SAM MENDES
I watched American Beauty. Again. I will never tire of this particular film. I chose to listen to director Sam Mendes’ audio commentary throughout the film this time, and it was fascinating. With the pending release of Jarhead, I wanted to refresh my memory about Mendes’ very specific visual style. Although I did not love his last film, Road to Perdition, the cinematography was quite stunning, and almost overshadowed the performances. The trailer for Jarhead is perfectly framed by Kanye West’s Jesus Walks, addictive enough for a quick purchase on iTunes.