Over a conversation with a friend, we kind of came to the conclusion that there are very few people (actors and directors specifically) in this world who can visualize the final product while shooting for a movie. More directors can do this (I mean it is their job right) and a few actors can. That’s probably what separates the great actors / directors from the good ones. One such former actor and a phenomenal director who was born way back on the 31st May 1930 goes by the name of Clinton Eastwood Jr. or Clint for short. A man who most of us admire immensely for his more known Spaghetti Westerns and not as much for his directorial ventures that came in much later. Surprisingly so since his best works in the field of entertainment have been after he turned director. And I am at no point of time saying that the Westerns were not good or not watchable. But as a director, he has moved into a different plane altogether. Having said that, Hereafter isn’t one of his best works to date.
It isn’t surprising when people have a gift which seems more like a curse to them. What if you could actually speak to the dead and be that bridge between what they want their loved ones to actually know after they have passed? Kinda gory aint it? That’s the predicament faced by George Lonegan (Matt Damon) who stopped reading because he thinks it is nothing to be thrilled about. His brother, Billy (Jay Mohr) cannot quite understand George’s aversion but resigns himself to it. That doesn’t however stop him from continuously trying to change George’s mind. Simultaneously there are two other lives that are the other dots in the puzzle that need to be connected. Marie Lelay (Cecile de France), an extremely successful French (and it is just coincidence that her last name is France) television anchor is on vacation somewhere in Indonesia with her producer boyfriend Didier (Thierry Neuvic). The year is 2004 and the tsunami hits the island really hard. The near death experience leaves Marie heavily shaken and she is not quite able to focus on her work thanks to the visions that she keeps seeing. And then there is Marcus (George McLaren) who loses his elder twin brother Jason (Frankie McLaren) in a freak accident involving some young dopeys. Their mother is a junkie herself and therefore the twins support each other. A distraught Marcus is sent to a foster home where he begins his search for someone who can help him speak to his brother.
Although the end product has Clint Eastwood written all over it, right from the first frame, it is a bit disappointingly stretched out and not really finished as well. That it was nominated for Best Visual Effects came as a surprise to me even more as the effects were nothing too great honestly. In fact the scene that shows the impact of the tsunami seems very green screen. The strong performances from Damon and France along with the McLarens don’t quite make up for the extremely slow pace of the movie. And you may be wondering now as to why I was waxing eloquent about Eastwood earlier in this review. It is simply because with the exception of the weak SFX in the first sequence, every single frame is as real as possible – exactly the way he visualized it to be. This one is a must watch if you are a fan of the Eastwood genre of movies. I give it 7 on 10. Hoping to see a 9 from your end Mr. Eastwood. Lets have another one as good as Changeling. Sooner the better.
Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1485637913/
It isn’t surprising when people have a gift which seems more like a curse to them. What if you could actually speak to the dead and be that bridge between what they want their loved ones to actually know after they have passed? Kinda gory aint it? That’s the predicament faced by George Lonegan (Matt Damon) who stopped reading because he thinks it is nothing to be thrilled about. His brother, Billy (Jay Mohr) cannot quite understand George’s aversion but resigns himself to it. That doesn’t however stop him from continuously trying to change George’s mind. Simultaneously there are two other lives that are the other dots in the puzzle that need to be connected. Marie Lelay (Cecile de France), an extremely successful French (and it is just coincidence that her last name is France) television anchor is on vacation somewhere in Indonesia with her producer boyfriend Didier (Thierry Neuvic). The year is 2004 and the tsunami hits the island really hard. The near death experience leaves Marie heavily shaken and she is not quite able to focus on her work thanks to the visions that she keeps seeing. And then there is Marcus (George McLaren) who loses his elder twin brother Jason (Frankie McLaren) in a freak accident involving some young dopeys. Their mother is a junkie herself and therefore the twins support each other. A distraught Marcus is sent to a foster home where he begins his search for someone who can help him speak to his brother.
Although the end product has Clint Eastwood written all over it, right from the first frame, it is a bit disappointingly stretched out and not really finished as well. That it was nominated for Best Visual Effects came as a surprise to me even more as the effects were nothing too great honestly. In fact the scene that shows the impact of the tsunami seems very green screen. The strong performances from Damon and France along with the McLarens don’t quite make up for the extremely slow pace of the movie. And you may be wondering now as to why I was waxing eloquent about Eastwood earlier in this review. It is simply because with the exception of the weak SFX in the first sequence, every single frame is as real as possible – exactly the way he visualized it to be. This one is a must watch if you are a fan of the Eastwood genre of movies. I give it 7 on 10. Hoping to see a 9 from your end Mr. Eastwood. Lets have another one as good as Changeling. Sooner the better.
Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1485637913/
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