expectations met and surprises!

• robert duvall showed up to present his new movie assassination tango, which he both directed and starred in, and brought along a friend. though i knew francis ford coppola was an executive producer i didn’t think he’d be there…but there he was, dressed in the same cocaine-smuggler-white suit that rob morrow had worn the night before (let out a few inches), ambling out to a standing ovation. duvall’s co-star luciana pedraza also came out, and about the time i caught my breath they’d been seated and the movie began. the movie itself was great, easily one of the best so far, right up there with laurel canyon. duvall has a great penchant for unapologetic and memorable characters, and the relationship that fell out with pedraza was unpredictable and sensible and still touching. it’s better than #2. i’m calling it #1a.