Another in a long string of well-made, well-acted biopics whose subjects are creative thinkers, but which offer no insight into the creative process, Capote focuses on the few years in the early 1960s that innovative author Truman Capote spent delving into a small-town quadruple murder—even befriending one of the suspects—for his landmark book In Cold Blood. Philip Seymour Hoffman gives a virtuoso Golden Globe-winning and Oscar-winning performance that captures the writer's upper-crusty, effeminate mannerisms and squeaky lisp without turning him into a caricature. But if you're looking for insights into Capote's narrative gifts, that level of character exploration isn't found here (in fact, the closest Capote comes to illustrating how the author transformed investigative journalism—breaking entirely new literary ground—is to offer a few shots of the writer sitting at his typewriter, followed by phone calls in which his publisher and friends tells him the manuscript is "brilliant!" and "astonishing!"). Ultimately, Capote—which costars Catherine Keener, Chris Cooper, and Clifton Collins Jr.—spins an enlightening yarn about Capote the man, but unfortunately provides little illumination into what makes him worthy of a movie about his life. Recommended, overall. [Note: DVD extras include two audio commentaries (one with costar Philip Seymour Hoffman and director Bennett Miller; the other with Miller and cinematographer Adam Kimmel), a pair of “making-of” featurettes (the 19-minute “Defining a Style” and 17-minute “Concept to Script”), the biographical featurette “Truman Capote: Answered Prayers” (7 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a fine extras package for one of 2005's best films.] (R. Blackwelder)[Blu-ray Review—Feb. 19, 2009—Sony, 2 discs, 248 min., R, $54.95—Making their first appearance on Blu-ray, 2005's Capote and 1967's In Cold Blood both boast good transfers and feature Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtracks. Blu-ray extras on Capote are identical to the previous DVD release, including two audio commentaries (one with star Philip Seymour Hoffman and director Bennett Miller; the other with Miller and cinematographer Adam Kimmel), a pair of behind-the-scenes featurettes (the 19-minute “Defining a Style” and 17-minute “Concept to Script”), the biographical featurette “Truman Capote: Answered Prayers” (7 min.), and trailers. No extras are included for In Cold Blood (just as with the DVD release). Bottom line: an excellent idea for a two-fer, this double-disc set looks good in Blu, and saves shelf space.]
Capote
Sony, 114 min., R, DVD: $28.99, Mar. 21 Volume 21, Issue 2
Capote
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