Register  |  Sign In
View unanswered posts | View active topics It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 10:25 am



Reply to topic  [ 17 posts ] 
 Seeking a Friend for the End of the World 

What grade would you give this film?
A 13%  13%  [ 1 ]
B 50%  50%  [ 4 ]
C 25%  25%  [ 2 ]
D 13%  13%  [ 1 ]
F 0%  0%  [ 0 ]
Total votes : 8

 Seeking a Friend for the End of the World 
Author Message
loyalfromlondon
User avatar

Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 6:31 pm
Posts: 19697
Location: ville-marie
Post Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World

Image

Quote:
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World is a 2012 comedy-drama film written and directed by Lorene Scafaria. The film stars Steve Carell and Keira Knightley.

_________________
Magic Mike wrote:
zwackerm wrote:
If John Wick 2 even makes 30 million I will eat 1,000 shoes.


Same.


Algren wrote:
I don't think. I predict. ;)


Thu Jun 21, 2012 10:18 pm
Profile
Sbil

Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 3:38 pm
Posts: 48626
Location: Arlington, VA
Post Re: Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
Very well acted by Steve Carell and Keira Knightley in a pair of delightful performances, but the film's storytelling is decidedly muddled. There are some great moments here but just as many that don't really work, so a mixed bag. C+


Sat Jun 23, 2012 11:16 pm
Profile
You are waiting for a train

Joined: Fri Jun 19, 2009 3:25 pm
Posts: 995
Post Re: Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
It's nice to see a movie you have little expectations for and sudddenly fall in love with. It's not perfect by any stretch but I thought it got better and better as it went on.


Sun Jun 24, 2012 2:02 am
Profile
Pure Phase
User avatar

Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2005 7:33 am
Posts: 34865
Location: Maryland
Post Re: Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
Review: http://www.worldofkj.com/article.php?i=760

_________________
ImageImageImage

1. The Lost City of Z - 2. A Cure for Wellness - 3. Phantom Thread - 4. T2 Trainspotting - 5. Detroit - 6. Good Time - 7. The Beguiled - 8. The Florida Project - 9. Logan and 10. Molly's Game


Sun Jun 24, 2012 2:13 am
Profile
Superman: The Movie
User avatar

Joined: Fri Oct 22, 2004 8:47 am
Posts: 21141
Location: Massachusetts
Post Re: Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
It's good. What keeps it from being great is the Carell/Knightley relationship. As friends they're good together. As soul-mates, not quite. The last act really wants you to believe that these two were meant for one another. I never really bought into it.

I also thought the relationship with his dad could've been developed just a little bit more, you know, into something. It's just vague for the sake of being vague.

Despite my problems though, I did like it, with the first third being especially strong.

*** (B)

_________________
My DVD Collection
Marty McGee (1989-2005)

If I’m not here, I’m on Letterboxd.


Sun Jun 24, 2012 3:12 am
Profile WWW
Pure Phase
User avatar

Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2005 7:33 am
Posts: 34865
Location: Maryland
Post Re: Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
Yes, they maybe did push a tad too far with the romance.

Him directly saying, "You're the love of my life" after just a few days leaves one longing for the unheard whisper at the end of Lost in Translation.

I also would've changed the setting of the ending. Dodge returning to the apartment building (it seems those maniacal rioters were respectful of property rights and left most everything untouched), and her doing the same, made it feel more contrived than necessary. He could've just stayed at his father's house.

_________________
ImageImageImage

1. The Lost City of Z - 2. A Cure for Wellness - 3. Phantom Thread - 4. T2 Trainspotting - 5. Detroit - 6. Good Time - 7. The Beguiled - 8. The Florida Project - 9. Logan and 10. Molly's Game


Sun Jun 24, 2012 3:20 am
Profile
Let's Call It A Bromance
User avatar

Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 7:22 pm
Posts: 12333
Post Re: Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
Another great film that will go underseen this year. Carell and Knightley are fantastic and this film is so charming and funny. I also loved the cameos along the way. ***1/2


Mon Jun 25, 2012 9:16 pm
Profile WWW
Extraordinary

Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2004 1:13 pm
Posts: 15197
Location: Planet Xatar
Post Re: Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
Wow - - this one's bad, real bad.

So sad to see two of my favorite actors wasted in this misfire (especially Keira Knightley - - we don't see nearly enough of her these days).

It started off promisingly enough - - I especially enjoyed the two alternate titles displayed before the real one...

Spoiler: show
Fuck A Virgin and Hire An Assassin

The concept is solid and the movie's comic opening 20 minutes with Rob Cordry and his family showed great promise, but then the movie was drained of all energy and imagination and slowly coasted to a halt a long 80 minutes later.


1 out of 5.


...though in retrospect, there was that one great joke near the end...

Spoiler: show
During the newscaster's final broadcast, he notifies viewers that the meteor is hitting seven days early so there is only seventeen hours left, and then proceeds to remind them that daylight savings time starts that night and not to forget to set their clocks forward one hour.

In my theatre, after a long sleepy hour, the entire auditorium burst into a bout of loud and long laughter!)

...so based on that joke and the promising start, I will upgrade my rating to:

2 out of 5.


Tue Jun 26, 2012 8:27 am
Profile
KJ's Leading Pundit
User avatar

Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 4:45 pm
Posts: 63026
Location: Tonight... YOU!
Post Re: Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
I enjoyed it. Obviously the beginning was better than the middle parts, but I thought it had a good pace to it. It was depressingly romantic. And Keira Knightley is always wonderful.

B

_________________
trixster wrote:
shut the fuck up zwackerm, you're out of your fucking element

trixster wrote:
chippy is correct

Rev wrote:
Fuck Trump


Tue Jun 26, 2012 9:12 pm
Profile
Devil's Advocate
User avatar

Joined: Sun Jul 31, 2005 2:30 am
Posts: 37886
Post Re: Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
I really liked it. Nice character layers, dialog, two actors interacting and working well together. I agree the whole I love you stuff left a little bit of a bad taste to end the movie. For the most part though, a well done comedy that achieves most of what it wants to out of the concept

It's nitpicking but I wish they didn't show the bomb shelter because it made no sense that they/Penny wouldn't jump at the chance at getting in it. Why choose certain death over rolling the dice with that.

_________________
Shack’s top 50 tv shows - viewtopic.php?f=8&t=90227


Tue Jul 03, 2012 3:53 am
Profile
Devil's Advocate
User avatar

Joined: Sun Jul 31, 2005 2:30 am
Posts: 37886
Post Re: Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
David wrote:
Yes, they maybe did push a tad too far with the romance.

Him directly saying, "You're the love of my life" after just a few days leaves one longing for the unheard whisper at the end of Lost in Translation.

I also would've changed the setting of the ending. Dodge returning to the apartment building (it seems those maniacal rioters were respectful of property rights and left most everything untouched), and her doing the same, made it feel more contrived than necessary. He could've just stayed at his father's house.


Agreed. I say make him sit on the porch and then see the plane go into view. Then just skip to the few days later right before the end.

_________________
Shack’s top 50 tv shows - viewtopic.php?f=8&t=90227


Tue Jul 03, 2012 3:57 am
Profile
 

Joined: Sat Dec 27, 2008 4:48 am
Posts: 6245
Post Re: Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
I really quite liked it. A little project concerned with sentiment and emotion, maintaining optimism in the face of peril, finding love. It was no Anderson Coen master-piece of quirky relationships and dynamic, unusual characters but it tried pretty hard and had the best of intentions and that's all I need. The archs were interesting and relatable enough, I guess my main complaint is the film was over-thinking. Knightley's hyper-somnia fitting into the plane plot device, the whole film was structured a little too precisely, carefully for this type of sporadic journey. Ah well, it was extremely pleasant nonetheless.

_________________
Mr. R wrote:
Malcolm wrote:
You seem to think threatening violence against people is perfectly okay because you feel offended by their words, so that's kind of telling in itself.

Exactly. If they don't know how to behave, and feel OK offending others, they get their ass kicked, so they'll think next time before opening their rotten mouths.


Fri Jul 06, 2012 12:27 pm
Profile
Wallflower
User avatar

Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2004 4:53 am
Posts: 34875
Location: Minnesota
Post Re: Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
This was disappointing. I didn't buy into the relationship between Knightley and Carell at all. I knew to expect them to fall in love but it happened so suddenly and I just couldn't see it. It's too bad because I liked and appreciated the ending. If I'd believed in their character's relationship it could have been incredibly emotional. I thought both gave good performances though.

***SPOILERS*** I thought it was far-fetched that she'd ditch seeing her family to be with this guy she just met. Maybe if I'd bought their characters being together romantically, but it didn't feel genuine to me. ***END SPOILERS***

It's not a bad movie. I liked it well enough and it does have some pretty nice moments. But it should have been better.

6/10 (B-)


Wed Nov 07, 2012 10:54 pm
Profile
now we know
User avatar

Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2004 9:31 pm
Posts: 66999
Post 
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World

I could tell this was made by a woman. Bit soppy and boring. Keira Knightley is miscast. Her and her gurning face. I couldn't care less about either of their stories. I wanted to see more of how people are living out their final weeks. How weird and interesting that would be. I think there's a lot to explore there. Instead, we're stuck with two nothingless characters and their stupid "romance".

The only funny part was when he goes back to his flat at the end and the maid is still cleaning his place. Oh, and they should have shown some destruction, or at least one final shot of the meteor about to arrive.

This film is very much a damp squib.

C-


Sun Apr 29, 2018 5:12 am
Profile WWW
Pure Phase
User avatar

Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2005 7:33 am
Posts: 34865
Location: Maryland
Post Re: Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
If you ever stumble upon it, there is a Canadian film from the '90s, Last Night, depicting a similar situation with more diverse characters. It is, in my opinion, a more effective film overall.

_________________
ImageImageImage

1. The Lost City of Z - 2. A Cure for Wellness - 3. Phantom Thread - 4. T2 Trainspotting - 5. Detroit - 6. Good Time - 7. The Beguiled - 8. The Florida Project - 9. Logan and 10. Molly's Game


Sun Apr 29, 2018 8:10 am
Profile
On autopilot for the summer
User avatar

Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 10:14 pm
Posts: 21628
Location: Walking around somewhere
Post Re: Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
I can't say I hated it because it does a pleasant subtleness to it. But you can't help but say dam this could have been a much better film. The type of "you can forgive potholes because you're a big film trying to tell so much" but this is a small film set against a big backdrop that needed a lot more focus,

I think the intent was there and it got edited to shit trying to make it more vulgar. It does very much feel like two films at times.

C+

_________________
Image

Chippy wrote:
As always, fuck Thegun.


Chippy wrote:
I want to live vicariously through you, Thegun!


Sun Apr 29, 2018 6:03 pm
Profile
now we know
User avatar

Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2004 9:31 pm
Posts: 66999
Post Re: Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
David wrote:
If you ever stumble upon it, there is a Canadian film from the '90s, Last Night, depicting a similar situation with more diverse characters. It is, in my opinion, a more effective film overall.


I'll keep an eye out for it.


Sun Apr 29, 2018 7:55 pm
Profile WWW
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Reply to topic   [ 17 posts ] 

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 42 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
cron
Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group.
Designed by STSoftware for PTF.