This sounded and seemed like a very interesting and original movie to me. A sort of post-apocalyptic/war movie, set in the English countryside, involving mostly only teenage characters. And while the movie itself isn't a bad one by any stretch of the imagination, it still is one that isn't quite as good and interesting as it all sounds.

Main issue I had with this movie was that I couldn't see or understand what it was trying to say and achieve with its story. Guess it's trying to show war through the eyes of youngsters and by placing it in modern England it's supposed to come across as something all the more shocking, realistic and something we, in the western world, can relate to. However, for a war movie it actually is showing a shockingly little amount of war moments and all the scenes that are obviously supposed to come of as something dramatic and shocking don't work out that well, due to it that this movie just isn't the most engaging one to watch.

It just doesn't ever come across as a very deep or thought provoking movie, though I'm sure that the novel, which this movie is based on, is quite the opposite.

It tries to be a contrasting movie by first showing us in the first half the innocence of youth, while in the second half it's being a far more gritty movie. Problem with this however is that the circumstances may constantly change for the main characters but the main characters themselves hardly change at all. They were all pretty much very independent kids to begin with. Things potentially could have been far more interesting if they all went to some big transitions and were faced by some moral- and life changing dilemmas at some point. None of that is ever really the case in the movie, making this an ultimately too shallow and perhaps even simplistic one.

It's also somewhat annoying how anything gets hardly explained in the movie. It doesn't tell us anything about the actual war that's going on at the moment and the movie in general isn't providing us with enough background information.

There are also still plenty of good things about this movie though. It has a good look, with some fine cinematography and settings for instance. The editing was also quite good, as were all of the performances by the, mostly still very young, actors. Saoirse Ronan in particular of course was great.

It's still a perfectly watchable movie but not one that's going to make and leave a big impression. It isn't ever engaging and interesting enough with anything and therefore the drama and deeper meanings behind all of it fall kind of flat, turning this in an ultimately somewhat shallow and forgettable little movie.

6/10

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An American girl sent to the English countryside to stay with relatives finds herself fighting for her survival as the UK turns into a violent military state. From: IMDb.com

An American girl on holiday in the English countryside with her family finds herself in hiding and fighting for her survival as war breaks out. From: IMDb.com

Directed by: Kevin Macdonald

Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Tom Holland, Anna Chancellor and others

Current release date: 2013

This is one of those sleeper movies, not an awful lot of people will get to see, due to its limited release but it's absolutely one that deserves to be seen by everyone.

It's not only a great and effective drama, that is hard not to feel involved with but its also a movie that handles its concept in a very respectful way. The movie revolves around the 2004 tsunami and what I mean by saying its respectful is that it's not bringing anything in an entertaining or dramatically forced way.

It's a very human drama, strengthened by the fact it mainly focuses on just one family. They first struggle for survival but the movie soon after that starts to turn into one in which the family members, who end up being partly divided by the catastrophe, try to find each other in the following chaos and panic. It probably still sounds like a somewhat sappy, based on a true story, made for TV, overly dramatic, type of movie to some but believe me; this movie is a very humble and respectful one, that keeps things 'small' and realistic, at all times.

Because it tells everything from the family's viewpoint, you start to feel involved real easily and everything hits you even harder. The chaos, the wounded people, the death and of course the actual tsunami itself. It throws you in the middle of all of it and often doesn't hold back, making the movie a very involving and effective one.

The moment the tsunami hits is quite intense. it's done in an incredibly realistic way and I actually have no idea how they achieved all of it, since everything appears to have been done with practical effects, as opposed to CG effects. Guess miniatures is the answer but that still doesn't explain how they achieved some complicated looking shots, involving the movie its characters. It's always a good and real positive thing of course when a movie can surprise baffle you like that and it's all the more an accomplishment when considering this movie didn't had the highest of budgets and wasn't made by the crème de la crème of Hollywood. It's actually a Spanish production, also based on the true story of a Spanish family but portrayed by English speaking actors, no doubt to make this movie more available and accessible, worldwide.

And who could also complain about it when the likes of Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor involved. Both are truly great, as is the young Tom Holland, who actually at times has to carry the movie on his own.

That's what I also liked about the movie; it didn't just picked one main character but instead focused on about 3 equally, making some of the dynamics and story developments all the more interesting and effective. Each of them experience things differently, from different sides, facing different obstacles and difficulties, which is also helping to keep the movie going and interesting. There is never really a slow moment in it, unless the movie deliberately decides to have to.

It feels to me that everyone involved was very well aware of what type of project they were involved with and all had their hearts and minds in the right place for it. It makes this movie feel like a very respectful one toward its subject and the victims and their families and becomes a very effective and involving one through its approach as well.

8/10

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An account of a family caught, with tens of thousands of strangers, in the mayhem of one of the worst natural catastrophes of our time. From: IMDb.com

Directed by: Juan Antonio Bayona

Starring: Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor, Tom Holland and others

Current release date: December 21, 2012

An account of a family caught, with tens of thousands of strangers, in the mayhem of one of the worst natural catastrophes of our time. From: IMDb.com

Directed by: Juan Antonio Bayona

Starring: Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor, Tom Holland and others

Current release date: December 21, 2012

(Review originally written at 27 January 2008)

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

"Thinner" is just one of those movies that I always enjoy watching when its on. It's basically a great way to spend 90 minutes.

I think the foremost reason why this is such a watchable movie is thanks to its wonderful concept. Its highly original and you just can't go really wrong with it. The story nevertheless is quite silly in parts, which is I think also mainly because there are some difficulties with the book translation to the screen. What works in a book just doesn't always work for a movie. Another problem with movies based on books is that a book has a beginning and an end, with in between a couple of hundred pages to lay out the story and characters and everything that happens in between. You then next have to try to put this all in an under 2 hour movie, without loosing the core and essence of the story. This most of the time has as a result that some things get rushed in the movie to get from point A to B.

The actual ending is just great but there are also still some problems with it. Problem with the ending is that it's totally unclear why the main character is suddenly freaking out so bad and why he suddenly turns into psychotic murderer. Apparently a real returning theme in Stephen King novels; the main character going psycho toward the ending. He blames his wife for everything that has happened but this is totally unbelievable and unlikely this would ever happen. She at least most certainly did not deserved to die because of it. They try to 'justify' his killing of her even more by implying that she cheats on her husband with doctor Mikey. But again; now way that that justifies the thing happening to her in the end.

No way the story would had still worked out as good if the make-up effects weren't as good. Robert John Burke goes from extremely fat at the start to extremely thin toward the ending, all with the help of make-up.

The movie looks like a made for TV movie, which is obviously due to its restrained budget. So don't expect anything big or surprising camera movements and innovating directing or editing.

The movie also doesn't have a too great cast but each actor serves its purpose and fits its role.

Actually quite silly and nothing too great but it's a perfectly watchable and enjoyable little movie.

6/10