Hi, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab...
This is, I believe, the first review we’ve gotten in on this one. Check it out:
Harry and Moriarty
I’m a long time reader, first time contributor, and am thrilled that last night I was privy to a preview screening of the new Julianne Moore movie, “The Forgotten”. I’m not sure if this is a film you would be interested in, but since I was pleasantly surprised, I thought I would pass on a review.
I saw this film at the Block at Orange, in Orange County, CA. The flyer plot synopsis was something to the effect of “Julianne Moore is startled when her psychologist informs her that she has manufactured memories of her son for the past eight years,” claiming the movie was a psychological thriller. I found the film less a psychological thriller than a very good suspense film. We were told that the film was work in progress, but the score, mastering, and special effects all seemed complete to me.
I’ll try and keep this review as spoiler free as possible, because this really was a film where I was not sure what would happen next, and as a jaded consumer with an ability for prescience in plot development, such a film came as a welcome relief from the often overwrought dramatic piffle that too often generates feelings of highway robbery at the $10.00 admission price.
The plot and film essentially revolve around Telly (Moore) and the fact that she seems to remember she had a son who had died in a plane crash, while her husband, neighbors, and even photographs seem to have forgotten his existence. She is told by her psychologist (Gary Sinise) that she has manufactured 11 years of memory after suffering a miscarriage 14 months ago. Soon, Telly experiences a fundamental realization that she did in fact have a son, and she quickly enlists the help of fellow parent-in-dementia Ashley (Dominic West), a former hockey player who also eventually realizes he had a daughter who supposedly perished in the same plane crash as Moore’s son. What follows is a comprehensive yet fairly paced struggle to evade the NSA, forgetful acquaintances, and some paranormal activity, while trying to discover why their children are missing, who might have taken them, and where they might be. This is the best part of the film, and is worth waiting through the first part. The ride from roughly 30 minutes in to the end is fraught with several extremely suspenseful scenes and several big scares that literally had my wife ducking down in her seat, and screams coming from the audience. While the climax and denouement are not quite Oscar worthy, the film as a whole left me gaping for minutes at a time, and the plot never lost its hold on me.
As for the acting, the film is brief enough (just over 80 some minutes it seemed, but no previews or credits) that only Moore’s character has any strong development, and thus Sinise, Anthony Edwards (Moore’s husband), and even Ashley (West) are all fairly flat. Rather they served primarily to define Moore and her struggle. Moore was excellent throughout (big surprise), and West did have a fairly good scene when he first remembers his daughter. Otherwise, the director never really gave anyone a chance to overact. My wife claimed that Moore’s reactions to her supposed dementia in the initial part of the film were exactly how a woman would react, complete with facial expressions and use of hands touching her face.
The effects and camera work were spectacular, Ã la the Bourne Identity, where scares and dramatic scenes were played out as they would happen and not in slow-motion or with advisory glimpses into coming danger, rendering them all the more effective. The few big special effects were not overdone, and caused vocal reactions at several parts.
Perhaps the only downer in the film was James Horner’s repetitive score, including something that sounds like it was lifted directly from Last of the Mohicans. While the score during flashback memory scenes and dream-like expositions were solid and uplifting, the action music belonged in the Rock, Braveheart, or anything but this film. The score greatly diminished two nearly laughable foot-chase scenes at about the 25 minute mark.
In sum, I strongly recommend this film for anyone who is a fan of M. Night Shyamalan’s work, enjoyed the paced and realistic action of the Bourne Identity, or the reality of child kidnapping in Ransom, but who can do without the Howard-esque emotional sledgehammer scenes. This was a very good film, bordering on excellent.
You can call me Mr. Green
Hey, if it’s got Dominic West in a major role, I’m there. I’m a huge fan of his work on THE WIRE, and I hope this guy’s a star on the rise. And of course, I would watch Julianne Moore just iron a shirt. Especially if dressed like in SHORT CUTS... grrrrrrowr...
"Moriarty" out.
