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  • Film & TV Moderators: ghostfreak

film: House of Sand and Fog

TiberCross

TiberCross

Bluelighter
Joined
Mar 22, 2003
Messages
5,602
House of Sand and Fog

i searched and could find no previous threads concerning this movie.
although i'm sure it was here at some time. damn Langoliers.

anyway, i saw this over the weekend. i see now why it was nominated well. this is one of the best 3 films of 03' imo.
 
i should be getting this movie off of Netflix soon. The novel is part of the Oprah Book club lol. I know it's Oprah but she's got some good picks. Can't wait to see it :) I think Jennifer Connelly is a great actress.
 
It was a great movie but it made me want to kill myself lol it was one of the most depressing movies ever.
 
this was a rather extraordinary movie...i love Jennifer Connelly in anything...but this movie's storyline was like no other..that damn Indian/Arabian whatever the hell he was....
 
This movie suprised me as I just picked it up at the rental not really knowing what to expect. Very depressing (which is :D in my book) and has some great imagery.
 
I haven't seen this movie, I've been meaning to. But my friend told me it was amazing and really depressing.
 
I rented this from Netflix and I must say, ... its rather good. Yes, its kinda depressing, ... but its with good cause.

Jennifer Connely does such a good job and is so pretty.


but I hated that fucking cop! Grrr! And anyone notice his name was Lester Burdham, similar to Lester Burnham from American Beauty? And his wife's name was Carol, similar to American Beauty's Carolyn. I guess its Dreamworks homage to American Beauty.
 
If you liked the film, read the book.... the book blew me away. I'm almost scared to see the film now, that book's one of my favourites.
 
This was a great film, although a lot of people I know told me not to see it. I'm glad I didn't listen to them.
It's a very sad story. But where is it written that all great stories are happy ones?
This movie definately didn't have a feel good moment..and it certainly only goes from bad to worse. But the way it was shot was quite beautiful and spine tingling..and the acting was amazing so I give it a B+.

The part where the dad is running to the Hospital praying over and over again "I only want my son" made me cry my eyes out.
 
It was an ok film. I like sad/dark stories but this didn't quite sit with me. The middle of this film drags on for too long and when it eventually picked up the pace, I had lost most of the empathy I had towards the characters. Jennifer Connelly (as much I reckon she is talented and hawt) is really just reacting the same [edit] dark [/edit] characters she has done in her other recent films. Come on Jen, try something new and refreshing.
 
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I wouldn't say that they are a copy, but the hulk, requiem, and a bueatiful mind were dark films. I just don't like to see people acting in similar roles in succession.
 
Jennifer Connelly....Mmmmmmmmmmmm

The things I would do to her. She is by far the most attractive woman EVER. =D

...Oh and this movie was cool too. :p
 
just watched this tonight and i really ended up enjoying it. for at least 1/2 the movie i was irritated to death by the (possibly intentional) horribly false sounding delivery by the actor who played the cop. ugh... luckily the end delivers pretty big dividens.


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im a little suprised that EVERYONE here said how depressing they thought the film was. personally i felt that the suicide scene was one of the more touching moments i can recall seeing in a film. i suppose it's in kind of a romeo and juliette type of way but i still found it much more uplifting than sad.

the idea of byanni (sp) and his family returning to their "home" after being forced out was a pleasent idea and obviously runs parallel with jennifer connelly's struggle throughout the film.

also i think it's apparent that byanni was disgraced by his new life in america. his principals of pride and dignity had been compromised to the point where his death was possibly his only redemption.

another goosebumpy type part was byanni's wife telling him about the dream she had where the bird was trapped in their empty house. surely a reference to her son visiting her as an angel while she slept. kind groovey.

the things that pissed me off:

~ the music NEVER seemed to fit the scene. music is one of the most important factors in film, and in many crucial scenes the score seemed to clash with what was going on. maybe i just didnt get it though lol:D

~ the fact that i knew the son was going to die. just before he deposits the change into the parking meter it clearly reads "EXPIRED" a good bit of forshadowing that i happened to catch and thus kind of dulled for me the most emotional part of the film.

~ the piss poor performance of the actor playing the cop.
10 points to name another very famous movie in which he also (poorly) plays a cop.

RE: jennifer connelly

sooo smokin hot but i'll fully agree that her performance reminded me a whole lot of the one she delivered in requiem. strung out and confused seems to work for her lol.

seriously there are two scenes that come to mind that look nearly identical to requiem scenes. first, the one where she's having dinner w/ the cop looks very similar to the scene where she dine's with her psychiatrist in requiem. second, the scene @ the pier where the camera circles her looks a lot like the scene in requiem when she leaves the ass to ass private party.

all around good flick.
 
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cravNbeets said:


~ the piss poor performance of the actor playing the cop.
10 points to name another very famous movie in which he also (poorly) plays a cop.
Click to expand...

Ron Eldard.... Scent of a Woman you mean? if so that wasn't much of a part. But I do admit that his performance was rather weak in this movie.

I personally loved this movie.... very touching movie that had me grappling to choose the good guys... I felt for both parties which were both victoms of circumstance.

Ben Kingsley's performance was sensational!
 
Yes! Everything Ben Kingsley touches turns to gold.

This movie is great but I think the characters work better as symbols then people fighting over a house. Some of their actions were alienating to the viewers even if it did fit their personalities as characters. Jennifer Connelly especially wasn't convincing as a housekeeper or even looking down on her luck due to her star quality(maybe some of that makeup used in Monster could have helped). Also didn't like Berini breaking down at the end of the movie which almost crushed all respect I had for the character. It made logical sense but wasn't easy to watch. Regardless a very moving movie, the first act being especially spectacular(just giving background to the characters).
 
i have to say i was completely blown away when i saw this. i seriously can not remember the last time that a movie managed to move me as much as this one did... and when i think about as to why it did... i think the main reason (for me) was perhaps that i felt a personal affinity with the Berani's and their life story, at times.

much respect to the russian director who made this. he really managed to portray the hardships of the migrant story excellently.
 
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haste said:
Ron Eldard.... Scent of a Woman you mean? if so that wasn't much of a part. But I do admit that his performance was rather weak in this movie.
Click to expand...

well met:)
 
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