Anthony Minghella dies, makes me feel like a douche

So after the Oscars I wrote an article on the change in the Oscars culture which, in the process, basically slammed The English Patient. Today my foot was properly inserted into my mouth, when, less than a month later, Anthony Minghella director died suddenly. This gave me an application for my required daily guilt trip, but also led me to realize that I actually feel a lot more positively about Minghella than I realize.

While I may not be the biggest fan of Minghella's most famous movie, I do realize the impact it had on the film industry. It almost single-handedly revitalized the concept of the blockbuster for the over-25 crowd, and let to many similar if under-seen films such as Master and Commander and Minghella's own Cold Mountain (a film that also helped recognize the cinematic potential of Jack White). It also helped put Miramax on the map.

The Talented Mr. Ripley is also a criminally underrated film. Too many saw it as a follow up to The English Patient while not enough saw it as one of the darker, most psychologicaly complex films of the 1990's. It also helped show that Matt Damon and Cate Blanchett could display much more versatility than the breakthroughs implied, and, along with Magnolia, helped revitalize the career of Phillip Seymour Hoffman.

While he hasn't made much of significance since Cold Mountain, it's still a shame to see him go so young, especially when he had so many upcoming projects that could have revitalized his career.