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Lonesome Dove (1989)
A Masterpiece.
There has been so much praise lavished on this mini sereis that it seems pointless to add another one. But here goes.
This Mini Series is based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel by the texas novelist Larry McMurtry. He also wrote The Last Picture Show and Terms of Endearment, both adapted very successfully for the big screen. Although he was not involved in the Lonesome Dove screenplay he did go on to adapt one sequel and two prequels with some success. He also wrote the co wrore the screenplay for Brokeback Mountain for which he received an oscar.
Lonesome Dove started life as a screenplay worked on by McMurtry and director Peter Bogdanovich. They had hoped Henry Fonda and Joihn Wayne would play the two main characters but Wayne would not sign up. He felt it was an end of the west type western and he was not ready for that. McMurtry then expanded the screenplay into the novel we now know.
As the mini series plays out it stays very true to the novel. For a long expansive book it is unusual that so very few changes are made. This would not have been possible if adapted for the big screen.
Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones have never been better,. On one of the box sets Duvall describes it as The Godfather of westerns and he should know. In the supporting cast Diane Lane, Robert Urich, Huston, Forrest and all are amazing . There is not a poor performance here.
It is rare that a great book is turned into a great movie(and this is just a long movie) but this is one.
Seberg (2019)
Flawed but worth seeing.
Having read some of the poor reviews for this movie I went with low expectations. The movie is flawed but it is not nearly as poor as some of the reviews would have us believe. The movie started out with St. Joan, directed in 1957 by Otto Preminger, a movie that left her scarred both mentally and physically. However it did nothing to explain her popularity in France or her work with Goddard. That, I think should be essential in any movie about Seberg.
Next problem off course is the movies coverage of the FBI surveillance. Why it had to invent a sympathetic FBI agent is hard to understand.
Which brings me to why this movie is worth seeing. Kristen Stewart gives an outstanding central performance as Seberg. Forget that she does not look like her. A lookalike doing a Seberg impersonation would have been a disaster. This will be recognized in time as one of the performances of her career.
The supporting cast are all fine. Go and see it for yourself and don't let the reviews put you off.