tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762075.post639415738000620052..comments2024-03-27T13:28:50.405-07:00Comments on Alienated in Vancouver: Patricia Highsmith again, plus her Woman's World yearsAllan MacInnishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05394301776870727673noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762075.post-90724959955065814142022-10-09T17:44:54.342-07:002022-10-09T17:44:54.342-07:00Hey Craig, no idea if you will see this but there ...Hey Craig, no idea if you will see this but there is an excellent doc on Highsmith's relationships called Loving Highsmith, opening in Vancouver soon (not sure if you are in town...? K. Working on a piece about itAllan MacInnishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05394301776870727673noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762075.post-45159645177432491032012-03-12T17:21:43.281-07:002012-03-12T17:21:43.281-07:00I don't mind waiting a week for the next episo...I don't mind waiting a week for the next episode, but yeah, it's nice to have a bunch of them on DVD and just binge.<br /><br />You've pointed out another problem I have with TV shows: the uneven quality. The first season is usually not nearly as good as what comes later, since they're still feeling their way and trying to find their stride, but you can't just start with Season 2 because you'll be completely lost.<br /><br />Yet another problem is the episodic quality. It's like comic books: there are rules you have to follow. You know that certain characters aren't going to die, nothing really big is going to happen, because they must return to the status quo by the end of the episode.<br /><br />Still, I'll give <i>Dexter</i> a try at some point. It'll probably just take me forever to get around to it, like most things. I have books and DVDs on my shelf that have been there for years without being opened once.Craig D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02798473771333728151noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762075.post-89768964357021737512012-03-12T16:42:22.717-07:002012-03-12T16:42:22.717-07:00The thing with any of these new series is that the...The thing with any of these new series is that they work best if watched in giant compulsive chunks - get the DVDs of a whole season and plunge; they're practically designed to be watched thus (one hour per week makes no real sense). I hadn't known this phenomenon with any form of cinema or TV before, but with these Showtime/AMC series - Dexter, Deadwood, and Breaking Bad are the three I've consumed this way - there's this strong compulsion to watch one more, then one more, then one more... I've found myself still awake at 7am having watched 8 Dexters in a row. If you are at ALL addictive by nature, you may surprise yourself by doing the same...<br /><br />Also re: Dexter, they're actually kind of uneven. Season one is relatively tame, but probably essential to establish the characters, season two is the strongest of them, season three (with Jimmy Smits as the guest star) the weakest; then season four (with John Lithgow) and five (with Stiles) are about equally good, almost on par with season two... If at all possible see the whole thing in sequence...Allan MacInnishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05394301776870727673noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762075.post-36099115293205654232012-03-12T13:50:22.056-07:002012-03-12T13:50:22.056-07:00I still haven't seen Dexter, although several ...I still haven't seen Dexter, although several people have brought him up in conversations when I mention the Ripley books. TV shows are daunting for me, because there's just so much material. I have a hard enough time sitting through two hours of a film, let alone half a dozen seasons of a show. Still, I should at least watch the pilot or something. It sounds interesting.Craig D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02798473771333728151noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762075.post-49433895074035287352012-03-11T19:29:50.334-07:002012-03-11T19:29:50.334-07:00I see the truth in what you say! The recent versio...I see the truth in what you say! The recent version of Cry of the Owl is still by far my favourite Highsmith. After seeing that, I was quite delighted to watch Julia Stiles as Lumen in Dexter, Season 5...Allan MacInnishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05394301776870727673noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8762075.post-53272154447354449122012-03-09T15:04:47.389-08:002012-03-09T15:04:47.389-08:00I commented on your Cry of the Owl review awhile b...I commented on your <i>Cry of the Owl</i> review awhile back, and didn't even see that you also covered <i>Ripley's Game</i> here. I need to pay more attention.<br /><br /><i>Ripley's Game</i> may be more faithful than <i>The American Friend</i> in plot, but I think the latter is far more faithful in spirit.<br /><br />Malkovich's Ripley is faithful on the surface: he's rich and upper class, wears nice clothes, and appreciates fine food, music, and culture. But the similarities with Highsmith's Ripley end there: her Tom is a polite and likable man who detests violence and considers it a last resort, while Malkovich is a smug and insulting prick, and a total psychopath who commits unnecessary murders every chance he gets. At one point he threatens to kill everyone on a passenger train if his wristwatch breaks; this is Hannibal Lecter, not Tom Ripley.<br /><br />Dennis Hopper's Ripley in <i>The American Friend</i> is the exact opposite. The surface details are different: he wears a denim jacket and cowboy hat, only appreciates art as a financial investment, eats Cork Flakes, and lives in dilapidated old mansion with a pool table and jukebox. But he gets the character right: he's polite and courteous, quietly and subtly menacing instead of overtly psychopathic, distant and sociopathic but occasionally feeling the slightest pull of guilt and longing for companionship. He nails it.<br /><br />I don't want to sound too harsh toward <i>Ripley's Game</i>, since I find it to be an enjoyable movie. But like the Matt Damon film, I can only enjoy it after completely removing the book from my mind, or else I'll spend the entire running time shaking my head in wonder at how the screenwriters could have so badly misunderstood the character. And regardless of the portrayal of Ripley, <i>The American Friend</i> is just a better film, from the acting to the writing, directing, and music. It's great where <i>Ripley's Game</i> is merely good.Craig D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02798473771333728151noreply@blogger.com