Yeah, it's not Best Picture material, it's just handsomely made but without anything to make it anything special. To compare it to other Daldrys, it is The Hours and not Billy Elliot; it was sober, but all potential emotion was drained out for the most part. I guess they might have pulled the rug out from under you with the eroticism if you haven't read the book, though. Like, "Damn! Boobs! [I love how Kate is naked in everything. I love Nicole Kidman, but I can't see her pulling this role off at all. Yes, you needed to be icy, but you also needed to be fiery and openly sexy and she's not that. Whenever Nicole tries to be sexy it comes off campy, but that usually WORKS for the films she's trying for that in, like Moulin Rouge! and To Die For.] This chick is SO HOT - AAAH WAIT SHE'S A NAZI!!!" The cinematography was gorgeous.
Kate Winslet was amazing. At this point it's just redundant to say that, but she was really really awesome. It's just sad that it takes AMPAS and other critics' associations take this long to recognize her awesomeness when it's all gussied up with the Academy's favorite trappings (Holocaust! Old makeup and deglamming! Female nudity! At least her character isn't all that sympathetic, right?) as opposed to something like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The younger kid, David Kross I think, was very good too. Ralph Fiennes was... okay. Much better in In Bruges.
