Eve Taylor

Wasteland of ugliness, violence, strangeness, detached connections…… nothing to really like about yet another mindless, violent, senseless series. Can’t believe this passes for entertainment.

I’d be interested to know the age or generational differences in these ratings. Many of the comments I’ve read seem to miss the salient points of this stylistic , 4 point play of a movie IMHO. I really enjoyed this thought provoking movie ! It starts off by showing a middle class family consumed by the everyday stressors of modern American life where people are mostly disconnected from each other, chasing the American dream for success, popularity, wealth, consumerism amid ideological polarizations & breakdowns of societal norms & civility. There’s so much material in this subtext alone that one can extrapolate on as I just did. Said family opts for a spontaneous vacation in a beautiful, secluded, home tucked away in the woods near the Atlantic seaboard ( Long island ?) . Slowly things start unraveling that become increasingly disturbing. It follows the dystopian doomsday imaginings that follow a technological assault on the US by geopolitical enemies, perhaps even forming a pact to ensure our demise. Imagine them destroying the orbiting satellite systems & the havoc that would ensue on power grids, transportation systems, interconnectivity among systems! Everything goes haywire! Planes crashing, ships off course, emergency services out, & no way to communicate with anyone. Sound waves from a massive, crashing plane, for example, would be powerful enough to crack windows, bust pipes, gas fire eruptions, bombs? Weaponized microwave energy emitting piercing high dB sounds affecting your health. People will panic, become more distrustful & project their fears onto others. They’ll act out their aggressions. Changes in the electromagnetic force fields, the water temperatures, the sounds, strange quietness where noises once predominated , strange odors & smells; all will affect animal behavior & migration patterns. These scenarios are what all extreme survivalists have been preparing for with their well stocked , subterranean bunkers. The movie examines our beliefs , biases , attitudes, defense mechanisms, humanity (or lack of ) , & intrinsic skills for navigating fight or flight responses. The young girl perfectly exemplifies her coping strategy considering the egocentricity of that age group along with her singular preoccupation of finding comfort, normalcy, & resolution in a frightening, collapsing world . She’s always felt discounted & minimized by her family. So it seems fitting she’s wandered off & found the vacated mansion with the underground bunker replete with amenities including a wall full of CD’s! Finally, she can view “ the last episode” of her cherished sitcom, Friends! Now she can be transported back to a world that makes her feel safe, happy & loved. Perfect ending!

This was one of the worst movies I’ve paid for; a complete loss of my time. There’s so many annoying aspects of this movie from the weird angle shots of Meg Ryan’s face & her constant hair tossing, the continuous repetition of Duchovny’s name throughout the movie, a movie solely based on dialogue & most of which was argumentative, the unbelievable airport scenes, the fake weather, & the clairvoyant PA announcer which knows their every move or thoughts! The dialogue is ripe with clichés & sayings much of it focused on laments of aging & regrets.Oh spare me! I went with 3 other friends & we were all in agreement over how bad this movie was. We went on a whim without looking at any reviews . What a mistake that was! Anyway we all had a good laugh afterwards over pizza & beer .

The music & scenery actually makes this movie. All the rest IMHO are unrealistic. The muse aspect of Helen & the pianist’s relationship is feasible but not as it’s portrayed with such warmth & familiarity at the outset . And the high stakes world of concert musicians is very cutthroat & not nearly as gentile as this would lead one to believe.. A pianist at the zenith of his performing career would not be crippled by stage fright. There’s many waiting to fill the slots! Agents are rarely that understanding or patient. I didn’t feel Sir Patrick portrayed the role properly. He was too “normal” & kind in his interactions with people. Artists of his time were egotistical, moody & often mean: much different especially the European artist & most struggled financially.