Let It Be

Michael and I saw "The Killing of John Lennon" over the weekend at the IFC Center. Even though I know quite a bit about the subject, I was only 13 when Mark David Chapman shot and killed the former Beatle. So I was intrigued when I heard that the film was a re-enactment of events leading up to, including and immediately after the murder shot completely on location (Honolulu and Manhattan, including outside the Dakota) and was based on the actual words of Mark David Chapman culled from interviews, depositions and court transcripts. ("I was nobody until I killed the biggest somebody on earth") Despite the film's excellent production value and strong performances, I was surprised that I didn't feel particularly moved by it. Some reviews have described it as being "uncomfortable" to watch given the fact that you're essentially "inside the mind" of a nut case. But two hours of hearing Chapman in his own words just reminded me that people who do heinous things like this are crazy, sad and not particularly interesting.

My grade: B- (you're better off watching A&E's "American Justice: The John Lennon Assassination.")

One David Simon wrote a letter in yesterday's Daily News about the film asking people to boycott it because it might "inspire another tortured psycho to kill if only to make a name for himself." I'm sure Simon meant well, but shouldn't he be calling for a boycott of Jodie Foster and "The Catcher in the Rye"? They're the "dangerous," "shameful" and "completely irresponsible" motivation behind two of the 20th century's greatest assassin types, not some low-budget, art-house film. (NYT)