Contact (Snap Case)
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Movie Reviews of Contact (Snap Case)
Movie Review: Two things of note about this film
Summary: 5 Stars
Plenty of reviews below talk about the plot details, etc, so I will omit that here.
What I like best about this film is that it addresses both sides of the Science versus Religion debate, and is equally respectful of both sides. Jodie Foster's character is a woman of Science, not of God. But by the story's end she has found her own kind of Faith, though it comes partially because she is unable to provide proof of something that her doubters know darn well does actually exist.
My only beef with the film is a minor one but it stuck out like a sore thumb to me: Late in the film's first act she is explaining what Prime Numbers are to some government men. She says that prime numbers are "numbers that are only divisible by themselves and One." Thanks for the math lesson, dear screenwriters, but in truth Prime Numbers are only EVENLY divisible by themselves and One. Yes, there is a difference. That little error in semantics wasn't the issue for me, however. The issue is that just a few years before "Contact" was made, Jodie Foster directed and starred in "Little Man Tate", a film about a young boy with above-average intelligence. In a science and math contest, the young boy and some other bright kids are asked "Which of these numbers are divisible by [some integer, like 3]?" While the other kids think it out, Little Man Tate shouts out "All of them", which was technically correct. The contest moderators were looking for the numbers EVENLY divisible by the integer, but they failed to make that distinction. Tate caught the mistake and put the quizmasters to shame. Jodie Foster, having directed that scene, SURELY should have remembered that distinction when delivering her lines in "Contact". That Prime Numbers description goof should never have made it past the rehearsal stage.
Funny the little things you pick up on, eh?
"Contact" is a great movie by the way, Angela Bassett's over-emoting notwithstanding.
Movie Review: Still quite a good movie
Summary: 5 Stars
There's finally a movie about aliens that isn't showing aliens blowing the crap out of buildings and bridges. It's quite a good movie cause there's a sense of pace and structure without it being too long or just spurts of goodness laced in with long boring stuff.
The film opens very impressively with a shot of Earth outside its atmosphere with multiple sounds going on at once like songs and famous quotes and we do what could possibly the longest zoom out in cinema as we leave the solar system with the sounds starting to fade until we have left the Milky Way and then we see dozens of galaxies popping up. They then combine together into one little shiny light in a girl's eye. Quite neat but onto the story.
The little girl is Ellie Arroway, a quite gifted child with an acute taste for science and math and she becomes someone of huge intelligence only to sit in a chair at Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico looking for signs of alien life. Her thorn in her side is David Drumlin, her boss and head of the Science Division. She ends up having to move to New Mexico's observatory and there she finds an alien signal filled with stuff so the whole world is now focused on her discovery even though she feels she's not being fully thanked.
One of the coolest scenes undoubtedly is all the radio signal decoding turns out to be a machine, an incredibly expensive machine that will send one occupant into a large energy core. Seeing her travel in this thing is quite neat but what happens afterwards is good since it reinforces the theme of the movie which is belief although some people absolutely hate it(like Mr. Garrison on South Park for one).
I can only watch the film now and then, just one of those movies that I can't really re-watch a little while after just seeing it but when I do, it's still good. And just a little note: the end scene with the Pensecola part, Jodie Foster looks downright beautiful the way she's photographed.
Movie Review: Thought-provoking and marvelous!
Summary: 5 Stars
I loved this movie because it was an educated account on mankind's most intriguing mysteries of all: "Are we alone in the universe?" I was moved to see all the motivation and energy portrayed in Jodie Foster's role as Ellie Harraway. Harraway was reminiscient of the classical scientific hero. A character who persevered regardless of the odds from critics, managers, government officials.. etc. It really inspired me as I was watching the movie to see the extent through which Harraway had her goals implanted in her head and there was NOTHING on earth to stop her. In my opinion, the type of passion depcited by her is the mark of truly succesful people in history such as Einstein and Edison. I also loved the idea that the movie was so conducive to thought.It depicted the classical debate of science and religion... The movie helped congeal the idea on how there are so many principle tenets in science that scientists can not completely explain. Like religion, one needs faith to believe in science.Finally, those who were disappointed at the ending of "Contact" I think missed the point. The finale accentuated the fact that the search for extraterrestrial life is one of the most elusive, difficult mysteries to solve. Sure, the first reaction would probably be-- "Hey! Where are the aliens?" But after the movie when you ponder about it, it was the best way to end such an enigmatic topic. The fact is that we do not know the answer yet as it continues to be a realm which will continue to give us surprises in our search for answers. Even when mankind does confirm (or negate) the existence of extraterrestrials more surprises and mysteries will spawn from those "answers" such as what our role really is in the universe if life is commonplace throughout it... This movie was absolutely excellent! I definitely recommend it to any astronomer, aerospace engineer, or any space buff!!
Movie Review: Fantastic Sci-Fi movie!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
Looking back in time modern science fiction had one of its main scientists, writers, philosophers and visionaires in one name: Carl Sagan, the author of the novel in which is based the movie.
The making of the movie gives a very near and sub-realistic intent in the searching of "green littles", all right that maybe means "live in Mars", "Aliens" or just "ET's" but in a very intelligent secuence. Jodie Foster who interprets the scientist Eleanor Arroway and in along the movie is the principal character (since the beggining when she was a child), gives a very strong image to those scientists who believes in science and in themselves.
Another very strong mates in the movie are Matthew McConaughey as Palmer Josh, the religious adviser from the White House and the Arroway's semi-sentimental partner, but more impresive is how all the trama develops in a very realistic secuence and the world's looking for this kind of contact.
But seriously Carl Sagan let think us about a vision who can happen maybe in the future, all the elements are teorically logical and his arguments are facts that could impact forever in the human kingdom history. Too seriuos is the history that Robert Zemekis and crew recluted a lot of existent talents with their own live characters as like in first place the same President of the United States Bill Clinton, Larry King, Jay Leno, Geraldo Rivera, Geraldine Ferraro, Kathleen Kennedy and others who plays their role as the same real life.
But the rest of actors as Tom Skerritt, David Morse, James Woods, Rob Lowe, Angela Bassett (how you remembers me a lot to Mrs. Condoleeza Rice girl!) and John Hurt (impactant character for S.R. Hadden) gives more credibility to this genius and intrigant sci-fi state-of-art movie.
Highly recomended to see this movie again and again, you'll never be bored, you'll be contacted.
Movie Review: This Movie Makes "Contact" On Many Levels
Summary: 5 Stars
"Each of us is bound by a different covenant. Each of us seeks truth in our own way. Each of us, scientist, priest, spiritualist, agnostic, looks for answers that define our existance. It is the quest, the journey, that each of us shares with one another."Contact is the story of Eleanor Ann Arroway (Ellie, for short) and her individual, life-long quest to seek answers to the questions "Who are we? Why are we here?" She seeks answers as a radio-astronomer, heading up a division of S.E.T.I. ((The)Search (for) Extra Terrestrial Intelligence) at Aracebo, and later at the VLA (Very Large Array) in New Mexico. Her search, which spans many years of her adult, professional life, lead her to the discovery of a radio signal from Vega, a star roughly 4 light-years from Earth.
What unfolds in this epic story, originally written by Carl Sagan, reaches far beyond the realm of an average science fiction film. It is the story of a woman, whose faith in science leaves her with more questions then it answers. It is the story of a man, torn between the love of a woman, and the faith of the religious covenant he has dedicated his life to. It is the story of a government, at once skeptical and manipulative, attempting to dictate the actions of a discovery that really belongs to the world. And, ultimately, it is the story of each of us; of anyone who has ever asked the big questions: "Who are we? Why are we here?"
Directed by Robert Zemeckis, and starring Jodie Forster, Matthew McConaughey, Tom Skeritt, James Woods, Angela Bassett and John Hurt, and featuring an incredible soundtrack by Alan Silvestri, this movie, which runs a little over 2 hours is absolutely well worth the time. It is a story of contact with extra-terrestrials, but also much more, it is a story of contact with ourselves, and the values, beliefs, and covenants we hold most dear.