Notes on a Scandal

[variol son]

It was Movie Tuesday last night, and so we went down to the Regent and saw Notes on a Scandal, with Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett. My first reaction? That in the face of Dench's performance, Helen Mirren, as realistic as her portrayal of Elizabeth II was, should not have won the Best Actress Oscar.

This movie was enthralling from start to finish. While the actual action centered around Blanchett's character having an affair with one of her students (a 15 year old boy), it was the frank, gritty monologue of Dench's "Barbara" that made the film brilliant.

The character captivated me and sent shivers down my spine all at once whilst at the same time leaving me with a touch of sympathy for how pathetic Barbara really was deep down. Blanchett's performance was also amazing, as was that of the actor who played her husband, and the school-boy who slept with his teacher also delivered a pretty good effort, although Dench managed to overshadow it all.

This rates as one of the best movies I have seen in at least a year, up there with Thank You for Smoking and Little Miss Sunshine.

[A Gunslinger]

"It's been a GOLD STAR day!"

[variol son]

*shudder*

"At school, when we got bad news, we used to stroke each other."

[A Gunslinger]

I freakin' loved this movie. Cate Blanchett is a great actress.