Movie Box Review

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Rose Chan Ka Wun yesterday along with mother and manager Ronnie attended the film WOMAN KNIGHT OF MIRROR LAKE's Taiwan press conference.  The Taiwan media was rather concerned about the "molestation incident" and kept asking about it.  Rose seemed to be mentally prepared and kept her long missing smile.  Was her mood still affected?  She choked up and said that she indeed was upset but would continue to work to avoid affecting others.  Luckily the company added an assistant to keep her company and hoped that the outside would be able to give her and her family more space.  She also said that even after studying Wing Chun for three years she still was more style than substance.  "When something terrifying happens, I still wasn't able to respond in time.  I would be scared!"  Rose revealed after completing work in Hengdian she will head to Yunnan for another film GUONG FAI SHUI YUET with Eric Tsang Chi Wai and Felix Wong Yat Wa.  She pointed out that on this trip she wanted to visit the MONGA locations but she did not have time.

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Dante Lam Chiu Yin yesterday led Jay Chou (Chow Kit Lun), Lin Peng and Bai Bing to attend THE VIRAL FACTOR (YIK JIN)'s ultimate trailer release in Beijing.  THE VIRAL FACTOR's official Mainland site was already launched.  Although the trailer was only two minutes long, it shook the venue floor.  Chairman Chou praised the trailer as very "amazing" and left everyone breathless.  At the press conference the director and the three actors kept talking about the pain of the joy of the production.  Chairman Chou admitted that Director Lam has already forced him toward madness.  He never expected that the film needed three months to shoot, which made me want to go home everyday.  Lin Peng and Bai Bing joked that good food was wherever Chairman Chou was.  Bai Bing said that while working in Jordan, Chairman Chou constantly found some unexpected restaurants.  Lin Peng pointed out that Chairman Chou in
Malaysia took everything to have Bak Kut Teh.  The director immediately complained to Chairman Chou, "Why during the shoot you didn't take me once to try authentic local food!  If we have a chance to work together again, I definitely will make your production even tougher."

Lin Peng also revealed that Chairman Chou had the nickname of "Little Pale" on the set.  Although this time Chairman Chou looked very different from what everyone was used to, his skin was tan.  She realized that Chairman Chou had some very pale places so everyone called him "Little Pale".  Chairman Chou admitted that this time his VIRAL FACTOR costume was the most "manly" in his film career.  Lin Peng also cut her hair short for this film.  Chairman Chou joked that next time she might as well shave her head.  As for Chairman Chou's rating of Lin Peng's look, Lin Peng immediately said, "He doesn't like short haired girls!"  Chairman Chou awkwardly said, "Right!  I like long haired ones."

Speaking of shooting in Jordan and Kuala Lumpur, Chairman Chou admitted that Jordan to him was like "hell".  He pointed out that he was someone who did not like restrictions, but life in Jordan was too regulated and was very different from her personality.  Thus everyday after work, he would work out with Andy On Chi Kit.  While in Jordan, his "heaven" was a Chinese restaurant, as soon as he left he seemed to have returned to "hell".

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Leon Lai Ming, Andy On Chi Kit and director Daniel Lee Yan Kong two nights ago attended the film WHITE VENGEANCE (HUNG MOON YIN) premiere.  Andy's girlfriend Jennifer Tse Ting Ting and her father Patrick Tse Ying also attended in support.  The director said that when he thought about actors to play the lead Liu Bang, he immediately thought of Lai Ming.  Lai Ming also said that he has never just read the script for three hours before immediately agreeing to the role.

Lai Ming said that as a Hong Kong actor he actually had a harder and harder time finding a good script, because after inspection certain minor adjustments would be made.  This time he read the script in Mandarin and thought it flowed very smoothly, directly and simply.  He believed that the director's history background was great.  Earlier while promoting in Beijing he has already seen the film.  Will he have to work during Christmas?  Lai Ming revealed that this was the final stop of the promotion, but he still did not know whether he will have to work.  He would like to work hard on his concert rehearsal the most.

Speaking of Andy Lau Tak Wa's online good news announcement, Miriam Yeung Chin Wa after her concert also made a similar hint.  Lai Ming said with surprise, "Huh!  Really?  I only know about Wa Jai, but this is good news and is worth congratulating, whether it is Chin Wa or Wa Jai.  (When can we congratulate you?)  Don't say I am using the golden quote again, I really have to quote Wa Jai's, be nice!"  Reporters said that he might as well be nicer.  Lai Ming seemed to hint, "I really can't answer you, first China has some tradition that it's not talked about before three months.  This minute I am not, but when I am I naturally will tell everyone.  If planning these personal matter changed the promotion and focus, then to me personally it's very hard to keep being nice.  Let me be bad for once!"

Ting Ting and Andy held hands when they arrived, but when reporters interviewed them, Ting Ting had to hold the microphone for Andy.  She explained that earlier when Andy was washing dishes he used too much force and broke a cup.  Finally his right hand needed seven stitches.  Due to the distance between stitches, it became very long.  Did her heart ache?  Ting Ting looked worried and said, "Sure, when I got home I still saw the blood all over the floor.  (Would you cook to cheer him up?)  He probably won't be able to do the dishes for ten days."

Reportedly Lucas skipped school again to fly to Shanghai with Cecilia Cheung Pak Chi.  Ting Ting said that she had no idea, perhaps Christmas break started early.  She also said that she has not seen her nephew for a long time but would not try to get an understanding.  In addition, speaking of all the good news in show business, when will it be their turn?  Ting Ting looked lovingly at Andy and said, "He said he wanted to see it would truly be the end of the world, because if the world ended after they got married he would be very disappointed.  He even set a date with Papa to see whether December 21 next year would truly be the end of the world."

DVD Review of the book to film adaptation One Day starring Anne Hathaway & Jim Sturgess, directed by Lone Scherfig, adapted for the screen by author David Nicholls


Image: Courtesy of Alliance Films - Anne Hathaway (left) and Jim Sturgess (right) star in One Day, an Alliance Films release. Photo Credit Giles Keyte
Legal Line © 2011 Focus Features LLC and Random House, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Distributed exclusively in Canada by Alliance Films. All Rights Reserved.

Dir: Lone Scherfig (An Education)
Cast: Anne Hathaway, Jim Sturgess, Rafe Spall, Patricia Clarkson, Ken Stott, Romola Garai
USA, 2011

Reason to see: It's part of the 2011 Book to Film Club and on my list of Most Anticipated Films of 2011 (mid-year addition)

I was really excited to watch One Day. I loved the book, which we read in May for the Book to Film Club and book selection especially it's unusually narrative structure of touching base with out two protagonists Emma & Dexter on the same day year after year. I thought the casting for them was perfect with Anne Hathaway (Devil Wears Prada, Rachel Getting Married) as the bookish Emma and Jim Sturgess (Across the Universe, Heartless) as the flash hipster Dexter, and the both completely embody their characters which made it easy for me to love the film. And I really loved the film. I LOVED it. I love how it incorporated the unusually narrative structure and stayed very true to the book (I actually can't think of any deviation), which I can only imagine would be due to the writer David Nicholls also penning the screenplay.

I love how the film shows a lot of the everyday lives of Dex & Em, and how it can vary on good days to bad day because it's always on the same day of the year and you just don't know how it will turn out. How Emma can be down on herself and Dexter can be too high on himself and somehow they barrage each other to meet in the middle. It's a slice after slice after slice of their lives, each of them building, growing and toppling in different directions but still always being themselves, for better or for worse. It also manages to accomplish feeling of the depth you get from slow burn building of the stories, but it in fact the film goes by rather quickly. The result is a compromise of knowing rather than seeing the depth of the friendship between Dexter and Emma grow over time, which is my only criticisms of the film. And that's barely a criticism of the film because I didn't actually need it, but I did want it. I always believed the stage and strength or fragility between them, no matter when in time it was. I just wanted to see it more of them.

One personal treat of the film is the art director, costuming and hair. I might appreciate this more than other films as it's officially the first 'period piece' that I've lived through all the stages and I remember all the clothes, hair, glasses and heck even lighting trends of the time and they are all spot on. That gave the film something a little extra special because I could remember when I would have wore that dress or when everyone went for a certain style or when something was new, or when something had started to fade away. The film is very much about the long-term and how relationships can change and grow over time as well as how some things never change no matter how hard you try (or pretend to try).

But it's really about the characters of Em & Dex, and Anne Hathaway & Jim Sturgess are brilliant here, truly making the film. I think I'm slightly influenced as I heard the casting before reading it or just after I started and I could see them as the characters - especially Jim Sturgess as Dex. And I don't what they did to make him look different in the earlier years, but I didn't even really recognize him and somehow that was perfect too. Then all of a sudden it was like there! There he is! Really bizarre. The supporting I didn't know about going in and ended up being such a treat, Patricia Clarkson & Ken Stott as Dexter's parents gave a lovely depth to his character which can all to easily be brushed off as unlikable. But the biggest surprize was Rafe Spall as Ian, who is the funniest non-funny guy I've ever seen. Brilliant. So brilliant.

If you read and enjoyed the book I'd highly recommend seeing the film, and if you haven't I would recommend checking out the book first. For people that haven't read the book, it’s easy to misinterpret it as quirky cute or straight up romance but it's truly about life, love and real relationships. It's neither over the top whimsy nor gritty and dark, but fits solidly and perfectly as genuine and real. I loved it.

DVD Extras:

• Feature Commentary with director Lone Scherfig chatting about everything from the emotional resonance of the story and film, how she read the script before the book (wow!), how some of the dialogue is straight from the book, changes of the script along the way, the connection between the film and the book including discussing changes, shots and themes and items that are repeated or follow the characters throughout the, her draw to the story and the character of Emma and her insecurity, Dexter's character and when it's a challenge for the audience to sympatize with him or when you feel on his side, the continual culture clash between their two worlds, her philosophy on casting, the choice not to go with overly well known music for the time periods, notations of when there were deleted scenes or different/longer shots than what ended up in the film right down to the type face and the score and how because of all the time periods it's like 23 little films put together.
• Deleted Scenes (5 scenes, 5 minutes) combination of deleted scenes and extended scenes including more on 'the rules' on holiday, the seriousness of Dex's lifestyle, sympathy to Em's and great early scene of Dexter & Emma together.
• Em and Dex, Through the Years (3 minutes) film clips and interviews with producer Nina Jacobson, director Lone Scherfig, book author/screenwriter David Nicholls, actors Anne Hathaway & Jim Sturgess on the concept and the characters of Dexter and Emma and their relationship and the emotional impact of the story and how invested you become in the characters and the casting of Dexter & Emma.
• Anne Hathaway: Bringing Emma to Life (2 minutes) film clips and interviews with director Lone Scherfig, book author/screenwriter David Nicholls, producer Nina Jacobson, actors Anne Hathaway & Jim Sturgess on the character of Emma, including connecting to the character and Anne Hathaway portraying the roles (some crossover footage from Em and Dex, Through the Years)
• The Look of One Day (5 minutes) 3 Featurettes including Making a 20 Year Love Story, Creating Emma with Anne and Dexter's Transformation. Includes film clips and interviews with director Lone Scherfig, actors Anne Hathaway & Jim Sturgess, make-up designer Ivana Primorac, costume designer Odile Dicks-Mireaux on on the challenge of spanning 20 years and the approach and it's equated to how how it's like making 15 short films and having a different look for every scene, the creation of the feeling of being on a journey with the characters and how it's a subtle transformation over the years plus funny things like challenge of making Anne Hathaway look un-fashionable and Jim Sturgess saying he can tell the time and emotional place of Dexter by his hair. Brief, but interesting feature.

One Day (2011) is available on DVD as of November 29, 2011. Check it out over at Amazon.ca & Amazon.com

Shannon's Overall View:
I loved it
I'll own it
I'd highly recommend it to fans of the book, relationship dramas and dramas

Return to Film Reviews or see more DVD Reviews

© Shannon Ridler, 2011
Originally reviewed for Theatrical Release - August 23, 2011


Anne Hathaway (left) and Jim Sturgess (right) star in One Day, an Alliance Films release. Photo Credit Giles Keyte


Jim Sturgess (left) and Anne Hathaway (right) star in One Day, an Alliance Films release. Photo Credit Giles Keyte


Jim Sturgess (left) and Anne Hathaway (right) star as Dexter and Emma in the romance ONE DAY, an Alliance Films' release directed by Lone Scherfig. Photo credit Giles Keyte

DVD Review of the book to film adaptation One Day starring Anne Hathaway & Jim Sturgess, directed by Lone Scherfig, adapted for the screen by author David Nicholls


Image: Courtesy of Alliance Films - Anne Hathaway (left) and Jim Sturgess (right) star in One Day, an Alliance Films release. Photo Credit Giles Keyte
Legal Line © 2011 Focus Features LLC and Random House, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Distributed exclusively in Canada by Alliance Films. All Rights Reserved.

Dir: Lone Scherfig (An Education)
Cast: Anne Hathaway, Jim Sturgess, Rafe Spall, Patricia Clarkson, Ken Stott, Romola Garai
USA, 2011

Reason to see: It's part of the 2011 Book to Film Club and on my list of Most Anticipated Films of 2011 (mid-year addition)

I was really excited to watch One Day. I loved the book, which we read in May for the Book to Film Club and book selection especially it's unusually narrative structure of touching base with out two protagonists Emma & Dexter on the same day year after year. I thought the casting for them was perfect with Anne Hathaway (Devil Wears Prada, Rachel Getting Married) as the bookish Emma and Jim Sturgess (Across the Universe, Heartless) as the flash hipster Dexter, and the both completely embody their characters which made it easy for me to love the film. And I really loved the film. I LOVED it. I love how it incorporated the unusually narrative structure and stayed very true to the book (I actually can't think of any deviation), which I can only imagine would be due to the writer David Nicholls also penning the screenplay.

I love how the film shows a lot of the everyday lives of Dex & Em, and how it can vary on good days to bad day because it's always on the same day of the year and you just don't know how it will turn out. How Emma can be down on herself and Dexter can be too high on himself and somehow they barrage each other to meet in the middle. It's a slice after slice after slice of their lives, each of them building, growing and toppling in different directions but still always being themselves, for better or for worse. It also manages to accomplish feeling of the depth you get from slow burn building of the stories, but it in fact the film goes by rather quickly. The result is a compromise of knowing rather than seeing the depth of the friendship between Dexter and Emma grow over time, which is my only criticisms of the film. And that's barely a criticism of the film because I didn't actually need it, but I did want it. I always believed the stage and strength or fragility between them, no matter when in time it was. I just wanted to see it more of them.

One personal treat of the film is the art director, costuming and hair. I might appreciate this more than other films as it's officially the first 'period piece' that I've lived through all the stages and I remember all the clothes, hair, glasses and heck even lighting trends of the time and they are all spot on. That gave the film something a little extra special because I could remember when I would have wore that dress or when everyone went for a certain style or when something was new, or when something had started to fade away. The film is very much about the long-term and how relationships can change and grow over time as well as how some things never change no matter how hard you try (or pretend to try).

But it's really about the characters of Em & Dex, and Anne Hathaway & Jim Sturgess are brilliant here, truly making the film. I think I'm slightly influenced as I heard the casting before reading it or just after I started and I could see them as the characters - especially Jim Sturgess as Dex. And I don't what they did to make him look different in the earlier years, but I didn't even really recognize him and somehow that was perfect too. Then all of a sudden it was like there! There he is! Really bizarre. The supporting I didn't know about going in and ended up being such a treat, Patricia Clarkson & Ken Stott as Dexter's parents gave a lovely depth to his character which can all to easily be brushed off as unlikable. But the biggest surprize was Rafe Spall as Ian, who is the funniest non-funny guy I've ever seen. Brilliant. So brilliant.

If you read and enjoyed the book I'd highly recommend seeing the film, and if you haven't I would recommend checking out the book first. For people that haven't read the book, it’s easy to misinterpret it as quirky cute or straight up romance but it's truly about life, love and real relationships. It's neither over the top whimsy nor gritty and dark, but fits solidly and perfectly as genuine and real. I loved it.

DVD Extras:

• Feature Commentary with director Lone Scherfig chatting about everything from the emotional resonance of the story and film, how she read the script before the book (wow!), how some of the dialogue is straight from the book, changes of the script along the way, the connection between the film and the book including discussing changes, shots and themes and items that are repeated or follow the characters throughout the, her draw to the story and the character of Emma and her insecurity, Dexter's character and when it's a challenge for the audience to sympatize with him or when you feel on his side, the continual culture clash between their two worlds, her philosophy on casting, the choice not to go with overly well known music for the time periods, notations of when there were deleted scenes or different/longer shots than what ended up in the film right down to the type face and the score and how because of all the time periods it's like 23 little films put together.
• Deleted Scenes (5 scenes, 5 minutes) combination of deleted scenes and extended scenes including more on 'the rules' on holiday, the seriousness of Dex's lifestyle, sympathy to Em's and great early scene of Dexter & Emma together.
• Em and Dex, Through the Years (3 minutes) film clips and interviews with producer Nina Jacobson, director Lone Scherfig, book author/screenwriter David Nicholls, actors Anne Hathaway & Jim Sturgess on the concept and the characters of Dexter and Emma and their relationship and the emotional impact of the story and how invested you become in the characters and the casting of Dexter & Emma.
• Anne Hathaway: Bringing Emma to Life (2 minutes) film clips and interviews with director Lone Scherfig, book author/screenwriter David Nicholls, producer Nina Jacobson, actors Anne Hathaway & Jim Sturgess on the character of Emma, including connecting to the character and Anne Hathaway portraying the roles (some crossover footage from Em and Dex, Through the Years)
• The Look of One Day (5 minutes) 3 Featurettes including Making a 20 Year Love Story, Creating Emma with Anne and Dexter's Transformation. Includes film clips and interviews with director Lone Scherfig, actors Anne Hathaway & Jim Sturgess, make-up designer Ivana Primorac, costume designer Odile Dicks-Mireaux on on the challenge of spanning 20 years and the approach and it's equated to how how it's like making 15 short films and having a different look for every scene, the creation of the feeling of being on a journey with the characters and how it's a subtle transformation over the years plus funny things like challenge of making Anne Hathaway look un-fashionable and Jim Sturgess saying he can tell the time and emotional place of Dexter by his hair. Brief, but interesting feature.

One Day (2011) is available on DVD as of November 29, 2011. Check it out over at Amazon.ca & Amazon.com

Shannon's Overall View:
I loved it
I'll own it
I'd highly recommend it to fans of the book, relationship dramas and dramas

Return to Film Reviews or see more DVD Reviews

© Shannon Ridler, 2011
Originally reviewed for Theatrical Release - August 23, 2011


Anne Hathaway (left) and Jim Sturgess (right) star in One Day, an Alliance Films release. Photo Credit Giles Keyte


Jim Sturgess (left) and Anne Hathaway (right) star in One Day, an Alliance Films release. Photo Credit Giles Keyte


Jim Sturgess (left) and Anne Hathaway (right) star as Dexter and Emma in the romance ONE DAY, an Alliance Films' release directed by Lone Scherfig. Photo credit Giles Keyte

DVD review of the 2011 film Conan the Barbarian starring Jasom Momoa

Image Courtesy of Alliance Films
Legal Line Program Content and Package Artwork: © 2011 Conan Productions, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Package Design and Summary: © MMXI Lions Gate Films Inc. All Rights Reserved. Distributed exclusively in Canada by Alliance Films. All Rights Reserved.

Dir: Marcus Nispel (Friday the 13th (2009), Pathfinder)
Cast: Jason Momoa, Rachel Nichols, Stephen Lang, Rose McGowan, Saïd Taghmaoui, Ron Perlman, Nonso Anozie, Leo Howard, Ivana Staneva
USA, 2011

Reason to see: Action epics are a yes for me

Ready to go into the brave the battlefield that births a warrior like no other? Then step into the world of Conan the Barbarian (2011)! I admit I was highly skeptical of a redux/reboot/rehash/renew of Conan, because Conan the Barbarian from the 80's starring Arnold Schwarzenegger is so iconic, much-loved by fans and I was surprized when I revisited it last year, it's actually overall a very good film. But I'm always up for an action flick, especially a sword & sorcery one with lots of fighting and awesome styling and therefore braved this new world with Jason Mamoa as Conan. They go with a very similar tone of character but a different enough origin story to make it interesting. I absolutely adored the set up story for the film and was hugely impressed by Leo Howard a Young Conan, keep an eye on this guy because he is a force to be reckoned with.

The film has interesting mythic elements that add to the sorcery storyline, mostly encapsulated by the fantastic Rose McGowan as Marique (who again had a great young counterpart with Ivana Staneva). I loved the character of Marique, and the styling of her character. Jason Mamoa was pretty intense as Conan and a great fighter, he didn't make me love the character though, who isn't a hero so much but more of a rambunctious vengeful perma-thorn-in-the side feel with an occasional Robin Hood moment, with expected paybacks from some of the more pretty people he saves. I do like that the film managed to balance the harshness with some fun moments, but the heart of it is the truly visualized and stylized world with epic battles throughout.

This year we've had quite a wave of action films with an pretty extreme level of violence, from the over-the-top antics of Hobo with a Shotgun to the sword & sandals epic of Immortals and makes Conan the Barbarian sit with them in good company. I feel like I shouldn't be surprized at the violence level in Conan the Barbarian (2011) looking at director Marcus Nispel past works of Friday the 13th (2009 and Pathfinder (which along with the original Conan was a part of my 2010 Sword & Sandal Marathon!), and although I didn't mind it here myself, it does make it impossible to widely recommend the film. There is lots of blood, torture, maiming and more which doesn't feel out of place in it of itself but there is a certain revelling in the enjoyment of the violence that put me off a little. It does add a bit of fun that balances the seriousness but overall the tone is pretty freaking dark. I'm sure there are fans of the character for which that is exactly what they are looking for and they don't have to look hard because it's in the film from the bitter beginning to the very end. Seeing it on DVD you could feel the moments that were in 3D which was a mild distratction, but not so much that it detracted from the overall enjoyment of the film.

I'm a little conflicted on the female characters though, as they were 2 great female characters but there was also a big dose gratuitous nudity. Not my thing, and I'm sure it balances out. I can't say I'm surprized, but I am a little disappointed even though it's completely true to the Conan world. Overall, I feel a bit conflicted about the film as I thought I wouldn't enjoy it but in fact I did. Is it possible to be disappointed *because* you enjoyed something, as opposed to not? I don't understand it, but I do know it's the truth. If you are looking for bloody mayhem, beautiful battles on real locations and a bucketload of sword work and some sorcery all styled beautifully in authentic costumes with a charismatic cast, then Conan the Barbarian is definitely for you. I had no idea that would mean it would also be for me!

DVD Extras:

• Audio Commentary with director Marcus Nispel on working with the actors Leo Howard (Young Conan), Ron Perlman, Stephen Lang, Jason Momoa, Rachel Nichols, including how they got involved and their characters, filming in Bulgaria, on the importance of specific scenes & moments, the master/disciple relationship, movies that influenced him as a director, working on a remake and the challenges & choices made in terms what to include, the character of Conan and the choices made for his physical representation, different permutations of different scenes along the way, the realness of working the chase scenes with the horses and how many of the actors did their own stunts (including Rachel Nichols), the use of magic in the film and sword & sorcery in the film and the mythos, and interesting discussion about Pathfinder and what did and didn't work with that film and also how the character in that film is similar to Conan, working, filming & the process of 3D, the different expectations on tone & style and his vision of the story, character and bringing it all together as well as even talking about the impact of Twitter in relation to the film (wow!)
• Audio Commentary with actors Jason Momoa & Rose McGowan discussing seeing the film for the first time at the premiere,the 3D, working with the other actors (or being in the same film with) including Ron Perlman, Leo Howard, Stephan Lang, Ivana Staneva, their favourite fight scenes, props & love for the crew including costume designer & make-up artists, creating their characters, working with the horses, challenges and favourite fight sequences and moments, the epic level of the battle scenes, going to Comic-Con, chatting about the order in which they shot, which shots are their stunt doubles, noting the numerous real locations, how fun and brutal things were and how cool it all looks, a previous/alternate ending, and of course a lot about the character of Conan (including pronunciation). They are very entertaining & enjoyable to listen to but it's odd as sometimes differences in noting who did what in terms of stunt, ideas, etc from the directors commentary and also shows the juxtaposition of how there are huge portions of the film that they aren't actually in but they still make it entertaining and they have enlightening commentary and shout outs throughout.
• The Conan Legacy (18 minutes) film footage, behind the scenes, interviews with writer Sean Hood, writers Joshua Oppenheimer & Thomas Dean Donnelly, Paul Sammon (author of Conan the Phenomenon) Roy Thomas (former writer & editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics), producers Boaz Davidson & Fredrik Malmberg, executive producer Avi Lerner, actor Jason Mamoa (plus audition footage and test footage) & Rachel Nichols, director Marcus Nispel, Craig Morrison (game director and producer of Age of Conan), on their introduction into the Conan world, pulp novels, the character of Conan as originally created by Robert E. Howard and the world and age he created including the re-launching and resurgence of the character including through comics, the initial idea for the film and vision of the film and the many faces and roles of Conan, casting Conan in this film version the choice of going with low fantasy and a hard-R, the 1982 Conan the Barbarian with Arnold Schwarzenegger and other Conan properties throughout the years; plus stills of Robert E. Howard and the pulp novels, concept art & drawings of Conan & the world, comics and visuals from presentation by director Marcus Nispel which are gorgeous.
• Robert E. Howard - The Man Who Would Be Conan (11 minutes) photos of Robert E. Howard plus interviews including with with Paul Sammon (author of Conan the Phenomenon), Rob Roehm (editor, The Collected Letters of Robert E. Howard), Roy Thomas (former writer & editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics), writer Sean Hood discussing the biography and history of of Robert E. Howard from family history, personal life, being a writer, influences & interests, pulp magazines and specifically Weird Tales and the way to incorporate supernatural elements into his adventure stories and touches on character like Soloman Kane, the origins and genesis of the Conan character and the world he created, the attraction of the Conan character,
• Battle Royale - Engineering the Action (10 minutes) behind the scenes footage, training, visual storyboards, film clips and interviews with director Marcus Nispel, stunt coordinator Noon Orsatti, production designer Chris August, executive producer Avi Lerner, second unit director David Leitch, writer Sean Hood, producers Boaz Davidson & Fredrik Malmberg, actors Jason Mamoa, Stephen Lang, Rachel Nichols & Rose McGowan on the real-feel and grittiness of the action, the sword style, the concept behind some of the creatures/fighters in the film, the use of real locations for so many of the settings, creation & execution of horse chase scene including the challenges of and the fact that most of the riding & stunts were done by the actors, the challenge of and the style and strength of Jason Mamoa.
• Staging the Fights (5 minutes) 5 pre-visualizations created by the stunt team to choreograph the complicated fight scenes here shown, often side by side with the final film sequences and it's pretty freaking amazing to see it go from concept to the slick, final product.
• Theatrical Trailer

Conan the Barbarian (2011) is available on DVD as of November 22, 2011. Check it out over at Amazon.ca & Amazon.com

Shannon's Overall View:
I enjoyed it more than I expected
I'll watch it again
I'd recommend it for fans of gore-heavy action flicks & revenge films

Return to Film Reviews or see more DVD Reviews

© Shannon Ridler, 2011


Jason Momoa stars as Conan in CONAN THE BARBARIAN. Photo credit Simon Varsano


Tamara (Rachel Nichols) and Conan (Jason Momoa) in CONAN THE BARBARIAN. Photo credit Simon Varsano


Young Conan (Leo Howard, left) and Corin (Ron Perlman, right) in CONAN THE BARBARIAN. Photo credit Simon Varsano

DVD review of the 2011 film Conan the Barbarian starring Jasom Momoa

Image Courtesy of Alliance Films
Legal Line Program Content and Package Artwork: © 2011 Conan Productions, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Package Design and Summary: © MMXI Lions Gate Films Inc. All Rights Reserved. Distributed exclusively in Canada by Alliance Films. All Rights Reserved.

Dir: Marcus Nispel (Friday the 13th (2009), Pathfinder)
Cast: Jason Momoa, Rachel Nichols, Stephen Lang, Rose McGowan, Saïd Taghmaoui, Ron Perlman, Nonso Anozie, Leo Howard, Ivana Staneva
USA, 2011

Reason to see: Action epics are a yes for me

Ready to go into the brave the battlefield that births a warrior like no other? Then step into the world of Conan the Barbarian (2011)! I admit I was highly skeptical of a redux/reboot/rehash/renew of Conan, because Conan the Barbarian from the 80's starring Arnold Schwarzenegger is so iconic, much-loved by fans and I was surprized when I revisited it last year, it's actually overall a very good film. But I'm always up for an action flick, especially a sword & sorcery one with lots of fighting and awesome styling and therefore braved this new world with Jason Mamoa as Conan. They go with a very similar tone of character but a different enough origin story to make it interesting. I absolutely adored the set up story for the film and was hugely impressed by Leo Howard a Young Conan, keep an eye on this guy because he is a force to be reckoned with.

The film has interesting mythic elements that add to the sorcery storyline, mostly encapsulated by the fantastic Rose McGowan as Marique (who again had a great young counterpart with Ivana Staneva). I loved the character of Marique, and the styling of her character. Jason Mamoa was pretty intense as Conan and a great fighter, he didn't make me love the character though, who isn't a hero so much but more of a rambunctious vengeful perma-thorn-in-the side feel with an occasional Robin Hood moment, with expected paybacks from some of the more pretty people he saves. I do like that the film managed to balance the harshness with some fun moments, but the heart of it is the truly visualized and stylized world with epic battles throughout.

This year we've had quite a wave of action films with an pretty extreme level of violence, from the over-the-top antics of Hobo with a Shotgun to the sword & sandals epic of Immortals and makes Conan the Barbarian sit with them in good company. I feel like I shouldn't be surprized at the violence level in Conan the Barbarian (2011) looking at director Marcus Nispel past works of Friday the 13th (2009 and Pathfinder (which along with the original Conan was a part of my 2010 Sword & Sandal Marathon!), and although I didn't mind it here myself, it does make it impossible to widely recommend the film. There is lots of blood, torture, maiming and more which doesn't feel out of place in it of itself but there is a certain revelling in the enjoyment of the violence that put me off a little. It does add a bit of fun that balances the seriousness but overall the tone is pretty freaking dark. I'm sure there are fans of the character for which that is exactly what they are looking for and they don't have to look hard because it's in the film from the bitter beginning to the very end. Seeing it on DVD you could feel the moments that were in 3D which was a mild distratction, but not so much that it detracted from the overall enjoyment of the film.

I'm a little conflicted on the female characters though, as they were 2 great female characters but there was also a big dose gratuitous nudity. Not my thing, and I'm sure it balances out. I can't say I'm surprized, but I am a little disappointed even though it's completely true to the Conan world. Overall, I feel a bit conflicted about the film as I thought I wouldn't enjoy it but in fact I did. Is it possible to be disappointed *because* you enjoyed something, as opposed to not? I don't understand it, but I do know it's the truth. If you are looking for bloody mayhem, beautiful battles on real locations and a bucketload of sword work and some sorcery all styled beautifully in authentic costumes with a charismatic cast, then Conan the Barbarian is definitely for you. I had no idea that would mean it would also be for me!

DVD Extras:

• Audio Commentary with director Marcus Nispel on working with the actors Leo Howard (Young Conan), Ron Perlman, Stephen Lang, Jason Momoa, Rachel Nichols, including how they got involved and their characters, filming in Bulgaria, on the importance of specific scenes & moments, the master/disciple relationship, movies that influenced him as a director, working on a remake and the challenges & choices made in terms what to include, the character of Conan and the choices made for his physical representation, different permutations of different scenes along the way, the realness of working the chase scenes with the horses and how many of the actors did their own stunts (including Rachel Nichols), the use of magic in the film and sword & sorcery in the film and the mythos, and interesting discussion about Pathfinder and what did and didn't work with that film and also how the character in that film is similar to Conan, working, filming & the process of 3D, the different expectations on tone & style and his vision of the story, character and bringing it all together as well as even talking about the impact of Twitter in relation to the film (wow!)
• Audio Commentary with actors Jason Momoa & Rose McGowan discussing seeing the film for the first time at the premiere,the 3D, working with the other actors (or being in the same film with) including Ron Perlman, Leo Howard, Stephan Lang, Ivana Staneva, their favourite fight scenes, props & love for the crew including costume designer & make-up artists, creating their characters, working with the horses, challenges and favourite fight sequences and moments, the epic level of the battle scenes, going to Comic-Con, chatting about the order in which they shot, which shots are their stunt doubles, noting the numerous real locations, how fun and brutal things were and how cool it all looks, a previous/alternate ending, and of course a lot about the character of Conan (including pronunciation). They are very entertaining & enjoyable to listen to but it's odd as sometimes differences in noting who did what in terms of stunt, ideas, etc from the directors commentary and also shows the juxtaposition of how there are huge portions of the film that they aren't actually in but they still make it entertaining and they have enlightening commentary and shout outs throughout.
• The Conan Legacy (18 minutes) film footage, behind the scenes, interviews with writer Sean Hood, writers Joshua Oppenheimer & Thomas Dean Donnelly, Paul Sammon (author of Conan the Phenomenon) Roy Thomas (former writer & editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics), producers Boaz Davidson & Fredrik Malmberg, executive producer Avi Lerner, actor Jason Mamoa (plus audition footage and test footage) & Rachel Nichols, director Marcus Nispel, Craig Morrison (game director and producer of Age of Conan), on their introduction into the Conan world, pulp novels, the character of Conan as originally created by Robert E. Howard and the world and age he created including the re-launching and resurgence of the character including through comics, the initial idea for the film and vision of the film and the many faces and roles of Conan, casting Conan in this film version the choice of going with low fantasy and a hard-R, the 1982 Conan the Barbarian with Arnold Schwarzenegger and other Conan properties throughout the years; plus stills of Robert E. Howard and the pulp novels, concept art & drawings of Conan & the world, comics and visuals from presentation by director Marcus Nispel which are gorgeous.
• Robert E. Howard - The Man Who Would Be Conan (11 minutes) photos of Robert E. Howard plus interviews including with with Paul Sammon (author of Conan the Phenomenon), Rob Roehm (editor, The Collected Letters of Robert E. Howard), Roy Thomas (former writer & editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics), writer Sean Hood discussing the biography and history of of Robert E. Howard from family history, personal life, being a writer, influences & interests, pulp magazines and specifically Weird Tales and the way to incorporate supernatural elements into his adventure stories and touches on character like Soloman Kane, the origins and genesis of the Conan character and the world he created, the attraction of the Conan character,
• Battle Royale - Engineering the Action (10 minutes) behind the scenes footage, training, visual storyboards, film clips and interviews with director Marcus Nispel, stunt coordinator Noon Orsatti, production designer Chris August, executive producer Avi Lerner, second unit director David Leitch, writer Sean Hood, producers Boaz Davidson & Fredrik Malmberg, actors Jason Mamoa, Stephen Lang, Rachel Nichols & Rose McGowan on the real-feel and grittiness of the action, the sword style, the concept behind some of the creatures/fighters in the film, the use of real locations for so many of the settings, creation & execution of horse chase scene including the challenges of and the fact that most of the riding & stunts were done by the actors, the challenge of and the style and strength of Jason Mamoa.
• Staging the Fights (5 minutes) 5 pre-visualizations created by the stunt team to choreograph the complicated fight scenes here shown, often side by side with the final film sequences and it's pretty freaking amazing to see it go from concept to the slick, final product.
• Theatrical Trailer

Conan the Barbarian (2011) is available on DVD as of November 22, 2011. Check it out over at Amazon.ca & Amazon.com

Shannon's Overall View:
I enjoyed it more than I expected
I'll watch it again
I'd recommend it for fans of gore-heavy action flicks & revenge films

Return to Film Reviews or see more DVD Reviews

© Shannon Ridler, 2011


Jason Momoa stars as Conan in CONAN THE BARBARIAN. Photo credit Simon Varsano


Tamara (Rachel Nichols) and Conan (Jason Momoa) in CONAN THE BARBARIAN. Photo credit Simon Varsano


Young Conan (Leo Howard, left) and Corin (Ron Perlman, right) in CONAN THE BARBARIAN. Photo credit Simon Varsano

Review of the highly stylized action epic Immortals starring Henry Cavill, Luke Evans and Mickey Rourke



Dir: Tarsem Singh (The Cell, The Fall)
Cast: Henry Cavill, Mickey Rourke, Stephen Dorff, Luke Evans, Freida Pinto, Isabel Lucas, Kellan Lutz, John Hurt, Joesph Morgan, Daniel Sharman
USA, 2011

Seen: November 15, 2011 at Scotiabank in 3D

Reason to see: It's on my list of Most Anticipated Films of 2011 (#14)

I was really looking forward to Tarsem's foray into the epic sword & sandal as I love the genre and I enjoyed his previous films The Cell and The Fall; both which had interesting stories and were set highly stylized & adeptly realized environments. Immortals continues the trend of highly stylized and visually stunning films, but I did not connect to the story or characters anywhere near as much as I had hoped. The film follows Theseus (Henry Cavill of 'The Tudors'), whom is an outsider in his home village but maintains strong relationships with both his mother and a wise old man (John Hurt), who trains him in the ways of a warrior. His fighting skills certainly are believable but aren’t appreciated or wanted when the tides turn and the fearsome King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke) sets his sites on releases the Titans to create a war among the Gods. Who will stand up for the mortals? Who will they place their faith in? That is a really good question, because it really doesn’t seem to be….Theseus.

That brings us to one key piece missing from Immortals and one thing I often look forward to in a sword & sandals film: a hero. Theseus is many things including a great fighter, a dedicated son, a man who persisted through challenges, extremely fit & capable but he is NOT a hero. They even talk about what a hero is in the film - and he doesn't meet that on any level, especially when it comes to believing people would follow him. It’s a very much fend-for-yourself mentality of individuals which seems completely at odds with the principle of the story trying to rally folks together either through faith, on by fear. Another elements I would have loved to have seen but sadly weren’t used include that the film didn’t have a sense of adventure (travelling vast distances/solving puzzles/looking for treasure), there is no moral question, there are no grey areas; it's just brutality and oppression in contrast with action and beauty.

Now, looking at it from the perspective of action and beauty alone, it does provide both in abundance. Immortals fits snugly in the 18A high-gore, brutal-violence camp that has been growing all year and although the action wasn’t quite my cup of tea (slow-mo, amp’d up, 3D-centric, etc), it was well done and entertaining. There were some great fights and monsterous characters, which brings me to the art direction and styling which I have to commend on all levels. The costumes and characters are fully realized; they are deeply a part of each and every character and often push the envelope to new levels. The art direction and visual stylings they are formidable in both the gruesome and beauty beds, but in particular the costuming & armouring of King Hyperion's army is fantastically hideous. I also was impressed by the performances of Joesph Morgan as Lysander, Luke Evans as Zeus and it was also cool to spot Robert Maillet (Monster Brawl, Sherlock Holmes) as one of the baddies.

I did wish there was more alignment to the things we know the gods as to their fighting styles implemented into the action, but I can see the reasoning behind going with something different. I did love the visual depiction of the Titans, although didn’t love the energy that came with them. And I was really disappointed in Athena's character - for the goddess of war she ended up being a Daddy's girl and that just ain't right.

The easy quip would be to say its style over substance, but it isn’t. The truth is I liked style, but didn’t like the substance which is a strong revenge tale with hints at ideas on the gods, faith, disbelievers, diplomacy and power. Sadly, although it’s gorgeous to see the style of the film I didn’t enjoy spending that much time with characters who aren't interested in helping anyone but themselves.

Shannon's Overall View:
I wanted to enjoyed it
I'd watch it again for the gorgeous art direction
I'd recommend it to fans of action films that are heavy on brutality

Also see: All 2011 Films Reviewed, Most Anticipated Films of 2011, and All Film Reviews

© Shannon Ridler, 2011

Review of the highly stylized action epic Immortals starring Henry Cavill, Luke Evans and Mickey Rourke



Dir: Tarsem Singh (The Cell, The Fall)
Cast: Henry Cavill, Mickey Rourke, Stephen Dorff, Luke Evans, Freida Pinto, Isabel Lucas, Kellan Lutz, John Hurt, Joesph Morgan, Daniel Sharman
USA, 2011

Seen: November 15, 2011 at Scotiabank in 3D

Reason to see: It's on my list of Most Anticipated Films of 2011 (#14)

I was really looking forward to Tarsem's foray into the epic sword & sandal as I love the genre and I enjoyed his previous films The Cell and The Fall; both which had interesting stories and were set highly stylized & adeptly realized environments. Immortals continues the trend of highly stylized and visually stunning films, but I did not connect to the story or characters anywhere near as much as I had hoped. The film follows Theseus (Henry Cavill of 'The Tudors'), whom is an outsider in his home village but maintains strong relationships with both his mother and a wise old man (John Hurt), who trains him in the ways of a warrior. His fighting skills certainly are believable but aren’t appreciated or wanted when the tides turn and the fearsome King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke) sets his sites on releases the Titans to create a war among the Gods. Who will stand up for the mortals? Who will they place their faith in? That is a really good question, because it really doesn’t seem to be….Theseus.

That brings us to one key piece missing from Immortals and one thing I often look forward to in a sword & sandals film: a hero. Theseus is many things including a great fighter, a dedicated son, a man who persisted through challenges, extremely fit & capable but he is NOT a hero. They even talk about what a hero is in the film - and he doesn't meet that on any level, especially when it comes to believing people would follow him. It’s a very much fend-for-yourself mentality of individuals which seems completely at odds with the principle of the story trying to rally folks together either through faith, on by fear. Another elements I would have loved to have seen but sadly weren’t used include that the film didn’t have a sense of adventure (travelling vast distances/solving puzzles/looking for treasure), there is no moral question, there are no grey areas; it's just brutality and oppression in contrast with action and beauty.

Now, looking at it from the perspective of action and beauty alone, it does provide both in abundance. Immortals fits snugly in the 18A high-gore, brutal-violence camp that has been growing all year and although the action wasn’t quite my cup of tea (slow-mo, amp’d up, 3D-centric, etc), it was well done and entertaining. There were some great fights and monsterous characters, which brings me to the art direction and styling which I have to commend on all levels. The costumes and characters are fully realized; they are deeply a part of each and every character and often push the envelope to new levels. The art direction and visual stylings they are formidable in both the gruesome and beauty beds, but in particular the costuming & armouring of King Hyperion's army is fantastically hideous. I also was impressed by the performances of Joesph Morgan as Lysander, Luke Evans as Zeus and it was also cool to spot Robert Maillet (Monster Brawl, Sherlock Holmes) as one of the baddies.

I did wish there was more alignment to the things we know the gods as to their fighting styles implemented into the action, but I can see the reasoning behind going with something different. I did love the visual depiction of the Titans, although didn’t love the energy that came with them. And I was really disappointed in Athena's character - for the goddess of war she ended up being a Daddy's girl and that just ain't right.

The easy quip would be to say its style over substance, but it isn’t. The truth is I liked style, but didn’t like the substance which is a strong revenge tale with hints at ideas on the gods, faith, disbelievers, diplomacy and power. Sadly, although it’s gorgeous to see the style of the film I didn’t enjoy spending that much time with characters who aren't interested in helping anyone but themselves.

Shannon's Overall View:
I wanted to enjoyed it
I'd watch it again for the gorgeous art direction
I'd recommend it to fans of action films that are heavy on brutality

Also see: All 2011 Films Reviewed, Most Anticipated Films of 2011, and All Film Reviews

© Shannon Ridler, 2011

Writer/Dir: Andrew Niccol (Gattaca)
Cast: Justin Timberlake ,Amanda Seyfried, Cillian Murphy, Olivia Wilde, Matt Bomer, Alex Pettyfer, Johnny Galecki, incent Kartheiser
USA, 2011

Seen: November 12, 2011 at AMC

Reason to see: It's science fiction and and I loved Gattaca

In Time is set in a world/time where time acts as currency, and once you hit 25 your body stops physically aging and will keep running indefinitely as long as you have enough time on your biological clock. In this world we follow Will (Justin Timberlake), who does manual labour job, lives with his mother and literally clocks day by day and hopes one day to have more time on his arm (clock) than hours in the day.

It's a great way to understand the pressure of the need to earn to live, but what didn't quite jive is that it was very clear that you need more than the hours of the day on your arm if you are going to get anywhere or do anything, so right there I had a disconnect with not understanding how much time anyone would need to last a day and that was an early warning bell for more confusing and issues. It's so sad because the film has such a great premise, I was intrigued since the first trailer as it's an interesting analogy to wealth having it literally wired to life and a fascinating way to show the different in economical levels, how society works (or doesn't), priorities, pressures, subcultures and the like. Although the film does actually touch on most of those interesting ideas, it falls into so many sand traps along the way including ironically pacing. There are moments there are very specifically noted to take a lot of time in one instance, and then are show very quickly later and that just made me not believe in the film at all. You have to follow the rules you set up, especially if they are intrinsic to the basic (and unique) concept of the story, otherwise you are going to lose people.

I did like Justin Timberlake as Will, he was very charismatic & believable in the different hats he wears for the role from being a concerned son, to a bit of a bruiser or a charmer (or a bit of both). I've been wondering how he'd fair as a leading man since The Social Network and I think we will see a lot of him in the future, although I had lots of issues with the film I didn't have any issues with him. Justin Timberlake was great in the action sequences, had a good emotional range and was charismatic throughout. Which is impressive in a film that also stars Cillian Murphy who is outrageously charismatic & talented and was a highlight here as the timekeeper/law enforcer who had been around since things were different which was one of the other things I wish they had played with in the film; if people could literally be timeless, how would that effect trends or eras or the passage of time? Everything felt so 'now', which didn't seem to fully explore the concept at all. I also kept wondering why they didn't go into different directions or explore more ideas. It really focused on economy and wealth; aligning the poor to the dregs of the world and the rich to elites and never the two to meet; and there was certainly an uncomfortable idea of that having more time was 'dangerous' to all involved. Great for drama, but disturbing as a concept.

It would be easy to harp on things little and big like not everyone looked 25, the sad uncaring and selfish nature of most of the people in the world, the glaring oddity that the time exchanges aren't tracked but for me the big question was why would this every happen? What's the advantage and how was it implemented? Does no one try and undermine the system? How much time do you need to survive a day, month, year; or send your kids to school (if there is school?), or get training, buy a magazine or take a trip? No idea. It all felt either easy or too hard. There was no in between.

I really wanted to like In Time, but it was so sad to see it not fully explore a fascinating idea and to be honest the fact that it had pacing issue made me literally mad. That was a deal breaker. I did enjoy the performances of Justin Timberlake, Cillian Murphy & …. As the big rich bad, but I shook my head at the mangling of such an interesting idea to a mostly messy film.

Shannon's Overall View:
I didn't love it
I'd would watch it again
It's a challenge to recommend, I think sci-fi fans will be disappointed and they are the target audience

Also see: All 2011 Films Reviewed and All Film Reviews

© Shannon Ridler, 2011

Writer/Dir: Andrew Niccol (Gattaca)
Cast: Justin Timberlake ,Amanda Seyfried, Cillian Murphy, Olivia Wilde, Matt Bomer, Alex Pettyfer, Johnny Galecki, incent Kartheiser
USA, 2011

Seen: November 12, 2011 at AMC

Reason to see: It's science fiction and and I loved Gattaca

In Time is set in a world/time where time acts as currency, and once you hit 25 your body stops physically aging and will keep running indefinitely as long as you have enough time on your biological clock. In this world we follow Will (Justin Timberlake), who does manual labour job, lives with his mother and literally clocks day by day and hopes one day to have more time on his arm (clock) than hours in the day.

It's a great way to understand the pressure of the need to earn to live, but what didn't quite jive is that it was very clear that you need more than the hours of the day on your arm if you are going to get anywhere or do anything, so right there I had a disconnect with not understanding how much time anyone would need to last a day and that was an early warning bell for more confusing and issues. It's so sad because the film has such a great premise, I was intrigued since the first trailer as it's an interesting analogy to wealth having it literally wired to life and a fascinating way to show the different in economical levels, how society works (or doesn't), priorities, pressures, subcultures and the like. Although the film does actually touch on most of those interesting ideas, it falls into so many sand traps along the way including ironically pacing. There are moments there are very specifically noted to take a lot of time in one instance, and then are show very quickly later and that just made me not believe in the film at all. You have to follow the rules you set up, especially if they are intrinsic to the basic (and unique) concept of the story, otherwise you are going to lose people.

I did like Justin Timberlake as Will, he was very charismatic & believable in the different hats he wears for the role from being a concerned son, to a bit of a bruiser or a charmer (or a bit of both). I've been wondering how he'd fair as a leading man since The Social Network and I think we will see a lot of him in the future, although I had lots of issues with the film I didn't have any issues with him. Justin Timberlake was great in the action sequences, had a good emotional range and was charismatic throughout. Which is impressive in a film that also stars Cillian Murphy who is outrageously charismatic & talented and was a highlight here as the timekeeper/law enforcer who had been around since things were different which was one of the other things I wish they had played with in the film; if people could literally be timeless, how would that effect trends or eras or the passage of time? Everything felt so 'now', which didn't seem to fully explore the concept at all. I also kept wondering why they didn't go into different directions or explore more ideas. It really focused on economy and wealth; aligning the poor to the dregs of the world and the rich to elites and never the two to meet; and there was certainly an uncomfortable idea of that having more time was 'dangerous' to all involved. Great for drama, but disturbing as a concept.

It would be easy to harp on things little and big like not everyone looked 25, the sad uncaring and selfish nature of most of the people in the world, the glaring oddity that the time exchanges aren't tracked but for me the big question was why would this every happen? What's the advantage and how was it implemented? Does no one try and undermine the system? How much time do you need to survive a day, month, year; or send your kids to school (if there is school?), or get training, buy a magazine or take a trip? No idea. It all felt either easy or too hard. There was no in between.

I really wanted to like In Time, but it was so sad to see it not fully explore a fascinating idea and to be honest the fact that it had pacing issue made me literally mad. That was a deal breaker. I did enjoy the performances of Justin Timberlake, Cillian Murphy & …. As the big rich bad, but I shook my head at the mangling of such an interesting idea to a mostly messy film.

Shannon's Overall View:
I didn't love it
I'd would watch it again
It's a challenge to recommend, I think sci-fi fans will be disappointed and they are the target audience

Also see: All 2011 Films Reviewed and All Film Reviews

© Shannon Ridler, 2011