This isn't writing, this is typing!

It was certainly something of a shock to me when, at some point, I learned that Truman Capote was somebody important in the world of literature, and not just the weird, whiny-voiced guy with the cape on Hollywood Squares (where he thankfully was outweirded routinely by Paul Lynde and Rip Taylor, which may have helped preserve whatever dignity he had left -- but what kinda backstage party must that threesome have made!).

Anyway, I have not yet had the opportunity to read In Cold Blood, but having seen the absolutely masterful film Capote (for which Phillip Seymour Hoffman was deservedly awarded a Golden Globe nomination today) it is rapidly moving to the top of the list. I am surprised the movie itself did not get nominated, as the film is absolutely stunning, the antithesis of American film in the 21st century: quiet, thoughtful, character-driven, and still resonates weeks after seeing it.

Roughly covering the period of time between the murders that inspire Capote's book and the ultimate completion and publication of the finished work, Capote presents an incredible character study of the author, made absolutely real by Hoffman's astounding performance. He absolutely disappears into Capote's skin, as he does in every role he takes on, and stakes a claim to being the best character actor working in film today.

The key to the film is the amazing symmetry between Capote's life and the life of the killer he befriends and cajoles into telliing the gruesome story: at one point he says it is as if the two of them grew up in the same house, and one day the killer walked out the back door and Capote walked out the front. Hoffman wastes no gesture, no inflection and manages to keep his subject from caricature. To date, it is the best movie of the year in my mind, and Hoffman is worthy of the highest critical and popular accolades.

Do you get the sense I like it? Dont wait, go see it while it's still in the theaters. More soon.