What Is This Thing Called Love?

June 11, 2016 2:06 PM

"There’s no way to know whether Kitty is feeling something or simply manipulating her audience into feeling something, and whether that distinction even matters becomes arguable at a certain point—precisely what Infamous is about. " - for Scene Routes, Mike D'Angelo talks about the opening scene to Infamous.
posted by The Whelk (14 comments total)

God, how I love the Scenic Routes series (obviously), and this was a prime example of why.
posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 2:13 PM on June 11, 2016

Huh. That's pretty interesting. I'll sheepishly admit I haven't yet gotten around to either Capote biopic, but this certainly makes me want to check-out Infamous soon.
posted by Thorzdad at 2:27 PM on June 11, 2016

(Whispering) Infamous feels truer to Capote's character and embraces some of the more embarassing to a mainstream audience things like his feyness as a weapon and the overt sexuality that Capote kinda tones down and gets So Bloody Serious About.
posted by The Whelk at 2:30 PM on June 11, 2016 [1 favorite]

This is great -- I remember watching the scene and feeling disturbed/unnerved because I couldn't decide whether Kitty was sincere or simply manufacturing the moment for the drama. Turns out that was the whole point.
posted by mochapickle at 2:45 PM on June 11, 2016

I thought this was going to be cat science.
posted by srboisvert at 2:58 PM on June 11, 2016 [9 favorites]

OK, so now I fell down a Peggy Lee rabbit hole...
posted by mumimor at 3:34 PM on June 11, 2016

What a terrific scene, and a very convincing analysis (though I never saw the movie)—thanks for the post!
posted by languagehat at 5:53 PM on June 11, 2016

It's a tremendous scene, and it also made me think that Capote himself felt a kindred spirit in this character of Kitty. The fact that she's never in the movie again is a brilliant move.
posted by xingcat at 7:17 PM on June 11, 2016

One of my favorite scenes in any movie. IMO, Infamous one beats out Capote hands down for memorability and re-watchability... such great characters all around.
posted by pjenks at 7:47 PM on June 11, 2016

I've had this argument with people and while Capote is a better technical, this will win best picture movie sense, it felt like it could've been about any journalist. Infamous, for all its flaws, really feels like it's about Truman Capote and al the things we think are super embarrassing or too camp now. It doesn't feel quite so fagwashed, so to speak.

Plus Lee pace and Daniel Craig are sexually menacing.
posted by The Whelk at 9:46 PM on June 11, 2016

I am down for being sexually menaced by Ronan the Accuser & James Bond & Pepper Potts, maaaaaybe Armin Zola not so much.
posted by nicebookrack at 11:37 PM on June 11, 2016

I've not seen Infamous, but this is one of the cleverest twists on Left the BGM On that I've seen. The credits are bopping along with Paltrow as pleasantly distracting background scenery until suddenly she turns into a real character/person for a second. She's breaking the rules!

I kinda want to read Kitty fanfic now.

And I am pleased to have a new Paltrow mini-song to groove to, as I am among the humans who have paid real iTunes money for her songs off the Duets soundtrack.
posted by nicebookrack at 12:05 AM on June 12, 2016

Infamous one beats out Capote hands down for memorability and re-watchability... such great characters all around.

D'Angelo is pretty dismissive of what I remember to be a fine film. Toby Jones is excellent as ever, and Sandra Bullock is a revelation. Her depiction of Harper Lee has a weight and texture to it that I didn't think Bullock was capable of.

Two thumbs up.
posted by devious truculent and unreliable at 11:54 AM on June 12, 2016 [1 favorite]

This reminds me of the scene in Shame where Carey Mulligan sings "New York New York."
posted by BibiRose at 6:14 AM on June 13, 2016