Beanbioca As Good As It Gets

Livestonth I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

ActuallyGlimmer The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Fleur Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Andrew Christopher Heard High school films are the kind of thing that I tend to be in to. I'm not entirely sure where that comes from, I didn't have the best high school experience and that probably has something to do with it. I must like watching people navigate through the experience with what is often more complicated a time then I had. All the drama on screen makes my own seem less terrible. But at a certain point you have to realize that these on screen experiences are just actors playing a role and what ends up being watchable is not necessarily reality. Still, there's an element of comfort in it and that can't be discounted. More than likely because good drama is usually based on some element of truth. In that way the emotional elements take on a universal feel that everyone can relate to for anyone who has gone through the experience of the last 50 years of education where the modern high school experience originated in Western cultures.Circumstances and technology will change over time, but high school is always just... well... high school. No one likes it, and if you ask some people no one ever really leaves it as you can look at the world and see elements of it in every day life. While watching Echoes of Innocence, I get the impression that the circumstances of today's high school student seems to be ideology. What is belief's place in the high school experience of today? Is there a place for religion and faith in the modern public system? Most people would be turned off by such an idea, but those questions in a lot of ways are more like themes to the film that are creeping around the sides of the film's main plot, much like the background scenery of the visuals or the setting of high school itself. The real story is driven by the character of Sara, a young girl who feels out of place and somewhat ostracized from her classmates. Reasons why are pretty clearly defined through a series of flashbacks which lay out who she is and why she acts the way she does. That coupled with a number of voice overs from Sara herself make her the most interesting character of the bunch, which include her best friend who is both supportive and critical, various classmates who are both put off and intrigued by her, and the new kid in school who joined the local paper and wants to do a story about Sara.They all play a part in Sara's story but the characters themselves don't necessarily get clearly defined. More often then not they are inserted into Sara's story when necessary to give her someone to interact with. Her own journey is very much a solitary one, defined by her own actions and her own ideas about the world and what she wants from it rather then how she relates to others. This drags down the story somewhat but Sara's progression is defined clearly enough that she manages power through the weak bits. It gives her story the necessary elements not to be bored by it. Obvious parallels to Biblical elements are present but the filmmakers clearly pulled back enough so as not to come off like a preachy film. I'm honestly not sure whether that causes a problem for the film or whether it helps. I suppose it's 50/50 in that department. Still, I think the film is worth watching for anyone who wants to look back and remember the way they saw the world when they were that age. Perhaps give you a new perspective on the vision you have of the world today. I say check it out.To check out more of my reviews, go here:http://andrew-heard.blogspot.ca/

mark-749 Brad Sayles music for Echoes of Innocence is a lesson in just how much a good score can raise the overall quality of a film. While the producers of the film were the victims of some very bad timing (Joan of Arc being a much used theme at the moment), there are skills here in the photography and editing that simply need to be honed. If anything, the film is an example of just how careful one must be in selecting a story that is suitable for a screenplay. Writing a good screenplay is disastrously hard work. The vision necessary to execute it into a cohesive film is another skill set altogether. It is clear in this effort that too much was done by too few people.Sayles talent is evident in the weaving of atmosphere, tension, thought, and love into an original score of depth and content. He possesses the gift that too few composers have at present: the ability to use startling silence in a musical context. The film would be very valuable as a lab piece for aspiring film/video composers.As to the movie as a whole, I've seen far worse, presented by bigger studios with 100 times the budget. This is an encouraging first effort. The producers simply need greater exposure to a wider variety of environments, film styles, and a much more worldly approach to their work.

wildmaji This movie was a travesty. I realize people will applaud it simply because it has religious themes and morals, but a good movie that does not make. The story was poorly plotted and executed, with thinly sketched characters with no motivation behind their actions. It seems the writing team didn't realize you can't base an entire script on coincidence (the main boy's "secret"), and that audiences expect a follow-up to events like bombs being planted but never going off (even hours later). The two lead actors were passable, but almost every side character was hysterical in their attempts to emote, such as the needlessly psychotic mother and the stereotyped stalker/killer. And then there's a killer cow, whom happens to be the embodiment of God? This wasn't a movie, just a poorly filmed piece of propaganda about virginity. Surely actually going to church would be a far better use of time, should you be intrigued by the concept.

SpecialPhysX If you really need another hit of "send money, guns and drugs" corruption, then avoid this film at all costs! Although the story covers all three of these fleetingly, none of them are the basis for the storyline here.This is a story about hope and despair, love and challenges, testing and caring for the real-life needs of others. For youthful audience members, the story itself is engrossing. I sat in one dark theater and listened to the comments and reactions of the young teen in front of me. Her emotions covered the spectrum from fear and sadness to the kind of uncomplicated happiness that we all long for, if we only knew...For mature audiences, the archetypes and subtexts of the story are deeply provocative on many levels. Complicated issues are covered with compassion and sensitivity in a very contemporary POV.This movie ROCKS on all counts: story, music, acting, directing, drama, cinematography, lighting, soundtrack, artistic endeavor -- it's got everything you want in a family friendly format AND -- BONUS -- no sacrifice of quality on any dimension! The last film I saw that was as simply *beautiful* as this was probably "Girl With a Pearl Earring".Go! Enjoy! Invite your friends and loved ones! Share the love...