Sunshine
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Movie Reviews of Sunshine
Movie Review: ****4 STARS****
Summary: 4 Stars
Interesting film which spans 3 generations each of which has Ralph Fiennes playing the male lead. A must see movie for any Ralph Fiennes fan. Not as good as 'Spider' but then again not a bad as 'Maid in Manhattan'. Would recommend renting before buying since it is 3 hrs long and has some occasional slow spells.
Movie Review: Very Touching
Summary: 4 Stars
The scenes in the concentration camp are so haunting and beautifully done, they have stayed with me for years. It's a wonderful story and I have watched it over and over.Movie Review: A Wannabe Classic with absolutely no soul
Summary: 3 Stars
First of all, if you like your Epic Movies with a generous sprinkling of gratuitous sex scenes with lots of moaning and simulated climaxing, then this is the film for you. For a movie that so obviously aspires to be another "Schindler's List", this was the final nail in the coffin. I cannot believe the glowing reviews here - at best, this was like a two star TV Movie that started off as a miniseries but ended up becoming a full fledged motion picture. This may have worked for "Mulholland Drive" but it does not work here.
Ralph Fiennes is normally a great actor, but put him in a triple role here and watch a tragedy unfold. He does NOT come across as coherent or talented here - in fact the poor thing looks a little lost in the mess. I especially hated the WWII scenes where they had to torture the naked lead actor and till the very end he does not give up his dignity or honor (should be seen to be believed - this was unintentionally hilarious and I was laughing through it). When a poignant story in fact reduces you to giggles, I'm sorry, but its not worth watching.
Many people over the years have compared this to "Sophie's Choice", "Schindler's List", and "The English Patient". I have to ask them - have you been watching the same movie? Everyone has a very put-on fake accent in this film (remember Angelina Jolie's over the top accent in "Alexander"?) and go through the motions. I also had a problem with the tragic twists and turns every ten minutes through these movies, as if the director was begging us to empathize with these sad people and their tragic lives.
At best, this is like one of those History Channel specials about unsung war heroes and world figures. They should have made this three one-hour documentaries instead of a meaningless feature film, plus they should have cut out all the gory gag inducing sex scenes that had absolutely no place in a film of this 'stature'.
Two Stars. And most of those were for watching normally animated Ralph Fiennes phone in his presence. He looked empty and bored through all his three roles here. Highly overrated, boring, and disappointing, and not at all historically accurate.
Movie Review: Fiennes shines, but Harris steals the show
Summary: 3 Stars
"Sunshine" is a three-hour lesson in modern Hungarian history, portraying the country as it goes from Empire to Fascist to Communist rule, all seen from the perspective of the Sonnenschein family ("sunshine" in Hungarian). Granted, some purists may take issue with the historical accuracy, but I am not a purist when it comes to this, so I can comment upon the film's other merits.Sprawling over three hours, this film is not for the short of attention. But for those more accustomed to films of this genre and length, "Sunshine" offers many golden moments that may pass you by if you aren't prepared to notice.
Ralph Fiennes takes on not two but three roles, playing grandfather, father, and son. Other actors are more noted for their ability to transform themselves physically for a role, but Fiennes' talent in this category should not be underrated. Although his red-haired beauty endures, he manifests the melancholy of Ignatz Sors (the grandfather), the dashing athleticism of fencer Adam Sors (the father), and the awkwardness and conflict of Ivan Sors (the son) masterfully, making each character a physically different person.
However, Fiennes' ability to morph is overshadowed by the subtle, emotionally resonant performance by the fine Rosemary Harris as the elder Valerie (Sors) Sonnenschein. In the midst of political turbulence, religious persecution, and the rise and fall of empires and regimes (as well as Fiennes' role-switching), Valerie remains the only constant, due to her unflinching sense of self. In a country that struggles to find its identity, Valerie always knows who she is, and for this reason, she endures.
Jennifer Ehle (Harris's own daughter) is competent as the younger Valerie. She gets all of the highly emotional outbursts and confrontations with other characters, and gives Valerie an endearing vitality. But it is Harris's quiet dignity and sly confidence that makes her the more memorable. Just as Valerie is the pillar of the Sonnenschein family, Harris is the central pillar of the film itself.
Movie Review: My Great Expectations Not Met By This Film
Summary: 3 Stars
I approach seeing a Ralph Fiennes film with great expectations since he is such a superb actor. I've adored the vast majority of the films he's been in too. "The Avengers" was probably his worst film but this may be his most disappointing. Fiennes plays three characters in an Eastern European Jewish family as the grandfather, father and son, each at the prime moments of their respective adulthoods. Each lives in tumultuous times to be a Jew in Europe and suffers considerably as a result. The film doesn't quite work and by the time we got to that third and final male in this family, I was almost dreading Fiennes' reappearance. The film is also very slow and at 3 hours that is a problem. Usually home DVD viewing makes long movies easier to watch but that wasn't true in this case. Fiennes also is usually wonderful to watch in romantic and love scenes but these were almost embarrassing as they were so similar and perfunctory from generation to generation. Director István Szabó is being compared by many to the late David Lean but I believe that Lean was far more able to sustain a viewer's interest in such long sagas, such as he did in "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Passage To India."