ATONEMENT

RYAN: After seeing “Atonement,” I feel that I must myself atone. There is a character in this movie who’s so horrible that it makes me feel bad.

CAROLINE: This is without question the best movie of the year. Granted, I haven’t seen every movie yet, but I can’t imagine it getting any better than this. I have no words.

RYAN: I didn’t think it was the best movie this year, but it’s definitely one of the best I’ve seen so far. The level of drama is so high and so devastating that I’d put it on par with last year’s “Notes on a Scandal.”

CAROLINE: For that we can thank Ian McEwan who wrote the novel upon which this movie is based. “Atonement” is expertly directed, and I was completely riveted from start to finish.

RYAN: Shot after shot, frame after frame, it is so gorgeous. And just when you think it can’t get any more gorgeous, it does.

CAROLINE: It’s truly breathtaking. And I’m not even talking about beautiful scenery, which it has. It’s just the way that the director chose to shoot things. It’s so unique and beautiful that I would hand Joe Wright the Oscar for Best Director right now.

RYAN: I loved the costumes too. It takes place in England in the mid-to-late ‘30s and it’s so true to the fashion at the time.

CAROLINE: And you’re an authority on fashion from the 1930s?

RYAN: Yes, I remember it well. And the performances are fabulous. The lead guy, James McAvoy, is so hot and so good in this movie that I have a bit of a girl crush on him.

CAROLINE: We loved him in “Becoming Jane” and he was also the faun in “The Chronicles of Narnia.” He’s fabulous in this too; I could see him getting nominated. There will be plenty of Oscar noms for this film, starting with the cinematography and costumes and going all the way up to Best Picture.

RYAN: If Keira Knightley knows what’s good for her, she should only work with this director ever again. They could be the new Tim Burton and Johnny Depp.

CAROLINE: What’s your bottom line?

RYAN: I would definitely recommend this film. It’s a tad too long…

CAROLINE: Oh my God, get over it! It was just two hours.

RYAN: Still, they could have shaved five minutes off the part that James McAvoy went to war. It got a little “Cold Mountain” for my tastes. But this is truly a great film that is an Oscar contender on many levels. It’s very serious and quite juicy – definitely more for adults than teens.

CAROLINE: It definitely earns it’s R rating. The themes are very adult.

RYAN: It’s such a good movie. It’s just like, “Wow.”

CAROLINE: Ryan, you tend to use the word “brilliant” for any movie you like, but I reserve it for true brilliance, and I’ll say it now: this movie is brilliant. I can’t recommend it enough, but as we said, it’s definitely for a mature audience. Some people might find it slow moving, but they’re just not getting it.

RYAN: The editing is great too. They play with time in a very cool way.

CAROLINE: Honestly, the less you know about this movie going in the better, so I don’t want to say too much other than “Please go see this movie.” Let’s call it a masterpiece and just leave it at that.