Limbo
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Movie Reviews of Limbo
Movie Review: Sayles does it again
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been a fan of Sayles' work from way back and am glad to see that he is still as quirky, original, and full of genuine human feeling as ever. Success has not spoiled Sayles."Limbo" surprised and pleased me at every turn. All the characters, from bit parts to the principals, are sensitively and accurately written. Sayles never fails to get a little scathing social commentary into the picture, and his throwaway dialogue about the Disney-fication of Alaska is true enough to hurt.
You could call "Limbo" the antithesis of Lone Star. In Lone Star, one protagonist reassures the other at the end, "Forget the Alamo," meaning that we can cut free from our past and live for the present; in Limbo, all the characters are marked and haunted by their history, especially Strathairn's leading man (a remarkably appealing bit of acting).
I was angry with Sayles, like many viewers, at the end [warning, spoilers!] -- so much suspense has been painstakingly developed, and then, agh, you never know whether these characters, about whom you have come to care deeply, will survive. However, I respect his decision to avoid a cliche in either possible resolution.
"Limbo" is quite simply unforgettable, and a reminder that cinema doesn't have to be noisy and stupid, or exclusively focussed on pretty young people, to be fine and memorable. I recommend it to any serious film fan and particularly to those already charmed by the Sayles style.
Movie Review: Unconventional = Good!
Summary: 5 Stars
I watched this movie on DVD earlier today, and I have five words of caution to anyone who found themselves as drawn to this film as I was: "view at your own risk." Obviously by my five-star rating I found this to be an excellent film. But if you think that this is a standard thriller with standard characters, dialogue, and *ENDING* (I cannot emphasize enough how unexpected and downright daring the ending to this movie is), then you may want to shy away from "Limbo." The characters in this movie are richly and realistically developed, and the focus is on them rather than on the plot twists and jump scenes that this film could have easily employed. Of course, doing that would have reduced this to being an average suspense film, and I really would not even use those words to describe this picture. I have read reviews posted by earlier viewers that have lamented over the film's massively unexpected and slightly annoying finale. After listening to Sayles' commentary track, the ending makes more sense than either of the other, more predictable options. It's an ending that is completely consistent with the theme, tone, and focus of the film, and to have closed "Limbo" with anything else would take away from that. It's the way the movie should end. It's not what you expect, but isn't it time that Hollywood stop giving us the endings that we expect to happen and instead give us some real stories?Movie Review: Should be able to use more stars than just 5 for this movie
Summary: 5 Stars
John Sayles is an under-appreciated film-making genius. His movies are authentic in that they tell stories of multi-dimensional people usually caught between a rock and a hard place. "Limbo" is one of my favorites because its setting is a place I love-Alaska. Sayles does the state, its culture and lifestyles true justice in this tale of disenfranchised people who end up together in the wrong/right place at the wrong/right time. The ambiguity of the ending allows, encourages the viewer to decide the wrong or right issues. David Strathairn vividly captures the drifting life of a man whose once promising career is side swiped by tragedy decades before but who now sees a glimmer of hope in the shape of Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio's bar singer and her teenaged daughter heartbreakingly played by Vanessa Martinez. Alaska is often called "The Extreme" because of its terrain and weather. People moving to Alaska go to either hide from themselves or find themselves and Sayles story richly demonstrates the powerful catalyst the state can be, but the emphasis is never off the characters who resonate with bitterness and carefully hidden optimism. The ending of the film upset some viewers but watching the emotions play out on the faces of those waiting to confront their uncertain future is am homage to the art Sayles brings to film. Viewers should allow themselves to be challenged and entertained by this gem.Movie Review: sayle's finest so far
Summary: 5 Stars
It's a small film, but delightful and mercifully without characters yammering socio-political history back and forth at each other, it's a welcome departure for sayles. As much as i liked 'Lone Star and 'Men with Guns' i return to this one more often as the characters are more important than the discussion of issues in previous outings, and i dare say better dramatised.As for the ending, i can't accept that it is 'cheesey' or a 'cop out', to me the inference is the 3 central characters are about to be butchered, i for one wouldn't like to see that or the appearance of the 'paul schrader convention' that it all ends in gun play with straitharn turning superman. And if they are rescued, well surely that is the most predictable and dishonest conclusion, what is resolved? the teenage girl is in dire straights and the drug dealers will surely settle their hash at some point afterwards? Besides, i'm sure many would think such a happy ending would be cheesey and a cop out and cetainly not justified, like a tv movie or studio ending to a fritz lang film. Hey we could have mary elizabeth hugging david, her smiling face raised above his head, freeze and slowly fade out. Like the poster says, Limbo, a state of unknowable outcome. I guess it is an ending that reads us rather than the other way round and i certainly prefer it to the utterly depressing and trite end to 'City of Hope' by the same director.
Movie Review: Lyrical and simply unforgettable.
Summary: 5 Stars
An unleashing focus on the main characters is what I felt director John Sayles (Men With Guns, Passion Fish) was aiming for. This masterpiece is so lyrical in its photography - each frame of the film looks like an master work of art. And the title, LIMBO, fits the film perfectly. I had thought why it was called that, but somewhere in the beginning of the film I had grasped its meaning. This characters go throught their lives in a sort of life trap...a time loop...but through time...the painful events in their lives are always with them and they seem to relive them in the most crucial moments of their lives. The actress that interested most in the film is Vanessa Martinez. She plays Noelle DeAngelo with a air of tragic importance. Her pain is excruciating and self-evident and that is what makes the character so amiable. LIMBO reminds me of Piradello's classic SIX CHARACTERS IN SEARCH OF AN AUTHOR with its Mother-Daughter relationship. The scenes between Martinez and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (Donna DeAngelo) are well thought out and are easy to relate to by practically anyone who gives the film a chance. A visually stunning masterpiece on DVD, this edition also offers a theatrical trailer, surround sound options, subtitles for the hearing impaired which help out a lot with understanding the storyline, and an unforgetable audio commentary by director John Sayles.