It would undermine the film if the main purpose of every scene were to remind the audience of the artificial space of the stage. Wright introduces it in a dramatic way in the first act and then turns his focus to the characters and storyline. It is the perfect blend of storytelling and technical wizardry.

So you do admit that the conceit, as it is presented at the beginning, is not consistent?

Yes, I s'pose. The conceit and Wright's presentation of it evolve over the course of the film, but it never vanishes.

Jog on now, Arthur.

Wasn't a big fan of this. Not much to like beside Law's performance.

Agreed. Hanna was an awesome flick and it's the one Algren is most-likely to enjoy.

Yep. Watched it, liked it a lot. The soundtrack was downloaded minutes after the film had ended.

Same here. I even had "Container Park" as my ringtone for a while .

ANNA KARENINA (2012)

"You can't ask why about love."

In the very beginning I wasn't sure I was going to get into this film. The choice to have the majority of it set on the stage felt intrusive and distracting. But once you get used to this technique (and it does become less in-your-face as it goes on) it becomes rather easy to get swept away in the film's story and utterly breathtaking visuals. This is the most gorgeous looking film of 2012, possibly one of the most beautiful I've ever seen to be honest. From the cinematography to the sets and costumes, this is a real feast for the eyes.

Keira Knightley reunites with her “Pride & Prejudice” and “Atonement” director for yet another period film, but this may just be her best performance yet. She is superb as the title character. Anna is a flawed, tragic heroine, but despite some of her choices I was able to sympathize with her. I've heard criticism about Aaron Taylor-Johnson's performance as Count Vronsky, but I personally found him very charming and it wasn't difficult to see how Anna could fall for him. Jude Law is very good as Anna's husband.

“Anna Karenina” is a sexy and sweepingly romantic film. The unique and daring style may alienate some viewers, but I'd still recommend any fans of period films to give this a look. Or anyone who appreciates amazing cinematography and production design. I cannot stress enough what an astonishingly beautiful film this is. The groundbreaking technique elevates what could have been your standard, straight-forward period romance. Director Joe Wright has turned this into a fairly groundbreaking achievement.


9/10 (A)

It's a great, great tune, but I try to steer away from having tunes I love as my ringtone. If I hear it too much, I begin to hate it. I have the Kill Bill tune "Battle Without Honor or Humanity" at the moment and it is pissing me off.

Perfect way to sum it up.

*½ (C-)

I would rank it behind Atonement and Pride & Prejudice but the film is still good in the end. This film is a beauty to look at and I really enjoyed the use of the stage for the majority of the film. I think the film's problem comes in the third act where the themes presented aren't given quite the impact they should thus leaving the film to not reach the greatness it started out at. I'll still check it out again though and Wright continues to show he is much better with period pieces than modern-day ones.