'A book should stay on the page it was written.' Thank goodness, NO!
Added 3/10/2010
INKHEART comes along at a time when fantasy films are sorely needed. It is an intelligent person's escape caper, Part One of a novel trilogy by Cornelia Funke that dares to take an adult theme and make it equally appealing to all ages. David Lindsay-Abaire's screenplay maintains all of the magic of the novel and offers director Iain Softley the opportunity to plug in a cast of famous British actors to tell a story about books!
Mo 'Silvertongue' Folchart (Brendan Fraser) has the ability to bring characters from books off the pages when he reads aloud. This transference from the book page to the real world creates all manner of fun and havoc when of course evil character Capricorn (Andy Serkis) wants to take advantage of Mo's 'gift' and use it to his own wily ways. The fact that Mo's daughter Meggie (Eliza Bennett) has inherited her father's gift puts a different slant on the chaos that arises and it is the father/daughter relationship that overcomes the evils. The people we meet along the way are bizarre characters, both real and book people, portrayed by such brilliant actors as Helen Mirren, Richard Strange, Paul Bettany, Jennifer Connelly, Jim Broadbent and a host of wildly made up actors with words printed on their bodies. This is a bit of fluff that lights up the screen because of the virtuosity of the story coupled with the production values of the crew and actors. It is a fine little film that can be shared with the whole family - or simply enjoyed by avid readers who have always yearned to literally enter the story of the novel they are reading! Grady Harp, March 10
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Why didn't I ever hear about this movie before?
Added 3/10/2010
My husband and I bumped into this movie on one of our many movie channels. Having never heard anything about it, we thought we'd see if it worth watching while we chilled before bed. We were both absolutely blown away! We stayed up later than planned because we simply could not walk away from the movie.
The acting is excellent - with Paul Bettany and Helen Mirren what else would you expect? It has an interesting and captivating story line. I found the whole concept intriguing.
We were both so taken with the movie that I'm now ordering a copy. We want to have it for future viewing and to share with friends and family.
I'm amazed we never saw anything about it being in the theaters. They missed a great movie - I'm glad that after all, we didn't!
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Fun movie, more than mildly diverting. Cast plays well. BD transfer is superior, as is sound. Recommended.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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pleasant old-fashioned family type movie without vulgarities
Added 3/8/2010
pretty to watch, beautiful sets, attractive scenery, paced well enough to not be booring, fantasy, family oriented, positive presentation of the classic books. A simplistic movie with pleasant movie actors, no vulgarity, no obscenity, no political attacks. Enjoyable fantasy where the good guys win, family togetherness is the goal, and you are encouraged to read, write, and choose your own destiny as best as you may.
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Don't wait for it to make sense, just enjoy the performances.
Added 2/22/2010
Oh, Brendan Fraser. How does one actor make so many movies that almost work but don't? He's been in a few brilliant films, a few god-awful ones, but the majority of them fall into an ever-widening pool of narrow misses.
"Inkheart" is another one of those. It's frustratingly close. You want to go up to the screen and nudge it a bit so it crosses the line. It's a fantasy-- a genre where logic is only slightly required. If this story had made a wee bit more sense, it would've hit the fantasy-acceptable mark. If the dialogue had more crackle and the characters had more contrast, it would've worked. It looks beautiful. The effects are good. There are clever moments. It's well cast with actors known to be entertaining and who are spot-on for their parts. It could've been a lovely, enjoyable family film if it had been given any amount of extra thought.
The movie tells the story of a man who finds out too late that when he reads aloud, it brings parts of the books he reads into the real world while it randomly sends real people into the book being read. When he reads the little-known children's book "Inkheart" to his wife, menacing characters fall out and his wife disappears. To have any chance of getting her back, he must have a copy of the rare book, so he packs up his young daughter and they spend years going from old bookstore to old bookstore rummaging through stacks of neglected volumes but not finding the one book he needs.
Fraser's bookbinder Mo is a likable good guy, the sort of character that's become Fraser's mainstay. Mo is a loving dad who's frightened by his unwanted ability and whose only quest is to read his wife home. It's a sweet, solid performance as Fraser plays straight man to some class-A scene-stealers. They are:
Helen Mirren-- no explanation required. She doesn't work at upstaging anyone, it just happens. Here she's the wealthy aunt of Mo's missing wife. Despite her flamboyant style, she has hermitted herself away with the collection of books she treasures, preferring to read adventures, not live them.
Jim Broadbent-- no explanation required here, either. He has one of those faces. He has one of those voices. He plays "Inkheart's" author and it's entertaining to see how much glee he gets from meeting the characters he created, even the horrible ones.
Paul Bettany-- He can't not be noticed. He's an actor who has an edgy energy about him--sort of like a younger Peter O'Toole. Twice his supporting characters have diverted attention from Russell Crowe-- as the lively college roommate in "A Beautiful Mind" and as the ship's doctor and naturalist in "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World." Except for looking at Heath Ledger, the only joy to be had in the mess that is "A Knight's Tale" is Bettany's Chaucer. He stole the movie, or at least as much of it as he wanted. His juggler Dustfinger is referred to as scary, but he's more scoundrel than villain as he attempts to right the wrong that's been done to him.
Rafi Gavron-- As a teen thief who is thankfully of no consequence to the plot of "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves," he's adorable and adds a welcome lightness to his scenes. He's the future of scene stealing, earning some preliminary chops here among the pros.
Needless to say, when these actors are on screen together in any combination, you don't know where to look. It's mind-bending to try to understand how anyone could make a marginal movie with this cast.
In addition to the above, Eliza Bennett plays daughter Meggie. It's not a role that requires a lot, but she does a good job of not overplaying what could have been a whiny part. Poor Andy Serkis is stuck playing the same egomaniacally evil villain we've seen over and over. There's no imagination to his character or to his cliché band of goons. They're not even a particularly scary lot, and the lack of anyone or anything truly frightening contributes largely to making the story tepid.
"Inkheart" has a fun, unofficial running game, a sort of "Name that Tune" where you try to recognize classic children's literature based on a character or a telltale prop. Watch it with your kids, and if they can't tell you what comes from where, move away from the TV and read them a book.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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'A book should stay on the page it was written.' Thank goodness, NO!
Added 3/10/2010
INKHEART comes along at a time when fantasy films are sorely needed. It is an intelligent person's escape caper, Part One of a novel trilogy by Cornelia Funke that dares to take an adult theme and make it equally appealing to all ages. David Lindsay-Abaire's screenplay maintains all of the magic of the novel and offers director Iain Softley the opportunity to plug in a cast of famous British actors to tell a story about books!
Mo 'Silvertongue' Folchart (Brendan Fraser) has the ability to bring characters from books off the pages when he reads aloud. This transference from the book page to the real world creates all manner of fun and havoc when of course evil character Capricorn (Andy Serkis) wants to take advantage of Mo's 'gift' and use it to his own wily ways. The fact that Mo's daughter Meggie (Eliza Bennett) has inherited her father's gift puts a different slant on the chaos that arises and it is the father/daughter relationship that overcomes the evils. The people we meet along the way are bizarre characters, both real and book people, portrayed by such brilliant actors as Helen Mirren, Richard Strange, Paul Bettany, Jennifer Connelly, Jim Broadbent and a host of wildly made up actors with words printed on their bodies. This is a bit of fluff that lights up the screen because of the virtuosity of the story coupled with the production values of the crew and actors. It is a fine little film that can be shared with the whole family - or simply enjoyed by avid readers who have always yearned to literally enter the story of the novel they are reading! Grady Harp, March 10
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
Why didn't I ever hear about this movie before?
Added 3/10/2010
My husband and I bumped into this movie on one of our many movie channels. Having never heard anything about it, we thought we'd see if it worth watching while we chilled before bed. We were both absolutely blown away! We stayed up later than planned because we simply could not walk away from the movie.
The acting is excellent - with Paul Bettany and Helen Mirren what else would you expect? It has an interesting and captivating story line. I found the whole concept intriguing.
We were both so taken with the movie that I'm now ordering a copy. We want to have it for future viewing and to share with friends and family.
I'm amazed we never saw anything about it being in the theaters. They missed a great movie - I'm glad that after all, we didn't!
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Fun movie, more than mildly diverting. Cast plays well. BD transfer is superior, as is sound. Recommended.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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