Oscar Watch 5.0

One of the biggest surprises of my Oscar season has been the thoughtful, deep, and insightful film, "The Reader." It is nominated for Best Picture, and Stephen Daldry is nominated as Best Director and Kate Winslet as Best Actress.

Stephen Daldry always brings interesting stories to the screen (for example, "Billy Elliott" and "The Hours") and often scores himself an Oscar nod - though he has never won. In "The Reader" he really outdoes himself and much of it hinges on Kate Winslet's remarkable talent.

This is Kate's sixth nomination and she's only thirty-three years old. (Geez. I'm older than her. What have I done? Kind of makes me feel small and insignificant...) She is often hailed as the best female actor of her generation and even before this film, I would not argue. However, after this movie, it seems almost written in stone as truth.

"The Reader" tells such a complex and moving story, I hate to ruin it. I will say this: the basic plot tells of a thirty-something German woman, Kate Winslet, in post World War II Germany. By chance, she meets a fifteen year old boy and they begin an affair which ends suddenly and without warning. What happens from there deserves to play out onscreen, but it involves Nazi war crimes, dark secrets, books, and growing up. I can't do justice to the storyline and won't try. This is one film where the less you know before going in, the better.

Kate Winslet's paramour is played by a breathtaking young man, David Kross. He is absolutely wonderful and I can't wait to see more of him. He not only has chemistry with Kate Winslet, he transforms from kid to adult in such a believable, human way. To top it off, his acting is on par with Ms. Winslet's, and that is no small feat. (And as a bonus? He is played as an adult in the film by Ralph Fiennes, whom I savor in any performance.)

This picture is brilliant and suspenseful, and certainly not in the traditional sense. Something like this could easily get lost in the shuffle and I've heard mumblings that its inclusion as possible Best Picture is what knocked out "The Dark Knight."

I understand the anger at that exclusion. However, after seeing "The Reader" I can't say it should have been slighted either. The twists and turns in the story, the seemless switches in tone, the look of Germany through the decades, and, most of all, the acting are all first-rate. It is hard to argue against this film as a strong contender.

But in the end, I come back to Kate Winslet. I have not yet seen all her competitors, but I can't believe she will be bested. Her character here is not entirely likable or even good - which makes her performance all the more amazing. She should probably write that speech, if she has not already done so.

If you can find this one, do it. I gurantee you won't soon forget it.