So a couple of weeks ago I went to see Good Night and Good Luck with my friend Craig.
The movie reminded me of some of the reasons I wanted to be a journalist in the first place: to stand up for what's right by exposing what's wrong. People in the theatre were actually clapping at some of David Strathairn's monologues. Which apparently were actually Edward R. Murrow's.
Besides that, I was a beautifully composed film- if you have seen Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, which George Clooney also directed, you will likely have noticed his style of putting televisions into the shots, creatively using archival footage and dividing the screen using windows, hallways, etc. in a visually appealing way. The two films didn't have the same cinematographer, so I am certain it's all George....But I digress.
This week, I went to see Capote.
It reminded me of all the reasons why people hate journalists.
Not that Truman Capote was a journalist, because he was a writer and working on "the non-fiction novel." But he lies, all the time, to the people he is trying to get information from. At least in the movie: his lack of integrity is shocking.
Needless to say there was no clapping in that theatre.
Having said that, I think Phillip Seymour Hoffman is the most underrated actor in Hollywood.
A friend said it's because he always plays creepy people. Maybe that's it- or that he's not exactly Hollywood's version of a sex-symbol. Whatever it is, he should be given more credit for his abilities.
