Alex Mercedes

I read this book when it was first published. The premise was totally unique and I could not get the story out of my head. A few years later I purchased the book, still obsessed with the story, and read it again. A few years later I learned there was a film version. Watched part of it but an equipment failure in the hotel prevented completion. At last I see it start to finish. Beautifully done. Lives up to the book 100%. Now I'm obsessed with both the book and the film. What an amazing, thought-provoking premise for a story. Acting, casting, lighting, cinematography, the musical score. Flawless.

I am halfway through this film and have my doubts I'll be able to finish it. Excruciating pace. Sooooo slow and almost nothing happens. D'Onofrio being a 2nd or 3rd tier actor, in a film where nothing much happens...well. Feels like time is dragging on and on.

Because I've seen Leonardo DiCaprio in films like The Wolf of Wall Street and Titanic, Revolutionary Road and The Revenant this film was a pain to watch. From the soundtrack to the (lack of) chemistry between the players to the failed flashback/flashforward technique....the film failed for my tastes. Armand Hammer's makeup was grotesque.

Gosh, I loved this film. As I watched it, I wondered why there aren't more movies like it available on Netflix. I could sure stand to watch more documentaries of this quality in an era when quality is in short supply.

Wish I knew enough about filmmaking to speak in specifics about why this film works sooooooo well for me. But I don't so... Not the least of my enjoyment is the sheer joy and hopefulness I felt as the opening credits ran. How in the world could a film go wrong with those names working on the project?

Found this hidden treasure tonight on Netflix. I only clicked play because of Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson but what a surprise!! Good acting all the way around. And a story that I would expect to have seen delivered thru a predictable but unrealistic heroically optimistic script was instead convincingly portrayed through refreshingly intelligent writing. I see now the film is 7 years old. How did I miss it?

What a great premise for a series! What a letdown. The dialogue, the plot twists, the characters....all of derivative, stuff I've seen a million times before already. The story is dependent on cell phones but even at that, all kinds of continuity problems. The lack of imagination in this and many other modern scripts....every other line includes the f-bomb. In the hands of the right people, this great idea might have resulted in something award-worthy. Instead, it's just something mediocre to watch when you've already seen all the best stuff currently streaming.

What fun! A break from the depressing reality of America in the 21st century. A return to my youth with some of my favorite comedians. Seinfeld has NOT been funny the last few years (that thing in cars, getting coffee....) but this was cute, perfectly pitched satire, fun to look at, and satisfyingly nostalgic.

This five-star rating is based on how effectively this film delivers its message of unconditional love and challenges viewers to contemplate why it is so difficult for humans, who say they love God, to likewise love each other. It is an unsettling film to watch on this Easter weekend given the current state of the evangelical movement in the United States. Preaching on the one hand that its mission is to bring souls to Christ while also spreading messages of fear, exclusion, criticism, and anger. Where this confusion and pain ends, none can say for sure. I for one hope that like the tragic, ill-conceived Christian Crusades of the 11th and 12th centuries, the current crusade passes before much longer.

Yes.....I'm definitely feeling depressed at the end of this film.