ramblings from a thirtysomething media professional in Hawai`i.
Wednesday, October 2, 2002I went to a sneak of "Red Dragon" last night and don't worry, I came away with my brain cells intact. No, it's not a disaster many set it out to be, but a straightforward police procedural populated with some of the best character actors in film today. The list is mind-boggling: Harvey Keitel, Ralph Fiennes, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Emily Watson, Mary-Louise Parker...
Director Brett Ratner shows restraint where other directors of his age would've made a headache-inducing music video. His style in "Dragon" reminds me of the hard-boiled, no-nonsense detective flicks of the '70s.
I thought it was okay, but not as good as either "Silence Of The Lambs" or "Hannibal" (call me a sucker for Ridley Scott's over-the-top, grand guignol audacity that's rarely found in American cinema today). I was apparently in the minority however. The fiancee loved it. "Better than 'Hannibal,'" she says. A couple of co-workers who also caught the preview said likewise.
"Red Dragon" will open at #1 -- audiences can't get enough of Lecter. "Hannibal's" grosses (pun intended) last year proved it.
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Preview Movie Week
Free flicks back to back! Rare for me, but true this week. Off to see a preview of "Moonlight Mile" tonight. Getting good buzz from pretty much all of the major outlets, and barring "The Messenger: The Story Of Joan Of Arc," I'll see whatever Dustin Hoffman's in any day.
Speaking of Hoffman, check out the excellent Robert Evans documentary "The Kid Stays In The Picture,"
where Hoffman gives a hilarious surprise performance as the end credits roll. Evans was the head of Paramount Studios in the late 60's/early 70's, and his life has all the drama and intrigue of the best tall tales.
