Solaris
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Movie Reviews of Solaris
Movie Review: Haunting
Summary: 5 Stars
I was not very convinced when I went to see the movie because I did not think that George Clooney was a good choice for the main part. Clooney carries with him this stereotype of a modern Don Juan that does not lend itself well for a drama such as Solaris.As soon as the story got going, however, Don Juan was totally erased both from my mind and from the scared psychologist walking the corridors of the space station.
I'm not trying to sell Clooney. Actually I think that all the actors playing characters present on the space station did an outstanding job. This is one of the elements that make this movie a success. Every single expression, slight movement, silence, carries true meaning.
The special effects that bring the outer space and planet background into the film are done well enough that I didn't notice imperfections. I think that Steven Soderbergh was right at keeping this aspect of the movie secondary, otherwise it might have become a disturbing element. This said, I enjoyed the nice shots at Solaris added here and there because they contributed to the overall mystery.
And the music. It's haunting. I kept looking for a pattern and couldn't find it. However the music seeped through my being while I was busy with the pictures and really got to me. I would hesitate buying the soundtrack, by the way, because I'm afraid that the sound without the images may not work so well. But the marriage of the two is one of the best I have experienced.
The pace is slow but I kept having to catch my breath, so captured I was.
To conclude, I would say that not all will like this movie. I brought my date with me and it turned out to be a mistake. She was annoyed. So this may be turn out to be a case of all or nothing; you will either hate it or love it.
A last comment: don't go see it if you're depressed.
Movie Review: A subtle masterpiece
Summary: 5 Stars
Apparently, a lot of viewers got frustrated with this film. One review on Amazon said, "Why did Clooney's wife commit suicide? I don't get it."If you plan to see this movie on DVD, keep this in mind: There is a reason why the dialogue and the general pace of the movie is a bit slow and deliberate. It's not going to hit you in the face, but there is a lot of subtext to the dialogue. Savor the moment, and a lot of the answers will come, although this film does not attempt to answer every question it raises.
(As to why Natascha McElhone's character commits suicide, there are subtle clues in her conversations with Clooney in their bedroom and in what looks like a Wal-Mart.)
This is one of those terrific movies that may be puzzling at first but reveals itself more and more with each viewing. If you rent it, watch it twice. It'll grow on you. I also recommend seeing the 1972 version for comparison's sake.
Besides the stunning cinematography, elegant dialogue and graceful acting, it's a movie you can personalize and interpret in your own unique way -- Soderbergh leaves a lot to the audience's own perceptions. Clooney absolutely shines in this film in a role unlike any other he's played -- he creates a palpable aura of grief and pain with few words and a total lack of histrionics. I can't praise Natascha McElhone enough for pulling off an incredibly challenging role. (How can you convincingly play a woman who has someone else's memories and none of her own? She does it with aplomb. I cannot imagine better casting.)
It's not a chick flick, it's not a science fiction film of the aliens/robots/gadgets variety ... it's really in a unique category of its own. Love it or hate it, there are few films as thought-provoking or affecting as Solaris.
Movie Review: There are only two reasons to say this is a lousy film:
Summary: 5 Stars
1: You honestly don't like art film -- which is completely valid.2: You are lying to make yourself look smart, and will, in 10 years, be ranting at cocktail party about how brilliant and overlooked it was, and why doesn't hollywood do anything like that anymore.
If it's 2, you're only helping keep the kinds of films you want to see from being made.
I saw Solaris a number of times in the theater, and am convinced that it is one of the top 2 or 3 science fiction films of all time. The Tarkovsky version is brilliant and beautiful, but ultimately too aloof and self congradulatory to do justice to the questions it provokes. The ontological questions raised by Solaris are, of course, unanswerable, and merely identifying them in an intellectual sense is pretty pointless, unless the idea is to pat yourself on the back for how clever you are.
Soderburgh, on the other hand, precisely because he is not trying to be (or some would say he is incapable of being) the 'artiste' that Tarkovky was, attaches these questions to real, painful, and familiar emotions -- making them actually mean something; giving them the weight they deserve. In other words, this is grown-up filmmaking that is dealing with reality, not the novelty of acedemia.
Gloriously shot and patiently edited; acted and directed with controlled, tentative grace, Solaris should be viewed as the very template for science fiction film of the 21st century: immediate, personal and real as our lives. It is a deep shame that this work of true feeling has been done in by film snobbery and baseless anti-Hollywood opinions, as the only thing that will come of it is further reluctance from Hollywood and elsewhere to fund thoughtful, rich science fiction of any sort.
Movie Review: wow....wow....wow.....
Summary: 5 Stars
... Soderbergh, amazing director, just as good of a writer frankly, and this movie. Why? I ask. Why did I cry? Why did I laugh? Why did I not want to leave the theatre and finally drag myself after the very last credit rolled on by... ...it's because here is a film that throws love directly in your face. Whether you like it or not this is a love story, not a sci-fi flick that'll end up on a channel with the same theme. The dialogue was truly phenomenal. The romance, the memories, the emotions. It's all there and it's going nowhere but straight to your brain for you to ingest like a Thanksgiving dinner I did a few hours earlier. This film shows you the true beauty of love and its consequences - yes, they do exist - but then, it puts it all back together in one piece as if you never touched it.
Or does it? I can't (and won't) say because I want you all to go see this film if you're interested in seeing something different and far from cookie-cutter about what love is and how it is portrayed in movies. This film has nothing - repeat, nothing - to do with science fiction. There's no fiction to the premise of Solaris. Don't watch the trailer, don't read the reviews, just go see it yourself and make your own decisions. The theatre wasn't packed tonight but we watched it at a place where kids mostly go watch other films but I do want to point out the three young girls sitting in the isle in front of us who left half way through the film. It's just really unfortunate to see that. But for all I know maybe they just wanted to see Clooney's behind. I just feel they missed out on something seriously more meaningful.
And I don't want you to miss out on that either.
Movie Review: The face of god
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a serious movie, and if you have already decided you don't like it you might consider asking yourself whether there is a deeper reason than the usual considerations. Facing our mortality, it can be uncomfortable to contemplate immortality. Having found a faith or having confirmed our own lack of faith, perhaps it is uncomfortable to contemplate the alternative to which the Solaris story takes us. And so in that regard this is one of those movies that is a worthwhile experience even if it doesn't give you the most immediate reward, and that's the definition of a great movie.
I loved it. Steven Soderburgh captures the essential mood and mystery of the Solaris story through the changing venues (rainy Seattle, the stark interiors of the space station) all of which heighten the impact of the sentient planet whose mood itself changes in some relationship to the intense interactions of the characters. The sentient planet looks exactly as I, many years in advance, knew it should look and the relationships to that planet of the beings who its manifestations are exquisitely drawn. This is what it might be like to see the face of god.
This is a great movie because it drew me forward to a better place, intellectually and emotionally, and this is not directly dependent on my own religious beliefs or lack of them. The emotional impact is brought to a perfect peak by a poetically beautiful musical score. See this movie if you are interested in the philosophical implications of your possible origin as manifestation of a more complex and incomprehensible process or in thinking about the nature of life and mortality.