Hottoceame The Age of Commercialism

Nonureva Really Surprised!

Acensbart Excellent but underrated film

Glucedee It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

Cinematador They used to show films like this in art houses, which became retail space for drugstores.The tone, story, and camera work is impeccable. Details like the faded boxes and impossible sunflowers remain with us forever. The amber necklace becomes the collection, the story, the film, but only after.Due to translation or what remains unspoken, much of the conversation hangs unfinished in the air, or done with eye contact-even from Sammy Davis. Every character carries out a critical part of the story, with minimal dialogue. Each time the day dawns, the story moves forward.As with the Jarmusch movie Paterson, this film is like a poem about the source material. Rather than simply trying to replicate the book, the movie pays homage by creating its own rich space and mood.

Austin Takahashi "Everything is Illuminated" is a movie about memories and the things that certain people do with them. Some treasure each memory with zeal and optimism; others spend a lifetime filtering every dark moment with a hope of never having to suffer in remembrance of it. So many things can happen to us, both good and bad, and it's not unusual to occasionally wish that we can control our ability to remember, and forget.Elijah Wood stars as Jonathan, a Jewish-American who is about to travel to Ukraine in search of the woman who saved his grandfather's life during the Second World War. His eyes are magnified by his thick glasses and his hair is cautiously combed, which rightfully matches his black suite. Our first impression of Jonathan is a man who is curious and disciplined. We are even hinted that he has an obsessive-compulsive nature the first time we see a wall in his home almost completely covered with plastic bags containing items that is there to simply remind him.While Jonathan is yet to arrive, we are introduced to a Ukrainian family whose business is to help Jews find the place where their ancestors have perished. This is where the movie suddenly adapts a comedic tone. The eldest son is Alex, who is the film's narrator. His skills in English are lacking in an appealing way. He claims to be a "premium" dancer, and is not very excited to learn that he must accompany his grandfather in "the commencement of a very rigid search." Because Grandfather, the designated driver of the search, claims to be blind, they bring along Sammy Davis Junior Jr. He is the official "seeing eye bitch". I kinda love these guys.Read more here: http://localmoviereview.com/everything-is-illuminated/

eneguepogi I was struck by how this movie played out when I watched it. I was not expecting too much but the movie took me thru history and time traveled to the past. The cast played their part really well, special mention to Elijah and Boris for their portrayal. Story was very unique and well paced with minimal dull gaps (usually happens for indie films). Personally, I was impressed on how the director was able to make such a movie so interesting and great. I have high emotions after watching this film. Thumbs up to the actors and the people behind this movie. I would definitely recommend to all. I hope all filmmakers are able to replicate such work of art.

DoubtfulHenry I'll do my best to review this as a work of its own rather than to the source material. It always irritates me when a decent movie is repeatedly bashed for straying from the book/comic/what-have-you it was inspired by.As a film in its own right, Everything is Illuminated is slightly above average. The cinematography is passable. The seldom beautiful shot caught my attention.The music conveys emotion and the theme of the film splendidly. It suits all moments accurately and was enough to move me during the climax. All the acting is top-notch. Elijah Wood captures the character of Jonathan. But every powerful moment feels a little watered down and robbed of its true potential. This is attributed to the absence of most of the backstory. The context of our characters journey is lightly hinted at throughout, but the viewers never fully connect to the reasons for our character's actions. Everything is Illuminated, the movie, is only about an hour and a half long. Average for modern day films, but it would be twice as long if it had included segments told by Jonathan about his family's history. I would have preferred that. The most tearjerking parts of the book take place in these segments that were woefully excluded from the film.For what it is, Everything is Illuminated is adequate. Sadly it doesn't exceed in any one area to make it stand out. For that i give it a 6 out of 10