All Rileyed Up

I watched Atonement the other day and refrained from writing an immediate review, because it would have only said, PISS OFF YOU WRETCHED MOVIE!!!!!!!!! BAH!!!!!!!

Instead, I sent a venting email to Brassy Girl in which I described the movie as Cold Mountain without Renee Zellweger, and with World War II instead of the Civil War, and a storyline that is ten times more irritating. That’s actually a pretty weak comparison now that I think about it because I would watch Cold Mountain *repeatedly* before watching Atonement ONE MORE MIND-BOGGLING TIME!!!!!! The main reason I thought of Cold Mountain were the plotlines of we’re-in-love-because-we-shared-a-”moment”-couple as well as we’re-in-love-but-have-to-wait-out-this-war-thing (I believe the line “come back to me” may be in both movies).

It doesn’t help that I watched Atonement just after watching Last King of Scotland, which also co-starred James McAvoy, alongside the stellar supporting cast of dirty meat hook one and dirty meat hook two. Not to say that Last King of Scotland wasn’t good, because Forrest Whitaker was excellent. But still, I could have done without that hook scene. I still shudder over it. As well as the dismemberment scene, but enough about Ugandan massacres.

Back to Atonement — I would still read the book. In fact, I’m fascinated by the book because I understand the author’s role in the tale really pushes/crosses the line of the author-reader relationship. Obviously, that never would have adapted well to screen.