33/33
Greetings again from the dark
Story
A generational tale about families and the special place they inhabit, sharing love, loss, laughter and life. Based on the comic book “Here.” by Richard McGuire. It was first published as a strip in the comic book magazine “Raw.” in 1989 and expanded into a 300-page graphic novel in 2014. [from the trailer] Richard: You know, if you want, you could spend the rest of the night here. Margaret: I could spend the rest of my life here… Referenced in foreground: Which is better: movies or series? (2024). I may be in the minority on this one, but it’s inconceivable to think that I’m alone with my impression of a film promoted as a reunion of FORREST GUMP director, writer, stars and crew.
A long time
I found this to be one of the most irritating and boring movies I’ve seen in a long time. Of course, I’m sure it’s possible to create a decent movie with no plot and little story, and no characters of interest… but this isn’t all. Without any intention of poisoning the water for potential viewers, this will simply sum up the process. The premise is to place a camera in one place and then move through the story. Starting with the dinosaurs running amok, the devastating flood, Mother Nature reclaiming the land, Native Americans living their lives, Benjamin Franklin’s illegitimate son building a massive house, and finally our specific house built in a newly established neighborhood. Then we see the families occupying the house over the years. When I say the camera stays in one place, that’s exactly what I mean.
Anyway, life’s things happen
It’s like it never moves while the dinosaurs frolic and Franklin’s house is built and finally the picture window of this house offers a static view of the living room. Very little emotion takes place in this living room. It’s mostly the same familiar things you probably experience: love, marriage, birth, death, illness, arguments, heartbreak. Though there are other inhabitants, the house is inhabited for most of the years by the Young family, starting with Army veteran Al Young (Paul Bettany) who has just returned from the war and his wife Rose (Kelly Riley). One of their sons is aspiring artist Richard (played as a teenager, adult, and senior by Oscar winner Tom Hanks). He marries his high school sweetheart Margaret (Robin Wright), who hopes to be a lawyer. and continue to happen, as superimposed frames are used as we move from one time period to another, both forward and backward. 2024 is the 40th anniversary of the Oscar-winning film, FORREST GUMP.
Most of this reminds me of Mr
The 'Gump' The reunion for this film includes writer-director Robert Zemekis, co-writer Eric Roth, lead actors Tom Hanks and Robin Wright, director of photography Don Burgess, composer Alan Silvestri, sound designer Randy Thom, and costume designer Joanna Johnston. Adapted from Richard McGuire’s 2014 graphic novel, the film bears little resemblance to the classic film this entire team previously worked on (it earned 6 Oscars and 13 nominations). For all the pain Martin Scorsese went through using the de-aging process in THE IRISHMAN (2019), this one takes it to a whole new level, with Hanks and Wright as teenagers and older people. Potter’s line in IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE, “sentimental nonsense.” Just add generic dialogue and bland characters. The exception to the latter is the intimate relationship between David Flynn and Ophelia Lovibond, as her character’s inspired engineering leads to romantic moments for the pair. To put it bluntly, there’s simply no story here. Are we supposed to care about this piece of land? The house?
so get busy living?
The inhabitants? Or is it just a slow reminder that life goes on… or get busy for’ (yes, a quote from SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION helps me recover from a disappointing moviegoing experience). Opens in theaters November 1, 2024.