Connect with us

Movie Reviews

Movie Review: An unmoving camera and de-aging technology make 'Here' with Tom Hanks painful to watch

Published

on

Movie Review: An unmoving camera and de-aging technology make 'Here' with Tom Hanks painful to watch

Robert Zemeckis’ latest movie is insanely ambitious, starting with the dinosaurs and ending in present day with the Roomba. But it’s fixed on just one spot.

“Here” reunites Zemeckis, screenwriter Eric Roth and actors Tom Hanks and Robin Wright, who collaborated on “Forrest Gump.” This time, they’re not telling the larger-than-life story of a man moving through time — they’re telling the centuries-old story of a living room and all the different people who lived there.

In this living room, we see a wedding, a death, a birth, a marriage tested, a funeral, lots of vacuuming, many birthdays, Christmases and Thanksgivings, some sex, adults getting drunk and Jazzercise.

Zemeckis puts the camera at a fixed angle for the movie’s entire 105-minute duration without moving. It’s not so strange after a while — so bursting with life is each shot and vignette — but there’s a gnawing feeling that we’re in some sort of film experiment, like testing an audience on how long they’ll watch old security camera footage.

This image released by Sony Pictures Entertainment shows Tom Hanks, left, and Robin Wright in a scene from “Here.” (Sony Pictures via AP)
Advertisement
Image

Hanks and Wright on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024, at TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

The camera may not move but the eras do, melting back and forth in time from pre-history, to the 1700s, to the 1940s, back to hunter-gatherer times and then the ’60s and ’70s, before hitting the early 1900s. It begins and ends in 2022.

Advertisement

Hanks and Wright form the movie’s spine, as Richard and Margaret. Over dozens of little scenes, we watch him as a boy grow up in the house and fall in love with Margaret, marry, move her in, have a baby and inherit it all. Whether they survive as a couple isn’t guaranteed.

Zemeckis is a filmmaker known for incorporating the latest in technology and this time it’s de-aging as a visual effect, basically turning 68-year-old Hanks into what he looked like while filming “Splash.” It’s a lot of work, clumsy often, and Zemeckis has gotten lost in the uncanny valley, trying to tell a very human story about what unites us but by altering the actors so much that the human connection is lost. Look closely and you’ll see cigarette smoke go into one character, but never come out.

Other roles include Richard’s parents — played brilliantly by Paul Bettany and Kelly Reilly — and some unconnected people: a fun-loving couple living in the home from 1925 to 1944, and a less fun couple in the early 1900s. There’s an Indigenous couple in the 1600s who frolic in the space the living room will take over in 300 years and another family who rides out 2020 in the house amid the pandemic.

If that isn’t enough, we have an appearance by Benjamin Franklin. Why Benjamin Franklin? He’s connected to the house across the street. What he adds is not entirely clear. The movie could do with fewer Founding Fathers and cutesy touches like hummingbirds.

Image

Hanks and Wright in a scene from “Here.” (Sony Pictures via AP)

Advertisement

We watch the living room as a TV is added — the Beatles’ performance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” leads to “CHiPs” — and the vehicles outside go from horse to Model Ts to sedans. The home goes from $3,400 just after World War II to $1 million today and the fashions go from Victorian heeled boots to teased hair and American flag shirts.

“Here” — based on the graphic novel by Richard McGuire — is best when events at different times are linked — like when a roof starts leaking in one era only to dissolve into a pregnant woman’s water breaking in another. Or when there’s mention of influenza in 1918 and we later see the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

One theme that is touched on but could have been strengthened is the impact of downsizing and economic disruptions on psyches, with Richard’s father in full Willy Loman mode one day, sobbing after being laid off: “They shrunk me.” Deferred dreams are another, but there’s not enough time for that if you’ve got silly visits by Benjamin Franklin. And while it’s inclusive to embrace Native Americans, the scenes add little to the narrative.

Advertisement
Image

Filmmaker Robert Zemeckis, left, with Hanks and Wright on the set of “Here.” (Sony Pictures via AP)

“Here” fails to connect all these centuries of human experiences, other than to celebrate the human experience in all its messiness, triumph and sadness. In fact, if these walls could talk, most of the characters are happiest away from this living room. Maybe the strongest theme is uttered by one character lamenting: “Time just went.”

Zemeckis nicely apes the graphic novel’s use of squares within the frame that show a peek at what’s going on in different eras — like little time travel devices — and kudos to Jesse Goldsmith for fantastic editing work.

Advertisement

But one visual trick sums up the movie: It’s supposed to be the story of a real wood-and-brick house, but it was filmed at Sony’s studio complex in Culver City, California. The main character is fake. “Here” is nowhere.

“Here,” a Sony Pictures release that premieres Friday in theaters, is rated PG-13 for “thematic material, some suggestive material, brief strong language and smoking.” Running time: 105 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four.

Advertisement

Movie Reviews

‘Madhuvidhu’ movie review: A light-hearted film that squanders a promising conflict

Published

on

‘Madhuvidhu’ movie review: A light-hearted film that squanders a promising conflict

At the centre of Madhuvidhu directed by Vishnu Aravind is a house where only men reside, three generations of them living in harmony. Unlike the Anjooran household in Godfather, this is not a house where entry is banned to women, but just that women don’t choose to come here. For Amrithraj alias Ammu (Sharafudheen), the protagonist, 28 marriage proposals have already fallen through although he was not lacking in interest.

When a not-so-cordial first meeting with Sneha (Kalyani Panicker) inevitably turns into mutual attraction, things appear about to change. But some unexpected hiccups are waiting for them, their different religions being one of them. Writers Jai Vishnu and Bipin Mohan do not seem to have any major ambitions with Madhuvidhu, but they seem rather content to aim for the middle space of a feel-good entertainer. Only that they end up hitting further lower.

Continue Reading

Movie Reviews

Michael Jackson documentary set to release after massive re-write

Published

on

Michael Jackson documentary set to release after massive re-write
  • Fans reignite Drake vs Kendrick feud after album announcement

    03:35

  • Now Playing

    Michael Jackson documentary set to release after massive re-write

    02:57

  • UP NEXT

    Patrick Brammall on How He Got His Role in ‘Devil Wears Prada 2’

    05:43

  • Henry Winkler on ‘Hazardous History’ S2, Zip lining With Grandkids

    07:38

  • Did Harry Styles and Zoë Kravitz Get Engaged?

    04:05

  • Ana Gasteyer on Role in ‘Schmigadoon!’ Musical: ‘I’m Very Mean’

    06:03

  • Laufey Talks Children’s Book ‘Mei Mei the Bunny,’ Coachella, More

    05:15

  • Shania Twain to Host the 2026 Academy of Country Music Awards

    00:26

  • Colman Domingo and Nia Long Talk New Michael Jackson Biopic

    04:50

  • Charlize Theron Talks Intense Training for New Thriller, ‘Apex’

    06:30

  • Jimmy Kimmel Shares Photo of His Son to Mark His 9th Birthday

    00:39

  • Could Rocky Score an Oscar for ‘Project Hail Mary’ Movie?

    01:36

  • ‘The Pitt’ Season 2 Finale Sees Huge Surge in Streams

    01:23

  • ‘Top Gun’ Movies Are Returning to Theaters for 40th Anniversary

    01:24

  • Chicago collectible store is latest target in Pokemon card crime spree

    01:59

  • Victoria Beckham Shares Hot Takes on Chores, Nicknames, More

    07:34

  • John Legend Talks New Book, ‘The Voice’ Finale, Marriage, More

    06:37

  • Victoria Beckham Talks Family, Marriage, Navigating Tough Times

    07:58

  • Steve Schirripa Joins TODAY With Dog WillieBoy to Talk New Book

    04:32

  • Stars of ‘Running Point’ Discuss What to Expect From Season 2

    06:34

Top Story

‘Michael’ — a new movie about the King of Pop – is drumming up big buzz. The film was produced in-part by the co-executors of the late singer’s estate, and has some critics questioning whether it is too focused on sanitizing the singer’s troubled image.

Hallie Jackson NOW

Stay Tuned NOW

Top Story

Top Story

Nightly News Netcast

Play All

Continue Reading

Movie Reviews

Miyamoto says he was surprised Mario Galaxy Movie reviews were even harsher than the first | VGC

Published

on

Miyamoto says he was surprised Mario Galaxy Movie reviews were even harsher than the first | VGC

Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto says he’s surprised at the negative critical reception to the Super Mario Galaxy Movie.

As reported by Famitsu, Miyamoto conducted a group interview with Japanese media to mark the local release of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.

During the interview, Miyamoto was asked for his views on the critical reception to the film in the West, where critics’ reviews have been mostly negative.

Miyamoto replied that while he understood some of the negative points aimed at The Super Mario Bros Movie, he thought the reception would be better for the sequel.

“It’s true: the situation is indeed very similar,” he said. “Actually, regarding the previous film, I felt that the critics’ opinions did hold some validity. “However, I thought things would be different this time around—only to find that the criticism is even harsher than it was before.

Advertisement

“It really is quite baffling: here we are—having crossed over from a different field—working hard with the specific aim of helping to revitalize the film industry, yet the very people who ought to be championing that cause seem to be the ones taking a passive stance.”

As was the case with the first film, opinion is divided between critics and the public on The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. On review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes, the film currently has a critics’ score of 43% , while its audience score is 89%.

Shigeru Miyamoto says he was surprised by Mario Galaxy Movie reviews.

While this is down from the first film’s scores (which were 59% critics and 95% public) it does still appear to imply that the film’s target audience is generally enjoying it despite critical negativity.

The negative reception is unlikely to bother Universal and Illumination too much, considering the film currently has a global box office of $752 million before even releasing in Japan, meaning a $1 billion global gross is becoming increasingly likely.

Elsewhere in the interview, Miyamoto said he hoped the film would perform well in Japan, especially because it has a unique script rather than a simple localization as in other regions.

Advertisement

“The Japanese version is a bit unique,” he said. “Normally, we create an English version and then localize it for each country, but for the first film, we developed the English and Japanese scripts simultaneously. For this film, we didn’t simply localize the completed English version – instead, we rewrote it entirely in Japanese to create a special Japanese version.

“So, if this doesn’t become a hit in Japan, I feel a sense of pressure – as the person in charge of the Japanese version – to not let [Illumination CEO and film co-producer] Chris [Meledandri] down.

“However, judging by the reactions of the audience members who’ve seen it, I feel that Mario fans are really embracing it. I also believe we’ve created a film that people can enjoy even if they haven’t seen the previous one, so I’m hopeful about that as well.”