Rating: 
Summary: Simply a wonderful movie. See it!
Review: I am a train enthusiast who heard about this film through friends who are also interested in the hobby. I wasn't sure what to expect but, after reading several reviews, wanted to see it. It was absolutely incredible, and the other 500 or so folks who ventured out on a cold and snowy Friday afternoon to see a cinema society screening seemed to enjoy it as well. The surroundings and the receptive audience only made the movie that much better.It's hard to describe the movie to friends...a movie about a dwarf who likes trains and inherits an abandoned depot. I simply tell them that it is about so much more than trains. But there are those "been there, done that" moments to which railfans will relate: screening home movies of trains in a dark room filled with railfans, and chasing trains (although I have never had as much fun as the characters had in this movie). I will let others talk about all of the other plot points, etc. If you are a train fan, see it...you will see yourself (and, oh, the thought of owning a depot and cars next to a track). If you are a movie fan, see it...it is a tremendous production. If you have a pulse, see it...it is a moving, touching, wonderful, funny, sparkling movie. Make your friend see it. I did, and they loved it (one even ended up at a complex which was also showing porn movies, but that didn't deter them from enjoying the movie). I will own it when it comes out on DVD and loan it to all of my friends. See it!
Rating:
Summary: A Celebration of Humanity
Review: I do not damn with faint praise when calling this a "small" film, nor when doing so is any offense intended to Peter Dinklage who plays the role of Finbar McBride, the central character. After the death of his employer and friend who owns a store offering model railroads and various accessories, McBride learns that he has inherited from him an abandoned train station and sets out on foot to begin a new life there. Only four-foot tall, by now he has endured all of the hurtful jokes and taunts about dwarfs, "Munchkins," etc. He seeks solitude in what seems to be an eminently appropriate residence, given his passion for railroading in all shapes and sizes. McBride arrives and establishes residence, determined to have minimal contact with others who live in the town nearby. Unexpectedly and at first reluctantly, he becomes friends with Joe Oramas (Bobby Cannavale) and then Olivia Harris (Patricia Clarkson), both of whom sense within McBride a stature belied by his diminutive body. This is a "small" film in the sense that under Thomas McCarthy's brilliant direction, it is fully developed within quite limited parameters. (I am reminded of the fact that the greatest athletes "play within themselves.") I can think of nothing to delete from this film, nor of anything to add. Also, to their credit, McCarthy and his cast resist every opportunity to sentimentalize (thereby trivialize) any of the lead characters' weaknesses as well as strengths. Finbar, Olivia, and Joe struggle (with mixed success) in their relationships with each other. Their behavior is not always admirable. But separately and together, they celebrate the nature of humanity, whatever the shape and form of it may prove to be.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful film
Review: I just came back from seeing "The Station Agent". I thought it was a wonderful film. After seeing "Mystic River" last month, "The Station Agent" is a wonderful antidote to the heavy drama of the Dennis Lehane novel. Peter Dinklage as Finn is worthy of an Oscar nod. It was so refreshing to see a dwarf be portrayed as a human being as opposed to a cartoonish stereotype. Here the viewer sees a man who is only 4 feet, 5 inches tall isolate himself emotionally from society because all his life he had been teased and taunted by people. Finn is forced to interact with his new neighbors in Newfoundland, NJ. Bobby Cannavale as the annoyingly nosy hot dog/coffee vendor Joe and Patricia Clarkson as the grieving Olivia Harris also gave excellent, if not convincing peformances in the film. Joe reminded me how annoying I used to be as a teenager by following other people around. As annoying and nosy Joe was, he had a good heart. He wasn't as obnoxious as tv's Steve Urkel. Patricia Clarkson was wonderful as Olivia Harris. I really enjoyed the scenes when she first encountered Finn in the beginning of the film. Those were hilarious. One of my favorite scenes in the film was when Finn was in the bar getting drunk. I loved how the cinematography was shot from Finn's drunken perspective. Although her presence in the film was albeit brief, former Dawson's Creek star Michelle Williams also performed well. I always did think that she was the talented actor of all the Dawson's Creek cast. Her character's interaction with Finn was sweet. Without giving out anything, I didn't expect for the film to end the way that it did. Not that it is a bad thing, I was just surprised. Some people might be put off by that but I liked being surprised and it pretty much wrapped things up within 90 minutes. "The Station Agent" is a character-driven movie. I really enjoy movies like "The Station Agent" than the garbage that is currently being churned out at the moment by Hollywood. Human drama makes for a more interesting movie than all the special effects in Hollywood. "The Station Agent" is definitely another favorite film of mine I have seen this year.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful! Dinklage is great!
Review: I just saw a screener of this film the other night, and I have to say, it is one of the best films of the year! I loved it! Peter Dinklage deserved an Oscar nomination, if not the Oscar itself! His performance was so real, and it connected with you on a certain level, and you just knew how this character felt. Everyone else in the cast was awesome as well. Patricia Clarkson was hilarious and moving, as was Bobby Cannavale who plays the extremely hyper and energetic Joe. All in all, I think that Thomas McCarthy has given us a treasure. It's one of those films like LOST IN TRANSLATION, where you just come away from it feeling so effected by it that you want to watch it all over again to get that same feeling. The scenery and use of atmosphere helps to give you the feel of this film, and it will stick with you soon after the film is over. The score by Stephen Trask is also a plus. I loved it, and I hope its on a CD somewhere. Needless to say, I will be buying the DVD as soon as it hits shelves! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Rating:
Summary: GO SEE THIS MOVIE!
Review: I was at the Toronto Film Festival, and THE STATION AGENT was by far the best film I saw there. At my screening, we all gave it a standing ovation! It's so nice to see a movie that feels real--and yet totally interesting. The performances are great. Funny, sad. You love these characters--particularly Peter Dinklage. He's amazing! This is a small movie that should be huge. I highly recommend it!!
Rating: 
Summary: Solidly mediocre, if you ask me.
Review: I watched this movie with a friend, and we both agreed that although it is not bad, it isn't really deserving of the raves it has received. Not enough there, really, to sustain any great interest, but easy enough to watch. Cute, at best.
Rating: 
Summary: I found myself wanting a little more
Review: I'm really on the fence with this film. I know that it's very highly regarded by the film industry, and that it won a BAFTA award. Obviously, there are people "in the know" who think it's terrific. It's one of those "nothing really happens" movies, instead being a character piece with human emotion. The problem I have with it is that it doesn't really delve into its characters as much as I feel it should have, and the emotion that's displayed - with one notable exception - is extremely minimal.
The story centers around a dwarf (Fin) who inherits half an acre of land, on which is a home and a train depot. Fin is a train enthusiast, and instead of moving into the home, he takes up residence in the train depot. That's a quiet, telling aspect of his personality, and I enjoyed that glimpse into what makes him tick. However, it was what followed that has me on the fence. Beyond that slight "tell", and his repeated insistence to be left alone even when some very kind people who accept him for exactly who he is are trying to befriend him, we don't learn very much about his character at all. He definitely grows as a character, and that's absolutely essential for a book or a movie, but the reasons for his growth are unclear: unless it was simply the slow breaking down of his walls by a congenial vendor (Joe) who runs a hot dog/coffee/maybe ice cream stand out of a small trailer right outside of the depot, and a woman (Olivia) who - in two absolutely hysterical moments that left me in stitches - nearly ran him off the road while paying no attention to her driving.
Joe, Olivia, and Fin all become good friends - but I really didn't know why. The vendor seemed desperate for friends, and that was easy enough to understand. We met some of his so-called friends, and they were horrendous individuals who made fun of Fin. If I had been in that exact situation, I might have handled it by breaking their noses (although I doubt it). However, it did me that angry and I exclaimed that I *would* have broken their noses. Anyway, that's hardly material.
Earlier in the film there were also some very sad and angering moments when kids, as well as adults, made fun of Fin either in whispers or directly out loud so that he could hear. Trying to put myself into the mind of a dwarf who has likely spent most of his life being mocked and made fun, it's a little more understandable as to why he wants to be left alone. However, before his friend died and he inherited the land, he did have a group of friends who were all train enthusiasts. So he wasn't completely cut off from the world.
All of these characters are immensely likeable, and the actors put in excellent performances. But like I said, I'm on the fence. I can appreciate movies that tell you more about characters by what is unsaid as opposed to what is said, but I just felt that more should have been said - and I'm not talking monologues here, I just wanted to hear a little more about what Fin felt. There was a perfect opportunity to tell those of us who are "tall" exactly what it feels like to be a dwarf, and I felt that the film - while definitely showing us uncomfortable moments in his life - fell short on that. For example - when the group of kids made fun of him, how *exactly* did he feel? All we saw was a blank expression on his face, which did imply that he has learned to simply ignore these taunts, but I wanted more.
Still, I did like the film, mostly because, as I said, the characters are very likeable and the performances were top notch.
All of my reservations aside, I would still recommend this.
Rating:
Summary: a great movie with wonderful character potrait
Review: If you get a chance watch this movie. You will like it. The movie has very few dialogues but they are superlative. It deals with a difficult topic - dwarfs and the ridicule they go through. Finnbar McBride (Peter Dinklage) is the central character and is extremely powerful but quite - he is a dwarf and gets ridiculed left and right but still does not loose his composure (except for once) when he goes to the local bar and gets drunk. But then every human being has his or her weaknesses. Finn loves train and details of train - his dream comes true when he goes for train chasing with his friend Joe (the hot dog vendor). Life is difficult for him but he accepts it in its ways and in his way - rather than fighting it head on, he used diplomacy and works around the difficulties. Thomas McCarthy has done an wonderful job of mixing the characters with the environment even though they all stand out odd. Olivia the local artist who is also suffering from a lose of a son becomes friends with Finn and Joe and in the process befriends her already estranged husband. Just one point - I think the photography - especially the canvas selection and the light effects could have been little better. Still this is one of the year's best movies.
Rating:
Summary: Intelligent screenplay, wonderful acting--an original film
Review: If you haven't already seen it and are even thinking of doing so, see it today. I'll add to the praise given by the other reviewers by saying it is simply a terrific film. Peter Dinklage who plays Fin worked with the director on the screenplay over a long period of time, something like 2 years or more. They wrote it, re-worked parts of it with Dinklage's input from his experiences with society at large vis-a-vis his being a dwarf. Undoubtedly without his input, the film would not have been as original as it turned out to be. Not only did Dinklage help write this, he carries the film with charisma and strength. Patricia Clarkson brings forth another finely-nuanced performance with depth and emotion. Last but not least is film newcomer Bobby Cannavale, who seems totally comfortable with his role and has great chemistry with both Dinklage and Clarkson. You could NOT have cast any other three actors/actresses for these roles! The piece that stayed with me long after I saw it is the thought that even though the three principals came from very different walks of life and backgrounds, they came to form a very special bond of friendship that will last them a lifetime. A very thoughtful film that should not be missed. Pass the good word along!
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful story, casting, idea & acting
Review: In this days is difficult to finish a movie and you say "great¡¡"
TSA one of this ones. Did you see "Pieces of April"? if yes congrat, and you have to know TSA is the same kind of movie and similar gem. If you didn't see yet, just do it and at the some time buy both. After watch them you'll say thanks for recommend¡¡
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