Atonement

I was excited to see this because I am a huge fan of director Joe Wright's previous literary adaptation, Pride and Prejudice. I wasn't disappointed. It's a bit of a reunion; Joe Wright, Keira Knightley and composer Dario Marianelli, who provides the most original score of the year here. They've added Seamus McGarvey as Director of Photography which is an excellent choice, he was the cinematographer for The Hours, and the shots in this movie are, of course, very beautiful. James McAvoy and Keira Knightley are very good here, I'm always surprised when people claim to hate Keira Knightley...she's an excellent actress and will be nominated for an Oscar (her second) for her work in this film. In fact, this movie is going to get a lot of nominations...I just hope it wins Best Score.
The story is wonderful and tragic and chock full of emotional and interesting performances. Technically it's an incredibly well made film, there's one amazingly choreographed long shot on the beach of Dunkirk that should be studied in film school for years to come...it was the highlight of the film for me. Atonement reminded me of one of my favorite French films from a couple years ago called A Very Long Engagement, which if you haven't seen, be sure to rent.