Quite simply, this is a movie about two people who want to go home but they can't because neither one of them has a home anymore. It's about being alone in the world and deciding whether you want to stay that way or make a connection with another person. It's also about how you deal with the tragic circumstances that caused you to be alone. I watched this on a plane with no preconceived ideas and this film was a beautiful gut punch on so many levels. I really think this is a movie that will last and find a larger audience in years to come because it has so much to say about the basic human condition; that on some level we all feel alone in the world and we're all looking for some place we can call home. Tom Hanks is excellent as Captain Kidd who makes a meager living going from town to town reading to illiterate small town folk the stories of the world. Hanks elevates anything he's in but what I love most about him is that he doesn't try to push the emotion of what's happening on the audience. He is simply Captain Kidd with a tragic past doing his job and now this wild stranger comes into his life. As for that stranger, Helena Zengel was the perfect choice. There is a saying in acting, "the words mean nothing" and without giving anything away, she proves that in her eyes, in her looks and in her physical reactions to what's going on. The chemistry with these two actors was off the charts and if you notice, I haven't mentioned anything about the plot? It doesn't matter!! This movie is about two people making a connection.
Reviews
4 Reviews
The Next Three Days
(2010)
Star Wars is more believable than this movie!!
21 June 2011
Warning: Spoilers
I had heard good things about this movie but when I saw that Elizabeth Banks was in it, I should have known it was going to suck. And If I had known that Paul Haggis wrote and directed it, I never would have watched it. The only likable and talented person in the mix is Russell Crowe and I feel bad that he got stuck in this unbelievable mess!!
You could tell that Haggis thought he was making a "smart" edgy thriller but in the end it was contrived and "dumbed-down" with too many convenient accidents and coincidences that made me frustrated and angry with the film. It had the potential and seemed like it was trying to be like "The Fugitive" or films like that where we are to suspend our disbelief but this was too far over the edge to believe any of it.......especially the part at the end with the medical test and her transport to the hospital........really?? really??
Actually that could be my whole review for this film: REALLY??
You could tell that Haggis thought he was making a "smart" edgy thriller but in the end it was contrived and "dumbed-down" with too many convenient accidents and coincidences that made me frustrated and angry with the film. It had the potential and seemed like it was trying to be like "The Fugitive" or films like that where we are to suspend our disbelief but this was too far over the edge to believe any of it.......especially the part at the end with the medical test and her transport to the hospital........really?? really??
Actually that could be my whole review for this film: REALLY??
Closer
(I) (2004)
You may not like the characters but you'll love the film.
26 November 2004
This movie is so real it's almost like watching a documentary. I
saw this movie at a screening in LA where they had a Q&A with
Jude Law and Natalie Portman. Natalie Portman mentioned that
people keep asking her, "why can't these people be more
likable?" And this is the exact reason I love this movie. It shows
you what people can turn into in the heat of a relationship. And if
you can't relate to anything in the movie you at least might know
somebody who's acted like this. The movie is very simple
because it covers just 4 people and how their relationships
intertwine but what's great about this movie is that it makes you
think about one of the most important issues in the world - why
you get in a relationship in the first place and why you stay in it.
The movie is based on a play but I never felt like I was watching a
play and I think it's because the acting was so incredible. Jude
Law and Julia Roberts are better than they have ever been. I think
this is the most damaged character that I've ever seen Julia
Roberts play. But to me, Natalie Portman and Clive Owen steal
the movie. Clive Owen is one of the best actors around and it's
amazing that people don't who he is. He has a range and
effortless depth that you don't see in many actors. I somehow
despised him and felt sorry for him all at the same time. And
Natalie Portman proves, like she did in Garden State, that she is at
her best playing characters who come off as tough on the surface
but are really incredibly vulnerable.
It's amazing when you can find a movie that's funny, smart and a
little scary all at the same time. But most importantly, it makes you
think and even if you don't like the actions of the characters, you'll
talk about them after you leave.
saw this movie at a screening in LA where they had a Q&A with
Jude Law and Natalie Portman. Natalie Portman mentioned that
people keep asking her, "why can't these people be more
likable?" And this is the exact reason I love this movie. It shows
you what people can turn into in the heat of a relationship. And if
you can't relate to anything in the movie you at least might know
somebody who's acted like this. The movie is very simple
because it covers just 4 people and how their relationships
intertwine but what's great about this movie is that it makes you
think about one of the most important issues in the world - why
you get in a relationship in the first place and why you stay in it.
The movie is based on a play but I never felt like I was watching a
play and I think it's because the acting was so incredible. Jude
Law and Julia Roberts are better than they have ever been. I think
this is the most damaged character that I've ever seen Julia
Roberts play. But to me, Natalie Portman and Clive Owen steal
the movie. Clive Owen is one of the best actors around and it's
amazing that people don't who he is. He has a range and
effortless depth that you don't see in many actors. I somehow
despised him and felt sorry for him all at the same time. And
Natalie Portman proves, like she did in Garden State, that she is at
her best playing characters who come off as tough on the surface
but are really incredibly vulnerable.
It's amazing when you can find a movie that's funny, smart and a
little scary all at the same time. But most importantly, it makes you
think and even if you don't like the actions of the characters, you'll
talk about them after you leave.
Quirky just for quirky sake, does not a film make.
17 November 2004
I've been a fan of Wes Anderson since Bottle Rockets so maybe my expectations were too high, but I just didn't get into this movie. I think the main difference between this film and his others is that while the characters in his other films were quirky and eccentric, they also seemed to have their own individual point of view with some passionate wants and needs. The characters in, "The Life Aquatic" while funny and quirky at times came off as caricatures with no real believable drive behind them. As a spoof of Jacque Cousteau and Johnny Quest there are definitely some funny moments but the story comes off as flat and turns into a bunch of "Oh, isn't that odd" moments. Bill Murray, Cate Blanchett, Owen Wilson and Willem Dafoe have a great chemistry together (Dafoe steals a lot of the movie and Cate Blanchett is an amazing actress and needs to be doing more comedy) I guess with this incredible cast and with Wes's history, I was just expecting so much more.
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