SpuffyWeb
Sadly Over-hyped
Janae Milner
Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.
Mehdi Hoffman
There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.
Edwin
The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.
mifunesamurai
After watching this I really wanted to read the book, only because it was pretty decent, which means the book must be worth a read! It's a very dry melodic somber piece where characters are going through the motions of a placid existence, until the Universe creates a little chain of events that has a purpose to one's being. Yes, it's that kind of movie that keeps the mind ticking through the whole duration, and really does not give away too many answers, allowing the viewer to indulge in their own fantasy mindset and reasons.Yeah, I know, another schmaltzy piece about life after death and the whole damn thing. But this one really downplays it. The tone and speed of this movie will not elate the majority, but then again, being amongst the majority can sometimes be bland and plain narrow-minded.Yelchin is perfectly cast, toning it down a notch for his melancholy character. Zooey is literally angelic, and Langella adds another mystery level. Even the supporting cast played into the wry tone of this neat little production.
krocheav
From Canada - the land of great short subjects 'n documentaries but a few too many dismal features - what's in their psyche that produces some of these misguided movies - could it be the cold that numbs their senses?. The opening of this movie looked most intriguing. Photographically it's all class, it has good performances, the music maybe a bit loose but it fitted the story. Looking at the "story" - it seems too many writers and directors want to copy the Cohen Bros - problem is, now that the Cohen Bros have gone commercial and begun copying themselves, it's become tiresome and overdue for a face lift. Are there so few left out there who remember how to tell a strait-quality-story?. It doesn't need to be outlandish just interesting!. Apart from D.O.P. Daniel Voldheim's quality cinematography (AKF: Into The White '12) the best thing about this film is the fine performance from interesting Russian born Anton Yelchin (Hearts In Atlantis" '01). What a great shame we lost this interesting young man in such a tragic accident - way before his time. Will look forward to seeing his final complete performance in "We Don't Belong Here" '16/17, hoping it may offer a better departure note for Anton. Farewell Chekov. This story seemed to be heading down an OK path till it wanders off the trail, then ends up stumbling over itself. It's yet another stylish looking movie in search of better overall treatment and script. The cultists will excuse its sometimes pretentious pseudo "psychology" along with the usual bunch of foul-mouthed-bad-ass low lifers but, anyone looking for depth could find themselves being led into a dismal driftless bog.
Gordon-11
This film tells the story of a young man who is in love with a victim of arson. He finds a bag of cash, and his life becomes complicated because the crooks who own the cash come after him in the quiet small town.The plot summary sounds interesting on paper, but unfortunately the film is not at all interesting. It feels like a bunch of incomplete jigsaw pieces being forced together. I don't quite care for any of the characters, even Zooey Deschanel's character who is a victim of arson. There's no thrill suspense even when crooks hunt Pierre down. Events in the film are muted, and the film is pretty uneventful and non happening. There's no connection between the characters themselves or with the viewers. What is the point of the story? I find it boring and forgettable.
lavatch
I rented "The Driftless Area" from a Redbox machine and admired the offbeat nature of this low-budget fantasy-thriller.A very fine cast is assembled with such veteran actors as Frank Langella and Cirian Hinds. Zooey Deschanel is lovely as Stella, the principal supernatural character. And Anton Yelchin is perfect as the Everyman figure named Pierre.The film's narrative starts on the premise of cause-and-effect action and how seemingly random occurrences have fateful consequences. At the heart of the drama is the arson that is committed on a farm house with the petty criminal unaware that the home was occupied by a young woman. The film builds from that experience with a quirky set of characters playing out a fantasy revenge and redemption story.The directorial approach to the film could have been more creative in evoking the supernatural aura surrounding the character of Stella. It was not clear, for instance, how Stella could appear to Pierre both as a real-life character and as a vision of light. There were too many confusing moments that could have been imaginatively developed in an otherwise thoughtful and sensitive film idea.