finally watched HANNIBAL, and shouldn't have

SHORT LIST OF PEOPLE WHO SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF THEMSELVES FOR "HANNIBAL":
1. Ridley Scott - Visionary director, capable of the most extremely moving imagings, maker of two of the most visually compelling films of the last 25 years... completely bombs here by saying nothing, showing nothing, and being utterly boring. Ridley has reached the bottom of the talent barrel.

2. Thomas Harris - Adequate and accomplished novelist, with at least three very well done and effective page-turners to his credit; should have stayed home, written something else, not given in to the big hollywood money and just let this story go at an effective double instead of lamely trying for an unsuccessful triple.

3. David Mamet - Got a scriptwriting credit. But, for what? There is no credible spoken dialogue in this movie that is not simply plot re-hash and back story from the previous film. Couldn't refuse the money, huh?

4. Anthony Hopkins - Superb actor, no question about it. Superb character in Lector, no question about it. But after reading a script that calls for Lector to be more of an affected be-hatted effete queen than a terrifying genius cannibal serial killer with real insight into the human condition (see SILENCE OF THE LAMBS & Bryan Cox in MANHUNTER), Tony should have turned it down like Jodie Foster did. (Jodie Foster, by the way, and Jonathan Demme are the only people who appear on the even shorter list of people who should NOT be ashamed by "Hannibal.")

5. Me - For going against my usual strategy and not finding something, ANYTHING, else to do for 2 hours but sit through this zero of a nothing waste-of-time movie. I am ashamed and if asked will deny that I have ever seen it.

(Uh oh, Mad King George just died! )