Product: Gods and Monsters (1998)
Rating: 5.0
The best acting since Fonda in "Ulee's Gold"
I see a lot of movies. I see very few outstanding performances."Gods and Monsters" is that rare combination of a good story, well-told and brilliantly acted by Ian McKellen.I was nailed to the couch during the entire video and plan to rent it again.It's not light, air-head entertainment. It's strong in subject and substance.For my money, McKellen has turned in one of the most astonishing performances of his (or any) career.Brendon Fraser will surprise you, too.I saw Judy Dench's performances in both "Mrs. Brown" and "Shakespeare in Love". She deserved the Oscar for "Mrs. Brown". She did not deserve it for "Shakespeare in Love".Perhaps too few Academy members actually saw Lynn Redgrave's perfect portrayal of the loyal maid....or perhaps Dench's win was a kind of consolation prize for losing with "Mrs. Brown". Whatever it was, the Academy made a big mistake...huge mistake.... Redgrave was hands down the most obvious choice for Best Supporting Actress this year and her in-nearly-every-scene certainly beats the devil out of Dench's 8-9 minutes on film.When the price goes down, this movie will be on my shelf at home and it has already made my "All-time Top Ten" list....it's that good.