A Followup Note

Not to the post about Barney Miller, but the previous one about State of Play...

I neglected to mention one of the actors (or in this case actress) who made a strong contribution to the film, namely Robin Wright Penn. I wanted to single her out because she defies the cliche about how actresses past the age of thirty seem to be consigned to the sidelines in Hollywood. I know there are lots of examples of actresses who largely disappear at that stage of their career, and while Penn is rarely seen in high-profile starring roles, she always brings a high level of class and sensitivity to the roles she plays and (in my impression) elevates the work of those around her. She may be somewhat overshadowed by husband Sean, but I kind of see her as Joanne Woodward to his Paul Newman: pretty much equal in talent if not always equal in acclaim. Anyway, I just wanted to mention that, and should've in my original comments.