Atonement (2007)

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Directed by Joe Wright.

Starring Vanessa Redgrave, Romola Garai, Keira Knightley, James McAvoy, Saoirse Ronan.

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A mischievous girl accuses her older sister's lover of a crime he did not commit, only to find that her words have irrevocably and permanently changed the lives of all involved in a film that re-teams the filmmakers behind Pride & Prejudice to adapt the best-selling 2002 novel by author Ian McEwan. The year is 1935, and as the summer heat takes hold, 13-year-old fledgling writer Briony Tallis watches her older sister, Cecilia (Keira Knightley), get undressed and go frolicking in the garden fountain on her family's country estate. The housekeeper's son, Robbie (James McAvoy), a childhood friend and recent Cambridge graduate, also witnesses the innocent act. When Robbie and Cecilia subsequently cross a particularly sensitive boundary and the scheming Briony accuses Robbie of an unspeakable transgression for which the boy is wholly innocent, the repercussions of her unfounded claim threaten to affect all three for decades to come. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

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Reviews and discussions

Assassin-ine fun
by usesoap in usesoap Blog

is neutral about it.

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"This is the “Dilbert” panel I've always wanted to see. A fed-up office drone, sick of the confines of his cubicle, unleashes holy hell on his condescending superiors and clocks a duplicitous colleague in the jaw with his keyboard and heads out for adventure with Angelina Jolie. While “Wanted's” lead Wesley (played by James McAvoy) does just that, his character is taken from a different comic altogether. It's comic origins (based on one by Mark Millar and J. G. Jones) are felt throughout the film's reality-relinquishing first hour, until it turns on itself in the final act and decides to play things with a straight face. If only Cat-bert could have sauntered in to slap some sense into him. Let's start with the good. Wesley's life is torn straight from the pages of “Office Space:” a patronizing supervisor takes special glee in the daily ass-chewing she gives the young man, a co-worker enjoys showing Wesley's girlfriend his “O” face (if ... " [More]

Atonement
by JimBell in JimBell Blog

is neutral about it.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. [What do you think?]
"Atonement (2007)Atonement (2007) is a strangely remote and unaffecting movie in spite of all the excellent acting. But, you may object, the film was hugely popular, with something like an 83% Fresh Tomato rating. Averages can be misleading. For example, if half the population is morbidly obese at 300 pounds and the other half of the population is starving to death at 100 pounds, it is not accurate to say that the citizens are hefty, healthy 200 pounders. Similarly, almost all reviews, no matter how favourable, have qualms about Atonement. The reviews have difficulty identifying why the film doesn’t quite work, so they resort to summaries such as “so boring,” or “so fussy . . . for women, and for a certain kind of woman,” or a good film “in spite of all the quibbles.” Atonement is remote because it is not primarily about the passionate romance between Cecelia and Robbie but about Briony, the girl and woman who has to atone for perjury a ... " [More]

Classy stuff
by chrismorrell in chrismorrell Blog

liked it.

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"Atonement is a classy piece of work. James McAvoy builds further on his excellent ,varied career ,with this .and Kiera Knightley is very effective and beautiful , not least in pure Wallace Simpson ensemble of white swimsuit and matching bathing cap. There is a terrible beauty in the Dunkirk evacuation scene,that just builds and builds . It might be a little too stylised for a mainstream audience to embrace wholeheartedly,but that's probably just the "film snob/geek" in me. There is a strong sense of the pages turning ,the chapter headings skipping backwards and forwards through the narrative,enhanced by the unique soundtrack,with it's typewriter percussion.. No spoilers here , the ending,jarres slightly,but remains faithful i would assume to the structure of the novel. It throws the whole story into relief , leaves you musing on the story structure and was satisfyingly melancholic for my tastes,.and surely a twist that involves Vanessa Redgrave can only be classy. " [More]

Re:Top 5 Everybody Seems To Lov ...
by nikolarulz in Top 5

loved it.

"Ok, so here's mine: 1. Madagascar - along with most other animated stuff people seem to not be able to get enough of, I'm pretty reserved. Honestly, I believe that the time of succesful animated movies, like the ones from the Disney era, has gone by. Now they seem to only be made for parents to entertain their children with something while they clean their house. As far as I'm concerned, anmation itself is not the only artistic merrit these movies should be judged by. 2. The Simpsons - I am actually very fond of the series, so I was very, very dissapointed by the movie. It really had nothing to offer, and although it had a few funny moments, it was mostly just boring. 3. The Notebook - Why everybody loves this film is beyond me. I find it cheap and pathetic. If you wanna see a truly great, artistic romance, see Atonement. 4. Wedding Crashers - This is just too dumb to watch. Even if it's a comedy, I cannot watch something that dumbs me down so much. These movies are simply ma ... " [More]

James Cameron to Make 3D Drama
by SpoutBlog in SpoutBlog on spout.com

hasn't rated it.

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"James Cameron is the sort of director who can make a movie just to prove a point. And he’s going to do so by making a straight drama that will be shot and exhibited in 3D — or as he calls it, in stereo (short for stereoscopic) — just to let the industry know that 3D is not only for special effects and animated pictures. He discusses the project in an interview with Variety: I plan to shoot a small dramatic film in 3-D, just to prove this point, after “Avatar.” In “Avatar,” there are a number of scenes that are straight dramatic scenes, no action, no effects. They play very well, and in fact seem to be enhanced by the stereo viewing experience. So I think this can work for the full length of a dramatic feature. However, filmmakers and studios will have to weigh the added cost of shooting in 3-D against the increased marketing value for that type of film. Cameron even points out that he sees a number of films made these days that would have been really great if filmed in the format, ... " [More]

Oscar Picks (WOOOOOO!!!)
by The1TheOnlyJP in The Paxton Log

loved it.

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"No lengthy explanations as to why, just short and sweet; here are my picks for tonight's 80th Annual Academy Awards.- Best Visual Effects: Diana Miao for 'Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End'- Best Sound Mixing: Alan Meyerson for 'Transformers'- Best Sound Editing: Skip Lievsay and Joel Dougherty for 'No Country for Old Men'- Best Original Song: 'Falling Slowly' from 'Once' written and performed by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova- Best Original Score: Dario Marianelli for 'Atonement'- Best Makeup: Liz Dann for 'Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End'- Best Costume Design: Colleen Atwood for 'Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street'- Best Film Editing: Tatiana S. Riegel for 'There Will Be Blood'- Best Art Direction: Gary Freeman for 'Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street'- Best Cinematography: Seamus McGarvey for 'Atonement'- Best Documentary: 'Sicko'- ... " [More]

"Atonement": The Depth of Field
by The_American_Dream in The_American_Dream Blog

liked it.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. [What do you think?]
"NOTEThis review will not be as long or as in depth as my other reviews but in this movies case that tells more about the film than almost anything else could.What to say about this movie? After seeing it I can tell you that I fully understand why it is nominated. "Atonement" is in every way the visually arresting epic period romance of the year that advertisements and critics proclaim it as. But after seeing it this critic has come to the conclusion that it is only skin deep."Atonement" is a B+ movie in a really shiny box, and in the categories of art direction and cinematography it is a very serious contender. "What's wrong with a shiny box?" you might ask. It's not so much the world of shiny boxes that is a problem, and it is not so much this shiny box as it is what it seems people have made of this shiny box. The shine of this box makes "Atonement" out to be the best movie of the year but for those who have voted it on tho the ball ... " [More]

Come drink my milkshake: This y ...
by usesoap in usesoap Blog

is neutral about it.

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"Even though the writers have apparently settled on a deal to end the strike, there is still a great deal to fear on the Oscar broadcast set for Feb. 24, that can be summed up in three simple words (two if you hyphenate correctly):Oscar-winner 'Norbit'.That's right. While many wrestle with the fact that their favorite films have been left off the nominee list (I understand, though don't agree with, the love-fest called Juno, but even my friends who are the most ardent supporters of the film agree that it has no place in the Best Picture and Best Director category) a film that was universally loathed like 'Norbit' has a shot at earning the most coveted trophies in the biz.Here to give you an edge on the office ballots, I have opted to fill this column with a handy guide to this year's nominees, chock-full of winner predictions. (Plus, you can check out some of the shorts on your computer, links provided, free of charge. You're welcome!)Best picture&ldq ... " [More]

The Best Picture Value Meal
by SpoutBlog in SpoutBlog on spout.com

hasn't rated it.

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"A lot of people have wondered how a brilliant film like Ratatouille could be denied a Best Picture Oscar nomination. Well, I’ve finally uncovered the conspiracy, and it involves food, obviously. See, Ratatouille celebrates great French cuisine. But apparently the Academy is in the pockets of the American fast food industry, because all five of the Best Picture contenders have some sort of connection to the greasy, fatty and popular foods that keep America overweight and complacent. What, you don’t believe me? OK, well here’s the obvious ones: There Will Be Blood has a line about drinking milkshakes (the line is now such a popular catch phrase, I’m shocked McDonalds hasn’t yet given its customers a movie tie-in); Juno has a hamburger phone; No Country For Old Men has that slaughterhouse bolt pistol. Now here’s the less noticeable and the real stretch: Michael Clayton deals with a fictional company called U-North, which is pretty much supposed to be the real company Monsato, which go ... " [More]

Did you mean "State of Play" ( ...
by chrismorrell in chrismorrell Blog

liked it.

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"I came back to this because of John Simm's brilliant performance in 'Life On Mars'...Just listing the cast, and the writer gives an idea of how good this is...John Simm"24 hour party people","Human Traffic", Bill Nighy,"Hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy","love Actually" ,"Shaun Of the Dead" , "Hot Fuzz"etc ,David Morrissey, "Stoned","Basic Instinct 2",loads of fantastic T.V. KellyMacDonald,"Trainspot ting","No Country For Old Men" James McAvoy." Last King of Scotland","Atonement "...written by Paul 'Shameless' Abbott...the story is one of 'political intrigue'...but it's really about the lives of the characters...Apparently,there is a Hollywood version in the pipeline.. Brad Pittas the John Simm character!..i hate it already! Latest news ,that i know of ,is that the writers strike may have claimed this production,with Brad Pitt droppi ... " [More]

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