Kris Tapley blinds The Reader

This is not devastating, but it's close. I was looking forward to this one so very much, I could have sworn it would be a brilliant and enduring work. I am not even sure why. It's not that I adore The Hours or anything, but it just looked like it could be good.
The FOX review made it seem like that was the path it was on, but maybe not. The reason why I am upset is that Kris and I generally seem to agree about films, it seems. Drat. At least Nico Muhly, an up-and-comer composer who is certainly one to watch, has completed a great score. There is that...

Stephen Daldry’s “The Reader” has begun it’s big Oscar season reveal after behind-the-scenes drama has defined the film for a number of months. Dare I say it — given the circumstances — but the effort feels rushed. It’s an oddly disorienting narrative that takes some time settling into an emotional groove, but when it does, it packs affecting punch.

The weird thing is it feels like the last 123 minutes have transported me back to the mid-1990s. This is a film that recalls the heyday of Harvey Weinstein’s grip on this time of year, perhaps in atmosphere more than quality. It should be no surprise, then, that Anthony Minghella is one of the producers attached. There are echoes of his work throughout, and really, Daldry might be the only filmmaker with the right doses of prestige and dramatic flavor to take up Minghella’s mantle.

I’ll get into more later, but I have to mention Nico Muhly’s exemplary score and exquisite photography from Chris Menges and Roger Deakins, both credited. Stand-out particulars.

--DM