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Thursday, April 29, 2010

The Last Station (2009)

Director/screenwriter’s Michael Hoffman’s adaptation of the Jay Parini novel set during the last weeks of Leo Tolstoy’s life is sure to be a major contender this awards season. But it would be unfair to dismiss the film as Oscar bait. What Hoffman and his stellar group of actors have done is turn what could have been a tedious postcard period piece into a vital film laced with generous doses of wit. The impeccable cast includes Helen Mirren (in an Oscar nominated performance) as Countess Tolstoy, Christopher Plummer as Leo Tolstoy, Paul Giamatti, James McAvoy and the winning Kerry Condon. Sebastian Ebschmid gets the honors for the splendid camera work and the gorgeous score is by Sergei Yevtushenko. Highly recommended.

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