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Directed by: Richard Eyre Starring: Judi Dench, Cate Blanchett, Bill Nighy, Andrew Simpson Barbara Covett (Dench) is the most formidable teacher at the lower-class British school where she works, and she didn't get there by being a pushover. She's strict, demanding, and as calculating as a serial killer. Unsurprisingly, this hasn't won her a lot of friendships among her peers, and she relishes the warmth that begins to develop between herself and Sheba Hart (Blanchett), a lovely, liberal new art teacher at the school. As their relationship continues, Barbara stumbles upon a dangerous secret Sheba is concealing, and she loses no time in using it to further her own most fervent desires. "I realized I could gain everything by doing nothing," she writes in her journal. Dench is absolutely perfect as she embodies Barbara's overwhelming bitterness and cruelty, and even more so, the intense loneliness that bred it. She is scary as all hell, and it's delicious. Blanchett is pretty great as well, playing a bohemian free spirit who falls prey to her own refusal to recognize the properness of boundaries. The interaction between the two women is the core of the movie, but Bill Nighy is flawless as Sheba's significantly older husband (who left his own wife to be with Sheba; the ex still comes over for Christmas dinner). It's not too difficult to guess where the plot is going, but why bother when the ride is this enjoyable? The joy in observing any scandal is in the emotions that led up to the act, and those that follow from its revelation: the greed, the longing, the betrayal, the shame and fear of consequences. Notes on a Scandal brilliantly plays out all of these and more until you're dizzy. Watch a stupid horror movie if you want to see people scream; watch this if you want to see people feel. RATING: 5 PROS: Totally awesome CONS: Not entirely unpredictable ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0465551/
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Feb 12, 2007 03:07
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| # ? Apr 19, 2024 21:32 |
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Well acted and believable. And Dench's soliloquy in the bathtub is a scene you simply will not forget... EVER 5/5
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Mar 1, 2007 03:48
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Wow. Simply wow. See this movie. Judi Dench plays an amazing role. 5/5
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Mar 19, 2007 17:13
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Great acting all around. Dench is incredible. The film however, just doesn't grip and create excitement for me. You know what is going to happen and you watch it go about happening. A great movie, but not that fun. 4/5
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Mar 19, 2007 18:53
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I was surprised by this movie, it was only featured in an essai-style theater... extremely well made, as the others said, Dench is great. Women beating each other on screen is always fun, too. 5/5
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Apr 3, 2007 15:35
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I walked into this expecting some sort of played out girl-drama... what I got was an awesome movie. Very well made. 5/5
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Apr 25, 2007 03:23
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Wow, Judi Dench really plays it down well. Oh, how it is to be lonely. Reminded me of this entry on vomitus.com 5/5
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Apr 25, 2007 19:30
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| # ? Apr 19, 2024 21:32 |
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Very well acted on all accounts, but a bit shallow on the fleshing out of characters. On second thought, mostly just Dench's character and her exposition felt too typical/shallow for a person of such verbositiy. Blanchette and her family nail every tension-filled moment on screen. Edit: The desperation driven character development was of course very rich, i just felt it was too contextual, i wanted her to expand beyond a scant few lines of her past. She sells the horror of being alone, while only hinting at her progression to this point. Somehow kept it from being a total story or something... meanolmrcloud fucked around with this message at 11:34 on Apr 26, 2007 |
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Apr 26, 2007 11:28
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