R.I.P. Anthony Minghella

Anthony Minghella is dead at 54, having suffered a brain hemorrhage after routine surgery in a London hospital. (Image from Cold Mountain)

Whether or not you were impressed with his signature film, The English Patient, this is bad news — Minghella surrounded himself with expert collaborators, from art directors to actors, and was one of those directors who always managed to get sterling work out of everyone involved, whatever the relative strengths and weaknesses of the material.