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I didn't watch the movie when it hit the theatres. Movies are expensive in this country (about US$7.50-8.50 a pop or more if it's a really long one - sigh: "The Two Towers", come this december).
So today, acting on a hunch, I bought the DVD instead. Twice as expensive as going to the cinema (and then some), but at least now I can watch it as many times as I want out of the comfort of my own home. And, I get to listen to the director's commentaries too, which I have yet to do.
It's only a little over one and a half hours long, but it feels like a lot more. Not because it is slow and boring, no.
It is a movie, like every good movie, stuffed full of imagery and impressions in almost every scene. Some are so full of it, I had to rewind a few seconds and just lean back and experience it all over again...
Stephen King's books have never been good movies if the content matter was horror-based in my opinion. True, I have not seen "Cujo", or "The Shining", so I don't know about them. But "It" was awful. "The Tommyknockers" was plain BAD (how can you cast that Smits guy as Gardner? That's stupid!). "Carrie" was... Well, lacklustre, I'd say. ...And so on.
But the movies based on drama have been fantastic. I've heard tons of great stuff about "The Green Mile", and "Shawshank Redemption" is clearly one of the best movies ever made. And "Stand By me" moved me more than almost any other movie has ever done, before or since. Who cannot help to love it?
So acting on a hunch, I picked up "Hearts in Atlantis". And it was a powerful tale indeed. Not the best of them, but it was a sight to behold all the same!
The reason I liked it was because of the strong lead character I think. No, not Anthony Hopkins, who of course gets all the thunder on the cover. We don't even get to see the face of the true star of the movie (just his hand), much less his name...
Anton Yelchin. That is his name, and I don't know anything about him, except he has an abundance of acting talent brought forth by a tremendously expressive face full of emotions, and some truly magnificient eyes. Don't know if it's done on purpose, but we get many scenes with that face and those eyes in close-ups. They're almost liquid, those eyes. They give him great intensity somehow.
One particular line made me sit up and think. It wasn't some thought-provoking poetic thing like you might expect - no. It was just a simple question delivered in an utterly convincing manner that sparked recognition in me, woke up a dormant memory that forced me to pause playback and go through my entire collection to find out where that sense of deja vu had come from. I knew I'd heard it before of course, in EXACTLY that tone of voice too!
It was said by another kid actor, an even younger one, and one undeservedly hated by many I'd say. In fact, I actually rather liked his performance. It was Jake Lloyd, in Episode One of the Star Wars saga.
Weird coincidence...
I won't tell what "Hearts in Atlantis" is about. You should find that out yourselves if you haven't watched it. All I'll say is, that like "Stand By Me", it is a tale from a kid's perspective. A bit about kids being kids, a bit growing up, and a bit about growing old too. A tale of closing a circle, in a way. And it is a great, and a wonderful one.
Go see it.
"But he that hath the steerage of my course,
direct my sail."
-William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, Act One, Scene IV
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A few musings, that's all...
By: lenny on Thu, 07 November 2002 00:05 |
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I agree, Lenny! Terrific movie, indeed!
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FAAAAAARRRRRKKKKK!!!!
By: lenny on Thu, 07 November 2002 19:53 |
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Re: FAAAAAARRRRRKKKKK!!!!
By: timmy on Fri, 08 November 2002 12:44 |
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You're right, I should log in properly.
By: lenny on Fri, 08 November 2002 14:52 |
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Re: A few musings, that's all...
By: mt on Thu, 07 November 2002 11:29 |
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