Capote

I went to see Capote on Tuesday night. Mark has off work all week, so in my attempt to fulfill my Oscar promise I took him away to the movies for the evening. Well, he took me but who’s keeping track…

We had planned on going so when I got home from work on Tuesday I quickly changed clothes and we headed out to grab a bite to eat before the movie. We weren’t sure where to go, and we didn’t have a lot of time, so we just headed for Uptown thinking we’d find a place. When we got to Uptown, for some unknown and ridiculous reason, we decided it would be a good idea to eat at Burrito Loco. Now, you may ask yourself, “What would make two people with severe stomach issues eat at a baby-size burrito from Burrito Loco before going to sit in a movie theater for two and a half hours?” Well, I’ll tell you. Insanity mixed quite well with a dash of stupidity. About four bites into our burrito (for Mark) and quesadilla (for me), we were done. Luckily, the tobacco shop next door sold Tums, so we were ok for the next few hours. We had a bunch of time to kill before the movie (we had expected to eat a full meal…), so we wandered into Book Smart, the used bookstore on Hennepin Avenue. I had never been in the store before – working at Barnes & Noble you never really need to go to another bookstore. But it was fun to just wander through the aisles and check out some books that probably four people have read (the author, his/her spouse and his/her parents). It was a great way to waste the time away.

We finally made it over to the theater, and we were pleased to find that no crazies had decided to come to the movies that night.

Let me back up. Mark and I have a movie crazies attraction that we can’t seem to shake. In our two and a half years of dating, we have had a nice night out at the movies maybe four times. We’ve been to the movies a bunch, but only about four times without a crazy ruining the whole thing for us. At Love Actually, a woman sat in front of us eating a bologna sandwich and every time Hugh Grant appeared on stage, she would throw her arms up into the air and scream. At I Heart Huckabees, on opening weekend, a woman behind us keep making horrible remarks because we had dared to sit in front of her – in a SOLD OUT THEATER. At Chronicles of Narnia, we were two of eight people in the entire theater. The only other couple in the place (the other four were a family) decided to sit in the exact row in front of us in the exact two seats in front of us – and then proceeded to talk on their CELL PHONES during the entire film. And if you know Mark, you know that we didn’t move seats because of the principle of the matter – we were seated there first. For these reasons, and many others, Mark and I are wary of movie theaters. But I still love the movies and going to the movie theater, and because Mark loves me, he still goes with me. J

So with our bellies full of food it didn’t like and no crazies surrounding us, Mark and I settled in to enjoy a great film. I didn’t know a lot about Truman Capote prior to seeing the film. I knew he was an author and had written Breakfast at Tiffany’s as well as In Cold Blood. Other than that, I was excited to learn about him and the process he went through while writing In Cold Blood.

I don’t want to go into the details of the movie itself for fear of ruining it for someone who hasn’t yet seen it. While I thought the movie was fascinating and a great way to spend a couple of hours, I don’t think that it is Oscar Best Picture worthy. The story was compelling, the acting amazing (more on that in a minute) and the cinematography well done, but it was not the best film that I saw all year. I often judge films based on how they impacted or affected me. Did I have to sit in the theater for a few minutes before I could allow myself to leave? Did I leave the theater feeling a connection to the characters? Am I still thinking about the film days and weeks later?

For this film, the answer was no. The film itself did not have the impact on me that I believe Oscar Best Picture films should have. Was I moved by the film? Yes. Did I enjoy the film? Yes. But I wasn’t so affected by the film that days later, I’m still thinking about it and analyzing it. I highly recommend the film, and I think it deserved a nomination. But I will be very surprised if this film wins Best Picture.

Now the acting is a different story. Philip Seymour Hoffman as Capote was phenomenal. I’ve always enjoyed watching him and have thought for years that he does not get the attention that he deserves. This man is a chameleon. He is able to morph into any role and play it with an amazing amount of ease. In this film, you can really see his acting style and his abilities shine through. He takes you on such a journey with this character. You hate him and feel for him and understand him and then don’t understand at all. From the films that I’ve seen so far, I think the Philip Seymour Hoffman deserves the Oscar for Best Actor hand down.

I urge you to see this film and come back to let me know your thoughts on it!

Heading home to WI this weekend, so I won’t be doing any fun things in the city. But I’ll be back next week!