Doubt

Meryl Streep never disappoints, even when the movie is not too memorable.

In Doubt, she plays a nun who rules over the kids in the Catholic school she supervises with an iron fist, but doesn't hesitate to do what she thinks necessary to defend them from the local priest's supposedly predatory instincts.

Naturally, the priest denies any wrongdoing, which ends up pitching the two against each other in a battle of the wills for the ages.

Philip Seymour Hoffman, playing the priest, is outstanding, as are Amy Adams and Viola Davis.

Beating any of them for an Oscar won't be easy, except of course, Streep, who, in spite of raking up nominations like no other actor of her generation (she already holds the record and will increase it this year, no doubt), never seems to be able to win anymore, since she already won twice. As if previous victories should be the deciding factor.

The movie itself, although good, doesn't linger in memory for long, although the palpable tension it creates is suddenly experienced when it abruptly ends.

I liked it, and Streep's craft is displayed so masterfully, it's worth the viewing.

Grade: 7