I caught an advance screening of "The Kite Runner" this week, and I can say with confidence that it is one of the best films of the year. It's heartbreakingly sad (and if you read the novel you know that). Marc Forster ("Finding Neverland" and "Monster's Ball") has taken genuinely difficult and complex material and made a fine, fine film adaptation. While there are still a lot of films to screen ("There Will be Blood," "Before the Devil Knows Your Dead," "Sweeney Todd," and "American Gangster" all come to mind), you can probably lock down "The Kite Runner" as a Best Picture nominee.
