I dropped the ball on blogging all of the films I’ve seen at this year’s Mill Valley Film Festival, but since opening night I haven’t seen anything all that exciting. Last night we saw Vera Drake, the latest film by director/screenwriter Mike Leigh and starring Imelda Staunton. It’s a terrific film that I predict will receive critical acclaim, be loved by audiences, yet stimulate a controversy in the same was as Gibson’s Passion of the Christ. No, the film isn’t at all like Gibson’s, but the controversy could be as great. Staunton’s performance is an Oscar-level tour de force. The entire cast (with no exceptions) are great. The directing, editing and cinematography are superb. I’m purposely not telling you much about the film because there are some important twists, but it’s a film you’ll want to see. It has only played a few festivals so far, but I expect it will be released shortly.