I spent much of Saturday responding to a series of interview questions. The interview will appear online in January. Links will, of course, be provided.
I also polished off my Storytellers Unplugged essay, “Not the time to rewrite your text,” which went online this morning. And wrote a review of The Black Box by Michael Connelly. A fairly solid entry in the Harry Bosch series until the deus ex machina at the end. Not even the character who took on the role of the deux could explain why s/he was there. Next up: NOS4A2 by Joe Hill.
We saw Hitchcock yesterday afternoon. Anthony Hopkins is remarkable as Hitch. At times you could close your eyes and imagine you were listening to the master of suspense. (At other times, though, he sounded like Hannibal Lecter, which was a touch disconcerting.) The weight makeup was well done. Apparently Hopkins lost weight to play the role so that he’d be in better shape to wear the fat suit. Helen Mirren was her usual strong self as Alma (though I’m starting to recognize common gestures in her performances, some of which seemed straight out of Prime Suspect). Scarlett Johansson was surprisingly good as Janet Leigh. She hasn’t always impressed me with her acting chops, but she was fine here, as was Jessica Biel as Vera Miles. James D’Arcy looked and behaved so much like a young Anthony Perkins that it was eerie. Of course, the story can have little suspense because everyone knows Psycho was made and it was a huge success, so the joy had to be in the small moments of conflict. Alma walking a fine line between friendship and flirtation with Whitfield Cook. The tension between husband and wife. The great scene between Hitch and the censor, played by Kurtwood Smith. The grace notes describing how the film was shot and put together. Recommended.
It’s hard to think of anything that was much of a surprise in the Survivor finale last night. Once Malcolm was gone, I would have bet the family fortune on Denise. Malcolm’s poor performance in the immunity challenge was unusual, but apparently he knew going into it that he was sunk. I can sympathize; I, too, can have shaky hands on occasion. The showdown between the jurors and the final three has turned into an experiment in grandstanding, though. They rarely ask questions any more. Mostly they orate or vent. And seem angry and shouty. Penner especially. I thought he was going to have a stroke. I always enjoy the reunion show. The contestants have had a chance to see themselves in action. Abi was a revelation. She seemed to have learned something about herself by watching herself. The “kiss” wasn’t scripted at all, was it? And did Skupin and Malcolm ever see the whale shark like this (see photo)? Head butting might not have seemed like such a good idea.
Dexter finished up season 7 with a literal bang. Apparently it isn’t completely certain that next season will be the last, but the producers are prepping for it as if it will be. As the end drew nigh, I thought for sure there was going to be a gunshot and a quick fade to black, so I was relieved when that didn’t happen. It was fun seeing Doakes again, and I’m very happy that Hannah survived to live (and love) another day. I suspect that Angel’s proposed retirement will be short-lived, given the events of the last few minutes. The scene between Quinn (whose character was poorly used this season) and Jamie was fun. Some actress get a lot of “eff” behind the f-word. Jennifer Carpenter’s performance has had some high notes this season—none moreso than the final showdown. Is she winning awards? If not, she should.
