HEREAFTER: Reviews and Features in the Media

[KC]

This will be the "official" thread for media reviews of Hereafter and current features about its cast and crew. Please try to keep it to major print, broadcast and online media, not random blog posts or tweets.

Remember that all quoted material should be formatted as such (surround it with [ quote] [ /quote] tags, without the spaces); only quote enough to give us the gist, not entire articles; and always, always give a link to the source (or publication information if it's not online). Also, please identify the author of the article, if it is not in the quoted material. The Moderators reserve the right to edit posts that don't follow these guidelines.

Please read through recent posts before posting new material to make sure someone hasn't already posted the same story or review. And remember that these are frequently reprinted, so try to find the original source if possible.

[KC]

First up is Kirk Honeycutt in the Hollywood Reporter:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/film-reviews/hereafter-film-review-1004114116.story

Bottom Line: Another strong and unexpected drama from Clint Eastwood.

TORONTO -- Clint Eastwood continues his search for challenging stories that delve into extreme reaches of the human condition in "Hereafter," a globetrotting inquiry into the nature of the afterlife. The film also marks an unexpected turn in the screenwriting of Peter Morgan, away from his survey of political personalities in such films as "The Queen" and "Frost/Nixon" and into metaphysical speculation. The film never is less than intriguing, right from its tour de force opening sequence, and often full of insights into why people long for answers, sometimes with great urgency.

By now Eastwood has established a reputation for the unexpected, so his admirers -- "fans" no longer seems the right word -- plus anyone curious about the subject matter certainly will line up when Warner Bros. releases the film domestically Oct. 22. The film should do very well in Europe next year as well.

[KC]

In Variety, Justin Chang also offers a mostly positive review:

http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117943529.html?categoryId=31&cs=1&ref=ssp#ixzz0zNjYVRW3

Clint Eastwood moves into risky new territory with old-fashioned grace and sturdy classical filmmaking in "Hereafter." An uneven but absorbing triptych of stories concerning the bonds between the living and the dead, the 80-year-old filmmaker's latest feature is a beguiling blend of the audacious and the familiar; it dances right on the edge of the ridiculous and at times even crosses over, but is armored against risibility by its deep pockets of emotion, sly humor and matter-of-fact approach to the fantastical. Oct. 22 release may divide even Eastwood partisans, but should generate sufficient intrigue to portend positive B.O. readings.

The question that propels "Hereafter" is how these three yarns will eventually converge (the answer: creakily), and on the face of it, this fractured, globe-trotting tale of fate and mortality bears a strong resemblance to the work of scribe Guillermo Arriaga, specifically "Babel." But while the film trades in too many coincidences -- suffice it to say the tsunami is not the only real-world disaster invoked -- the mitigating charm of Eastwood's approach is how subdued, unportentous and laid-back it is. He seems in no hurry to establish the missing links, trusting us to engage with the characters before we know exactly how they fit together.

[MC]

Roger Ebert has positive words for Hereafter in his latest blog entry on the Toronto fest:

Clint Eastwood's Hereafter considers the possibility of an afterlife with tenderness, beauty and a gentle tact. I was surprised how enthralling I found it.

The subject lends itself to sensationalizing and psychic baloney. Eastwood has made a film for sensitive, intelligent people who are naturally curious about what happens when the shutters close. 

http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2010/09/post_2.html

[stuckonlife]

The transcript of a roundtable interview with Clint and Matt is at Tribute.ca:
http://www.tribute.ca/tiff/index.php/2010/09/12/eastwood-and-damon-talk-exclusively-about-hereafter/

Another positive review is at Screen Daily (an important international publication):
http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/latest-reviews/hereafter/5018103.article

Clint Eastwood takes a bold change of pace with Hereafter, a compelling and thoughtfully structured delve into the world of the supernatural, weaving together three separate storylines that all finally converge to satisfying effect. This is no spooky chiller though…instead a fascinating look at how death affects a series of completely different people.

[MC]

Time magazine's Richard Corliss:

The movie will divide some Eastwood fans, conquer others. The naysayers will be grateful that, from this healthy, workaholic actor-director, there is always the promise of a good movie — if not here, then hereafter. But if you go with his new picture's slow flow, and stick around for its rapturous resolution, you'll see this as a summing up, a final testament of so many Clint characters, from The Man with No Name to Dirty Harry, from Million Dollar Baby's Frankie Dunn to Gran Torino's Walt Kowalski, for all of whom facing down death was a natural part of life. For Eastwood, and viewers in synch with his mature, melancholy worldview, the hereafter is now.

http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,2017816,00.html

[palooka]

The movie will divide some Eastwood fans, conquer others. The naysayers will be grateful that, from this healthy, workaholic actor-director, there is always the promise of a good movie — if not here, then hereafter. But if you go with his new picture's slow flow, and stick around for its rapturous resolution, you'll see this as a summing up, a final testament of so many Clint characters, from The Man with No Name to Dirty Harry, from Million Dollar Baby's Frankie Dunn to Gran Torino's Walt Kowalski, for all of whom facing down death was a natural part of life. For Eastwood, and viewers in synch with his mature, melancholy worldview, the hereafter is now.

Blimey, what a load of pretencious twaddle that review is.

[Dan Dassow]

IndyWIRE (link)
Todd McCarthy's Deep Focus
Review | “Hereafter”
September 14, 2010

There have been a helluva lot of deaths in the 31 feature films Clint Eastwood has directed, but I can’t remember too many of the doomed characters in them giving much thought to the afterlife. How, then, to account for the flirtation with the idea that there’s something out there bigger than all of us in “Hereafter,” a quiet, contemplative and absorbing inquiry into how jarring incidents can make you look at life from an entirely different perspective than you’ve done all along.? Is it that Eastwood, at 80, is ruminating about mortality in a way he never did before? Does it have anything to do with his beloved mother’s death, at 96, four years ago? Or is it just that he liked Peter Morgan’s atypical script, which offered one of the most prolific directors in the United States the opportunity to tackle yet another fresh and unpredictable topic?

The answer no doubt lies in a combination of all of the above, as well as in a desire to surprise and to a certain extent confound his audience. ...

But the quality that is most becoming about the film is what I would call its healthy agnosticism. Eastwood and Morgan are not pushing an agenda of belief here, but neither are they out to debunk or scoff; nor, to their possible commercial detriment, are they intent upon tantalizing or spooking the audience n the manner of “The Sixth Sense.” Instead, they are refreshingly open-minded on a subject it is easy to feel superior to but difficult to rule out with absolute certainty. ...

[KC]

Blimey, what a load of pretencious twaddle that review is.

Au contraire, I thought it made the film sound intriguing.

[palooka]

Au contraire, I thought it made the film sound intriguing.

I agree the review was pretty good, I just thought that one paragraph was horrendous.   

[Sylvie]

I'm waiting for articles in French papers as well !

[higashimori]

 SCREENRANT  by Mike Eisenberg

 http://screenrant.com/hereafter-trailer-clint-eastwood-mikee-77945/

 

Clint Eastwood is one of the most renowned directors in Hollywood today, but his films can be an acquired taste. Some consider his work dull, while others announce them as cinematic legend. His latest collaboration with Matt Damon (Invictus) on Hereafter finally has a trailer and it gives both sides fuel for their respective fires.

Eastwood’s 35th film as director is a supernatural thriller -- a far cry from his typical reality-based stories. But the trailer for Hereafter looks and feels just like the moody, thought-provoking work he has presented in years past.

 slashFILM   by Russ Fischer

 

the song heard in much of the trailer is ‘Lullaby,’ by Sia.

  http://www.slashfilm.com/2010/09/10/movie-trailer-hereafter-the-new-film-from-director-clint-eastwood/
 



 

[higashimori]

 " Calling all psychics: Will 'Hereafter' return Clint Eastwood to the Oscars? "

 http://goldderby.latimes.com/awards_goldderby/2010/09/clint-eastwood-hereafter-toronto-film-festival-news-story.html

 Gold Derby

 

Clint Eastwood has had trouble getting back into the Oscar race lately. After winning best picture way back in 1992 ("Unforgiven"), he had a great run from 2003 to 2006 with two best-pic nominees ("Mystic River," "Letters From Iwo Jima") and one more champ ("Million Dollar Baby"), but then he got tripped up. His later films scored acting bids for Angelina Jolie ("Changeling") and Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon ("Invictus"), but they didn't make the best-picture contest. "Gran Torino" got shut out of all  categories, but most Oscarologists believe it would have done better if it had been released to theaters a few weeks earlier.

 
Trotting out onto the derby track next: Clint's "Hereafter," which just broke out of the gate at the Toronto International Film Festival. It's hard to size up because it's not a typical Clint flick. It's part blockbuster (a tsunami hits in the first few minutes) and part sci-fi/fantasy (Matt Damon stars as a reluctant, real psychic) — two film genres that sometimes have trouble at the Oscars (except if they're "Avatar"). However, lots of Oscar royalty is involved, including producers Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy and screenwriter Peter Morgan ("Frost/Nixon," "The Queen," "Last King of Scotland"). Plus lots of academy darlings in the crafts/tech areas.

Reviews have been mixed but mostly positive from major media sources.

ROGER EBERT, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES: "I was surprised how enthralling I found it. ... 'Hereafter' is unlike any film Clint Eastwood has ever made, but you'd think he'd been preparing it for years."

HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: "The film never is less than intriguing, right from its tour de force opening sequence, and often full of insights into why people long for answers, sometimes with great urgency. ... As with 'Letters From Iwo Jima' and 'Million Dollar Baby,' Eastwood has made a movie that shakes up the whole notion of what studio movies can be."

[higashimori]

 " Toronto 2010: Can Clint Eastwood regain his awards luster? "

 http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2010/09/clint-eastwood-hereafter-matt-damon-movie.html

 Steven Zeitchik

 

Judging by the reaction to him at Toronto's Elgin Theatre on Sunday night, Clint Eastwood can still muster a lot of love. There was standing ovation when he came out to introduce his new film, "Hereafter," and the kind of murmurs through the crowd reserved for rock stars and world leaders.

Yet in recent years, the response Eastwood has received from awards voters -- those arbiters of taste, for better or worse, in modern Hollywood -- has been less enthusiastic

[KC]

Interesting ... from the above Steven Zeitchik blog post:

Drop a film-goer into a theater that's showing "Hereafter" and ask him  to guess the director. Eastwood may be the 30th or 40th name that comes up.

[exit00]

I love the trailer.... I'm hoping to see it again today assuming it is attached to The Town.  Obviously from the trailer, Hereafter is nothing like The Sixth Sense or not even a ghost thriller like the early word that was being given out on this film.  Somehow, the trailer reminded me in the style of Mystic River.

[Gant]

Yeh... it reminded me a little of Mystic River also... Am really looking forward to this movie.

[TWOMULES]

The trailer is superb... I can't wait for this one coming out

does anyone know the official release date for Hereafter in the UK?

[exit00]

I saw the movie The Town today and sure enough, the Hereafter trailer is attached to the film.  It was the same one that was linked to here but it was cool seeing it on a big screen.

I wish the poster would come out... should be another great Clint poster.

[higashimori]

 " Toronto Film Festival - overwhelming Oscar buzz "

 Ruthe Stein, Chronicle Movie Correspondent

 http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/09/17/DD7G1FDQC8.DTL#ixzz0zq6oXX1C

 

"Hereafter," directed by Clint Eastwood, also played extremely well at Toronto, raising speculation that it will be a contender at the Academy Awards. Eastwood - one of the few filmmakers with the clout to get an adult drama backed by a major Hollywood studio - extends his range with this mesmerizing story of strangers brought together through their belief in an afterlife. Matt Damon's everyman appeal makes him plausible as a San Francisco psychic - the film was partially shot in San Francisco, although London and Paris get a lot more close-ups - and he could have an Oscar nod in his future.