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2 articles from 2009

24 November 2009 10:53 PM, PST | Collider.com | See recent Collider.com news »

Earlier today we ran a story featuring a new poster and two new clips from Peter Jackson’s upcoming adaptation of Alice Sebold’s novel The Lovely Bones.  While a couple of the reviews are glowing, the others range from negative to lukewarm with the nature of the adaptation and the emphasis on the visuals as a major point of contention.  Hit the jump to read excerpts from the reviews of Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Total Film, Screen Daily, The Guardian, The Sun, and AintItCool.

For those who aren’t aware of the story, The Lovely Bones centers on Susie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan), a young girl in 1973 who is murdered by her neighbor (Stanley Tucci) and watches from heaven of how the loss affects her family, friends, and even her killer.  I found Sebold’s book hard to read at times due to its unblinking observation of incomprehensible loss friends »

- Matt Goldberg

14 October 2009 10:04 AM, PDT | FilmShaft.com | See recent FilmShaft.com news »

The Lovely Bones has been a decade-long project: traversing continents; switching directors; growing in budget; Ryan Gosling fired; Mark Wahlberg hired; delayed for almost a year. Alarm bells start to ring. Despite all the rumours and gossip-mongering Peter Jackson’s latest feature has been, rather cynically, held back for “awards season”. In other words, the studio is unsure of how its product is going to play at the box office, so is hoping critical praise might help.

What started off as a Film Four production with Scottish filmmaker Lynne Ramsey has turned into an effects-laden, multi-million dollar behemoth. The trailer hit the internet in August and instantly recalled fellow Kiwi filmmaker Vincent Ward’s “beautiful disaster” What Dreams May Come. The similarities in tone and imagery are striking (dodgy wigs included).

The inexorable rise of Peter Jackson appears utterly incongruous given his origins in low budget splatter-horror. But is it? »

- Martyn Conterio

2 articles from 2009