It's been a fun and impressive year in film with major successes from Hollywood's biggest names and most humble auteurs. Occasionally the voters reward quirky little meek films devoid of any worth beyond that of mindless entertainment, and that's fine if the award is for supporting actor or costume designer. But never for Picture.
Picture is the esteemed prize, the revered supreme trophy.
They're there nonetheless. Even Juliette Binoche, who has shown her tremendous abilities in previous films, came nowhere near saving this botched recipe. If the Golden Globes once again act as an indictor of the Oscars, director Steven Soderbergh did himself a disservice by directing two competitive films within the same period. He was shut out in the Globes, but I don't see that happening here. The multileveled script, the varying colors, the keen direction and the adept performances were all top-notch, and owing to conscientious editing, the film stands out as the best of the nominated bunch.