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Capote Review

#1
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3/9/06 at 2:45pm
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Hi gang,

I do plan on reviewing Capote, but I have been informed that there has been a backlog of requests for screeners and they're not sure when one will be available (I actually requested it a week ago, and they were already backed up).

They did offer to send a test disc, but I thanked them and let them know that you guys would prefer to wait in order to get a review of the actual release disc.

I'll let you know when they send it. In the meantime, hang in there!

"How wonderful it will be to have a leader unburdened by the twin horrors of knowledge and experience." -- Mr. Wick

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#2
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3/9/06 at 7:27pm
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a couple of stores here in nyc have it already so the review should be up by now and some peeps here should have it
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#3
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3/10/06 at 10:13am
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I haven't seen the actual DVD. However, I saw the film twice during its theatrical run (which I rarely do these days).

Bottom line: Philip Seymour Hoffman (whom I met a couple of years ago in New York) is astounding, as are both Chris Cooper and Catherine Keener. The film itself it quite unlike anything else that was released last year. It's somewhat downbeat mood will not appeal to everyone. However, for anyone who has ever been remotely interested in the journalistic process, you will be blown away. I highly recommend Capote for its internal sense of truth and the masterful way in which it was constructed. As much as I enjoyed the Best Picture winnder of this year, Crash, Capote is the greater work of art, IMHO.
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#4
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3/10/06 at 10:46am
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While I didn't think it was a bad film, it didn't do much for me personally. And I do find journalistic stuff interesting.
Put in the scope of the Best Picture nominees, I had it tied for my least favorite with Crash. Brokeback and Munich were pretty much tied for my favorite.

I may give this another chance on DVD at a later date.

My DVD, Blu-Ray and HD DVD Collection @ DVDSpot

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#5
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3/22/06 at 2:17pm
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Bought the DVD blindly and watched it today.

Utterly mesmerizing film! Hoffman is outstanding.
His Best Actor award was well deserved.

I watched two of the three featurettes on this disc
and was surprised to learn that IN COLD BLOOD was the
start of Capote's downfall. I think nothing was ever
the same for him since the release of the book.

This is a MUST SEE film!
Ronald J Epstein
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#6
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3/22/06 at 3:43pm
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Well said Ron. I agree with everything you said. I actually went and bought a copy of In Cold Blood today to read as a result of watching this excellent film.
Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus.
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#7
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3/22/06 at 4:09pm
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I heard that since the Oscar win, In Cold Blood is back on the bestseller lists.

Review to come. . .

"How wonderful it will be to have a leader unburdened by the twin horrors of knowledge and experience." -- Mr. Wick

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#8
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3/22/06 at 5:53pm
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I bought the book as a result of the movie. To Kill a Mockingbird as well.

Luckily, right at that moment, an unconscious Argentinean fell through my roof.

He was quickly joined by a dwarf dressed as a nun.

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#9
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3/22/06 at 7:01pm
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My local wallyworld had Capote in a twinpack together with In Cold Blood a week ahead of street date for $19.95--I never get this lucky.

This was a blind buy for me as well and am very happy with it. Normally on Tuesdays I'll scan thru the extras but not actually watch the movie as I have to get up too early for work. I watched a couple of the docs and decided to just watch the first half hour or so of the movie--couldn't stop watching, didn't even pause for potty breaks.

Hoffman was so good I might even wanna see MI-3 just because he's in it.

Steve S.
I prefer not to push the subwoofers until they\'re properly run in.

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#10
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3/22/06 at 9:26pm
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Quote:
This is a MUST SEE film!
I agree wholeheartedly. I even saw this twice during its theatrical run, which I NEVER do anymore. I just had to see Hoffman's performance again on the big screen. Absolutely amazing.
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#11
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3/22/06 at 10:21pm
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Quote:
This is a MUST SEE film!
Ditto. Screw the Brokeback/Crash brouhaha - of the five Oscar Best Picture nominees, this is the one I would have voted for if I was in the Academy.

I also bought & read "In Cold Blood" after seeing Capote. Pure brilliance.
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#12
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3/23/06 at 1:19am
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I haven't seen Brokeback yet, but I think
that Capote is a far better film than Crash.

Who knew Hoffman had this in him? I mean, I have
seen him play these oddball parts before and thought
nothing of his performance. He's always been praised
by critics, but yet none of his films have ever stood
out. It's kind of neat to see an underdog like him
win a BEST ACTOR award.

As for the DVD, I never thought it looked that great.
It has a purposely dated look to it. The outdoor
establishing location shots have brief appearances of
dirt/splotches in them. It's hard to judge the transfer
quality on a DVD like this only because you are dealing
with subject matter that is not supposed to look pristine.
Ronald J Epstein
Home Theater Forum co-owner
Email me at: repstein@hometheaterforum.com 
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#13
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3/23/06 at 6:12am
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It's funny, because Capote did little for me. I saw all 5 Best picture nominees, and I think I'd tie Capote with Crash for least enjoyable or moving. Not that Capote wasn't made well-it is a quality film. It just did nothing for me. I've never been a huge Hoffman fan, so maybe that has something to do with it.

If anything, the Best Picture battle should have been between Brokeback and Munich.

I may give Capote another chance on DVD, but not sure when. I will say that theatrically, it looked very moody and grainy, which I'm sure was intended.

My DVD, Blu-Ray and HD DVD Collection @ DVDSpot

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#14
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3/23/06 at 6:46am
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Ron,

Glad to hear that you liked Capote. I enjoyed the film, but didn't love it, but since I saw it theatrically, I have read Capote's book "In Cold Blood", and watched the original film based on the book. Both are worth doing if you have the time.

Now, I have a renewed interest to revisit the film, and will be doing so this weekend.
"Shoot a few scenes out of focus. I want to win the foreign film award."
Billy Wilder

"This business has come a long way in the last 30 years, but why should I depress you"
I.A.L. Diamond on the Movie Business (1986)
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#15
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3/23/06 at 8:02am
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Quote:
While I didn't think it was a bad film, it didn't do much for me personally.


I watched it last night and that is where I am.

Hoffman was great, and the film was well shot, but it really didn't do much for me. I would have probably been more interested in a documentary on Capote's life, more about his whole career than just this one segment.

I did like it a lot more than CRASH. But then again, I liked just about every film last year more than CRASH.

It is well worth seeing, but I would advise against blind buying it as I can't see a lot of replay value for it.
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#16
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3/23/06 at 8:59am
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Quote:
It's hard to judge the transfer quality on a DVD like this only because you are dealing with subject matter that is not supposed to look pristine.


Tell me about it!!!

"How wonderful it will be to have a leader unburdened by the twin horrors of knowledge and experience." -- Mr. Wick

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#17
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3/23/06 at 9:40am
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I'm confused by this thread.

Why is the subject matter of Capote not supposed to look pristine?

The film was photographed on several different emulsions of 35mm Eastman negative stock by cinematographer Adam Kimmel, with a Moviecam compact and Cooke S4 lenses.

The format was Super 35.

The screener that I viewed looked pristine.

Is there something wrong with the release version?

RAH

"All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible. This I did."  T.E. Lawrence

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#18
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3/23/06 at 10:30am
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Rah,

It's going to be difficult to debate
this issue with someone of your expertise,
so I am ready to be corrected where I may
be wrong.

I just felt that the film didn't stand out
looking as (for lack of a better word) "glossy"
as many of today's films.

I stated above that I didn't feel this was
the fault of the transfer but more of a
purposeful "look" that was probably given to
a dated story.
Ronald J Epstein
Home Theater Forum co-owner
Email me at: repstein@hometheaterforum.com 
To View My Massive DVD Collection Click Here
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#19
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3/23/06 at 11:01am
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I'll have to take a look at a release DVD.

I read the word "pristine" in terms of clean.

There is a wonderful article on the photography of Capote in the October issue of American Cinematographer.

RAH

"All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible. This I did."  T.E. Lawrence

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#20
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3/23/06 at 11:37am
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Don't care for Capote at all. Hoffmann was great, but it's an acting stunt, doing a voice and a walk. The movie revealed little about Capote, or about the process of writing the book. Its biggest dramatic moment is a direct ripoff of the book and movie of "In Cold Blood," the flashback visualization of the murders.
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#21
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3/23/06 at 1:50pm
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Quote:
The screener that I viewed looked pristine.



You didn't see any print flaws on the DVD? I noticed a bunch of them - Capote was significantly dirtier than I'd expect for a brand-new movie. I thought it was a "C+" transfer...

Colin Jacobson
http://www.DVDMG.com

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#22
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3/23/06 at 1:57pm
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Colin,

Look at post #12

I noticed the dirt and splotches -- especially in the
outside location establishing shots.
Ronald J Epstein
Home Theater Forum co-owner
Email me at: repstein@hometheaterforum.com 
To View My Massive DVD Collection Click Here
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#23
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3/23/06 at 3:27pm
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Not only is the print they used dirty, but also I noticed a techincal glitch. I played the DVD on two players in my house and noticed that both times the english subtitles started automatically. Does anybody else have this problem? It's not terribly annoying, but still... It's a fantastic movie, but the DVD isn't that great.
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#24
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3/23/06 at 8:23pm
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I noticed some dirt on the film, as Ron said mostly in the outdoor scenes at the beginning of the movie. Did not have the subtitle problem on either a Samsung HD-850 or my trusty Sony changer.

Steve S.
I prefer not to push the subwoofers until they\'re properly run in.

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#25
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3/24/06 at 7:46am
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Quote:
Colin,

Look at post #12

I noticed the dirt and splotches -- especially in the
outside location establishing shots.


But I wasn't questioning you, Ron - I was questioning Robert Harris since he said he thought the image was pristine...

Colin Jacobson
http://www.DVDMG.com

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#26
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3/24/06 at 8:30am
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I watched Capote last night and also noticed the dirty print issues that others have mentioned. There is also some pretty intrusive haloing going on in some of the backlit outside scenes, particularly in those shots that include tree branches against the overcast sky. A few of the scenes showing men in black suits walking down hallways also show some pretty severe halos. Other scenes look great. A very uneven transfer IMO.

Careful man! There's a beverage here!

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#27
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3/24/06 at 8:33am
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Quote:
There is a wonderful article on the photography of Capote in the October issue of American Cinematographer.
I *love* Capote's cinematography, and think that it deserved an Oscar nomination for it. One of the most beautifully photographed films of last year in my opinion.

Careful man! There's a beverage here!

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#28
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3/24/06 at 8:53am
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Quote:
But I wasn't questioning you, Ron - I was questioning Robert Harris since he said he thought the image was pristine...

Colin, I am aware of that.

I was merely agreeing with you.
Ronald J Epstein
Home Theater Forum co-owner
Email me at: repstein@hometheaterforum.com 
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#29
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3/24/06 at 9:23am
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I stand corrected, and will be acquiring a copy of the release disc today.

I had viewed a single layer copy several months ago, and lost the dirt, which appears to be firmly attached to the interpositive, in with some digital noise.

Not a pretty picture.

RAH

"All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible. This I did."  T.E. Lawrence

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#30
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3/24/06 at 9:40am
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Quote:
I stated above that I didn't feel this was the fault of the transfer but more of a purposeful "look" that was probably given to a dated story.
If I can toss in my $.02 here. I saw the movie twice during its theatrical run. The entire look of the film, with its somber muted yellow and brown tones and dark look is most likely entirely intentional. Now, I have not viewed the DVD yet (although I've purchased it), so I cannot say for certain that the DVD is an accurate representation of the film. However, I'm guessing that at least some of the complaints leveled against the picture quality may be due to the intended look.
Quote:
Hoffmann was great, but it's an acting stunt, doing a voice and a walk. The movie revealed little about Capote, or about the process of writing the book.
I'm sorry but I couldn't disagree more. I do not pretend to know Hoffman, but I did meet him two-and-a-half years ago after watching him from front row in a play in which he appeared on Broadway. I do not think that this is an acting stunt, IMHO. He resisted taking ths role until he felt he could do justice to the real Capote. Hoffman is not pulling a Rich Little here. He delivers a truly amazing portrayal of the real life enigma that was Truman Capote.
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