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For me, The Whole Wide World is a "there" film: something I saw and didn't react to. I didn't really like it, I didn't really dislike it. It was just kind of there. It left me wanting more strongly to read a really good in-depth biography of Robert E. Howard, who created Conan (and King Kull of Atlantis, Solomon Kane, Sailor Steve Costigan and more pulpy goodness), but that's my main reaction.

The hilarious Down With Love excepted, Renee Zellweger (who plays schoolteacher Novalynn Price, a real-life friend and sorta-kinda love interest of REH) does almost nothing for me most of the time; when I saw and liked the film version of Chicago, I mentally replaced Zellweger with Charlize Theron, who was to star as Roxie Hart in an earlier attempt to film that play. (Sorry, yendi. But hey, I won't steal her from you!) I really need to see Jerry Maguire finally to see if I respond well to her there.

Vincent D'Onofrio's by far the most interesting part of the film, portraying REH as a man who seems to vibrate against the West Texas environment where he finds himself, as if he can't decide between staying there and being transported to the Hyborian Age he conceived.

I'm not surprised that screenwriter Michael Scott Myers hasn't gotten more films made; there's really nothing striking to the film's structure, as so often happens with biopics, and there's some expositional clunkiness. It's not all that interesting, the writing. I notice that director Dan Ireland produced some very striking films before this one, like Lair of the White Worm (which I've seen) and Paperhouse (which I haven't), so based on The Whole Wide World he seems more interesting as a producer than as a director. Oh well.

Maybe I'm being harsh because I've become such an REH fanboy these last few years (he was a fascinating, difficult guy! This film sort of shows that, but I want to see more!); and maybe also because I just saw the very stylish and striking and emotionally-grabbing The Illusionist, per Alicia's very strong suggestion. Wrong double feature.

Comments

( 4 comments — Leave a comment )
(Deleted comment)
chris_walsh
Jul. 1st, 2008 02:39 pm (UTC)
What little I've seen of Paperhouse makes me think I'd like it, too. (I think slipjig's also impressed with it.)
norda
Jul. 1st, 2008 01:58 pm (UTC)
I am biased, of course,but you should read BLOOD AND THUNDER: THE LIFE AND ART OF ROBERT E. HOWARD by my colleague Mark Finn, aka finnswake.

http://www.myspace.com/finns_wake
chris_walsh
Jul. 1st, 2008 02:37 pm (UTC)
I'll keep that book in mind. I've read Mark Finn's writeup in Waterfront Fists (I really like Howard's boxing stories).
norda
Jul. 1st, 2008 03:19 pm (UTC)
You can order it from me, y'know. [evil grin]
( 4 comments — Leave a comment )

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    2 Jun 2023, 17:05
    I am glad you exist and that you're choosing to blog!

    Maybe not feeling poetic is a poetic state all its own?

    Try to capture that feeling - I think that will be reflective of many folks'…
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    Glad you're surviving!
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    I think I should wait until I have something better to brag about.
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    I think it's okay to talk about your life, if you have something you want to share, even if you are doing well.
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    9 Jun 2021, 03:45
    I've been serving myself to watch this one day.
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