With her last two films Kathryn Bigelow has established herself as the most artistically successful female director of all time. The Hurt Locker (2008) earned her an Oscar, the first in the category for her gender. She subsequently made a TV movie/pilot that failed, then came back strong with Zero Dark Thirty (2012), which I caught up to last night courtesy of Netflix. She has now fulfilled the promise she showed way back in 1987 with the chilling vampire flick Near Dark. All of her work from that point until The Hurt Locker was mediocre at best, parts much better than the whole. ZDT, the hunt for and killing of Osama Bin Laden, is a whole much greater than its parts. I watched the entire film, which runs 2:37, without pause. It’s feel is authentic and objective, and it was done on a budget of only 40 million, chicken feed these days. Bigelow trusts the viewer to draw his/her own conclusions. She does not reveal a political bias. Those who objected to the depiction of torture, the suggestion that it may have been a step in the long trail that led to OBL, must be thinking of a world that should be, not the one that is. Although two women have an essential role in the chase, the film is also gender neutral. There are no obvious feminist points made. In fact, if her name were not in the credits, I’d bet 99% of viewers would think the film was made by a male. Jessica Chastain is outstanding in the lead. I hope she continues to find and stick with the serious roles she has taken on so far in her short career. The only drawback, if indeed it is one, is way the raid is shot. Bigelow chose realism, not stylish film noir-like contrasts in lighting. Many shots are not clear. She collaborated with screenwriter Mark Boal on both her major works. On a scale of five, four. It is rated 7.5 of ten at IMDb. Kudos, Kathryn. I experienced some troubling dreams this morning. I was walking along the edge of the curb, as far away from other pedestrians as possible, suspicious of them all. It may have been engendered by reports of foiled terrorist plots as well as the film. We don't know who among us is plotting evil.
There is brutal news out of the literary world. Vince Flynn, only 47, has succumbed to prostate cancer. His 14 thrillers have all made the New York Times Best Sellers list. Some reached number one. All but one feature Mitch Rapp as the main character. CBS is producing a movie based on American Assassin. His first novel, Term Limits, was self-published. He hawked it himself in his home state, Minnesota. Well done, sir. RIP.
What a glorious day, clear, cool. I didn't sell any books but I got to see one of my favorites, lovely young Alisa, who was carrying a parasol to protect her alabaster skin. A hug and a kiss made up for the lack of sales. She is working for a start-up in the medical field, recruiting clients. So far it's doing well. Best of luck, sweetie.
I ran out of honey mustard at lunch time. I use it as a topping for Ali Baba's delicious chicken wrap as well. When Waj operated the stand, before he moved up to manager, he carried a secret Turkish concoction of his mom's, which I loved. By luck, he'd dropped some off today. Yum.
Vic's 4th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/bszwlxh
Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic's Website: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/
Vic's Short Story Collection (Print or Kindle): http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/6b86st6
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tiny.cc/94t5h
Vic's Screenplay on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3
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