• I love the Mike Nichols-ness of the telephoto lens crossing the street (utilized to great effect in Nichols’ The Graduate) opening and closing bookends— also—this is clearly a 4-person chamber piece with roots in the theater much like Nichols’ work Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolfe and Carnal Knowledge
  • Beautiful Damien Rice songs
  • Clive Owen- (amazing from 1998 to 2006) and Natalie Portman fair far better than Julia Roberts (a distant fourth) and Jude Law—the stripping scene between Woen and Portman is likely what earned them justly Oscar noms)
  • Tremendous writing and ccting- verbal sparring
  • Owen is epic– brilliant—the scene of him getting dumped. “because I’m a cave man”
  • Portman’s half-turn with wig in close-up at the club- a great shot
  • Formal repetition of lying and truths—comparison of animals
  • R/HR border