Facebook
Twitter
Google
Reddit
LinkedIn
del.icio.us
MySpace
StumbleUpon
Newsvine
Digg
CHICAGO – Society, or at least certain elements of society, are always looking for scapegoats to hide the sins of themselves and authority. In the so-called “great America” of the 1950s, the scapegoat target was comic books … specifically through a sociological study called “The Seduction of the Innocent.” City Lit Theater Company, in part two of a trilogy on comic culture by Mark Pracht, presents “The Innocence of Seduction … now through October 8th, 2023. For details and tickets, click COMIC BOOK.
Film Review: All Intention, No Delivery in Stephen Daldry‘s ‘Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 20, 2012 - 8:20am
Printer-friendly version
E-mail page to friend
PDF version
“Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” opens everywhere on January 20th. Featuring Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, Thomas Horn, Max Von Sydow, Jeffrey Wright, Viola Davis and John Goodman. Screenplay by Eric Roth, directed by Stephen Daldry. Rated “PG-13”
Continue reading for Patrick McDonald’s full review of “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close”
Continue reading for Patrick McDonald’s full review of “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close”
Printer-friendly versionE-mail page to friendPDF version
CHICAGO – The September 11th tragedy is still percolating through the cinematic filter, and there is a well intentioned thread throughout the various interpretations. But the latest attempt, “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close,” stretches this intention too far, despite a cast featuring Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock.
 Rating: 2.0/5.0 |
This parable about a boy trying to come to terms with his father’s passing in the Twin Towers strains credibility too much, leaving in its wake a New York City that everyone wishes would exist (but doesn’t), relatives who conveniently are conjured when only necessary and more magical non-realism than a cheaply written fairy tale – which it is. While as planned we may feel for the boy’s journey, the sticky sweet way that he gets through it produces a fine antidote for any emotional connections.
Oskar Schell (Thomas Horn) is a pint size Rain Man, an introverted, super-intelligent New York City kid whose best friend is his father Thomas (Tom Hanks). Dad is constantly directing Oskar toward some adventure or expedition, challenging him to find mythical lands like NYC’s “sixth” borough. This is all done with the encouragement of his supportive mother (Sandra Bullock) and a jolly doorman (John Goodman). Things change on September 11th, 2001.
Stuck on the upper floors of the South Tower – the first one to collapse – Thomas desperately tries to call home, leaving several messages on an answering machine before he meets his end. His voice and the messages are the substance of Oskar’s motivation to solve a mystery a year later – he has found a key among his father’s belongings. On the envelope containing the key is the word “Black,” so the boy systematically tries to find a lock for the key by visiting every NYC resident with that last name. Along the way he enlists an old man who doesn’t speak (Max Von Sydow) and tries to come to terms with his father’s demise.
Continue reading for Patrick McDonald’s full review of “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” Photo credit: Warner Bros. Pictures |
Continue reading for Patrick McDonald’s full review of “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close”
