There are bloodcurdling monsters with sharp fangs and insatiable bloodlusts, blade-wielding killers with unbeatable stealth and combat skills-and other sorts of other-worldly and unusual evils-then there’s the ordinary character who’s absolutely weaponless and absent of any extraordinary talents, but alas, through one way or another, the latter emerges the most terrifying villain of all. Judi Dench gives the most outstanding performance I’ve seen since Charlize Theron’s turn in Monster (2003), and I strongly believe this is no silly understatement-her work here has earned her a well-deserved Oscar nomination (one which I believe won’t be won-Hellen Mirren has this one locked-why? I personally think The Queen fairs much better as a whole). Before I get carried away with showering endless praises for her, let’s get back to the movie itself. The best thing I found about NOAS, is how the story determinedly places its focus only on one solitary issue: the relationship between Sheba and Barbara-there are no unnecessary or disrupting subplots to distract us, nor are the other characters given much attention :the innocent schoolboy, the disappointed father, and the rest of the cast decidedly remain out of the spotlight and slightly one-dimensional, giving the two main characters more than ample space to breath-any ordinary actor would normally collapse under such pressure and weight, but we all know neither Dench or Blanchett come close to ordinary-unsurprisingly they gracefully manage this by giving wonderful performances. Other aspects of the film fulfill our expectations but don’t go beyond that-the script (mostly consisting of Barbara’s narrating of the story through her diary) is smart and precise but it lacks realism (coming from the director of Closer, one does not expect much of that) and goes slightly over-the-top a few times. The movie has an incredibly intense mood that stretches from start to end-with aid from an impeccable score (aside from Blanchett and Dench,Philip Glass also gets an Oscar nomination for the film's soundtrack) consistent pace and an astoundingly clear, unwavering objective. But once the film ends, it won’t be the movie’s script or secondary aspects that will be lingering in your mind, it will most definitely be Judi Dench. Her performance as a closeted, madly-obsessive lesbian whose life of enforced loneliness viciously drives her to tear Sheba’s world and her own apart is simply spectacular. On the surface,NOAS features a pedestrian plot and nothing special really, but Judi Dench makes every single cent and second you give worthwhile.
20.2.07
Notes On A Scandal
There are bloodcurdling monsters with sharp fangs and insatiable bloodlusts, blade-wielding killers with unbeatable stealth and combat skills-and other sorts of other-worldly and unusual evils-then there’s the ordinary character who’s absolutely weaponless and absent of any extraordinary talents, but alas, through one way or another, the latter emerges the most terrifying villain of all. Judi Dench gives the most outstanding performance I’ve seen since Charlize Theron’s turn in Monster (2003), and I strongly believe this is no silly understatement-her work here has earned her a well-deserved Oscar nomination (one which I believe won’t be won-Hellen Mirren has this one locked-why? I personally think The Queen fairs much better as a whole). Before I get carried away with showering endless praises for her, let’s get back to the movie itself. The best thing I found about NOAS, is how the story determinedly places its focus only on one solitary issue: the relationship between Sheba and Barbara-there are no unnecessary or disrupting subplots to distract us, nor are the other characters given much attention :the innocent schoolboy, the disappointed father, and the rest of the cast decidedly remain out of the spotlight and slightly one-dimensional, giving the two main characters more than ample space to breath-any ordinary actor would normally collapse under such pressure and weight, but we all know neither Dench or Blanchett come close to ordinary-unsurprisingly they gracefully manage this by giving wonderful performances. Other aspects of the film fulfill our expectations but don’t go beyond that-the script (mostly consisting of Barbara’s narrating of the story through her diary) is smart and precise but it lacks realism (coming from the director of Closer, one does not expect much of that) and goes slightly over-the-top a few times. The movie has an incredibly intense mood that stretches from start to end-with aid from an impeccable score (aside from Blanchett and Dench,Philip Glass also gets an Oscar nomination for the film's soundtrack) consistent pace and an astoundingly clear, unwavering objective. But once the film ends, it won’t be the movie’s script or secondary aspects that will be lingering in your mind, it will most definitely be Judi Dench. Her performance as a closeted, madly-obsessive lesbian whose life of enforced loneliness viciously drives her to tear Sheba’s world and her own apart is simply spectacular. On the surface,NOAS features a pedestrian plot and nothing special really, but Judi Dench makes every single cent and second you give worthwhile.
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3 comments:
where did you find the DVD, man? i looked for it in Penang too, but to no avail!
yet, to watch The Illusionist.
and yet, to find The Incomvenient Truth. heard that's another good one.
i didn't quite like the illusionist-think 'prestige',except 10 times worse.
i heard gore's Inconvenient Truth's really good,too-tell me how it is once you've watched it yea?
watched NOAS in theatres-but i bet it'll reach stores home in the next few weeks,they always do:)
call me..i'm dying..
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