(The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman)
*Plot Synopsis* (minor spoilers) Charlie Countryman has witnessed his mothers death and it is apparent that he is not comfortable being around death. I mean who is? He also seems to have a gift which enables him to communicate to the dead just after they have died. This supernatural aspect plays a small and big role in the film at the same time. Well his mothers "ghost" has requested for him to go to Bucharest, Romania for no real reason. So he does. On the airplane ride there, he sits next to Victor, who he befriends quickly. Suddenly and awkwardly, Victor dies in his sleep during the ride. His "ghost", then requests him to give a gift to his daughter. This is when Charlie meets the beautiful Gabi. From there on, Charlie will experience an adventure of emotions and the dangerous consequences of his decisions, which in the end, ultimately makes him feel love.
I'm not saying the critics are always right or always wrong. Sometimes the critics love a movie and the public hates it. Sometimes they hate a movie and the public hates it. Sometimes they love a movie and the public loves it. Well this is one of those rare cases where the critics hate the movie, but the public mostly adores it. I mean, come on. This movie is much better than the 27% it has on Rotten Tomatoes. I am so surprised at the negativity this movie is getting from the press.
This was honestly one of the most interesting and beautiful films I have experienced. The acting from Shia Lebouf as a confused lost young man is topnotch. He gives his best performance to date. Sadly the Oscars are out of the question apparently. A lot of the acting comes from his facial expressions of sadness and sorrow. The supporting cast also do a great job. Evan Rachel Wood plays the hurt and mysterious Gabi perfectly as well. The best of the supporting cast has to be given to Mads Mikkelsen who plays the dangerous and smooth crazy ex of Gabi, Nigel. Every scene he is in is ominous. He is almost an evil James Bond type of character in this film. Oh, and Rupert Grint AKA Ronald Weasley also has a humorous minor role as well.
The cinematography is stunning. Every scene, every single shot can be paused and screen-shot and hung on a wall as a piece of art. The look of this film is truly what you would expect a living painting to look like. It's as if someone took a camera and jumped inside a piece of art at a Museum. Like another reviewer said, the movie feels like a live action Graphic Novel at times. The setting of Bucharest really plays a huge role as the backdrop to most of the film. It is a really beautiful city. I'd compare the feeling of it to the feeling of Bruges in "In Bruges".
The soundtrack sets the tone well. I almost cried several times during the film thanks to the musical score or song choices combined with the directing and brilliant acting. Take note that I barely ever cry ever. That's how good this movie worked. I must also point out that one of my favorite bands M83 has a song featured in the final scene perfectly!
Lastly, this film is hard to categorize. At times it is a drama. Then in an instant it has small comedic elements. Then suddenly it becomes a action film. Take all of these and combine them and set the movie in a beautiful city like Bucharest, and you have a great film. Of course, there are some plot holes, but it never gets to the point of confusion. At no point in the film did I feel like I missed something. I have no idea what these critics watched, but it definitely wasn't the same movie I just watched. What I saw was an A list film that deserves great praise. I still cannot get over how beautiful the movie looked. Even if you don't love the story, you cannot deny how gorgeous each scene is without any use of CGI. True eye candy. If you need something interesting and different to watch, then I highly recommend this movie as a rental, purchase, or even a Netflix choice. I would watch it again the next chance I get.
*Plot Synopsis* (minor spoilers) Charlie Countryman has witnessed his mothers death and it is apparent that he is not comfortable being around death. I mean who is? He also seems to have a gift which enables him to communicate to the dead just after they have died. This supernatural aspect plays a small and big role in the film at the same time. Well his mothers "ghost" has requested for him to go to Bucharest, Romania for no real reason. So he does. On the airplane ride there, he sits next to Victor, who he befriends quickly. Suddenly and awkwardly, Victor dies in his sleep during the ride. His "ghost", then requests him to give a gift to his daughter. This is when Charlie meets the beautiful Gabi. From there on, Charlie will experience an adventure of emotions and the dangerous consequences of his decisions, which in the end, ultimately makes him feel love.
I'm not saying the critics are always right or always wrong. Sometimes the critics love a movie and the public hates it. Sometimes they hate a movie and the public hates it. Sometimes they love a movie and the public loves it. Well this is one of those rare cases where the critics hate the movie, but the public mostly adores it. I mean, come on. This movie is much better than the 27% it has on Rotten Tomatoes. I am so surprised at the negativity this movie is getting from the press.
This was honestly one of the most interesting and beautiful films I have experienced. The acting from Shia Lebouf as a confused lost young man is topnotch. He gives his best performance to date. Sadly the Oscars are out of the question apparently. A lot of the acting comes from his facial expressions of sadness and sorrow. The supporting cast also do a great job. Evan Rachel Wood plays the hurt and mysterious Gabi perfectly as well. The best of the supporting cast has to be given to Mads Mikkelsen who plays the dangerous and smooth crazy ex of Gabi, Nigel. Every scene he is in is ominous. He is almost an evil James Bond type of character in this film. Oh, and Rupert Grint AKA Ronald Weasley also has a humorous minor role as well.
The cinematography is stunning. Every scene, every single shot can be paused and screen-shot and hung on a wall as a piece of art. The look of this film is truly what you would expect a living painting to look like. It's as if someone took a camera and jumped inside a piece of art at a Museum. Like another reviewer said, the movie feels like a live action Graphic Novel at times. The setting of Bucharest really plays a huge role as the backdrop to most of the film. It is a really beautiful city. I'd compare the feeling of it to the feeling of Bruges in "In Bruges".
The soundtrack sets the tone well. I almost cried several times during the film thanks to the musical score or song choices combined with the directing and brilliant acting. Take note that I barely ever cry ever. That's how good this movie worked. I must also point out that one of my favorite bands M83 has a song featured in the final scene perfectly!
Lastly, this film is hard to categorize. At times it is a drama. Then in an instant it has small comedic elements. Then suddenly it becomes a action film. Take all of these and combine them and set the movie in a beautiful city like Bucharest, and you have a great film. Of course, there are some plot holes, but it never gets to the point of confusion. At no point in the film did I feel like I missed something. I have no idea what these critics watched, but it definitely wasn't the same movie I just watched. What I saw was an A list film that deserves great praise. I still cannot get over how beautiful the movie looked. Even if you don't love the story, you cannot deny how gorgeous each scene is without any use of CGI. True eye candy. If you need something interesting and different to watch, then I highly recommend this movie as a rental, purchase, or even a Netflix choice. I would watch it again the next chance I get.