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Children of Men

post #1 of 545
12/28/06 at 8:35pm
Thread Starter 
Maybe it's just me, but Children of Men may be the best science fiction film since 2001. I thought it a work of absolute genius from the opening to the ending, removing any doubt that Alfonso Cuarón is one of the greatest directors working today. The writing (from a novel by P.D. James, better known for her mysteries) is splendid. This is a movie that you will not be able to second guess where it's going and who will live till its conclusion. If you appreciate great cinema, just go see this one.

Just be warned that it's very, very dark.
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post #2 of 545
12/28/06 at 9:03pm
Im definately looking forward to this film. Does anyone have the rollout schedule for the film into full release? Right now all I can find is the limited Christmas release and then the 29th release. Are there additional dates the film is going to be pushed? Thanks in advance...
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post #3 of 545
12/28/06 at 10:29pm
Yes, saw this Wednesday night in Seattle, right after watching Babel (another amazing film!). I frakkin' loved Children of Men. Besides being a great movie, the cinematography was stunning. I'm glad I saw it at a good theater (only one in the Seattle area that was showing it, or Babel), because the picture was razor-sharp. Sound was great as well, albeit a little low for my tastes. We were lucky, because for most of the other movies I've seen in theaters in the last 18 months (maybe 6~7), there has been no surround sound or bass (Babel was at the same theater and sounded great - I picked up the music soundtrack right after watching the movie).

I'll definitely get the DVD and know the sound will be amazing.


This is definitely a must-see for the cinematography and the thought-provoking story.
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post #4 of 545
12/29/06 at 12:10am
How violent is the film?

I'm going to see it anyway, but I may want to suggest to family that they might not enjoy it. It looks fairly violent/dark in the previews and reviews so far.

I loved Y Tu Mama Tambien, so it surprised me that this was a sci-fi type flick, but it looks really interesting from what I've read.
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post #5 of 545
12/29/06 at 5:22am
I obtained an oscars dvd screener of this movie the other day and was quite impressed by the film. Great cinematography, special effects, story, etc. Quite a compelling and interesting film, I would highly recommend it.
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post #6 of 545
12/29/06 at 7:48am
Thread Starter 
How violent is the film?

Extremely. This is not for young children. Teens might not have a problem if they can deal with violence; but it paints a world with little hope in such realistic terms that just the thought that we might be in a similar position to the characters in the film (and we might) could cause bad dreams.
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post #7 of 545
12/29/06 at 8:12am
It's not playing in the entire north bay area of San Francisco[Sonoma co].
Will this open nation wide soon?
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post #8 of 545
12/29/06 at 8:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by thehun View Post

It's not playing in the entire north bay area of San Francisco[Sonoma co].
Will this open nation wide soon?

Hopefully. I'm on vacation and thought this movie would be a good enough reason for me to make my bi-annual theater appearence. Not playing near me, too.

larry
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post #9 of 545
12/29/06 at 8:42am
Thread Starter 
Will this open nation wide soon?

I'll just betcha two things are at play:

They want this released before the end of the year for the Oscar contention, as, were this a fair universe, this could win Best Picture, in addition to all manner of technical and performance awards, and

It's so grim and fatalistic that the powers that be want to crunch the numbers to figure how many prints to strike and theaters to book. I contend that it is such an astonishing tour de force that its very artistry and the magnitude of its achievement will leave audiences bowled over and eager to spread its praises by word of mouth. But I could be wrong.
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post #10 of 545
12/29/06 at 9:25am
Must be "major city" or limited. It's playing at a theater on Boston Common. Only theater remotely nearby.

larry
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post #11 of 545
12/29/06 at 9:35am
Thread Starter 
The Rotten Tomatoes forum members claim throughout the country it's in 16 theaters.
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post #12 of 545
12/29/06 at 9:46am
good movie -- they don't answer some questions regarding

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
Spoiler  
Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
the infertility and how it happened


It's a very dark, heavy and violent drama...definitely not for everyone. I don't know if this will be a hit at the box office -- the chances of it flopping are very high.
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post #13 of 545
12/29/06 at 10:02am
I haven't seen it yet, but it looks intriguing.

I also thought I'd give a heads up about potential spoilers in a Reuters article I saw on Yahoo. The article is ostensibly about Clive Owen ending up with this role instead of James Bond, but it then proceeds to give a thumbnail sketch of the plot, including the ending. So, if you're thinking of seeing it, you might want to avoid reading this particular story titled:

Forget Bond, Clive Owen Challenged as .....
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post #14 of 545
12/29/06 at 10:30am
Wow, this film is getting some serious high praise in this thread...good to hear.

All I know is that between this film, Closer, King Arthur, Inside Man, Derailed, and Sin City, Clive Owen must be getting *all* of the "beleaguered and tortured" character roles he's interested in.
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post #15 of 545
12/29/06 at 6:05pm
Opens Nationwide on 1/5/07
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post #16 of 545
12/31/06 at 11:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rakesh.S View Post

good movie -- they don't answer some questions regarding

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
Spoiler  
Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
the infertility and how it happened


It's a very dark, heavy and violent drama...definitely not for everyone. I don't know if this will be a hit at the box office -- the chances of it flopping are very high.


I don't believe that really matters...
Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
Spoiler  
Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
There could be numerous possibilities for the actually cause of the infertility, just look what happened in the late 50's with Thalidomide. Although it did not cause infertility it's effects were not known until the damage had been done. So unless the cause of the infertility is what you want the movie to be about there is no need to actually state the cause.

IMHO, CoM is about the telling of the human condition which resulted from the infertility, therefore no need to state the cause.
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post #17 of 545
1/1/07 at 11:33am
Incredible movie. Simply incredible. I saw it yesterday and am still reeling from it.
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post #18 of 545
1/1/07 at 2:31pm
I don't think this movie is just a sci-fi flick .
In fact the world is heading EXACTLY towards what the movie "predicts"
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post #19 of 545
1/2/07 at 9:23pm
It's going into "wide" release this Fri, and yet as far as I can tell it's still not playing in any theaters in the Boston burbs.
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post #20 of 545
1/2/07 at 9:42pm
This movie looks good, I'll have to check it out during the weekend.
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post #21 of 545
1/2/07 at 11:08pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Airboss View Post

I don't believe that really matters...
Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
Spoiler  
Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
There could be numerous possibilities for the actually cause of the infertility, just look what happened in the late 50's with Thalidomide. Although it did not cause infertility it's effects were not known until the damage had been done. So unless the cause of the infertility is what you want the movie to be about there is no need to actually state the cause.

IMHO, CoM is about the telling of the human condition which resulted from the infertility, therefore no need to state the cause.

it doesn't matter, but i wanted to see how creative they were and whether they could come up with an interesting explanation.

this movie is basically a commentary on society today.
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post #22 of 545
1/3/07 at 12:25am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Airboss View Post

I don't believe that really matters...
Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
Spoiler  
Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
There could be numerous possibilities for the actually cause of the infertility, just look what happened in the late 50's with Thalidomide. Although it did not cause infertility it's effects were not known until the damage had been done. So unless the cause of the infertility is what you want the movie to be about there is no need to actually state the cause.

IMHO, CoM is about the telling of the human condition which resulted from the infertility, therefore no need to state the cause.

100% on board with you there, Airboss. If folks can't "get" that about such movies, I just shrug - I didn't buy their ticket so I guess I don't care.

No spoilers involved, because I haven't even been able to see this yet, but it was clear to me from the trailer or even the teaser that this movie was going to be neither genre-cliched "science fiction" nor "about" explaining its central plot device. It appears to be much more about the characters, their society, and some downright artful filmmaking.

Thinking about this I am reminded of the first time I showed a genuine Romero "of the Dead" movie to my wife, who loved it and instantly commented that it wasn't really "just about some zombies" at all...
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post #23 of 545
1/3/07 at 6:47am
The movie wouldn't work half as well if they came up with a rational explanation for its central conceit. The power of the concept is its ambiguity. Was it a scientific disaster? Was it environmental? Was it a natural consequence of evolution? Was it punishment from God? The characters can never know. All they can do is accept their fate.
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post #24 of 545
1/3/07 at 12:25pm
I am really intrigued by this one. But I worry about such high praise making it hard to be as good as I want it to be. I'll never forget seeing THE CRYING GAME and walking out thinking I was scammed. That one put me to sleep. Hope that is not the case this time because the wife and I are hoping and praying this flick hits North Carolina (this state is the outer limits of the f'n twilight zone. God it sucks here).
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post #25 of 545
1/3/07 at 1:28pm
Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
Spoiler  
Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
Well I am now less enthused than I was before, since I now know that the main premise of worldwide infertility is unexplained.

For what it's worth I know of no indicators that fertility is actually declining. Indeed there are so many alternatives to natural conception now, everything from simple sperm banks to cloning, that the opposite is true. Nor is the worldwide population leveling off, it is increasing.

What seems extremely likely is a worldwise pandemic worse than the Spanish Flu (hence all the hysteria over bird flu) but SF films have done that to death.


I should have waited to read this thread, I'm gonna see this one Friday afternoon.

Is this film based on some written SF work, or is it an original screenplay?

Gary
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post #26 of 545
1/3/07 at 1:37pm
I think it was based on a book.

But it's not "infertility" in the sense that you're thinking. This isn't really a spoiler, but
Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
Spoiler  
Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
in the movie a character talks about a marked increased of miscarriages as well at the start. So women's wombs stopped being able to carry children.


But it really is a wonderful film. It's in my top 10 of all-time, maybe top 5.

The theater we saw it at had very good sound. The best I could expect short of Imax. There is a lot of action in the movie (explosions, gunshots, car chases), and some of the scenes may become new demo/showoff scenes for sound when the DVD hits.


EDIT:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/..._id=1003086948
Quote:


Based on a novel by British mystery writer P.D. James, the film works both as a thriller and as a satisfying political and social drama.
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post #27 of 545
1/3/07 at 2:55pm
Ah, nevermind, I see it will indeed be playing in a theater by my house so I hope to see this in a few weeks once they start taking passes.
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post #28 of 545
1/3/07 at 5:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Matt_Stevens View Post

I am really intrigued by this one. But I worry about such high praise making it hard to be as good as I want it to be. I'll never forget seeing THE CRYING GAME and walking out thinking I was scammed. That one put me to sleep. Hope that is not the case this time because the wife and I are hoping and praying this flick hits North Carolina (this state is the outer limits of the f'n twilight zone. God it sucks here).


Matt, since I live in J'ville also I feel your pain. Doesn't look like it will be playing in J'ville this weekend but it will be in Wilmington at the Carmike Cinema 16 starting Friday.

(Carmike) 111 Cinema Drive, Wilmington, NC 28403, 910-815-0212
Buy Tickets: 1:30pm | 4:15 | 7:00 | 9:40

I've seen it, it is a great movie. If you like going to theaters, it would be worth the drive to Wilmington to see, personally I don't enjoy going to the theater around here.

Or, you can do as I have and pre-order the R2 disc here, which is suppose to be released 15 Jan. 07.
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post #29 of 545
1/4/07 at 9:24am
Thread Starter 
It's based on a novel by P.D. James, but it supposedly differs from it in many respects.

I don't know why everyone is so hung up on what the MacGuffin is. It works quite well without detailed analysis of that point, as the film is more concerned about the insanity the world is going through and how it affects a group of people. In that way, this result of mass hysteria and despair could come from something other than infertility. Watch An Inconvenient Truth, say, and try to imagine what would result if all the low areas in the world go under the ocean or the Gulf Stream gets shut off.

Of course if one enjoys picking apart films for inconsistencies one might not be that impressed with Children of Men. But I have seldom seen such a convincing creation of an imagined world ever before, down to the tiniest imaginable details. It's up there with 2001 and Blade Runner.
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post #30 of 545
1/4/07 at 11:16am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Airboss View Post

Matt, since I live in J'ville also I feel your pain. Doesn't look like it will be playing in J'ville this weekend but it will be in Wilmington at the Carmike Cinema 16 starting Friday.

(Carmike) 111 Cinema Drive, Wilmington, NC 28403, 910-815-0212
Buy Tickets: 1:30pm | 4:15 | 7:00 | 9:40

I've seen it, it is a great movie. If you like going to theaters, it would be worth the drive to Wilmington to see, personally I don't enjoy going to the theater around here.

Or, you can do as I have and pre-order the R2 disc here, which is suppose to be released 15 Jan. 07.

Thanks for the heads up on the R2 disc! BTW, your link claims the disc is 1.33:1 and Amazon UK doesn't list an AR. Hmmm...

larry
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