It’s a real shock to read that director Anthony Minghella, who was only 54, died suddenly early today while undergoing “routine” surgery. Minghella won an Oscar for the Oscar-winning “The English Patient,” but I much prefer “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” which rescued Matt Damon’s career and propelled Jude Law to screen stardom after he received an Oscar nominatation. Law was also Oscar-nominated for Minghella’s underrated “Cold Mountain,” which I also think holds up better than “The English Patient.” My condolences to Mingehlla’s family and business associates, including his longtime business partner Sydney Pollack and the Weinstein Brothers, who recently sold U.S. rights to Minghella’s last movie, the Botswana-filmed “No. 1 Ladies Detective Movie,” to HBO, which will use it as a pilot for a series co-produced with the BBC.