Cloud Atlas

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 10/27/12 at 4:43am

Saw this on Friday night in Long Beach CA, theatre was at least 90% full. I would say over thirty people walked out!

The film is a grand, sweeping 3 hour epic, I was never bored, sometimes confused and by the time it ended enjoyed the film as a whole.

I think it covered nearly theme possible, Homosexuality, time travel and everything in between.

[canmark]

Posted: 10/27/12 at 9:36am

CLOUD ATLAS has seen very mixed reviews from the critics (61% on Rotten Tomatoes) and from audiences (check out Twitter). Roger Ebert gave it 4 stars, but Associated Press called it "laughably self-serious."

I saw it at the Toronto Film Festival and liked it very much. I then read the book because I was curious about the backstories and details of all the stories in the film (there are 6 separate storylines, with different characters, set in different time periods, and in different genres). I saw the movie again last night and enjoyed it very much. I was able to pick up details I had missed on the first viewing.

The movie is not for everyone, but I think Broadway fans would like it as it's a film with enormous imagination. Any one of those storylines could have been its own movie. But to imaginatively combine them into one film, with actors playing multiple roles, is an amazing feat. I highly recommend it.

If you haven't read the book, I would recommend seeing the movie first--and then reading the book to learn more. If you have read the book already, I don't think you will be disappointed as the film is quite faithful to the book (only a few minor changes, mostly to simplify the stories).

The original 5-minute trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmJVFOKaGUY

Edit to add: make sure you stay for the end credits, as they show each of the characters that the main actors portray.

Updated On: 10/27/12 at 09:36 AM

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 10/27/12 at 2:09pm

I saw it this morning and basically I really liked it. The story was interesting and I never thought the film dragged. From the trailer I thought it was going to be a confusing mess, but really it's very, very easy to follow, and I think the connections are straightforward.

I did have a few issues though. I thought the first story about the lawyer on the ship was weaker than the others, and didn't seem like they were as invested with the telling of his tale. Broadbent's main storyline was light and fun, but seemed extraneous compared to the other 5 stories.

I couldn't stand the syntax of the dialogue in the final story, but I did think the plot was intriguing.

My favorite stories were the ones in New Seoul and Whishaw's tale of composing the Cloud Atlas sextet. I was surprised by the gay subplot- there certainly was nothing about it in the marketing.

The actors were all very good, except Hanks and Berry, who were definitely fine, but never excellent. I know Streep is so wrong for this movie, but imagine the field day she would have with all the accents and time periods. I don't know if they two of them had it in them to be such chameleons. Sometimes they were down right campy in the roles that didn't suit them so well.

I absolutely want to read the book now, and I'm sure we'll get the "real" 5 hour movie on DVD, which I'll gladly watch.

Updated On: 10/27/12 at 02:09 PM

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 10/27/12 at 2:18pm

Thanks Whizzer for your review. I saw this on Thursday night--I won two local screening tickets--I'm a huge fan of the book, and I thought they did a great job (except for Hanks, but I'm inclined to hate any acting he does). The woman I went with though, who actually gave me the book to read, HATED it--but I think she was inclined to.

There's a really insightful, though typically LONG, article about the making of the movie from The New Yorker that seems to be free for non-subscribers. I admit, after reading it I kinda fell in love with Lana Wachowski--despite how awful I found the last two Matrix movies.

There's a

[canmark]

Posted: 10/27/12 at 2:53pm

EricMontreal22, there's some coverage of Lana Wachowski's acceptance of the Visibility Award from the Human Rights Campaign' annual gala recently. Despite being a private person, I've read a number of recent interviews with her and she can be quite loquacious--and seems like a very nice person.

'Cloud Atlas' Director Lana Wachowski on Coming-Out Speech: 'It Was Just the Universe Saying I Should Do It' (Q&A)
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/cloud-atlas-director-lana-wachowski-382144

Related: Lana Wachowski Reveals Suicide Plan, Painful Past in Emotional Speech (Exclusive Video)
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/lana-wachowski-reveals-suicide-plan-382169

This is the New Yorker article with the Wachowski siblings: Beyond the Matrix
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/09/10/120910fa_fact_hemon


Here's video of them introducing the film and cast at the Toronto film festival: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5WK4ltRdYY

Cloud Atlas press conference from the Toronto film festival press conference: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnG5zbg8NoM&feature=plcp


Edit to add: I've seen and read a lot of reviews of Cloud Atlas, but this may be my favorite: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMSntxDd644 (I have no idea who these three guys on the couch are, but they seem like pretty cool dudes.)

Updated On: 10/27/12 at 02:53 PM

[CapnHook]

Posted: 11/10/12 at 10:38pm

CLOUD ATLAS is definitely not for everyone, and I am curious if the Academy will nominate it for Best Picture. I certainly thought it was better than last year's THE TREE OF LIFE which is a very loose comparison except that it is long, has multiple storylines, and is "out there."

I enjoyed it and was able to follow along. Held my interest throughout and felt shorter than its 3-hour running time.

At the end I kept trying to see if there was any other point to the film other than that all eras of human existence will share the same experiences as each other: love, hate, greed, etc.

[trentsketch]

Posted: 11/11/12 at 12:19pm

Cloud Atlas has a good shot at the Best Picture nomination. The people who like the film really like it. You can't vote against a best picture nominee. If at least 5% of the Academy loves the film, it'll get in just like Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close last year. The challenge is going to be building momentum with a two month gap from release until nominations. The Academy often has shiny new thing syndrome, meaning a shiny epic released in December will cancel out a shiny epic from earlier in the year.

As for the film itself, I really liked it. I'm going to disagree with Whizzer and say that I thought Halle Berry was the standout in the film. I loved her reporter storyline and how natural she made the pigeon English in the far future sound. Tom Hanks struggled a lot with that.

[AC126748]

Posted: 11/11/12 at 1:13pm

I am curious, but I don't think I'm curious enough to devote 3 hours in the theatre. Sounds like a rentail to me.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 11/11/12 at 2:43pm

AC, I think that's the common thought for most viewers... Unfortunately. It's not great--in fact it's horribly flawed, but deserves a larger audience.

[canmark]

Posted: 11/11/12 at 6:39pm

Most people that have seen Cloud Atlas seem to think that it feels shorter than its 2 hrs., 52 min. running time. Plus, you basically get 6 movies for your 3 hours of time.

Meanwhile, I've also noticed that quite a number of current films are 2+ hours, yet nobody is commenting about time.

Lincoln: 2 hrs., 30 min.
Midnight's Children: 2 hrs., 28 min.
Skyfall: 2 hrs., 23 min.
Flight: 2 hrs., 19 min.
The Master: 2 hrs., 17 min
A Royal Affair (Danish): 2 hrs., 17 min.
The Theives (Korean): 2 hrs., 15 min.
Anna Karenina (Nov. release): 2 hrs., 10 min.
Argo: 2 hrs., 1 min.

[trentsketch]

Posted: 11/11/12 at 9:15pm

I was really worried about the length but the film felt very quick. I've sat through 2 hour features that feel longer than Cloud Atlas.

[~FloweryFriend~]

Posted: 11/12/12 at 5:29pm

I freaking loved it. Didn't feel long at all. Want to see it again. Also totally want to read the book.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 11/13/12 at 3:14am

This thread inspired me to pick up the book at target today! I ready the first few pages in the cafe with some pizza and a diet coke. Seems like it's going to be a good book, but it is VERY wordy thus far. Definitely not going to be an easy read.

[trentsketch]

Posted: 11/13/12 at 7:13am

The book is dense but well worth it. The wordiness and parallel narratives are why people said there was no way to make a film adaptation.

[wonkit]

Posted: 11/13/12 at 10:02am

I gave this film one hour and then totally gave up. I didn't give a hoot about any of the characters and without some attachment to someone, it just became a "is that Tom Hanks again ?" guessing game. Very impressive visually but just not enough to keep me in my seat.

[DayDreamer]

Posted: 11/13/12 at 10:50am

I absolutely loved the movie. It moved me to the point that I was almost in tears at the end, not sadness, just so moved. I can see how it's not everyone's cup of tea. It was most definitely mine.

[~FloweryFriend~]

Posted: 11/13/12 at 1:41pm

@DayDreamer -- I felt the same way! Very moved. Not *quite* to tears, but close many times.

[bradwds]

Posted: 5/16/13 at 9:14am

I thought I'd bump this thread as the movie is now available on blu/dvd. It rewards multiple viewings as I have found additional connections between each of the six stories. The level of detail in the art direction, for example, is very impressive.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 5/16/13 at 2:48pm

This was actually my favorite film of 2012. I'll be reading the novel soon and purchasing the film on Blu-Ray. I'm looking forward to watching it again.

[ErikJ972]

Posted: 5/16/13 at 2:57pm

I got to see this in February when I was on vacation in Amsterdam. After having some especially potent space cakes. Needless to say, I loved it.

[bradwds]

Posted: 5/16/13 at 3:36pm

Mister Matt,

It was also my favorite film of last year (and the past several years).

The blu ray has a wonderful picture quality and soundtrack. There is about an hour's worth of featurettes. Also, there are some very informative interviews with the Wachowskis and Tom Tykwer on youtube.