>    When Joan Allen kicks Kingsley out of the house, cheers went up in my
>household.  Somehow, Zaillian seems  to understand the mothering side of
>feminism, and  how many scriptwriters can you say that about?
 
It's funny. I've always been very disappointed with Joan's role. I
thought it was a little... I don't know, substanceless. True, the
story is about a boy and his father, but I thought the mother was
little too on the nose, a little too intuitive. I don't know.
 
But I agree, Zaillian is a good writer, and director. With all the
debate about Tarantino as auteur, Zaillian seems to slide, quietly
and without a lot of fanfare, into that slot. Compare the two (and
Stone): all screenwriters and then directors. Tarantino and Zaillian
both have one directorial credit. Is it possible to campare FISCHER and
RD? Probably not fair. But looking at both resumes, I'd personally
vote for Zaillian as the "next big thing". He and Spielberg pulled
off a Bolt/Lane with SCHINDLER'S LIST.
 
Opinions or what :-)!
 
James