“Ripley."

-

“Ripley” Netflix) neo-noir psychological thriller, written and directed by Steven Zaillian, based on Patricia Highsmith's 1955 crime novel “The Talented Mr. Ripley.” Story: In New York in 1960, Tom Ripley is a down-at-the-heels con-man. Unaware of his situation, a wealthy man hires him to convince his prodigal son to return home from Italy. But Tom's introduction to Dickie Greenleaf's comfortable and leisurely life abroad turns out to be "the first step into a complex life of deceit, fraud and murder.” 



       I saw 1999's “The Talented Mr. Ripley” Anthony Minghella, starring Matt Damon as Tom Ripley, and Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Cate Blanchett, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. (There was a 1960 French version, starring Alain Delon.) Characters are minimized in “Ripley” but the thriller storytelling remains.

       “Ripley” series gained critical praise for its writing, directing, craftsmanship, and performances, particularly for Andrew Scott as Tom Ripley. At the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards, the 8-episode series received 14 nominations, including Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series and acting nods for Mr Scott and Dakota Fanning, and won 4, including Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for Steven Zaillian. Mr Zaillian received several awards and nominations from the Oscars, Golden Globes and BAFTA for his writing: Schindler's List, Awakenings, Gangs of New York, Moneyball, The Irishman. 

       This time, the depth and sensitivity of Steven's craft as screenplay writer flourished in full albeit intimate regalia with the black and white treatment of “Ripley.” It'd seem like we are watching a polaroid album of moving pictures. Robert Elswit's cinematography meticulously navigated David Gropman's grainy, detailed production design. Old Italy is viewed as poetry. 

       Mr Elswit is known for his work with Paul Thomas Anderson, notably 2007's “There Will Be Blood,” from which he won an Academy award. Mr Gropman's best gems are 1999's “The Cider House Rules” by Lasse Hallstrom, and 2012's “Life of Pi” by Ang Lee. 🎥👍📽

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

“Mayor of Kingstown." Season 3.

-
Image
“Mayor of Kingstown” (Paramount+) Season 3, crime thriller . Kingstown, Michigan , is a fictional company town where the business is incarceration. The McLusky family kept the peace (sort of) in Kingstown for decades, acting as the mediators between the street gangs, prisoners, guards, and cops.         Intrigue: Does a “mayor” of this vein actually exist? A power broker and gangland negotiator or “shot caller” who could be more powerful than a non-fiction Mayor? Maybe.         But never mind. This is TVland. Just enjoy but don't be too queasy with the “macho maddafucqa” language. These guys are hardened inmates, battle-weary cops, hellbound gangsters and narcos monsters, exasperated DAs, and the likes.         Jeremy Renner is Mike McLusky, caught between no way out evil and vulnerability in the crossroads. His spunk and grit are an unfailing gladiator armor but his...
Read more

MOVIES That I Just Saw: “Dream Scenario.” / “Arizona.”

-
Image
“Dream Scenario” (2023, Amazon Prime) dark comedy fantasy film written and directed by Norwegian filmmaker Kristoffer Borgli , and starring Nicolas Cage. I didn't know who Mr Borgli was until this fine movie reminded me of Mr Cage in 2002's “Adaptation.”        This movie received positive reviews and was nominated for awards including a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for Nicolas Cage .        Plot take off: Sophie, a teenage girl, has a dream in which a man is raking leaves by a swimming pool. As Sophie starts floating up to the sky, she cries for help from this man whom she calls Dad. Her father, Paul Matthews (Nic) is a professor of evolutionary biology at a local university. The story threads into the same “dream scenario” plot point.         Nic carries on with his usual brand of oblique comedy: Stutters, cluelessness, wrinkled fore...
Read more

“Toxic Town."

-
Image
“Toxic Town” (Netflix) British drama miniseries , follows the story of three mothers involved in the Corby toxic waste case , which was a London court case that was decided in 2009. The Corby Borough Council was found liable in negligence , public nuisance and a breach of statutory duty for its reclamation of a Corby Steelworks in the town of Corby , Northamptonshire , between 1985 and 1997.          The landmark decision was historically significant as the first in the world to establish a link between atmospheric toxic waste and birth defects – all previous cases have involved water pollution – and held implications for other council reclamation programmes and the methods of conducting reclamation in England and Wales.        The case easily reminds us of Erin Brockovich and the 2000 movie that chronicled Erin's legal fight against Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) in the early 1990s involv...
Read more