Carol

I don't often go to the cinema nowadays and Carol is the first film I have seen for many a month. I thought it was superb and, although I haven't seen any of the other nominations in the "Best Film" category, I was surprised that it didn't even make the list.

On the other hand, I was not so much surprised as shocked, that Cate Blanchett was (quite rightly) nominated for Best Actress, while Rooney Mara was nominated only for Best Supporting Actress. What sort of justice is that? In what way was she a "supporting" actress? I suppose that nominating both stars in the Best Actress category might run the risk of turning the Oscar ceremony into a cat fight, but even so... Seriously, couldn't they share the award, or is that against Hollywood etiquette?

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Carol is one of those rare films that I wouldn't mind seeing again. This is not primarily or even particularly a criticism of the modern cinema, which is probably as good as, or no worse than, at any time in the past It is partly that easy and instant access to film in our image-saturated age has turned the cinema into the equivalent of a meal in a restaurant - to be consumed and then forgotten. But it is mostly a reflection on my 71-year old brain that refuses to retain anything for very long.