torstensonjohn
One would think a film written/directed AND produced by the man behind LOTR and Hobbit films peter Jackson would knock this out of the ballpark. No so with the indignity of watching a relatively good story falter under preposterous CGI and fantasy realms of the INBETWEEN.The film gives a indirect look into a murdered 14 yr old's transition from life through death into heaven. It gives a nurturing, peaceful look to how she watches her family and killer, but can't make the leap yet. Mark Wahlberg does an ok, mediocre job as the father Jack Salmon, Rachel Weisz is barely adequate as the grieving mother Abigail. Throw in a alcoholic mother played by Susan Sarandon and the film is but a stiff reminder of child's death. Stanley Tucci comes across creepy, but simple as this killer who has taken many lives. Having the story told in a narrative fashion was definitely a misfire in my opinion. I did like the story which is based on the novel and give it a 6 for that reason.
jacobworld
She dies. Happy ending tho.
Very good up until the point where Mr Harvey tragically gets caught by the sister.
The sister then becomes a snake and then tells on him to the police.
Sister is a snitch and snitches get stitches.
Mr Harvey's a quality bloke who undeservedly is painted as the villain and dies of ice in head and falling off a mountain. Absolute legend.
Top notch film.
Where's the sequel at?
jtindahouse
About five or so years ago I had a go at reading 'The Lovely Bones'. I got about halfway through and decided it just wasn't for me. I like more of a mystery thriller than a book where everything is on the surface and it's more about dealing with the situation. I could see why people were so fond of it though. It was compelling and original. For some reason it's taken me this long to get around to seeing the movie. As a movie, I really enjoyed it. My gripes with it come from a logical point of view. Allow me to explain.My problem with the concept comes from the fact that the film very clearly puts forward that there is a God. Now that's all well and fine, after all thousands of films have done that over the years. Where my problem lies is that the movie demands there is a God, but also says he is willing to sit dormant while a child murderer/rapist leads a great life. I probably could have gotten past this gripe with the film if it wasn't for a scene near the end that really bothered me. It's during the death of said murderer/rapist. We see an icicle hanging from a tree, and as if a Devine intervention had come to be, a lightning bolt of sorts hits it and drops it on him forcing him to fall brutally off a cliff. The lightning bolt I speak of is the single worst part of this film. It implies that a higher power had the ability to do something all along and chose not to. I didn't like that at all.That aside, the rest of the film I quite enjoyed. I understand that they left a lot of things out from the book to make it more teenage friendly, and to me that was a shame, because the film could have been something great with those in it I suspect. Still, the film decided what it was and stuck to it, so fair play. There's some thought-provoking dialogue and it is a film that will stick with you after the credits roll. Life is a fragile and precious thing, and that fact can easily be forgotten. Film's like this remind you that life is short and needs to be cherished. Any film that does that is worth watching in my opinion.
d b
There are only mild "spoilers" in this review, so if you haven't seen it yet, you can read this without it ruining the movie for you. This film will always be remembered as the breakout role for the incredible Saoirse Ronan. It will also be remembered as one of the most controversial films ever made. People tend to break off into two camps: Team Salmon or Team Harvey.It starts off innocently enough: a boy-crazy teenage girl in the 1970s is crushing on a man at school. It seems that he is interested in Susie too and despite the disparity in age, she falls for his charms, mostly due to his exchange student allure and suave accent. As the film progresses, it becomes clear that another gentleman is also interested in the nubile teen. His name is Mr. Harvey and he lives in Susie's neighborhood. Unlike the man from school, Mr. Harvey puts in a tremendous amount of effort in an attempt to win the love of Susie Salmon. He builds her an amazing underground clubhouse, complete with all the stuff young people from that era loved. He had beverages such as Coca Cola that he selflessly shared with Susie as they hung out. It became clear that Mr. Harvey, while having great taste in females, was a bit awkward around them. His nervousness around Susie Salmon was evident and she picked up on that. Girls prefer a man with confidence. I also feel that maybe she was turned off because the Coke that Mr. Harvey gave her was warm. I didn't see an ice-filled cooler in the clubhouse anywhere. So I think these factors all led to Susie Salmon losing her patience, which erupted in an unfortunate display of rudeness. Mr. Harvey only had one rule in the clubhouse: Be polite. Susie Salmon broke that rule and the series of events that followed spiraled into one great, big, depressing chain reaction.There are no bad people in The Lovely Bones. True, Susie Salmon came off as being a little narcissistic and immature but she was only 14 years old. Mr. Harvey was socially awkward and made some questionable choices in life but he had a deep desire to be loved and respected. Despite his talents and generosity, it seemed nobody opened up their heart to him.
AD
