The nice thing about writing about films months after you see them is that you now have some perspective. Some films are memorable, and some films fall into the abyss of memories. He Who Gets Slapped falls into the former category. Not just that, it is a film that I would definitely like to see again. Lon Chaney shows that he is more than just a man of a thousand faces, and the climax might be one of the greatest every filmed. That lion scene...
I wish I could be as impressed with Capote. It is a showcase for Hoffman but otherwise a rather standard film about a story that was anything but standard. I didn't remember much about it from the first time that I saw it several years ago, and that is not surprising now that I have seen it twice. Still glad that it showed at the festival due to Hoffman's death and the presence of Bennett Miller, who was a longtime friend of Hoffman.
Do the Right Thing is a much better film than I remember. I first watched it in film class twenty years ago. This is one where life experience come in handy to better appreciate what Lee is trying to say. Despite the music and styles that are right out of the 80s, Lee's film transcends those dated aspects to be a true film for the ages. By the way, word is that Lee went up to the projection booth to correct the framing. He also reportedly asked for the film to be louder. It was plenty loud where I was sitting, though in a theater as large as The Virginia there are bound to be some dead spots. Interesting that some people complained about how LOUD the sound was. Yes, it was loud, and it was also loud for Born on the Fourth of July. I was told that the movies were played at a standard theater level, and they would not raise it (for Lee) or lower it. Not enough to bother me, but I can understand how some people might be bothered by it. My advice to those people? Bring earplugs with you, just in case. By the way, Lee seemed like a nice, affable guy. The true test of that is when the dumb questions from the audience begin.
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