Just forget about Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper -- I'm the new movie critic in town. Of course, I say this in jest, but truth be told, I enjoy reviewing movies almost as much as I do reviewing books. In this case, the movie we saw today, Atonement, was a screen adaptation of a book written by Ian McEwen, a book that won the National Book Critics Circle Award in 2002. When the movie was over, both Linda and I looked at each other and, at the same time, said "I Loved It." The "It" we both loved was an old time love story taking place in 1935 when England is just on the brink of war.My first comment has to be about the lead actress in this film, Kiera Knightly, who absolutely has to be a director's dream. Her face and countenance are just mesmerizing on the big screen. She is simply flawless both in her appearance and her acting ability. She was not even nominated for an Academy Award for this performance which surprises me.
Everything in this film was remarkable from the scenery to the casting. At one point, the soldiers are being evacuated on a beach at Dunkirk, France and you can see the White Cliffs of Dover in the distance showing such a sharp contrast between the devastation on the beach and the hope of going home to England. The photography was just mesmerizing in this scene.
As in all melodramatic love stories, there is always something or someone keeping the lovers apart. In this case, it's Knightly's younger sister, who, by sheer misinterpretation, sets the course for destruction both in her own life as well as her older sister's. The actual "atonement" is when she comes to terms with what she's done and tries to right a wrong.
This film is moviemaking at its finest. A great cast following the direction of a great director equals an academy award nomination. Can it win the big prize? We shall see on Sunday night.
As with all movie days, we get to eat out and since this was another early movie, we again opted for breakfast. With that thought in mind, we headed back to our favorite "breakfast" haunt, Cracker Barrel. We just can't get enough of those pancakes.
So, we have achieved our quest of seeing all of the movies nominated for Best Picture at the 80th Annual Academy Awards. My prediction for the winners will follow....I know you'll be waiting with bated breath. And lest you think that the word I should be using is "baited", think again. The term "bated breath" refers to holding your breath while waiting for something to happen. I take the time to explain this because my brother Bobby loves to critique my writing and this will save him the time of looking this up in a dictionary. Perhaps I'm just trying to "bait" you Bobby!!
2008 AWARDS WON BY ATONEMENT
Best Original Score (Oscars), dario Marianelli
Best Picture (Golden Globes), Atonement
Best Original Score (Golden Globes), Dario Marianelli
Best Film (BAFTA), Atonement
2 comments:
When I see someone spell "bated" as "baited", when referring to breath, it makes my skin crawl.
That is the only thing I can agree with you about, though. I disliked "Atonement", the movie and the book. Kiera Knightly is absolutely PAINFUL to look at, with all those ugly bones sticking out.
But the acting was good, and so was the scenery around the estate. I just think that the story was built on such a flimsy premise (the little sister telling one lie and being believed) that it could not support the rest of the story.
I love it when you disagree with me!!!
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