NOLA on screen
Chris and I recently watched the latest Grisham novel turned movie, Runaway Jury. Having enjoyed listening to it on tape several road trips ago, we were excited about it, esp. since it takes place in our neck of the woods. Well after the shock of its being about guns instead of cigarettes and its taking place in the heart of New Orleans instead of the Gulf Coast, it was very enjoyable. Just seeing three great actors--Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman, and John Cusak (how do you spell his name anyway?)--on screen together was a treat, though I think their parts could've been better developed. It wasn't the best adapted screenplay I've ever seen. I hope it didn't/doesn't get nominated for an Oscar on that account. But it has great shots of New Orleans, and I could recognize several places. Including our favorite shot: in the first few seconds of the movie the guy is driving down the highrise on I-10 going into the city, in the upper right region of the screen you can the school where Chris teaches with its red roof and long windows. Well, actually, if the movie hadn't taken place in my current hometown, I probably would've thought it was kind of boring. So much about what made the book so exciting--primarily the tension among the members of the jury--was left out.