Rating: 
Summary: Boring!
Review: This movie did not capture my interest in
the first 20 minutes. While aesthetically
pleasing, it failed to capture my heart
as I believed it would. The story was just not interesting enough and there were too
many flash-back moments before you even could
get interested in the memories of the characters. Rent before you decide to buy!
Rating: 
Summary: Glossy coffee-table book, but not a great movie
Review: The photography is very good. The landscape is nothing short of gorgeous. The dreamy style and constant snow/rain create quite an effective moody atmosphere. Ethan Hawke does a decent job playing the local newsman. These are what the 3 stars are for. While the story is riveting, it's not particularly intriguing. To make a good movie out of this story, it has to take lots of good acting, thought-provoking screenplay and sensitive direction. Unfortunately, the movie does not quite have these few elements. 1) The acting is kind of minimal. By that I'm not saying the actors are bad necessarily, but just that probably they don't have sufficient opportunities to make their characters come alive. 2) The characters' dialogues, over all, do little more than is required to make a tangible story. There are some "speeches" about fairness and justice (Ishmael's (Hawke) father's lecture to his son, and the closing argument of the defense attorney (von Sydow)). But they are like more intended to hammer the "lesson" into the audience's heads than to let us get a deeper view of what the characters are psychologically going through. 3) As many previous reviewers have commented, there are just way too many flashbacks. I know that to link the past history to the current event, some sort of flashback is good. But it gets to the point of annoying when there's a flashback every 3 minutes or so. And to repeat what a reviewer has said, the voiceover of the reading of the love letter written by the Japanese girl is just terrible. I just don't get the point. I don't know if the director tried to make this movie an epic. But if so, he failed quite miserably. Attempts were made to deal with many diverse issues: prejudice, love, wars, parenthood, etc. But the development of these issues relied too heavily on flashbacks. As a result, there're many stand-alone flashbacks, with some totally unrelated to another. There's not so much of a thread linking all these coherently. Also, some flashbacks are a bit shallow. Sometimes I can't help feeling that they're there just to show off the beautiful photography. Narcissism? Or being too pretentious? Hmm... and the score sometimes sounds too "grand" and "overstating." If you're the kind of person who has the mood for listening to light classic in a coffee shop while watching it rain outside, probably this movie would suit you the way a nice coffee-table book would. You know, sometimes you just want to let yourself indulge in the mood for a bit. But if you're expecting to see a true classic/epic/exciting drama, you'd better look elsewhere.
Rating: 
Summary: Film collector's "must have"
Review: This exquisitely produced and directed film is designed for those who watch movies many
times. The story of a trial for murder of a Japanese-American man living in a community not
yet shed of its wartime prejudices remains a compelling reminder of how easily justice is cast
aside. The plot, however, pales into insignificance in view of the captivating filming
techniques used. A low-key presentation, every scene gives but hints of content, letting the
plot build with almost infinitesimal steps. The viewer will remained glued in place, fearful of
missing a vital element. Not a fast-paced adventure story, Snow Falling on Cedars is
exemplary of the minor steps each life takes in its progress toward some fulfillment. The
resolution may not be palatable, but it's unquestionably realistic. The director deserves the
highest praise for what he's given us. Fans of Ethan Hawke, if such there be, may be disappointed in this role. He remains merely a
face glimpsed in passing as the story unfolds. Any pretty, love-sick Hollywood boy could
have performed this role adequately. He merely observes his surroundings and his past.
Perhaps that's just, given that he inherited the town newspaper from his father. Sam Shepard
as the father, outshines Hawke in the few scenes he's given appearance. The real star of this
film is, of course, Max von Sydow. Von Sydow simply walks away with it as the accused
man's lawyer. It ought to be an easy role to play. He simply has to defend justice as an ideal.
Von Sydow, however, forcefully brings a sense of exceptional humanity in his performance.
He's never been better. Were there not other elements of such fundamental importance in this
film that must be covered, von Sydow might have had a larger role. No matter, the
presentation of this film is so overwhelming, individual actors' preferences are of little
account. The "bigger picture," the story and its presentation, have given us a jewel of a film.
Rating:
Summary: Worth watching over and over...
Review: A near perfect blend of romance, drama, mystery. Normally flashbacks bother me, but in this movie they serve to enhance the enjoyment. After watching this 3 times, and reading the excellen book, I still enjoy it. A touch of romance, mystery and drama. Excellent blend.
Rating: 
Summary: Crosses line to propaganda.
Review: Ostensibly sympathetic to Japanese Americans, Snow Falling On Cedars actually crosses the line to propaganda by failing to acknowledge that there is another side of the story. The Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor is barely mentioned, the killing of hundreds of innocent civilians that led to the unjust internment of Japanese Americans omitted. But the film goes even furher, referring to the camps as "concentration camps," which they were not; this is a deliberately misleading lie. These omissions and false impressions can only stir up bad memories and provoke renewed hatred. My father defended the U.S.A. and the rest of the world from the Japanese during World War II, watched many of his friends slaughtered, and would turn over in his grave if he were aware of this atrocious, simple-minded, one-sided film.
Rating:
Summary: Save Yourself
Review: I saw this and I must say I felt I was trapped in a sophomoric misunderstanding of Ingmar Bergman. If you want beautiful cinematographic postcards of the Pacific Northwest, by all means. If you want a lifeless P.C. apology to Japanese-Americans, by all means. If you want a movie that you can stay awake through . . . run, run, run to your nearest made-for-televison movie . . .you'll thank me.
Rating: 
Summary: snow falling on cedars
Review: The movie was good, but it would probably have been much more understandable after reading the novel..I found the novel to be a lot better, a lot more moving and sweet... Ethan Hawke did a wonderful job and I recommend the book rather than the movie...
Rating:
Summary: Worth seeing even if you have read the book
Review: I know some critics have praised the film adaptation for it's strong resemblance to Guterson's novel, but I was less impressed as I thought Guterson's novel already read like a screenplay. In fact, I thought the film betrayed the book by portraying Hatsue's husband as a harsher and more distant man than his literary counterpart, in an attempt, I'm guessing, to win over the white males in the audience. The highlights of the film for me include the gorgeous cinematography, and Max von Sydow's perfect portrayal of the decrepit but experienced defence lawyer. Scott Hicks' flashy direction also kept things interesting, which was helpful, as I was already familiar with the story.
Rating:
Summary: Snow Falling on Cedars
Review: This was a good movie but not, in my opinion, a great movie. The plot was riveting, but the obvious effort on the part of the filmmakers to make an "artistic" film too often got in the way of the storytelling. Example: The voiceover of the Japanese girl's "Dear John" letter was nearly unintelligible because of the heavy echo-and-repeat effect. The scenery was lovely, but the overwhelming use of flashbacks made it hard to follow the action: Is this then, or now? Was this before the other thing, or after? Rent this film while you're feeling patient and determined!
Rating:
Summary: Snow Falling on a Suck Movie
Review: I don't normally turn off a movie until it's ended, but I couldn't stand the complete boredom from this one. I was surprised to see the reviews that anyone actually liked it. I understand that this is just my opinion and all but I'm gonna tell you how it is, this one just sucks bad, real bad! This movie is like "Ishtar" & "Hudson Hawk" (two awful movies) It's funny, this one even put me to sleep briefly while it was playing. Thumbs way down here :(
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