AICN gets an early look at Doubt

Like August: Osage County this year, John Patrick Shanley's Doubt was one of those plays where there was really no other way the Pulitzer Prize could go. I haven't heard much about the movie, but Ain't It Cool News got an early tip, and the report is overwhelmingly positive.

I thought Proof the movie was ruined by big-name but poorly thought out casting, and I'm going to have a hard time seeing someone other than Cherry Jones and Brían F. O'Byrne in the roles. But if you're going to pick film actors for a serious drama, you can't really go wrong with two of the better actors of the past half century: Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman, especially when they're both perfect for the role (though Hoffman may be a tad too old). It also helps when you have arguably the best cinematographer of a generation in Roger Deakins (who at this point has reached Scorsese-level Oscar snubbing). The movie comes out December 5, and I'll be shocked if the film doesn't pick up at least a few nominations, if not Best Picture consideration.