Rating: 
Summary: Superb film, Crap product!
Review: Please don't let the 2 stars mislead you. They are in reference to the DVD only. Universal Studios, for some reason, felt it in their best interest to deprive the consumer of two "extras" which should have been on the DVD including a "making-of featurette". Yet they seem to have no issues with forcing the viewer to sit through 10 minutes of previews before the main menu even appears. The only way to bypass these annoyances is to fast forward through them which is a major hassle and still takes some time. Why these "major" studios still feel it their duty to foist these previews upon us is easily seen: To sell more movies. Universal, you are a big fat joke. Perhaps some day, the Criterion Collection will give this film the treatment it deserves.The film itself is quite good. And if the film and dark story don't do it for you, the cast will. The performances of the 3 stars are first rate. I recommend renting this and waiting to see if the money grubbing thieves at Universal will one day relent and allow us the pleasure of a proper DVD viewing experience.
Rating: 
Summary: Watchable, but not a masterpiece
Review: 21 Grams is watchable, but tries to be too clever. Going backwards and forwards in time has been done so much better in other films. It really wasn't necessary for this film, and in a waty detracted from the performances. 21 Grams has been acclaimed as Naomi and Sean's shining moments. Let me say that Sean Penn is excellent, but Naomi didn't deliver the extraordinary performance that I was expecting (based on her Oscar nomination). On top of that her character lost credibility. One minute she says that "nothing will bring them back", then in a future scene she wishes to kill the man who did it. 21 Grams is a watchable piece of film, but could have been so much more ... a better script, for starters would have helped.
Rating: 
Summary: Great movie, terrible DVD
Review: the movie is great, I love the acting and the nonlinear story... but the dvd is just the movie... that's it... no director's commentary... interviews... not even the trailers... and they are charging what $18, $20 for it... it should be like at $9.99...
Rating:
Summary: " Dramatic and Depressing"
Review: A shocking accident connects the lives of a grieving mother, a terminally-ill man and a born-again convict in ways they never could have imagined.
- With Sean Penn, Naomi Watts, Benicio Del Toro, Charlotte Gainsbourg, and Clea Duvall. 21 Grams is an excellent well-made drama that gets more interesting by the minute. Naomi Watts and Sean Penn both give exceptionally good performances. At first; 21 Grams is a confusing, dramatic film; but in the end everything seems to make sense and the story fits well together. This film is very serious; the screenwriting is done well and is enough to keep the toughest critic entertained. In the end; 21 Grams is a depressing film without a feel-good moment to be found. This is a perfect movie for someone into drama.
The acting was excellent and believable; 21 Grams is made up of very talented actors.
The director did a pretty nice job of making the script come to life as a compelling must-see drama. I didn't think Naomi Watts could pull this role off but she did.
In addition to 21 Grams I would also recommend "House of Sand and Fog" which is another excellent film.
The DVD includes a "making of" feature which is good and entertaining; you can see how 21 Grams was made. The DVD was pretty good but it didn't have enough features.
What bothers me the most about DVDs like this are; there is no way to get past the 7 minutes of previews; the DVD tells you that you can fast forward the previews but yet holds a lock on all controls during the previews; I had the same problem while watching "Swimming Pool" (2003) and I am tired of having to sit through previews every time I want to watch a movie; this makes me pretty mad.
I highly recommend you see this film; but I suggest you rent it rather than purchase it.
Rating:
Summary: 4 stars for the film but wishing the dvd had more
Review: yes, the dvd is a little sparse (only the movie and some coming attractions included) -i wish there had been some input from the actors and director if only b/c, like in the music industry, charging what they do for just the movie or just some songs just doesnt seem to fly anymore. Regarding the movie, however, I agree with the many who have written that this is a very thoughtful film, engrossing, and that the acting was riveting (although, my own bias is that I much preferred Watts' acting in Mulholland Drive). Yes, the story skirts the linear nature of time although the comparison to Memento is not entirely accurate. Though it may have been a "gimmick", I am more inclined to believe it may have been a statement or study of how time or choices are perceived from the vantage point of a story's resolution, akin to the line in the film expressing the idea that many things have to happen for two people to meet...or at least I am happy to ponder these things for myself. With regards to previously written comments, I respectfully disagree that this movie is depressing or that "loss" is the theme of this film. Yes, the circumstances that beset each of the main characters are catastrophic and these are things that can happen or has happened to many of us and, therefore, it may be difficult to watch. But if you stay the journey to the story's end, I feel the film ultimately uplifts than depresses, and celebrates hope, compassion, forgiveness, and redemption. Lastly, Kill Bill Vol1 was one of the worst movies I have watched in a long time -and I am a fan of kung-fu flicks. (sorry, its knee-jerk now)
Rating: 
Summary: INCREDIBLE!
Review: 21 Grams was the best film I have seen in a long time. The acting was phenomenal. Naomi Watts and Benicio Del Toro should have won the Oscar's they were nominated for, and Sean Penn should have been nominated for this because I liked it better than Mystic River. From the beginning the film pulls you in by playing flashbacks and flash-forwards, but it is incredible to see the scenes come together like a jigsaw puzzle. An intense and emotional film that really makes you wonder How much revenge, love, and guilt weigh?
Rating:
Summary: Out of Jail so soon?
Review: OK, this movie was interesting, depressing, implausable, and untimately unsatisfying. Another reviewer was correct: Why did all of these characters behave so irrationally? And for God's sake, who let Benetio's character out of jail so soon and allowed him to work a construction job? A triple manslaughter charge (and conviction) should have ket the guy locked up for years, effectively negating the whole revenge premise of the last half of the movie. Don't tell me he was just out on bail. And recruiting the transplant recipient to kill the perp? Highly ridiculous. A deeply depressing movie, though I still enjoyed the performances a lot, especially Naomi's grief-stricken and conflicted performance. However, Sean Penn never fails to bum me out with his choice of "heavy" downer material, and this is no exception. Message to Sean: Lighten up, tough guy. The Madonna thing is over with, and you're taking up as much oxygen in every scene of every one of your movies as Dustin Hoffman usually does. How about another "surfer" role for a change?
Rating:
Summary: Non-linear movie-making at its best....
Review: 21 Grams is the most non-linear movie I've seen to date. You know how Pulp Fiction jumps around in time? Well this movie outdoes it a hundred-fold. Pulp Fiction was divided up into chapters so that the audience never REALLY got lost. I'm curious to see what the shooting script for this film was like - if it was written this way or if the effect was completely created in the editing room. EVERY SCENE takes place at a different point in the story and almost NO TWO SCENES follow consecutively. It's fascinating to watch the movie unfold. True, it is a gimmick, but it is a gimmick that works. As we see bits of the end and bits of the beginning, we strain to put all the pieces together and understand what is happening. This process may be vexatious for the occasional movie-goer - he will become lost and bored with a plot that doesn't unfold in a straightforward manner. However, for film buffs, it is sure to fascinate.
Rating: 
Summary: aspired to be a great, profound tragedy, but failed...
Review: I don't understand why the widow, months after the accident, all of a sudden set her mind on killing the man who ran over her husband and daughters.She had said "Nothing can bring them back" and so even declined to press charges against the culprit.
I don't understand why the professor had to find out who had given him the heart. Besides, the movie makes it seem like a professor doesn't need to do anything but to run around in the street and stalk some woman--later some man.
Both men in this movie--the professor and the ex-con--are dispicable for the way they treat their family. The professor's lack of sympathy for his ex-wife is never really justified, and is alienating.
Finally, I guess I dislike this movie because it is filled with misery people brought upon themselves through inflated ego and self-aggrandizing, self-dramatized behaviors. They don't move. They annoy.The movie is contrived, and pretentious. It aspired to be a profound tragedy but failed, because the people portrayed in it lack strength of character,even common sense.
Rating:
Summary: Gripping, unforgettable
Review: I saw this movie a couple nights ago and have not been able to shake the memory of it. It has haunted my days and nights, drawing me back to reexamine and analyze it's message. Yes, this movie, one I thought I would not like, has left it's mark on my very soul ... all 21 grams of it. Told through a series of present scenes and flashbacks, it is initially very confusing. In that sense it reminded me of the movie Memento. Once you get the hang of what's in the present vs. what is in the past, you become so immersed in the movie ... it grabs your heart and doesn't let go. This is a story about a critically ill college professor, a young widow, and an ex-con. It's a story about life, death, sin, and redemption. It is very suspenseful as well as very touching and gut-wrenching. When you finish watching this movie you'll sit in wrapped silence - too stunned to think about anything else. Though this may be a little too intense for some sensitive souls, I highly recommend this movie. It's extremely well acted, the story line is very well presented, and complete engrossing. You'll never forget it.
|
