The Hollywood Issue

There are a few things wrong with Vanity Fair; this month’s 'Hollywood' edition comes equipped with floundering pictures of glamorous female starlets, giving them an excuse to fill hundreds of extra pages with consumer marketing. Also, does anyone else go green in the face with unabashed envy whilst flicking through the 'Fairground' section? But, for all its faults, it throws out some good, if not lengthy, articles - month in, month out. I've already commended the Arizona postal system, below, but it took a while for this month's release to arrive. It isn't a magazine you can read in an hour or so, but already it's thrown up some fine pieces on Hitchcock and films made about the Vietnam War. One of my favorite films of all time, Platoon, has been mentioned, and so too has The Deer Hunter. Can anyone recall, to date, a good film made about the Iraq war? Didn't think so. Perhaps someone should give filmmakers a tap on the shoulder and remind them to wait until the war is over. Only then will true reflection be possible. With regard to classic cinematography, I've just watched Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver, a Robert DeNiro classic. If one was to ask for a plot synopsis of the film, I'd be inclined to say something along the lines of: "DeNiro’s a taxi driver, but goes a little psychopathic", adding: "but in a moral way". However, that would do the film an injustice. Rather, it's simply compelling - torn between falling in love with DeNiro's character, Travis, and hating him for his many flaws. Perhaps that's why it's so successful. I appreciate that many of my readers will have seen this film, but allow me this little indulgence.