Tockinit
not horrible nor great
Ketrivie
It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.
Plustown
A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.
Sanjeev Waters
A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.
edwagreen
Be prepared to bring a box of tissues to this heartbreaking film.A soldier returns home from World War 11 to his North Carolina home. His 17 year old brother is in prison for a crime which is not described. When our soldier, played by Chris Klein, named Noah, asks for leniency, he is denied this. On top of all this, his parents have died during the war years. The farm was sold off so Noah has to become a wanderer.He goes to a small town and meets an angel who directed him to go there. He hears the tale of a big fish in a lake. There he meets a young child who lives with his grandparents. The boy's mother is dead and the father is not there. Noah develops a strong bond with the boy who doesn't talk. Noah lives in a shed provided by widow Gretchen Mol, whose husband came home from the war and promptly put a bullet in his head. She lives with his grandmother who has a fetish for chocolate.The widow gets Noah a shed and shows him the chair where the owner of the latter died.If this isn't enough, tragedy ensues when the silent child pursues the fish. The town mourns by singing a hymn that was sung in the 1953 film version of "Titanic" with Barbara Stanwyck and Clifton Webb. Yes, Noah will leave but will find himself back in the town.The story needed to have much more of a character development. This is sadly lacking here. The viewer must have come away very depressed as I did.The film is a heartbreak. Is Noah doing the same search that Tyrone Power was looking for the meaning of life in 1946's "The Razor's Edge."Life, as we know it, can be very depressing. We don't need to be reminded of it by this production.1945 was never depicted more bleak than this. Maybe, they woke up 3 years later when Dewey was upset by Truman.
summerfest_01
It was so refreshing to see a movie with a good script, good acting and that contains values that seem to have disappeared in light of all the smut and garbage that have invaded prime time television. I would love to see more movies like this one. I thought it was excellent in every category. The scenery was beautiful, it took place just after World War 2 had ended and troops were returning home, and it gave me a real sense of nostalgia although the War took place years before my birth. The acting was great and the people of the valley were warm and inviting, again a characteristic gone with yesteryear. This movie reached out and embraced me, much like Andy Griffith and Mayberry used to when I was a little girl.
g404c
Chris Klein, Gretchen Mol, and Zach Mills steal the show in The Valley of Light, which premiered on CBS's Hallmark Hall of Fame tonight.Klein stars as Noah, a soldier returning home from World War II, who is passing through a Southern town. He is a talented fisherman, and learns of a gigantic bass in a nearby lake, which he aspires to catch. Noah meets Eleanor, a young woman with a kind heart, and Matthew, a young boy who sees him as a father-figure. When tragedy befalls the town, Noah is faced with a tough decision.I loved this movie. I cried through some of it, and really it is a powerful, touching drama chock full of talented actors. Klein is number one here, and I really felt the emotions he intended to convey. Quite impressive was the young actor Mills, who's character was completely believable and really resonated. Definitely worth viewing if you happen about it, but keep a box of tissues handy.
MartianOctocretr5
A very sentimental and heartfelt story with a refreshingly optimistic outlook about people reaching out to one another. A decorated WWII vet named Noah returns home to find the world has moved on during his absence. His parents have died, his brother is in prison, his family's farm has been sold.Noah sets out to rebuild his life, not really knowing where he's bound, and encounters a mysterious and gifted old man who directs him to a nearby town. Upon arriving there, Noah is immediately embraced by the locals who at once recognize him to be of high character. He meets a mute boy named Matthew he befriends, and an elegant widow named Eleanor. Noah's talent for fishing quickly makes him a local legend, and his kindness to others wins the hearts of everyone he meets. The beauty of this story is the interaction of all of the characters. There really are no "bad guys," everyone has their place in bringing joy into the life of some other person(s). It's very touching, and the dialogue is rich with spiritual symbolism. The entire cast breathe life into all these pleasant, likable characters. It's overall a "feel good" story (although there is one tragedy the characters face together), with a very positive approach.