British movies or movies with a cast primarily comprised of British actors are typically a mixed bag for me. I'm not a big fan of British humor, and if the accents are thick, I won't carry an interest in deciphering them. No patience, I'm the typical ADD-saddled American.

However, Notes on a Scandal was one movie that makes me want to see more British drama. The Richard Eyre film from 2006 featured Judi Dench, Cate Blanchett and Bill Nighy, who is absolutely one of my favorite actors. "Love Actually" still represents, to me, the most undervalued holiday movie of all time. It should be shown every year in place of you-know-what as a means of making a brilliant secular holiday story seem fresh.

However, I digress. This movie is essentially a psychological thriller, featuring Blanchett and Dench as school teachers. Blanchett is the new kid on the block, and Dench is the old vet.

Personally, Blanchett has an emptiness in her life that causes her character to get involved with a teenage student, and Dench's has an emptiness in her life that causes her to obsess over Blanchett. Not only does Dench (Barbara Covett) suffer from extreme loneliness, there is a heavy lesbian undertone to her obsession.

While Nighy's character was a supporting one, he played Blanchett's husband with a ton of restraint given the fact that his wife is doodling a kid.

As I write these synopses, I want to be careful not to divulge too much. This is sort of a what-you-need-to-know-to-make-an-informed-decision process.

The best I can muster is that Dench's obsession with Blanchett in this movie is creepy, darkly comic without causing a single belly-laugh, all the while making one not cringe too much at the fact that Blanchett is committing what would be, here in the States, national news on a daily basis for like a month.

It's smart: The dialogue is excellent. The acting is one of a kind.

The music: Phillip Glass. Need I say more? If you've never seen the documentary "The Thin Blue Line," please do so for the music above all else.

This was and is, hands down, the best new-ish movie I've seen all year. I can't recommend it enough.

Grade: A+

Watch the trailer, embedded below: