Adriano Goldman‘s distinctive cinematography for August: Osage County is one of the reasons that the film generally worked for me (except for that Julia Roberts-driving-around-in-a-pickup-truck ending). The images inside the Weston home are amberish and shadowed and melancholy and yet piercing, and the exteriors have a kind of dusty and muted and sort of windblown-looking vibe. It fits the mood of the film, and the framings never seem obvious or defaultish — you can sense a superior visualist at work. Goldman’s previous dp credits include Closed Circuit, The Company You Keep, Jane Eyre and Sin Nombre.

The consensus at the August: Osage County after-party seemed to be that (a) reactions among the blogger smarty-pants set were divided about 50-50 regarding the film itself, and (b) two strong acting nominations will come out of it — Meryl Streep for Best Actress (the Weinstein Co. can’t campaign Julia Roberts for lead as it would be self-defeating so it’s a question of whether she’ll accept a Best Supporting Actress campaign) and Margo Martindale for Best Supporting Actress. If Roberts wants to be gracious she’ll bow out altogether and leave the field to Streep and Martindale.