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I really enjoy being taken by surprise. The Last King of Scotland was not at all what I expected; the marketing-- and the award clips-- are not showing the depth and tone of the movie as much as they're showing a few key moments of Amin's fury. But in truth, the movie spent about two hours showing only Amin's charms; we only begin to see the cracks in the facade once the young doctor he dupes into acting as his advisor discovers Amin's heinous crimes for himself. I have never laughed more in a movie about a dictator. And this, I think, is an excellent choice. Dictators are able to take power because of their ability to trick people into believing they are worthy of following. This is, I think, rarely shown in films about leaders like Idi Amin. Whitaker's performance is the best male variety of the year, yes-- but sadly overlooked is the young doctor's performance; it's a tricky part and he handles it well.
We also saw Notes on a Scandal. I don't have much to say, as I thought it was a puffy melodrama not worthy of Oscar attention. I will say that it seemed strange to meet a character (Dench's) who was so terrible, so pathetic, and so lacking in complexity that Idi Amin seemed quite pleasant and layered in comparison.
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