xl70e3
Skywalker
Wanted to share some opinions on his work aswell as hear yours...
Today I watched An Unfinished Life. Went to the cinema solely for Redford, as I had never seen him on the big screen somehow :lipsrseal Excellent performances from him and Freeman - to be expected and surprisingly good from the rest of the cast, including the fatass Lo. The little girl has got talent, just needs more acting lessons and experience, otherwise she tends to stick to that one facial expression a bit too often. Damian Lewis of the Band of Brothers/Dreamcatcher fame is the only one who seems somewhat lost as if he was told to "just be angry and smoke and shout a lot", not much for him to do.
Now, let me put AUL away for a bit and give a little background to better explain my further thoughts.
I've seen a total of four (including this one) films by Hallström and they all are these simple, light heartwarming films about ordinary people - What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Cider House Rules, Chocolat. And it's great; I absolutely love Grape for the actors - not just Depp or DiCaprio, everyone; I love Chocolat, because it's wise, quirky and beautiful... Now, Cider House, while a good movie, I have mixed feelings about. It is flawed and, unfortunately, Unfinished Life shares the very same flaw...
For some reason they do not quite manage to stroke the same strings inside me that the other two mentioned movies do. Both have good, even great actors, beautiful scenery, cinematography and music that helps carry the light mood no matter how bad things can go. (And that is probably what I like the most about Hallström's work - he doesn't make you feel depressed about what is happening, whereas a less competent director could turn any of the four stories into a cheap Hallmark drama) But something about Unfinished Life (and Cider House) just doesn't work. Maybe it's the story, that doesn't really move anywhere, while the rare events, that take place, simulate progress? I don't know... Anyone? What do you think?
Once again, it is a good movie... but it could be great...
Today I watched An Unfinished Life. Went to the cinema solely for Redford, as I had never seen him on the big screen somehow :lipsrseal Excellent performances from him and Freeman - to be expected and surprisingly good from the rest of the cast, including the fatass Lo. The little girl has got talent, just needs more acting lessons and experience, otherwise she tends to stick to that one facial expression a bit too often. Damian Lewis of the Band of Brothers/Dreamcatcher fame is the only one who seems somewhat lost as if he was told to "just be angry and smoke and shout a lot", not much for him to do.
Now, let me put AUL away for a bit and give a little background to better explain my further thoughts.
I've seen a total of four (including this one) films by Hallström and they all are these simple, light heartwarming films about ordinary people - What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Cider House Rules, Chocolat. And it's great; I absolutely love Grape for the actors - not just Depp or DiCaprio, everyone; I love Chocolat, because it's wise, quirky and beautiful... Now, Cider House, while a good movie, I have mixed feelings about. It is flawed and, unfortunately, Unfinished Life shares the very same flaw...
For some reason they do not quite manage to stroke the same strings inside me that the other two mentioned movies do. Both have good, even great actors, beautiful scenery, cinematography and music that helps carry the light mood no matter how bad things can go. (And that is probably what I like the most about Hallström's work - he doesn't make you feel depressed about what is happening, whereas a less competent director could turn any of the four stories into a cheap Hallmark drama) But something about Unfinished Life (and Cider House) just doesn't work. Maybe it's the story, that doesn't really move anywhere, while the rare events, that take place, simulate progress? I don't know... Anyone? What do you think?
Once again, it is a good movie... but it could be great...
