TINKER, TAILOR Opens This Weekend

Hollywood is wringing its hands over recent box office results. According to the AP, last weekend was “dreary” and was made even worse because it came “after a relatively quiet Thanksgiving holiday at movie theaters, despite analysts’ predictions of potential holiday records because of a great lineup of films.”

Martin Scorsese’s first family movie, Hugo, based on Brian Selznick’s The Invention of Hugo Cabret, opened on Thanksgiving and ranked only third last weekend. It was in a limited number of theaters, however. According to the L.A. Times, Paramount is “rolling out the movie slowly in hopes of capitalizing on the movie’s stellar critical reviews and awards buzz.”

Opening this weekend, also with an eye towards the Oscars, is Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. While the movie is bringing renewed attention to John le Carre’s famous spy novel, it’s bringing even more to the six-hour 1979 BBC miniseries, starring Alec Guiness, now on DVD (Acorn Media). On Countdown last night, Keith Olbermann raved about it, saying he’s watched at least once every year. Not only does he love it, but, “It is to some degree playing on a permanent loop in my brain.” It also won the recommendation of critic Bob Mondello NPR’s All Things Considered Tuesday.

Libraries show growing holds on the book, and heavier holds on the video.

Surprisingly, Olbermann, says the movie lives up to his beloved BBC version; no mean feat since the film has much less time to present the story.

Olbermann has the advantage of knowing that story so well. The movie news site IndieWire warns that the movie can be confusing and suggests “Befuddled audiences may want to take a second look.”

On the other hand, they could try reading the book.

Official Web site: Tinker-Tailor-Soldier-Spy.com

Tie-in:

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy: A George Smiley Novel
John le Carre
Retail Price: $16.00
Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) – (2011-10-05)
ISBN / EAN: 014312093X / 9780143120933

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