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Tuesday, October 19, 2010

The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud

Director: Burr Steers
UK release: 8 Oct 2010
US release: 30 July 2010
Starring: Zac Efron, Charlie Tahan, Amanda Crew, Augustus Prew, Donal Logue, Kim Basinger, Ray Liotta



IMDB LINK

He said:

Charlie St. Cloud strikes me as a love it or leave it type of film. This film is ripe with romance, humor and loss. I found myself straining to hear actual dialogue over the score of the film, which being the mature reviewer that I am, will blame completely on Rolfe Kent, the man credited with creating all of the films music.

There are a few scenes in this film that really felt genuinely new and beautiful. There is a scene of two of the characters running through the graveyard with a single candle between them that is really a touching moment in a film chock full of heart. One of my few complaints in the film is how there hardly any explanation of the cause of Sam's death, and it's generally assumed to be his brother's fault.

There were a couple of scenes that I felt muddled the already slow moving story, though through Efron's acting the film is redeemed. Efron has proven that he is much more than just a pretty face and is with out a doubt a force to be reckoned with.

There are two other performances that stand out in Charlie St. Cloud, Kim Basinger and Ray Liotta, though their respective roles are really more uber-cameos than supporting roles both actors put their hearts into this film.

As the credits rolled at the end of this film, I realized that while it will not be the best film I have seen this month it was with out a doubt one with a tremendous amount of heart. I give this film {{{3.5 out of 5}}}

She said:

My review of this film is much the same as James'. While I am not raving about it I am in no two minds about the fact that it is a touching story of loss and acceptance. It is nice to see a drama like this aimed at the teen audience (thanks to the lead Zac Efron who always seems to surprise me) who rarely get to see raw emotion presented in this way.

There were a few things that bothered us about this film and one of them was music, as James already noted. I felt that the music was overpowering the acting which was actually good enough to stand up by itself. The overdramatic score often felt like a neon sign was being held up saying "be sad now". I think the media savvy teenage audiences of today are past this.

I think overall this is a film that people can relate to whether they ahve suffered loss of not. 'Letting go' is often more difficult then everyone expects of you and I think that is what this film is about; seeing past your emotion and remembering you have a life to live.

Perhaps a bit slushy for all our readers but worth a watch if you like heart-wrenching/heart-warming stories. I give this film {{{3 out of 5}}}

They said:

If you enjoy the Nicholas Sparks type of films (Dear John, Message in a bottle, A Walk to Remember, The Notebook)then this film is right up your alley.We give this film a respectable {{{ 6.5 out of 10}}}

QUESTION FOR THE COMMENTS: Do you believe in life after death?

1 comment:

  1. Sometimes I think you guys give movies too much credit scores.

    ReplyDelete