Manohla D. At Her Bitchiest
I’ve never been a fan of New York Times movie critic Manohla Dargis — known in my circle as “Manolo Blahnik,” even though Manolo’s stilettos are much sharper than Manohla’s pen. Dargis not only has a tin ear, but her putdowns lack esprit: they don’t even have the wit to wound. Her condescension is no fun; witness today’s review of “Revolutionary Road,” starring Kate and Leo (pictured). Of the movie’s helmer, Sam Mendes, Manolo writes: ‘Mr. Mendes, a British theater director and occasional dabbler in the movies — “American Beauty,†“Road to Perdition,†“Jarhead†— seems like a bad choice to take on “Revolutionary Road,†though not because of a lack of talent.’ To call Mendes a dabbler in the movies is simply absurd. Not only did he win an Oscar his first trip out, but he has directed five movies, and produced even more. Almost any director in the world would love to be such a “dabbler”!
