Rating: 
Summary: Excellent
Review: If you are looking for a movie with lots of flashy special effects, lame acting, and no plot, forget this one.If, however, you are looking for a movie with depth, humanity, and feeling that is brilliantly written, acted, and filmed, then this is the one. Without question, this was the best movie of 1997. It did not have the commercial hype of the bloated "Titanic," nor did it have the pretty boys of "Titanic" or "Good Will Hunting." What it does have is an exquisite observation into human grief and mourning. DO NOT MISS!
Rating: 
Summary: Very Disappointed
Review: This movie was rated highly, but... I found it completely boring, I didn't like or even care about one character. I watched to the end just to see what happened and ended up just shaking my head. Don't bother!
Rating:
Summary: masterpiece
Review: The sweet hereafter is to films as is ok computer is to music as is Thomas Wolfe is to literature.
Rating: 
Summary: DARKLY BEAUTIFUL AND SIMPLY UNFORGETTABLE
Review: A must see for anyone with a heart and/or a soul. The movie is a lyrical meditation upon the nature of death that might loose you in the first few minutes with the sheer power of its stark direction and raw depictions of human grief. But above all on DVD, the flawless direction of Atom Etoygan is stunningly revealed in his wintry visual tapestries which display a town divided by a horrible bus accident and how the residents fall into the hands of an attorney feebly trying to make sense of the disaster. Ultimately this movie has a soul stirring emotional payoff which, although requiring a certain degree of virtous patience from its audience, is a statement that should be witnessed by everyone who has suffered emotionally from an event of inexplicable tragdedy.
Rating:
Summary: A modern work of genius
Review: I am a pretty discriminating movie lover, but mere seconds after I finished viewing Egoyan's film it shot way up my personal top-ten list. Egoyan's seemless interspersement of shots remind me of another brilliant '90s work by another brilliant '90s director: John Sayles' "Lone Star." Like Sayles, the most impressive talent Egoyan has is his screenwriting. I've been fortunate enough to read the script of "The Sweet Hereafter," and you can really see that the core of this chilling film are its terrifically well-developed characters and its biting dialogue. Egoyan is a true auteur, something that is lacking in movies today. I have two favorite scenes in the film, both of which sent chills up and down my spine (which any good work of art should do). The first is Ian Holm's breathless monologue about the time his daughter got a lethal spider bite. It is the highlight of Holm's flawless performance, and illuminates many of the themes in the film. The second is the cornerstone of the film: the school-bus plunging into the ravine. An inferior filmmaker would inject this scene with so much bombast that it would cancel itself out, but Egoyan is so subtle that the result is more terrifying than any horror film: the bus's slow descent down the hill, the ice cracking beneath its weight, and the look on the father's face as he watches his two children die yet can do nothing about it. I had to rewind this scene several times to firmly grasp what I had just seen. It came as a pleasant surprise (but by no means undeserved) to see Egoyan get nominated for Academy Awards for screenwriting and directing. Just seeing the Oscars merely acknowledge this brilliant film was reward enough (and proved to me that many of the voters must possess some degree of good taste). In my mind, it was akin to the Grammys nominating Radiohead's OK Computer for best album: it didn't have a snowball's chance in hell, but everyone knew it was a work of genius. And sometimes mere recognition is better than anything.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best new DVD's out there!
Review: If you have read my (and other peoples) reviews of this fine film you already know that I (and others) think it is one of the best movies of the last 10 years. But why buy it on DVD? Heres why. First off it is in the incredible 5.0 sound format. That is the very best digital sound available (many films don't have that). But the real treat is the extra cool stuff only available on this DVD. Like the director and the author of the novel (Russel Banks) in an alternative audio track that runs the length of the film, The question and answer section, The cast bio's, The biggest thing is a small "film within a film" ducumentery thing called "before and after". It includes speaches and readings from the original novel by the director (who's name I won't even try to spell) and the author Russel Banks (I can spell that). Most moving is when Mr. Banks reads a piece from his book by Nichole. Nichole is Sarah Polleys character and she is in a bad relationship with her father. Mr. Banks's reading gives new depth to an already devestating performance by one of the finest young actors today. Sarah Polley is the Canadian Jodie Foster. If you buy only one DVD make it this one, or Contact, which I will also review. "Lost Johnny"
Rating:
Summary: THIS IS NOT A COMEDY
Review: As for EXOTICA, the precedent movie of Atom Egoyan, his masterpiece, you have to be patient to enjoy THE SWEET HEREAFTER. This director hasn't showed until now a movie with a linear story. Egoyan likes to create a world by showing little scenes which do not seem, when you see them, to have anything in common. Guiltiness, sadness and melancholy are the only impressions these scenes leave in your heart. Then, at the end of the movie, you realize that everything you've seen had a signification and you can, at last and if you aren't asleep, have a global vision of the painting Atom Egoyan has filmed. A DVD which demands some effort to be appreciated.
Rating:
Summary: The Sweet Hereafter
Review: This is a really extraordinary film. The acting is superb, the photography is stunning, and even the music is haunting. Above all however, it's a movie that really sticks with you, and rewards multiple viewings. The simple plot belies an incredibly deep and multi-layered moral play about the human spirit and its capacity for both evil and good. Certain viewers may be turned off by some highly disturbing scenes, but for those willing to put some energy into understanding this movie, the payoff is tremendous. Easily one of the best movies ever made.
Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece
Review: Raw, genuine, and tender. This movie will tug the softest strings of your heart. It is an absolute masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: Had my high hopes dashed...
Review: This movie was one of the most hyped, must see movies of the year...i came away feeling that the critics have finally gone nutty. The plot was simply uninteresting...i didnt care for one person in the entire film...am i as cold as that fictional town??? Perhaps, but i still think this movie sucked!!!
|
