... a lot of potential with the exceptional cast and great performances. However
926794
This movie had a lot of potential with the exceptional cast and great performances. However, the film was a big let down because it failed to explain why these characters were in the situation they are in.
4243953
This is an exceptional time-travel film. There is a certain amount of suspension of disbelief that has to take place to understand and accept the possibility of the premise, and a lot of the plot elements lack continuity when carefully examined, but I doubt more has been done with a thirty million dollar budget for a long time.
1936369
This was an intriguing, meted out film that was shot beautifully. Acted with skill. However, the story had some impossibilities that caused me to wonder where the answer was to the hole in the story...But the basics of the story were solid, so the film is not unwatchable. It just depends on how far you want to suspend your belief in the setting, what the character do and what the ending brings.
2386844
Could be a great movie, but some of the directorial decisions/ odd special effects really detract from the movie. It felt as if they just needed a few more dollars for production and ended up reverting to the interns to gin something up for the gaps. Could easily be a five for some people, but those odd parts are what really ended up sticking with me ad my friends.
1653848
The acting is great for the most part. There are several known actors and a few unknown that give realistic performances. However, the plot has some major holes. It's still entertaining though!
1671129
This was a great movie.  The cast was amazing, and the pace was gripping.  That said, I don't know if I could watch it more than once or twice.  It's pretty grim in spots.  So, 4 stars instead of 5.
1678669
Lovely concept, great ensemble acting. A near perfect film for what it tried to accomplish. The ending is muddled which is a shame. Hartnett is working on his acting by choosing films which stretch him. I respect that.
3155069
It looks great, and the cast and creatives are excellent. The premise is not simply Dickens characters given new plots, which might have worked had they been AFTER their original plotlines. Since they are all BEFORE their original plotlines, you already know how it will end for most of them--and for most of them, it won't be very happy.  That also means that two of the major plotlines are driven in turn by a psychopath and by a manipulative neurotic. They're that way in Dickens, but they're both minor, backstory characters. Here they're front and center, and you spend too much time wishing a load of bricks would fall upon them.
4201005
Great performance by Phillip Seymour Hoffman, but slow plot development spoiled what could have made for a top notch film.
2445007
Great performances and an interesting story make this Sofia Coppola's best movie to date. Unfortunately, this movie has little to say about the actions it's depicting, and that lack of insight or commentary keeps it from being truly a great film.
2612085
The prospect of a sweeping new narrative of the near future, along with vivid and convincing cinematography, are enough to trigger the viewing of a science fiction movie from the director of "Gladiator" (which I cite because it offered realistic characters who showed high values as well as took high risks). The visual panorama and the acting in "Prometheus" are compelling. But the ideas that would otherwise support a high-concept story about the origin and fate of humanity are mostly missing. We're expected to believe that the creatures who acted to create and now may try to finish off the human race are casually violent, and that the structure on the planet which is the crossroads for this story is booby-trapped with savage bio-devices. It's not much more than a haunted-house plot in outer space. The lure that everything will be explained in a sequel (maybe) isn't enough to rescue this movie from under-delivering in its 2 hours and 4 minutes.
1408228
The recipe for this movie has fantastic ingredients but the movie fails.  Take this movie and make it better, would be a great assignment for a film class because the material has a lot of powerful potential and there are many ways it could be played out better. Sometimes a bad example of material that could be great makes us aware of what makes successful art.

What makes this movie not work?  It lacks the strong controlling hand of an artist.  The actors were good at what they do, but someone in control of the whole movie was absent, even a central viewpoint character would have helped.

For example, did a "committee" insist on certain elements to sell the film for the masses? Adding junk to a recipe can ruin it, like the scene between Murtie(?) (the aborigine) and Catherine, that could be interesting if handled discreetly but instead was handled as sex to pander to an audience and distracted from the seriousness of the movie.  And even that could have worked IF developed and IF it contributed to the whole and where the artistic director was going.  This is one example only of many.
841638
A romantic comedy between two characters from different times is an idea rich in potential.  Writer/director James Mangold takes full advantage of the possibilities in this enchanting film that juxtaposes the cultures and values of the late 19th and early 21st centuries New York City.
Mangold shows his versatility here by venturing into the light and breezy zone after strong directorial showings in the more heavy handed "Girl Interrupted" and "Cop Land".  Despite the clear departure from his previous melodramatic films, Mangold again proves is that he is an excellent actors' director, inducing terrific performances from the entire cast.
The story is full of heartrending moments and hilarious culture shock gags as Leopold (Hugh Jackman) attempts to adapt to the technology and attitudes of modern society.  Mangold is successful at making the point that though much has changed around us, we as people are still very much the same.  Unfortunately, in his zeal to tell a great tale, Mangold plays fast and loose with historical details.
If one is going to make a time travel film, one should research the respective eras and represent history accurately.  The film is rife with anachronisms, especially regarding theater and opera.  Leopold is from 1876, but makes reference to "La Boheme" (1896), "Pirates of Penzance" (1879), and "Tosca" (1898), none of which had yet been performed by the time he left the past.  Also, Brooklyn Bridge architect John Augustus Roebling is seen giving a speech seven years after he died, and Leopold mentions Jack the Ripper, who didn't commit his first murder until the late 1880's.  Still, much can be forgiven for a tale so touchingly and amusingly told.
The acting is excellent by the entire cast.  Hugh Jackman's career grows exponentially with each new role.  A veritable unknown when he took the part of Wolverine in "X-Men", he blew the doors off that part and never looked back.  Since then he has delivered three outstanding performances ("Someone Like You", "Swordfish", "Kate and Leopold"), in all cases rising above the vehicle in which he appeared and eclipsing numerous fine actors.  Jackman has the potential to become this generation's Cary Grant, having dapper good looks and an amiable personality with the versatility to glide effortlessly from serious drama to charming comedies.  In this part he is absolutely magnetic, giving a performance that is as powerful as it is captivating.
Meg Ryan returns to her best genre and gives another terrific performance.  Ryan has enjoyed thirteen fabulous years since she broke through with "When Harry Met Sally" in 1989, but is in the twilight of her romantic comedy years.  If she hopes to continue as an actor, she will need to move to different roles that don't require the freshness and adorability that fade with age.  This role is a good hybrid, having her deal with the serious issues of a career woman, while also allowing her to slip on the romantic glove that fits her so well.
Liev Schreiber, Breckin Meyer, Natasha Lyonne, and Bradley Whitford all give strong supporting performances, stealing scenes left and right from the two leads.
This film is a marvelous date flick that is easy to enjoy by men and women alike.  The humor is truly funny, the romance engaging and the acting superb.  I rated it an 8/10, penalizing it a bit for the historical cheating, but if you like romantic comedy this film will deliver a wonderful evening of delightful entertainment.
4159019
I have read the original story and years ago saw a PBS adaptation which made a memorable impression on me.  So when I stumbled on this new release, I was thrilled.  After watching this movie I can share the highlights of my observations.  The director relies heavily on the musical score to set the mood and pace with lots of foreshadowing.  Its effective and had me jumping at times.  The re-imagination of the original story is clever for a modern horror genre.  The house and setting are creepy beautiful and atmospheric. But the big let-down in this film is the acting.  I can't decide if it's the actors or the director at fault for this.  The dialogue feels more like a stage production than a film.  Timing is off and at times the lines .  My final thought would be that if you can watch PBS or BBC films, you might seriously appreciate this film.  It slowly builds towards its ending and gives a few good frights along the way.
4890637
It should be said, first and foremost, that this movie is brilliant. I really think, between this movie and "Batman Begins" that Chris Nolan has set a new standard for comic-book based movies. He's proven its possible to take them and make them accessible to people without being campy, to include real emotions, even drama, believable and entertaining action sequences, all in a story that is handled seriously. That said, all the performances in this movie are anywhere between great and brilliant, no complaints.

Now where this disc goes wrong is its rather intolerable switching between 16:9 and letterbox (2.4:1) format. The creators of the disc clearly wanted to showcase their occasional use of i-max film, but they must have neglected to realize that not all of us have a 100 foot wall onto which to project these pristine images. The result is that you get sequences where Batman jumps off a tower in Hong Kong in 16:9 (full screen for modern televisions) and the people wandering around in the building 2 seconds later are in letterbox, you see him flying around and crashing through the window in full screen, and then he rolls to a halt in letterbox. This is actually a simplified explanation of what actually happens, because there are actually 3 or 4 more switches back and forth in that one action sequence. Needless to say, it is quite distracting. Its completely bizarre that whey chose to do this, really. I'm sure they were thinking its a good idea, but everyone I've shown it to is not impressed.

Your options? You can live with this, because its not an option to change it. You can buy the DVD which isn't like this, though it is clearly not the same resolution. You can wait until Warner Bros releases another version, which may never happen. What is clear is for the moment you won't be enjoying this movie to the extent you should in HD at this point.
2618929
Catch .44 had everything that should have made this movie fabulous...there were great actors, and lots of action. The ever talented Bruce Willis gave a performance much as he often does in his sexy, understanded way; a chilling presence by Forest Whitaker; and some very interesting performances by Nikki Reed, Deborah Woll, and Malin Akerman. There was even great cinematography, and in what should have been a story told in a decent tone filled with suspense. It would kind of remind you of Quentin Tarantino's (Pulp Fiction, Grindhouse, Kill Bill, Dust to Dawn) or Rodriquez/Ethan Maniquis (Machete) works....with the flashbacks, twists and turns of suspense...but where their movies soar and come to life (leaving you craving, no wanting more),  this one (directed by Harvey) fizzled or better yet, crashed and burned. I am not sure if it was the confusing twists and turns about double crossing drug dealing thieves or killers, or simply a plot missing real substance, but whatever it was, Catch .44 disappointed.
852802
This movie had all the possibilities in the world.  ...it could have been a great movie.  ...they needed to take the approach which Nijna Assisians took.  ...a modern approach to a Martial Arts Movie that truly worked!!!