| Posted by: blk_flower at October 6, 2005, 1:57 pm | | Topic: Reviews: Mystic River Forum: JoBlo | | crow's review Mystic river could have gone from good to excellent if it had not dragged out over two hours. there's this slowness, almost as if I did feel like I was watching law and order, it's a great thing that they didn't chase some guy down the street that would have destroyed it for me. The soundtrack as well could have been better, in the way that it felt repeative. Those things listed above brought down this sad movie, powerful through the actors and the deppresing atmosphere that is in here. This would have been better, it could have been better. I loved the story as the well, any story involving the loss of a child's youth makes for intense drama. Mystic river is one of those worth a watch, but not entirley satisfying movies/ with only 4 great moments. It is not horrible, it's worth the purchase just certain things could have improved it making it worth something more. FINAL SCORE 8/10 good | | Static Link |
| Posted by: wyodebbie at August 19, 2005, 2:07 pm | | Topic: Reviews: Mystic River Forum: JoBlo | | Director Clint Eastwood's "Mystic River" is highlighted by a good story and some very strong acting. Eastwood starts his story in working class Irish neighborhood of 1970s as three childhood boys are faced with one of them being sexually abused by child kidnappers. Then flicks jumps to the present in the same neighborhood as the now three adults are reunited by a murder. Tim Robbins does some excellent internal acting as the tramatized boy who now a psychologically damaged adult who is now faced with more emotional turmoil that brings him to brink of insanity. Sean Penn is also good as the hothead former convict now mimi-mart owner who has to deal with the death of his nineteen year old daughter and deals with it in a very unorthodox manner. Both Robbins and Penn were rewarded with best acting awards and I agree their acting was top-rate (but felt Penn should of won for 21 Grams), but my favorites of the film were actually Kevin Bacon and Laurence Fishburne as the state police detectives investigat... | | Read Entire Entry |
| Posted by: Lou Sytsma at July 14, 2004, 2:39 pm | | Topic: Reviews: Mystic River Forum: JoBlo | | 6/10 - overrated with a terrible last 10 minutes. Plays like a 2 hour episode of Law & Order. Good acting, OK story, & something one will never feel the inclination to watch again. | | Static Link |
| Posted by: Sagittarius at July 7, 2004, 1:36 am | | Topic: Reviews: Mystic River Forum: JoBlo | | Quote: Originally Posted by Thiago OVERRATED! Yeah, good performances but the movie is really not that good. Disappointing, for me, actually. And what a pathetic ending that was. Still, it was KIND of good. 6.5/10 I think that it was a very well acted movie & Directed movie. I deserves all the praise that it has received. However, I feel that this country ( The USA) had overdosed big time on the biggest dramas & Worst pains, blah blah blah. I realized that everyone has a story to tell. The problem is that they tell it ( TO EVERYONE, more than once ) People are getting overloaded to the over the top drama big time. A great story to tell is wonderful & with the great acting even better. However, I realize that is how the story goes. But, there is a reason why it did not do better at the box office. & The reason why Eventhought the critcis loved this movie, they did not love this movie. Eventhough, I love Dramas the best. I have ( Just like millions of other people her in the US) are just tired ... | | Read Entire Entry |
| Posted by: Raging Bull080 at July 5, 2004, 11:36 am | | Topic: Reviews: Mystic River Forum: JoBlo | | Mystic River is a masterpiece. It isn't often I am moved watching a movie like I was in Mystic River. Clint Eastwood has outdone himself here, I think in a normal year he would've had a great shot at another directing Oscar. He gets topnotch performances out of the entire cast. Especially Sean Penn, who continues to prove he might be the best actor of his generation. Penn has always been great in his movies, but his films have often fallen short. Here he gives an overpowering performance as a grieving father. He has multiple scenes where he will just knock you over with his power and range. Tim Robbins gives the performance of his career as Dave. They both richly deserved their Oscars. To me this film is less about a murder mystery than it is about how one unforgettable tragedy effects these three men forever. The second tragedy just brings these buried emotions to the surface. The ending is something alot of people don't like. I think it is just right, and brilliantly shot by Eastwood. I loved how everythin... | | Read Entire Entry |
| Posted by: drdash at July 2, 2004, 4:32 pm | | Topic: Reviews: Mystic River Forum: JoBlo | | 10/10 i was highly impressed by this film. i was totally pulled in by the characters and the mystery. i'd say my favorite performances were by penn, fishburne and harden. definitely one of last years best films. ciao drdash | | Static Link |
| Posted by: Mr.HyDe807 at June 21, 2004, 7:51 pm | | Topic: Reviews: Mystic River Forum: JoBlo | | Quote: Originally Posted by Spock the ending disturbed me too much. Spoilers: I mean geez, the Dude just killed a guy and the cop doesn't care! What kind of town is this? . :SPOILERS TO MYSTIC RIVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:: I think the reason sean didnt say anything about jimmy killing david because he probably thinks that if he rats jimmy out, he could be ended up dead like that ray guy and david. Thats why i think he ddnt say anything...... Anyway, let me review this great movie.... Review: 10/10 { SPOILERS!!!!!!!!! } i was very interested in seeing this bad boy, being that it looked good and my mom read the novel it was based on and saying how depressing it was.....So i rented it on blockbuster and boy, was she right............ This was one great piece of film! If it wasnt Sean Penn's vengeful heart to findhis daughter's killer, it was Tim Robbins off-the-wall character after being sexual abused by 2 men when he was a kid{the scene where he talks about vampires is so friggin weird}. Evereyone in this movie was ... | | Read Entire Entry |
| Posted by: Thiago at June 20, 2004, 9:50 pm | | Topic: Reviews: Mystic River Forum: JoBlo | | OVERRATED! Yeah, good performances but the movie is really not that good. Disappointing, for me, actually. And what a pathetic ending that was. Still, it was KIND of good. 6.5/10 | | Static Link |
| Posted by: Spock at June 13, 2004, 3:55 pm | | Topic: Reviews: Mystic River Forum: JoBlo | | the ending disturbed me too much. Spoilers: I mean geez, the Dude just killed a guy and the cop doesn't care! What kind of town is this? And Celeste (Dave's wife) has this surprised, disturbed look on her face at the end! Duh! What do expect sweetie? You just ran to Jimmy and told him you think your husband killed his daughter! Did you expect Jimmy to send him roses instead? Great movie--just couldn't sleep very well after viewing it. | | Static Link |
| Posted by: bigred760 at February 29, 2004, 4:43 pm | | Topic: Reviews: Mystic River Forum: JoBlo | | This is a very well made and acted movie. All the elements of a great drama are present. What could have been a mystery/suspense/whodunit thriller turned out to be a drama about the people surrounding the murder of a 19-year old girl. Sean Penn leads an excellent cast that include Kevin Bacon, Laurence Fishburne, Marcia Gay Harden, Laura Linney, and a superb Tim Robbins. I didn't know Robbins was that good; but his facial expression, especially the way his eyes glared all the time, had me spooked the whole time. Penn does an excellent job as well as the grief-stricken father seeking revenge on his daughter's killer. But Robbins steals the show in this one. Clint Eastwood is one of my all-time favorite filmmakers. He made my favorite movie, Unforgiven, and shows why he is one of the best filmmakers of all time with this one. He didn't go the route of the whodunit thriller but the "did he do it?" drama and it works so well. The music and the lighting add to the creepiness of the shady characters (Rob... | | Read Entire Entry |
| Posted by: areyoubeingserved at February 24, 2004, 6:00 am | | Topic: Reviews: Mystic River Forum: JoBlo | | Powerhouse performances and ambigious character motivations make this a highly engaging, well constructed thriller. There's flaws in an innapropriate, flourish of a score and underwritten character - but the emotional movements of Penn and Robbins, and their subsequent confrontations with each other, really make the film worthwhile. Bacon delivers a more subtle and surprisingly, with pun intended, less hammy performance than the other actors. This really is an ensemble coming together to make a film solid, not unlike Australia's LANTANA. (Oh, and as if you didn't you just get up and feel like Robbins just had the shit piled up against him). 8.3 | | Static Link |
| Posted by: _eraserhead at February 19, 2004, 10:43 pm | | Topic: Reviews: Mystic River Forum: JoBlo | | Great little flick! Tim Robbins and Sean Penn were AMAZING! I absolutly LOVE Sean Penn, I hope he wins Best Actor. I also loved the ending. Clint Eastwood definetly outdid himself with this movie, outstanding job! | | Static Link |
| Posted by: MovieMan04 at January 26, 2004, 10:37 pm | | Topic: Reviews: Mystic River Forum: JoBlo | | I absolutly love this movie. Too me Clint's best movie ever better than Unforgiven. And Im an avid western fan. The performances alone is worth watching the movie. The emotional drive it has is so powerful and the direction by Eastwood is superb. Only little problem I had was using the same score throughtout the movie, other than that the movie is a 10/10. Close tie between this and Last Samaria for best movie of 2003. | | Static Link |
| Posted by: MovieMan75 at January 24, 2004, 11:31 pm | | Topic: Reviews: Mystic River Forum: JoBlo | | Now THAT is a friggin' murder mystery! Holy cow, you could cut the tension in that flick with a knife. Whoo! This is the kind of mystery thriller where you want to see it again to put all the pieces of the mystery together, but then again, you don't want to see it again, just because it's so disturbing. I was hooked to the screen by the first scene. I just wanted to find out where the hell Clint Eastwood was taking me, and I sure as hell didn't expect it to wind up like this! I truly brilliant screenplay that should certainly be Oscar nominated. And on top of that, Sean Penn delivered an astounding performance, and everyone can go ahead and throw out any previous knowledge of Tim Robbins, because he totally transforms himself this time around. Other than that, we've also got nice music, nice cinematography...nice everything! One of 2003's best. My Rating: 8/10 | | Static Link |
| Posted by: Wendy at January 24, 2004, 12:25 pm | | Topic: Reviews: Mystic River Forum: JoBlo | | I'm going with the short version of my review on this one. Stellar cast. Sean Penn just continues to amaze me with each movie of his that I see, and Tim Robbins played his role perfectly. Intense storyline, but could have moved a bit quicker for my liking. Could have lived without the last 5-10 minutes in the movie. Interest thing I noticed - I think the movie took place over just the span of a couple of days, didn't it? I think that made the movie more intense and powerful for me, knowing that all that happened in the time I was watching took place in such a short timeframe. I don't think it'd a movie I'll end up buying, but it's definitely one I'd suggest. | | Static Link |
| Posted by: Jas at November 27, 2003, 6:05 pm | | Topic: Reviews: Mystic River Forum: JoBlo | | Now, i like a bit of braindead action as much as the next guy but i'll be damned if this movie didn't bring tears to my eyes. The flow of emotions is incredible and i really do believe i won't see a better movie in a while. It brought tears to my eyes for example when Dave and Jimmy are having a conversation and Jimmy breaks down in tears. I loved the cast, especially Sean Penn. Although Tim Robbins and Kevin Bacon gave excellent performances, as well as Laura Linney, Marcia Gay Harden and Laurence Fishburne. The dialogue is superb, and the script well written. This sad,interesting and excellent movie deserves every single praise it gets. 10/10 - As good as movies get | | Static Link |
| Posted by: dillhead005 at October 29, 2003, 6:41 pm | | Topic: Reviews: Mystic River Forum: JoBlo | | This movie is wonderfull. Still after having seen it 5 days ago, I cant think of one flaw. The acting is superb (thanks for leaving Clint Eastwood to the directing, and not to the acting like in Bloodwork), the story, touching and belivable, and just plain disturbing. Theres alot of movies that involve rape and kidnapping senarios, but none have hit me this hard in a while. Sean Penn gives us probably the best performance of his career. The same could be said of Tim Robbins, who puts depth and sorrow into a character that could have easilly been wasted. Kevin Bacon is still great, but dosnt quite equal the other two leads (understandable since his part isnt quite as vital to the story). Co-stars include Laura Linney and Laurence "Morpheus" Fishburn who both do what they have to do. Screenplay and acting is the true power in this baby. What a comeback for director Clint Eastwood after the flop Bloodwork! He also composed the music for the film which gives him more brownie points. Overall, all I can ... | | Read Entire Entry |
| Posted by: syxxpac at October 26, 2003, 8:35 pm | | Topic: Reviews: Mystic River Forum: JoBlo | | MYSTIC RIVER Wow. First the awesome experience that was Kill Bill: Vol. 1, now this sure to be classic. Clint Eastwood has outdone himself, in what I feel is his greatest cinematic achievement since his dreary '92 western classic Unforgiven. He serves up another dreary dish, set against the backdrop of a small seaside village. This is an unforgettable movie that will pull your heartstrings, make you cringe from the ugliness and violence it realistically and unapologetically portrays, but most of all it will undoubtedly leave an indelible mark on your mind for a long time afterward. The story begins by setting up the relationship between a trio of longtime friends, Jimmy Markham (Sean Penn), Dave Boyle (Tim Robbins), and Sean Devine (Kevin Bacon), and the event of their childhood that would forever alter their lives. Some years later, a tragic event pulls together these three former friends once more, each under vastly different circumstances, and forces them to collide in a web of suspicion, murder, and betr... | | Read Entire Entry |
| Posted by: Golden Badtz at October 19, 2003, 8:15 pm | | Topic: Reviews: Mystic River Forum: JoBlo | | MYSTIC RIVER - 2003 Sean Penn - Tim Robbins - Kevin Bacon - Laura Linney - Laurence Fishburn - Marcia Gay Harden astonishing, magnificent, outstanding, a true masterpiece. Mr. Clint Eastwood is a true master that paralyzes his opponents leaving them vulnerable to attack, and that's what he did to me, I was astonished and paralyzed in the movie theatre, I couldn't move a muscle, I was completely IN the movie. Mystic River strongly starts off with OK performances by young "punks" playing hockey in the street, who at one point decide to write down their names in the fresh cement not yet done. 2 names are written: Jimmy (Penn) and Sean (Bacon) however while Dave (Robbins) was writing his name cops came and took him away, they kept him locked for 4 days sexually abusing him until he finally escaped. (I don't get it how he escaped however) We join the 3 kids, living in the same neighborhood 20 years or more later. Penn was married twice, his first wife died living him a daughter (Katy) and then he marrie... | | Read Entire Entry |
| Posted by: brodeurnumber1 at October 19, 2003, 12:58 pm | | Topic: Reviews: Mystic River Forum: JoBlo | | I believe Mystic River was gold, and one of the years best. Tim Robbins did very very well, but Kevin Bacon did not have a big enough emotional part to be as good as Tim Robbins and Sean Penn. I loved the plot twists and turns, and Tim Robbins played a very good tramatized man. I believe this deserves to be up for an Oscar. Fantastic Movie, that was over looked by a lot of people because of TCM. ***3/4 out of **** or A- or 9.5/10 | | Static Link |
| Posted by: Kavan at October 18, 2003, 11:25 pm | | Topic: Reviews: Mystic River Forum: JoBlo | | Anyone looking for a nice relaxing popcorn flick would be well advised to skip Mystic River. If however, you are interested in seeing a thought provoking, well acted and moody flick then Clint Eastwood's latest is well worth a couple of hours. The story begins with three friends Jimmy, Sean and Dave. As kids they play street hockey, write in wet cement and generally pal around. Then one afternoon a random event alters the boys lives forever. The film skips forward then to introduce us to the now middle aged Jimmy, Sean and Dave. Jimmy runs the corner market as well as other interests. Sean is a cop. Dave the boy who long ago was visiited by violence is nervous, twitchy and obviously scarred. After Jimmy's daughter is violently murdered the three men are reunited in a series of exchanges. This is as it sounds heavy, dark stuff. Mystic River plunges you headfirst into darkness and violence almost from the opening scene and rarely lets up. Even in the happier moments darkness and violence loom nearby waiting to... | | Read Entire Entry |
| Posted by: katiedid25 at October 15, 2003, 12:44 pm | | Topic: Reviews: Mystic River Forum: JoBlo | | I saw MYSTIC RIVER last night and absolutely loved it! There were so many stars in it that I love (especially Kevin Bacon). I also really liked the Savage Brothers. The story was very interesting and kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. The end was not what I expected at all. If you want to see a good mysterious movie, I definitely recommend checking this one out! | | Static Link |
| Posted by: JoBlo at October 15, 2003, 4:29 am | | Topic: Reviews: Mystic River Forum: JoBlo | | JoBlo's 8/10 review of MYSTIC RIVER can be found here: http://www.joblo.com/mysticriver.htm And what did you think of the movie? Add your comments below. GUIDELINES: CONSTRUCTIVE REVIEWS ONLY! 1) If you haven't seen the movie, don't post here, because it will be deleted. 2) If you add two-bit comments like "it rocked" or "it sucked the big one" or just a grade, it will be deleted. 3) If you insult anyone from the board in your post, it will be deleted and you will be banned from the board. You can disagree with others all you want but no putdowns are necessary to make your points. Read our rules here. | | Static Link |
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