REEL CRITICS:

Eric Roth wrote one of the great screenplays of all time in “Forrest Gump.”

It focused on a unique central character over several decades of his life. It gave ample opportunity for reflection on American history and culture during that span.

Roth does another outstanding variation on this theme in his current masterpiece, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”

Benjamin is a very strange child. He is born in 1918 as an elderly wrinkled infant who ages backward. He gets younger as the years pass while his family and friends get older.

This plot device allows for many sage observations of human nature, society and the major world events of the 20th century.

The marathon story does not end until Hurricane Katrina hits New Orleans in 2005. While epic in scope, it’s also profoundly emotional in recounting the personal relationships of Benjamin’s long life lived in reverse.

Brad Pitt deserves a Best Actor nod for his performance in the demanding starring role. Cate Blanchett is magnificent as the central love interest of his unusual life.

Tilda Swinton is among many other fine actors who make meaningful appearances that add to the depth and quality of this riveting tale.

Production values are top notch. The cinematography, set design, directing and screenplay should all be in line for Academy nominations. This is a modern film classic and a sure candidate for Best Picture.

Winslet takes on dark roles

Kate Winslet may be competing against herself for a Best Actress Oscar for her gloomy roles in two films based upon bestselling novels.

“Revolutionary Road,” set in the mid-1950s, is a sad story about a disillusioned young couple and their unraveling marriage.

When April (Winslet) meets Frank (Leonardo DiCaprio), she is a sultry aspiring actress and he’s a charmer who aspires to someday, somehow, be King of the World. Cut to years later, and the handsome pair are married with two kids, living out the American dream in suburbia. They hate their lives and are starting to hate each other — although they can’t admit it.

The acting is good but nothing we haven’t seen before in those old-period melodramas. The true standout is Michael Shannon as the “lunatic” neighbor’s son. He’s dangerous and sad, and the only one unafraid to tell it like it is.

Things aren’t much cheerier in “The Reader,” in which Winslet plays Hanna, a no-nonsense German woman who begins an affair with 16-year-old Michael (David Kross). They do little but make love and take baths until one day she asks him to read one of the books he’s studying.

Michael reads to her from Homer to Dickens, and Hanna is transported to a different world for one beautifully photographed summer.

Years pass, Michael is a law student, and Hanna is on trial for crimes committed while a prison guard at Auschwitz.

Told through flashbacks by a now-grown Michael (a morose Ralph Fiennes), the story takes an uncomfortable turn.

Winslet’s performance is more subtle here, although the movie itself is too passive considering its controversial content.

JOHN DEPKO is a Costa Mesa resident and a senior investigator for the Orange County public defender’s office. SUSANNE PEREZ lives in Costa Mesa and is an executive assistant for a financial services company.