I can't help it but I do get caught up in the whole movie awards season. Like a punter studying form I like to use my enormous expertise to work out the winners, the each way bets and the complete no-hopers. Consequently, when La Belle Winslet won her two Golden Globes for movies that hadn't yet been released in the UK I was almost salivating at the prospect of checking them out.
And check them out I did! Before going any further I would like to issue a public warning, if you are in any way slightly depressed avoid "The Reader" and "Revolutionary Road" like the plague, after approximately four hours of these two you'll be positively suicidal.
In the event that you wish to ignore my well meaning advice and still can't wait to see them for yourself, I'll try desperately not to give too much away but, but, but I just gotta have a rant!
Let me start with "The Reader". Now I know there's is nothing more appealing than "worthy" subject matter to get the award judges attention but trying to put a sympathetic spin on a convicted Nazi, illiterate or not, is pushing my emotional buttons one notch too far. Moreover as the plot is clearly centered around her it should have been called "The Readee". And the reason why the young law student couldn't reveal her secret to the court must have escaped me...maybe I nodded off.
To be fair to "our" Kate, she still looks good with her kit off and she does effect a creditable German accent. However, towards the end of the film when she is supposedly an elderly woman, the make-up is so unconvincing, she looks more like a volunteer for an end of term exam in the first year at drama school. Oh yes! I also guessed the denouement about twenty minutes before the reveal.
Moving on to "Revolutionary Road" why oh why have the critics heaped praise on this pile of tripe? Nothing "bleeding" happens, I repeat NOTHING! Two young people disregard their dreams and aspirations, get married, live a comfortable middle-class lifestyle, resent each other and argue a lot. That's it...no really, that's it.
Kate and Leo act well enough but the script is stilted and feels contrived and even though he is actually one of my favourite actors he never seems to fit comfortably in the role. There are a couple of cameo roles to add a bit of light and shade but do absolutely nothing to alleviate the tedium. Two hours of misery...yay!
It's not all doom and gloom though, I absolutely loved "Slumdog Millionaire". Oops! Kate's not in that one.
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