Carol (2015)

This beautiful drama about a married lesbian and a bi-curious younger woman who fall in love at first sight in the intolerant 1950s has earned many nominations and wins but not enough. The intolerant Oscars, Screen Actors Guild, and Critics Choice awards insisted on making Cate Blanchett (last blogged in Truth) the lead actress and Rooney Mara (most recently in Her) supporting actress, while the Golden Globes and Spirit Awards nominated them both as lead actresses. If it had been a love story between a man and a woman, each would have been nominated for a leading role. Just sayin'. Of course, the Oscars have proven to be intolerant in other ways, as Neil Patrick Harris put it so well last year, "...the best and whitest." I can't wait to hear what Oscar host Chris Rock will have to say on February 28.

The acting is sublime and the actual supporting roles are capably filled in part by Kyle Chandler (after I wrote about him in The Spectacular Now he was in The Wolf of Wall Street), Jake Lacy (he had a series arc in Girls after Obvious Child), Sarah Paulson (last in 12 Years a Slave), and John Magaro (one of the young traders in The Big Short after I wrote about him in Liberal Arts).

Todd Haynes (Oscar-nominated for writing Far from Heaven (2002), which he directed, he also directed and co-wrote the Bob Dylan meditation I'm Not There. (2007) and some others I wish I had seen) was snubbed at the Oscars but recognized elsewhere for his fine work here. See this link for my running list of awards sorted by title.

Phyllis Nagy, a playwright making her feature debut after one teleplay in 2005, adapted the 1952 novel The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith. It's said that a young Highsmith sold toys in a classy department store and, after a brief encounter with a beautiful matron in mink, went home and wrote the novel but published it under the pseudonym Claire Morgan to keep the author's sexuality closeted. Highsmith's first novel was Strangers on a Train (1950), adapted the following year by Alfred Hitchcock. Among her many books were The Talented Mr. Ripley (1955) and its sequels in 1970, 1974, and 1991, and three of the four were made into movies.

Cinematographer Edward Lachman's (his first Oscar nomination was for Far from Heaven (2002), his second for this, and among his other wonderful work are The Lords of Flatbush (1974) when he was 26, Desperately Seeking Susan (1985), True Stories (1986), Making Mr. Right (1987), Less Than Zero (1987), Mississippi Masala (1991), Selena (1997), The Limey (1999), The Virgin Suicides (1999), Erin Brockovich (2000), S1m0ne (2002), A Prairie Home Companion (2006), Life During Wartime, and Howl) dreamy images are often shot through rain-spattered windows. Also recognized by their peers are costume designer Sandy Powell (I correctly predicted her nomination for Cinderella back in June and this gives her two this year alone) and composer Carter Burwell (last blogged for Seven Psychopaths).  Here's a link to listen to Burwell's soundtrack interspersed with catchy tunes of the day. Oh yeah, don't forget those spectacular picture cars and the fantastic locations, shot almost exclusively in Cincinnati standing in for Manhattan, the New Jersey suburbs, and a few other places.

Jack, the former history teacher, spotted an anachronism: there's a mention of "the interstate," but the movie is supposed to be set in 1952-53, and the interstate freeway system was built a few years after that.

Like Rotten Tomatoes' critics, who are averaging 94%, Jack and I highly recommend this to my tolerant readers and friends (do I have any other kind??). RT's audiences, coming in at 77, are clearly mistaken. Be sure to see this one on a big screen.