“Revolutionary Road” is a showcase of great acting, its a powderkeg of emotions that masterfully explodes on the screen, but the overall depressing story is a tough pill to swallow in these times.

I understand now the awards that this movie is being nominated for… and the ones it isn’t… except for one.  The acting awards for Kate Winslet as best actress and Michael Shannon for best supporting actor… but what about Leonardo DiCaprio for best actor?  Okay. Okay, I’m getting ahead of myself here…

A warning to parents… this movie has adult themes and would be totally boring for the younger audiences.
 

Imagine 10 years after the “Titanic”… if Jack had survived… and he and Rose got married, had kids and  moved to the suburbs… and Molly Brown (Kathy Bates) became their real estate agent.   There’s even talk about sailing the Atlantic in a big boat… sounds like a sequel right? 

Nope… instead, imagine Kate and Leo in the less romantic, less exciting everyday mundane life of an american couple stuck in jobs they don’t like… in a neighborhood they don’t really like either… in a life they feel trapped in and secretely blame each other for… and their love is a little shaky… and their characters are April and Frank… and you have “Revolutionary Road”.

Winslet is great in her role and well deserving of the Golden Globe and the other nominations her acting received… her character has so many layers… and she pulls it off with ease and class.

DiCaprio also shines in one of his more emotionally challenging roles… he brings realism and depth to the character… but in the end I have to agree that this role isn’t quite top five (only five spots for the Oscar for best actor) material – because you still see Leo.. or other characters he played coming through the role… like the the ladies man character of Frank in ”Catch Me If You Can” (2002) or the tough guy in “The Departed” (2006).

Kathy Bates is solid and sells her character of the nosy and obtrusive real estate agent.

In some ways it makes sense that supporting actor Michael Shannon gets the Oscar nomination for his performance as the mentally unstable son of Bates’ character.  He steals the few scenes he is in and is totally immersed in the character… you see him for the character he is, not who he is.   (If you want to see Shannon in some other good, but minor roles, check him out in Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (2007) or “Bad Boys II” (2003).)

The sets and costumes are also well done, adding to the story in setting the time and place… and do deserve the award nominations.  The cinematography was well done too… with great use of close ups… or wide shots to convey different feelings and tones.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

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The nominees have been announced for The Academy Awards, and the movies nominated for best picture are: “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”, “Frost/Nixon”, “Milk”, “The Reader”, and “Slumdog Millionaire”.

The movies with the most overall nominations are “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (13), “Slumdog Millionaire” (10), “Milk” (8), and “The Dark Knight” (8).

I’ll update later with my picks in each category.

Here’s the complete list of nominees for the 81st Annual Academy Awards on February 22, 2009…. (more…)

(RE-POSTING FROM 7/19/08)

“The Dark Knight”: The Best of 2008… and much more

“The Dark Knight” is THE BEST MOVIE so far for 2008, it doesn’t just raise the bar, it bench presses it !!! This has the right mix of everything… not too much joker, not too much batman, not too much action, and not too much dialogue.

 “The Dark Knight” (A spoiler-free review)

MY TAKE: You probably shouldn’t take little kids (because of the graphic and scary images), but if you see it and don’t like this movie… don’t ever go to the movies again… just stay home, watch tv or read a book.. you just lost your movie-going privileges… and you’ll have to earn them back.

Heath Ledger is amazing.. he’s not just playing the Joker… he is the Joker… if you though Jack Nicholson was good as the Joker… wait until you see Heath Ledger’s Joker… its my pick right now for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

CHECK OUT MY INTERVIEW WITH MAGGIE GYLLENHAAL