R.I.P. Curtis Hanson - by henke
henke on 21/9/2016 at 08:24
Curtis Hanson started out as a horror-movie director in the 70's and 80's. In the 90's he made a couple of fine thrillers, The Hand That Rocks The Cradle, and The River Wild. I remember that we watched the latter in my highschool, and I enjoyed it greatly. However, it wasn't until the late 90's that Curtis' output got
really good. In 1997 and 2000, back to back, the guy directed 2 of my favourite movies. LA Confidential and Wonder Boys. You all know about LA Confidential, but I feel like Wonder Boys isn't as well know. The story of it plays out over a few days, and follows a teacher/struggling writer(Michael Douglas), his agent(Robert Downey Jr), his lover(Frances McDormand), and his star-pupil (Tobey Maguire). It's one of those "hangout movies", as Tarantino refers to them, where you watch it more to hang out with the characters than for the story. And the soundtrack is great. Packed with Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, and even an original(and (
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4zlA6NoSVE) really good) Bob Dylan tune. I've watched this movie probably 10-15 times, it's great.
So rest in peace, Curtis Hanson.
And as for the rest of you, maybe go watch Wonder Boys! I think you might like it.
Queue on 23/9/2016 at 04:12
Damn, it's been a tough year.
Wonder Boys is a true gem, and is well at the top of my list of all-time favorite movies; as well as being one of those rare instances where the film is truly much, much better than the book. For those with a keen eye, be on the lookout for all the bridge symbolism peppered throughout.
(Edit: It's still surprising the number of people whom have never heard of this film. Dylan won the Academy Award that year for 'Things Have Changed' off the soundtrack for Chrissake!)
[video=youtube;L9EKqQWPjyo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9EKqQWPjyo[/video]
