journal features

movie review - Get Shorty

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-seven years and one million words

Toronto, 1998.01.08

This flick suffered from "I read the book" syndrome in that I spent some time debating with myself on their choices for actors, etc (overall - good). It was a good adaptation, but it seems the directors/writers couldn't resist throwing in the 90s Latino gangster element, for no obvious reason. Also, they changed the whole ending to include the actual filming of the supposed "Get Shorty", which sidelines the whole loony aspect of the book.

Not recommended.

rand()m quote

Immature poets imitate mature poets steal bad poets deface what they take and good poets make it into something better or at least something different. The good poet welds his theft into a whole of feeling which is unique utterly different than that from which it is torn the bad poet throws it into something which has no cohesion. A good poet will usually borrow from authors remote in time or alien in language or diverse in interest.

—T.S. Eliot