A Time to Kill

A Time to Kill (1996)

A Time to Kill is on TV right now. I've never seen it before and I'm not really watching it right now. Years ago I wanted to read one of John Grisham's books and ATtK was handy so I picked it up but it was too upsetting so I put it aside after a few pages. Probably the wrong book to start with.

The story doesn't really interest me. One thing about this movie does surprise me though: I didn't remember when it came out but watching it tonight I was thinking 1992 or 1993. Nope, 1996. But everyone looks so young- sandra Bullock, Oliver Platt (his fat face looks so babyish), Chris Cooper, even Donald Sutherland looks fresh-faced. Hey, look, there's Dr. Chilton. Everybody's in this movie. And by the way, the judge looks just like Peter Fonda playing Tom Wolfe.

This past Thursday there was a special screening of The Exorcist, a movie I'm fascinated with. I read that William Peter Blatty won a bunch of money on You Bet Your Life and when Groucho asked what he was gonna do with it Blatty said he was gonna take a year off and write a novel. That novel was The Exorcist.

Which reminds me- I read once that Blatty became friends with Groucho Marx and the two of them came up with an idea for a prank: you know when Chris MacNeil opens the door to Father Merrin? They were gonna have Groucho wait on the other side of the door to surprise her but then they had schedule problems and couldn't work it.

As I've said here before, I love The Exorcist; it's perfectly made, and once you get past all the shocking elements it's a very sweet story about good people trying to help each other.

I believe Stanley Kubrick was interested in directing at one point but the studio was worried about the costs and headaches. That would be interesting but I'm glad it didn't happen. Nothing could be better than William Freidkin's movie.

Supposedly The Exorcist is going to be made into a mini-series. I can't see how it could be good at all. All I know is, if they're smart they won't set it in the present day. Priests aren't what they used to be.