Inherent Vice

This is sort of like a massive, long, rambling 'Chinatown', but set in the 1970s. I found it hard to get ingrossed in this, partly due to the lack of quick pacing, and the fact that people kept wandering in and out of the cinema. It makes a good argument for the return of the interval, part-way through longer films. The soundtrack was pretty good, with bits of Can in it, and Belladonna has a small role, which is course tremendous. I like the sheer gall of a director making a film out of something that's so un-dynamic.

I thought this was a waste of a lot of talent (both in the cast and the director) and an early 70s LA setting. It was for the most part quite dull, although it did have a few good moments and Josh Brolin was great fun to watch. I can't imagine a more boring use of Michael K. Williams and Benicio Del Toro however. Unlike other sprawling LA stories like Chinatown or the Big Lebowski, it was neither funny or clever enough to keep me entertained.

I watched an interview with the director, courtesy of a link from Mr. Muddy Spear, and it reminded me of all the funny bits in the film, as well as how much of it I'd forgotten. While I agree with the learned Mr. Spear that there are other PTA films that I like more, I'd still say it's a good film overall.