Capote

I was going to see this three separate times while it was still in the theaters, but none of them worked out, so I guess the 4th time is a charm. We watched this last night for Movie Night. If you didn't know, this movie is about Truman Capote, who was an actual author. Some parts of the movie might make more sense to you if you didn't know this earlier. Parts of it can be a little slow and some of the things that Capote does and says just don't seem to fit. At least not for a ficticious character. This movie happens to be about his most famous publication, In Cold Blood. It's about a family in Kansas that was brutally killed in their home. The movie chronicles Capote befriending the killers, all the while trying to get research for his book. It's amazing to watch him manipulate people and situations while trying to get information. It reminded me a bit of The United States of Leland and The Chumscrubber in how a character is "befriending" someone just to get a story. In the same way, Capote pretends to be friends with the killers, while at the same time wishing they would just be executed so he could finish his book. The part of Truman Capote is played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, who I have always found to be just amazing. The two killers are played by Mark Pellegrino (The Big Lebowski) and Clifton Collins Jr. (Tigerland, The Last Castle, Replacement Killers). Chris Cooper is also in here as the police chief and Catherine Keener as Harper Lee, Capote's friend. The movie can be a bit slow in parts, but it's really good if you can stick it out til the end. I personally, had never realized how influential Capote was. I want to read some of his books. After the movie, Adrienne brought up that Capote was mentioned in the movie 10 Things I Hate About You. In the classroom somebody says, "Capote" with a long 'o' sound and the teacher corrects them with the proper pronunciation. I had completely forgotten about that. I guess there's a movie I need to re-watch. The movie also ended with some general information about Capote and the rest of his life following the book. There was one quote I really liked - "More tears are shed over answered prayers than unanswered ones."