Reviews

The title should be an indication, but let me state it here - this is a dark film, and a very well made one. Since this isn't typically my genre for films, I was surprised at positive my reaction was to this film. I had the privilege of seeing it twice before it was released in theaters, and I regret neither time.

Despite some sections of dialogue going on a little too long, I found the concept to be intriguing, and the characters to be tragic as well as engaging. I wanted to follow their journey, and I wanted them to succeed in their lives - defining that success, though, is put on its ear in this story. I thought the ending was satisfying, and the twists and turns a great ride.

I'll be following this writer and this director for a very long time.

And, if you have read the book, then maybe you shouldn't bother then either, but for different reasons. Those who haven't read the book might get confused, or in the case of my friend, annoyed at the inconsistencies. Some of those inconsistencies wouldn't be a problem if she had read the book. A person shouldn't have to read the book a movie was based on in order to be entertained, or to know what on earth was going on. Those who have read the book will most likely be disappointed, unless you're a tween girl fascinated by Rob Pattinson. No offense tweenies, I was there at one time, too, and I do remember . . .

I've read all four books and took a friend who hasn't read them. I was bored and I knew the story! You can only imagine how painful it was for my friend to sit through the picture. I had hopes (not high ones) that the picture would take care of the things in the books that I found so unessential and annoying to read (disclaimer - I'm not her target audience in fiction, so not surprising I had difficulty with areas of the books). Stephanie Meyers created an intriguing and wonderful fantasy world, and though her characters aren't deep and rich, they're still engaging. The script for this picture failed to capture what's interesting about Edward and Bella's relationship as well as the fantastical world in which they dwell. The dialogue completely fails. It's choppy and unnatural, except for three or four lines scattered throughout.

It's a shame director Hardwicke chose to hang onto large panning shots -by the 20th one, we didn't care! Good film storytelling would have established the world and hinted at the conflict in the first 30 minutes, then hit the ground running with the baseball scene (where in the book, everyone's roles are firmly established and the conflict begins full throttle). Instead, my friend and I had to sit through an hour and forty minutes of melodramatic dreft before the conflict truly began and by then, we didn't care - though by then I was thankful that I had read the book. My friend was ready to leave - but she toughed it out.

The actors all did fine work, more so since they didn't have good material with which to work. They definitely earned their pay, as well as the adoration that's being sent their way (more than likely though, the adoration is not for their fine acting talents).

Finally, a note to the writer and director - if you have to resort to voice over, neither one of you has done your storytelling jobs.

I was able to see this film at the Austin Film Festival 2008. Saw it twice actually, since Natnan Fillion's number one fan wasn't able to go the night I had it on my calendar. Despite problems with the script (didn't always ring true) and definitely with the dialogue (again, problems with truth, and reality), Nathan, Michelle, and Jimmy give fine performances. Dialogue weakness, I would guess, would be a tough thing for an actor to overcome, but Nathan sails through it with flying colors. I would have liked to have asked the director why he chose sepia tones for some of the scenes - they simply didn't fit with the message/action on screen. I'd ask, but he'd probably not answer, like in the Q&A at the Sunday evening screening. (What, me bitter? No.) If I had to guess, I'd say that the director makes some rookie errors since this was his first narrative; and, it appears he was more interested in being an "artiste" rather than telling the audience a story. Overall though, I enjoyed the picture, particularly Nathan Fillion, Michelle Monaghan and Jimmy Bennett.

I was privileged to see this film at its world premier at the Austin Film Festival. Ray's family dynamics were fun and still familiar, making it easy to connect with him. Writer-director Jaffar created endearing characters. Despite some of the story weaknesses, I found this film irresistible. I was even more enchanted when a whole slew of folks got up on the stage for the Q&A after the screening, AND Jaffar introduced his parents who were in the audience. Zach, Sarah and Fran were extremely funny. Made even more so by the fact that Zach and Sarah were functioning on little sleep after wrapping their TV shooting schedules for the week and coming out to Austin almost immediately after. The support shown for this filmmaker only goes to show the passion behind this project; and, imho, those are the only projects worth spending my time on. Jaffar was articulate and very helpful with his responses to questions for us first time filmmakers.

If Zach Levi doesn't charm you as Ray, then you're either dead or in a coma. Sarah Shahi as Sana, same. Actually, the same can be said for all the leads, Fran Kranz, Bonnie Sommerville, Brian George and Kathy Baker - all did wonderful work. With my apologies to the rest of the cast for this next statement. Brian George stole the show as Ray's father. It was very obvious in the writing that Jaffar knew this character very well, and Brian picked up that ball and ran with it. He was highly entertaining to watch.

Zach is still a young actor, but if he's able to keep at his craft and continues selecting projects with this much heart, I see greatness in his career. He's going to be a tremendously talented actor, and he's already quite good! He made it easy for me to connect with and care about Ray. Sarah Shahi was a surprise. I see her every week on "Life", and really had no idea how talented she was - she acts so effortlessly on that show! Of course her character Sana in "SoR" is quite different from that of Dani Reese on "Life", but her personality during the Q&A is entirely different from both of them. Well done, you, Sarah! I don't know about anyone else, but I'll be watching for future projects with all these folks, including Jaffar of course! I hope you get distribution because I'll pay so I can see this again.

First and foremost I must say this is not for children, it's waaaaay too violent.

Now, onto the reason for the plethora of no-consequence (no blood, ever) extreme violence - the story is severely lacking and the structure is non-existent. The filmmakers had to put too long of scenes of violence in order to "keep" the audience's attention and give them a sense of a rush of adrenaline. Otherwise, without all the violence the theater would have been full of zzzzz's.

The first twenty minutes are a bunch of talking heads, all exposition, no plot. The rest of the movie continues that way, jumping from talking heads to violence and back again. I leaned over to my friend after about 45 minutes and asked, "What's Lyra's goal? Why are we following her on this journey?" Any good script will tell you in the first 10 minutes, usually in the first five. Any good script will have good dialogue, too. Not the monotonous and predictable lines we were fed in this film.

Not having read the books, I thought I'd be in a good position to avoid noticing in the film what all the pre-release blather was about with respect to Pullman's atheistic bent in the books and now the film. I was right and wrong. The film was anti-organized religion (mostly the Roman Catholic church), not anti-God; at least that's what I could tell when I was willing to pay attention (like when Daniel Craig was on screen). I shouldn't have to read the book to understand what's going on in a film adapted from a book. Utterly ridiculous. I now have no interest whatsoever in reading the books. A shame, since I had such high hopes for this story, even after reading many, many, many blogs about why I shouldn't see the movie or read Pullman's books. A real shame since I love a good story and this had all the markings. But, I'm glad to know I can't be lead around by the nose by the Christian right or a person like Pullman, whatever he professes himself to be.

I saw MS for the second time last night in its hometown of Austin, TX and was so happy to be reminded of how much fun I had the first time I watched it. My two favorite things about the movie are how it's cut with flashbacks and flashforwards and just plain flashes, and the extremely believable relationships between the men. The five guys on the bachelor party trip are absolutely fantastic in their roles. Reid's portrayal of Derek's intensity is a slow build, and it's impossible to tell by his performance that films are not shot in sequence. Jordan Belfi's quiet and subtle characterization of Ryan is perfect for where his character ultimately ends up. Will is the glue for these guys, and it becomes most apparent at the climax. And Drew and Tom are fun and fantastic relief from the drama happening with Ryan, Will and Derek. Definitely a "true", fulfilling and fun joy-ride.

The opening scene of C&R could have been me when my best friend died. Susannah Grant (and Jennifer Garner with her tremendous acting) has put a touching visual to that permanent loss of a loved one. The coming together of these friends, each mourning in their own way and trying to figure out how to move forward, is captured with humor and at times is sadly haunting. Each character looks for a way to stay connected, despite their loss. The use of periods of silence with the camera hanging on an actor's face is effective in communicating all the subtext involved in love, loss and friendship. Although it was easy for me to connect to each character, it may not be so for everyone. There are draws in this movie for everyone, however. Kevin Smith is wonderfully funny. Timothy Olyphant is beautiful to watch and Ms. Grant has used his beauty (and his fantastically revealing facial expressions) to the film's advantage. Jennifer Garner is . . . Jennifer Garner. She's fabulous. I loved this movie and can't wait to see it again.

I had such high hopes for this film - I played hooky from work during my lunch hour (or three!). The action scenes go on far too long, the movie is way too long, and neither the script nor the action sequences are anywhere near the swashbuckling fun of the first film. It appears the writer and the director get lost between story lines, and they're unable to create a cohesive plot, as well as any symbiosis between the characters. "Dead Man's Chest" was sadly predictable, plodding and quite un pirate like. There are very few parts that amuse and surprise, unfortunately. Please, return to the "formula" of the first picture, and don't torture us with another Dead Man's Chest for the third. Deeply, deeply, deeply disappointed - deep in the heart of Texas.

The opening was reminiscent of the opening in Sunset Blvd, and other shots were similar to shots in North by Northwest, Vertigo, and so on.

This is where the similarities end. The above films and others from that era are very fine films. This was definitely a current, comedic film noir. What a blast this movie was! I'll need to see it at least once more to catch up on quite a number of lines I missed because of all the uproarious laughter - mine and the audience's. I won't stop at seeing it only once. When will it be in wide release?!?!? The theater I saw it in leaves a lot to be desired, and it was a VERY packed house.

This is a very fun film, perfect for men and women. There was talent all over the place . . . in the writing, the directing, and the acting. Robert Downey Jr does NOT disappoint. He's fabulous. I can't wait to see what's next from each of the fine actors, as well as from Shane! Way to GO!

This movie had just the right combination of humor and seriousness. Beautifully acted and perfectly written. The viewer is eased into the full blown story. Reese Witherspoon and Mark Ruffalo work very well together on screen. These are two actors that I've been following for quite sometime, and yet again, they don't disappoint. Serious issues were dealt with in a very watchable way, not schmaltzy or condescending as Hollywood tends to do these days. There were a few technical shots that were really bad - but I'd only deduct 1/2 a point for those as the story was wonderfully unfolded - who needs absolutely perfect cinematography? Finally! A romantic comedy I can get behind! I fully expect this one to become a classic . . .

I was skeptical of the film at the beginning. It's one of those slow builders. I loved how every character has an arc, though, of course, Joan Allen's was the largest. I enjoy many of the films Kevin Costner is in, though I don't think he's the greatest actor out there. He does quite a fine job in this film. He played a completely new role, for him! There is guilty comedy ("should I really be laughing at this?"), and just plain, straight-forward, laugh-out-loud comedy - not to mention the magnificent, quiet drama. Joan Allen is a jewel in this! How could this be released so early in the year - and so far away from awards season? There should be at least one acting nomination and definitely a writing nomination. This is beautifully written. My time was well spent - I was entertained, took something away with me, and escaped my life for a while.