After a few missed screenings, I finally saw this film in theaters after reading the book. It’s a great adaptation; I did a book to film comparison here.

This film combines a lot of good elements, with a few great ones, to make a splendid little film. It’s got one great supporting actress in Saoirse Ronan, though all the actresses that play Briony are fantastic and she really is the main character of the story. I thought Keira Knightley and James McAvoy had an amazing chemistry and the beautifully, dramatic score added to the film’s intense drama. A good script, good cinematography, and good direction all come together to enliven great source material. All in all, the film is a period piece done right, and yet unique in it’s own regard.

Nominations:

Best Picture
When this film won the Golden Globe for Best Dramatic Motion Picture, I wasn’t really surprised. But now I am. After all the attention that No Country for Old Men has been receiving since then, and all the awards it’s received, I am very surprised that it missed the Golden Globe. Atonement should really be quite happy that it snatched that award up, because I’m afraid it doesn’t stand much of a chance at the Oscars.

Best Supporting Actress – Saoirse Ronan
I wish she would win this. I loved her; I truly felt her performance was inspired, and not just for a 13 year old, but for any actress. She nails every last one of Briony’s idiosyncrasies and her childish lust to be more mature. I just don’t think that she will end up taking this award home. She’s a strong contender for such a young age, but I think this race is mainly Cate Blanchett’s.

Best Art Direction
This film was absolutely beautiful, but doesn’t have enough stunning sets to win this category. Most of the film’s look was derived from the amazing cinematography, and not necessarily from the art direction.

Best Cinematography
This film is definitely a contender here. Really this nomination stems from it’s Darfur shot, that would be that five minute tracking shot along the beach with all the soldiers and the James McAvoy and the other characters weaving in and out. It’s stunning and it took a lot of work, yet to me it feels slightly recycled. I’ve seen this done before, and better, for instance last year’s Children of Men which shocked me to tears with it’s ten minute tracking shot through the refugee camp. And that wasn’t even nominated. Therefore, while this film is quite beautiful, I feel this nomination comes mostly from that one shot and it’s not enough to win it.

Best Costume Design
We all know that a lot of this nomination comes from that green dress. While period pieces are usually adored for their costumes, that dress certainly deserves its own Oscar nom. If Atonement takes this category, it will definitely have that dress to thank for it.

Best Score
This is quite possibly the strongest I feel about any nomination in any category this year. Yes, it’s silly, it’s just a score, but I feel that it’s one of the best scores I’ve heard in a very long time. And it’s not like the sound categories where I only slightly know what I’m talking about- I’ve got about 2 gigs of scores on my hard drive. I knew who Thomas Newman and John Williams were before I knew who Tom Hanks was. I love scores, they move me emotionally moreso than cinematography or a performance and are very important to me in a good film, and I think this is one of the best ones to come out of Hollywood in years. It incorporates sound effects from the film to intensify the drama, most notably the typewriter that beats throughout. If this doesn’t take home this category than I will lose a lot of faith in the Academy. Nothing I’ve heard this year compares, so far.

Best Adapted Screenplay
Here’s where I think there could be an upset. Atonement is a great film, but it owes a lot of that to some really great source material. It’s not easy to adapt a book that’s told from so many different perspectives, yet this film does it with ease and without any confusion. The devices it uses to remind you where you are and who’s telling the story (the typewriter, for instance, is used to signify what Briony is perceiving) are very effective. The favorite here is No Country, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Atonement take it home.

Snubbed?
Generally the Academy eats up films with multiple perspectives and narratives for the Best Editing category, and not always rightfully so (The Hours, Crash). This film deserved that nomination though, by juggling how three characters see one event so effectively and jumping through time with such ease.