Student Film Reviews

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1. Sari Goldsmith 02.21.10 / 6pm

   I agree with what you have to say, i read this book about a year ago and i fell in love with it. i thought it had a great story behind it and a great plot. i never went to go see the movie because i heard there is a difference, and i hate when i go and see movies based on the novel, and it usually doesn’t turn out the way i want it to. The book is always so much better then the novel. Again i agree with you between the two differences and how i was let down to hear all of the bad reviews about this movie compared to the book, and i also heard that there was great cinematography which made the film worth watching!
2. Mathew Roscoe 02.21.10 / 11pm

   I agree with almost everything you said, though I do feel like the acting deserved a bit more credit. I felt that in mot cases the actors either did fine or desperately did what they could with the flawed script or plot. For example, I was actually quite impressed with Mark Wahlberg’s performance as the father, even if the character arc occasionally became messy or mismanaged. It is either a case of a bad actor ruining a good script and character or a good actor struggling with a convoluted character arc. I felt that it was the latter. Wahlberg is no Oscar-level actor, but he pulls his weight. While Susan Sarandon’s performance as the grandmother had almost no depth, she was nonetheless a hoot that had the audience consistently laughing, though I do agree that a figure as important as the grandmother should be more than just comic relief.

   I thought Stanley Tucci, however, was mesmerizing. His excellent and haunting performance as the killer got him an Oscar nomination, one he thoroughly earned through this incredible transformation he underwent for the role.
3. Benjamin Williams 02.22.10 / 8pm

   I really like what you said about the acting and I agree to the point that the acting was far from superb. It seemed Jackson was more trying to show us the beauty of his shots, the contrast and depth of color, and more importantly the special effects.

   However i do agree that Stanley Tucci performance as the killer was phenomenal. The shot of him sitting in a chair in his basement was mesmerizing, and spooky all at the same time.
4. Jonas Pedersen Hardebrant 02.22.10 / 11pm

   I haven’t read the book so I can’t compare the two, but I have to say that it was fairly confusing at times. I don’t know if reading the book will make it clearer, but I have to agree with one of the comments above, the acting could get some more credit. Otherwise I agree with your good review, the visual effects were awesome!
5. Maricela Hurtado 03.03.10 / 5pm

   I would have to say I loved this movie! I read the book about 4 years ago, and I though that Peter Jackson did an amazing job capturing the story. I would have to agree that the cinematography was so captivating, the scene where she is in heaven is absolutely breath taking! I wanted to jump in the screen and be in heaven with her, it was so colorful and everything just seemed so peaceful. There was a few parts where I was confused or things weren’t clear to me, but other than that I though he captured what I had imagined as I read the book. I think that he used colors to manipulate the feelings that the main character was feeling, for example when she got killed and her soul was still running home it was darker colors which showed us she was dead. Overall I though that the movie was spectacular and I would watch it again!
6. Danielle Oriza 03.08.10 / 1pm

   I was also a little disappointed when I saw this film. I have not read the book but I have only heard great things about it. I went into this film expecting it to be great. I thought it was going to be a lot about the father solving his daughters murder but there was not much of that. I felt like the movie focused on the family grieving and trying to find revenge. Even though I was disappointed in the story line of the film I would have to agree that the visuals were outstanding. I thought the way the little girl was filmed when she was in the inbetween was amazing. I did also like the way scenes with the murderer were shot. They were very dark and disturbing. They did a great job getting that creepy feeling across. Overall I was somewhat dissatisfied with the film, there were some good things about it.
7. Rachel Boyer 03.08.10 / 4pm

   I too was not a fan of the movie The Lovely Bones. I was expecting an amazing movie since I absolutely loved the book. I though some of the effects were a little cheesy. They put too much emphasis on the life between. I think the movies trailors made the movie out to be something that it was not. I think that some of the parts did not line up. I found myself saying “this would not happen in real life.” An example of this is when the father fallows the killer into the corn field, how would he not hear that at late hours of the night. If the filmmakers had made the film according to the book, it would have been a lot better.
8. Ashley Gilmore 03.17.10 / 12pm

   I actually really liked this movie. Now there are some important differences in the book that should have been incorporated in the movie. Also, the movie trailer made it seem like it was going to be a masterpiece. Regardless it definitely got to my emotions and made me feel sad throughout the entire film. I do think the scenes were beautiful!! The scenery is gorgeous and spectacular. I also agree that they did a good job of making the murderer look creepy and dark. They made the place between heaven look like a paradise as well. In my opinion, I really liked the movie. I would recommend people to watch it even if it is just for the scenery.
9. Kelly Tran 03.17.10 / 10pm

   After watching this movie I was somewhat confused. What category would you put this movie under ( Drama, triller, etc.?) Throughout the movie I was lost just because the movie continued to go back and forth, jumping from scene to scene which I can usually follow but it was just overall “trippy.” One moment Susie Salmon was in an area of green fields with vibrant colors and then the next her sister would in Susie Salmon’s killers room. My reaction to the film was just up and down, because I was in a state of confusion at one point where I was just like “uhh..okay” and then the next scene I would be holding myself tightly hoping her sister does not get caught by the killer. But at the same time it teaches young children a great lesson to never go to someone you don’t know even if they may live on your block in this case.
10. Danna Diskin 03.21.10 / 1pm

    I completely agree with the reviewer, Charles Hedrick. I really did enjoy the visual effects in this movie. I thought that they were in fact beautiful and amazing. I was not too impressed with the story line of the movie. I was under the impression that it would be more focused on other aspects of the families revenge and getting overall closure. I didn’t feel that the family had closure from the murder. Although I have not read the novel prior to seeing this movie, I was with someone who had, and they had made the same comment in regards to the story line being dry and not as impressive as the novel.
11. Olivia Koke 10.31.10 / 7pm

    When i first heard this movie was coming out i got so excited because i loved the book. I went on vacation and all of my friends saw it without me and they told me how horrible and confusing it was. I had to see for myself, so i went to see it and honestly i had mixed emotions towards it. Every time i read a really great book, usually a movie comes out and the movie isn’t nearly as great as the book. At certain parts i didn’t understand the movie so well and it was just confusing in my part, after i watched it a couple more times i understood it a little more. I think that if you have read the book you might as well watch the movie and make your own opinion on it.
12. Shahar Wilhelm 03.21.14 / 6pm

    I have to say that I do not agree with your comments regarding the acting in this film. It actually had the opposite effect on me, I found the acting remarkable. Each character seemed to have ample screen time and their plot lines (parent’s, sibling, Susie). Susie’s personal heaven does not resemble an eternal paradise any viewers will recognize. Devoid of identifying religious elements, it has more in common with a generic idea of a blissful, wish fulfillment hereafter than any sort of Judeo-Christian model. We only come to realize, with Susie, that her heaven is a place where people go to come to terms with what happened to them, nothing more. More specifically, heaven is a place where you come to find a freedom you could not find while on Earth, to let go of the pain of your final moments and the need to see justice done. This is all extraordinarily admirable, especially given the nature of the violence suffered by the lead character, and the author who invented her. The message, at its core, is quite simple: forgive and forget, even if, by implication, forgiving means justice is never done.
13. Joseph Vasco 06.30.14 / 11am

    I have to respectfully disagree with some of your comments about The Lovely Bones (Peter Jackson, 2011). When the trailer first came out, my family and I were very excited to see this film. I always love to watch a good suspenseful drama, and even though this had a sad story line, I particularly wanted to make a point to see this film because of the list of actors who were casted. I am a fan of Marc Wahlberg’s work, and I thought he did an excellent job playing the part of the missing girls father. Stanley Tucci’s performance as the creepy killer, was spot on. It was very disturbing and extremely realistic, as were the scenes from where the girl was abducted in the field and murdered. Overall I thought it was suspenseful and I agree with the reviewer, Charles Hedrick, that the cinematography was beautiful. The story line was realistic, showing that danger within innocent, ordinary life can happen…and does happen.
14. summer soto 07.29.16 / 10pm

    The Lovely Bones is a great example of a film that Peter Jackson put his creative touch of effects towards. I agree that the scenes of Susie in purgatory are beautiful, especially the effect of the leaves flying off the huge oak tree. I also enjoyed the scene where Jackson focused the camera on the ticking of the clock, which purposely amplified the tension of the scene. I think he’s so unique when it comes to working not only the camera, but with light effects too. I didn’t notice it right away, but I complete understood it when you pointed out that scenes with the kidnapper were intentionally dark and shaded. That was such a great aspect that Jackson incorporated, and it definitely added to the creepiness of the kidnappers presence. Overall great job with your analysis, though personally I do think the actors did a satisfactory job in the movie.
15. mlmonlleo 06.09.18 / 10pm

    I have never read the novel so I can not comment on the similarities between it and the movie and which one appears better to an audience but in my opinion this story line was one of the most captivating and uniques stories i have ever seen. it truly grabbed by attention and kept me on my toes throughout the entire thing. I agree with the effects and cinematography being amazing but disagree that the plot was dry. The acting was some of the best I’ve ever seen and I don’t think the movie could have been made any better.
16. Abigail Jaquez 08.03.18 / 11pm

    I haven’t read the novel either but I did find myself disappointed in the film’s narrative. The ending of the film was extremely dissatisfying. I would have liked to see Susie Salmon’s killer/attacker, George Harvey, face some criminal justice. What happened to him is a walk in the park compared to what he put all those girls through. I’m just glad he wasn’t able to harm Susie’s sister Lindsey. The part where she takes control of Ruth’s body was just plain weird, but apparently, it was more explicit in the book. Overall, the plot did not match the striking visuals of this film.
17. Irene De La Cruz 06.08.20 / 11pm

    As mentioned above, the film was not as great as the book. There were a couple scenes were I was confused and somewhat lost but I knew what it was based on since I read the book beforehand. The film did have some good scenes that kept you wondering what would happen next as well as scenes that did captured the emotion being showed. In overall the meaning was heart touching.
18. Brenda Delgado 10.30.21 / 11pm

    I’d say that my experience watching this film was the complete opposite. I found the cast to be quite remarkable, especially Stanley Tucci who played as George. His character made me feel uncomfortable many times, even anxious… now that’s what I call acting. I noticed that this film added symbols that held a significant meaning to the overall story. Such as the ships in the bottles, which represented a special time that was shared between Susie and her father, Jack. When the ships get smashed by Jack during his grievance, I saw it as a representation of Jack’s thoughts that he had lost his daughter for good and that his relationship with Susie’s mother, Abigal, was broken. Furthermore, I thought that the cinematography was outstanding as well. Overall, this film is one of my favorites.
19. Abigail Oquendo 11.04.23 / 9pm

    I highly enjoyed this film when I first watched it. In facts it’s one of my favorites. If you get past the fact that there may be no exciting plot twists, it is an incredible film. the storyline and use of camera angles are amazing. The mis-en-scene throughout the movie is also my favorite. Everything seen on screen when she is in “the in between” is absolutely capturing. All the lighting, effects, and use of creativity really is upheld in this film. Although I may agree that the plot was a little dry and dead, the effects and scenery make up for it.

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