intend to go at some point. The Oscar Bait Biopic is not necessarily my favorite genre and Sean Penn's recent performances have not given me much pleasure, but I understand this one is better than average on both counts. I live in the Bay Area, too, not far from where it all happened.

Good idea, but not likely the delay is due to Croce requiring more encouragement - I'm sure she knows this book is eagerly anticipated. Something else is going on, I expect.

If hope of heaven is indeed the motivation, then putting your name on stuff and demanding public credit is not the way to go, at least in the Christian tradition. You do not give to get and you don’t parade your giving, because God sees and that should be enough. (And He’s no fool. )

Thanks, Helene. I enjoyed reading this.

Thanks for the report, cubanmiamiboy. I hope to see this one, also!

There are rich men and rich men. Lincoln Kirstein comes to mind. All businessmen who are self made aren't necessarily admirable - but yes, I'm inclined to give a few brownie points to people who had the original bright idea that made all the dough. (Kirstein inherited his big bucks, too, but the family seems to have been nicer.)

Alas, DeborahB, I do not run in circles where people would be likely to engage in gossip about the Kochs. The extracurricular activities of the couple are chronicled in a variety of publications. As I noted above, it's the way of the world.

$100 million is chump change to the Koch family, although that may not be as true as it was in light of recent events. Koch does have to do it, or something like it, if his social ambitions and his wife’s, which have been well documented, are to be fulfilled. It’s the way of the world, of course, but one can reasonably snark at Koch having his name put on the theater and drinking in the the self-interested flattery served up by suppliants like Martins and Schumer. Of course, this is how things happen to work in our second Gilded Age, now apparently on the verge of a crackup, and certainly it’s not the first time a rich person has demanded such recognition, but it’s not a very attractive spectacle, either. (Nor is there any special reason to applaud Koch personally, IMO. He’s not an innovator or a self made man, and Koch Industries is not a particularly admirable corporate entity even by the sometimes dubious standards of big companies in the oil and related businesses.)

I don’t think a four hour Bond movie is practicable (or even desirable, honestly). I think Tarantino should have thrown the dice and sent Kill Bill out in four hours, although perhaps he wasn’t given any choice, I don’t quite remember. cygnet, I have a soft spot for the incoherence of Moonraker. I think it falls into the So Bad It's Good category.

Don't have time to post much right now, but I saw it last weekend. It has a distinct 'sequel' feel but can stand on its own; however, I hope this isn't a trend. Basically it's a Bond picture that doesn't feel like a Bond picture (Casino Royale was in some respects a Bond film for people who don't like Bond, but it was still very much in the style) and not in a good way. Marc Forster will not, God willing, be back as director next time.

What Andre said.

It's a very high profile gig, for one thing, in front of a vastly increased audience, with lots of attention from the press. And from a less cynical angle, he has some of the best dancers in the world to work with. (No disrespect meant to McGregor's own dancers.)

I always wanted to like Delon, because he plainly had good taste in material and, as you say, good intentions. As it is, I can go along with ‘ice cold’ but not ‘angel.’ I found him affectless. Walker would have been a fine Ripley. He gave another performance in the Bruno vein for a terrible anti-Communist picture, “My Son John,” which was, sadly, his last.

Thanks for pulling this article from the trunk, leonid. It is indeed revealing, although probably not in the way McGregor intended. I understand that dancers are stimulated by performing in new work made especially for them. I wish the reporter hadn’t felt the need to describe traditional ballet repertory in this way, though.

Haven’t gone out of my way to see the Delon version as it features one of my least favorite actors. The recent one was okay, but interesting only until Jude Law checks out (you know, you ARE boring, Tom) but nothing to write home about. But then I didn’t much care for the book, either, although there are differences that are interesting to compare and contrast. I hope you see both and tell us about them. :blush:

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