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Although I personally saw some similarities between the two (that is, what I can remember of "Spitfire Grill"), I only went ahead and said it because I knew it would provoke you (I love provoking people-- I just do it in a much nicer, more professional manner than most in Crankyland). You know, it isn't the themes that I thought were similar. Comparing rockets to a letter writing contest is a little bit ridiculous. It's the folksiness and the characters and the dialogue and that neatly wrapped up ending crap that I saw coming from a mile away.
If you want to know the truth, that's what put "Office Space" over the top for me-- it had a happy ending, but it still didn't turn out the way goofy films like that normally do. I mean, that movie was easily heading toward a "Trading Places" or "Waking Ned Devine" type ending and suddenly it took a completely different-- but satisfying and just-- turn for the main character.
15 minutes into both "Spitfire" and "October" I pretty much knew what was going to happen at the end. That's actually why I don't respect "Sling Blade" as much as you do. That had to be the most predictable ending I have ever seen. I just kept waiting for it to veer off in another unexpected direction, but for some reason it stayed the course. Quiet pictures can't really get away with that. If you're going to have two slow-paced, touching, methodical hours for people to sit through, you better damn well have fireworks at the end.
I'm rather glad the Academy decided to count "Sling Blade" as an adaptation that year, because I would have been very disturbed had it won Best Original Screenplay over HIGHLY unpredictable "Fargo" and runner-up "Trainspotting." Generally, I don't care who wins Best Adapted Screenplay anyway... though "Sling Blade" was certainly a much better "adapted" film than Best Picture winner "The English Patient." I do agree that Billy Bob Thorton probably deserved that acting award over Rush and this one over anyone anyone else in the field. I had to watch that mumbo-jumbo known as "Armageddon" before I truly realized how great he is-- I mean, this guy can literally play any type of character! He may be one of the best of all time.
C. F. L.
PS Where were you last week when I was trying to get you to argue with me about "Life Is Beautiful" and/or "Elizabeth" bumping "The Truman Show" and Jim Carrey out of the nominations to the detriment of the Academy? I was sure at least YOU would flame me for that one.
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