Who saw HEREAFTER? Members' Comments (NO SPOILERS, PLEASE)

[KC]

It will be a couple of weeks before many of us have a chance to see Herafter, but the U.S. premiere was Sunday night, so it's time to start the threads for members' comments!

We welcome all thoughts and comments and even full-fledged reviews of the film, but please... NO SPOILERS IN THIS THREAD. If you feel that what you want to say about the film may spoil it for those who haven't yet seen it, then please post in our SPOILERS thread for Herafter:

http://www.clinteastwood.org/forums/index.php?topic=8591.0

[KC]

I was at the second screening at the New York Festival tonight ... the one that was supposed to start at ten PM, but didn't actually begin until about 10:45. Clint came out on stage to thank us for coming before the film, but he didn't appear afterward. No wonder; it was nearly 1 AM before it was finished.

Right now, I'm only going to say that I enjoyed the film, but thought it somewhat uneven. The opening scene, in which a tsunami strikes a seaside resort, was overwhelming, and several other scenes were very moving. Like several critics who have weighed in already, I thought the ending was a bit too pat. The performances were all fine, particularly Damon's and Cecile de France's, and there's an unexpected cameo by Derek Jacobi toward the end.

Also, our friend Palooka will be pleased to learn that he is very visible onscreen during his scene, in which Matt Damon's character tours the Charles Dickens house in London.

Afterward, I told the friend who accompanied me that if I hadn't known who the director was, I don't think I would have guessed it was Clint Eastwood. I might, however, have guessed who composed the score, which I thought was very well done and well used in the movie.

[Lin Sunderland]

Having read your comments KC, I am even more keen to see Hereafter than I was yesterday! 

So you saw Clint. Wonderful.  How many times have you seen him before?     Was matt there too?

Great to learn Palooka is easy to spot.  It makes the movie even better when you actually know someone in it, apart from the stars of course. 

[palooka]

I was at the second screening at the New York Festival tonight ... the one that was supposed to start at ten PM, but didn't actually begin until about 10:45. Clint came out on stage to thank us for coming before the film, but he didn't appear afterward. No wonder; it was nearly 1 AM before it was finished.

Right now, I'm only going to say that I enjoyed the film, but thought it somewhat uneven. The opening scene, in which a tsunami strikes a seaside resort, was overwhelming, and several other scenes were very moving. Like several critics who have weighed in already, I thought the ending was a bit too pat. The performances were all fine, particularly Damon's and Cecile de France's, and there's an unexpected cameo by Derek Jacobi toward the end.

Also, our friend Palooka will be pleased to learn that he is very visible onscreen during his scene, in which Matt Damon's character tours the Charles Dickens house in London.

Afterward, I told the friend who accompanied me that if I hadn't known who the director was, I don't think I would have guessed it was Clint Eastwood. I might, however, have guessed who composed the score, which I thought was very well done and well used in the movie.

Thanks so much KC. You are the first confirmation of that. Even a good friend of mine at Warner Brothers hasn't seen it yet!

[KC]

I saw four actors from the film when they arrived for the first screening ... I was standing near the barricade that cut off the hoi polloi from the red carpet guests. There were some professional autograph seekers there, too, and they managed to lure four people over: Steve Schirripa, who plays a cooking school teacher in the movie; Jenifer Lewis ... I believe she plays a woman who seeks Damon's character's help contacting a deceased person; Bryce Dallas Howard; and Cécile de France. I was amazed that the pros knew who she was; I don't think I'd recognize her if I bumped into her on the street.

I know Matt Damon was there, because I've seen pictures on the Internet (as an aside, there's a funny moment in the film when Damon tries to tell a kid he's not who he (the kid) thinks he is, and the kid retorts, "Oh, yes you are, I've seen it on the Internet!"). But I didn't see him, and our pros apparently didn't glimpse him either. They did see Clint, and shouted for him to come over and sign, but he didn't, and all I could see were the flashes of cameras going off. I'm glad he did make an appearance before the second screening.

[Sylvie]

I was at the second screening at the New York Festival tonight ... the one that was supposed to start at ten PM, but didn't actually begin until about 10:45. Clint came out on stage to thank us for coming before the film, but he didn't appear afterward. No wonder; it was nearly 1 AM before it was finished.

Right now, I'm only going to say that I enjoyed the film, but thought it somewhat uneven. The opening scene, in which a tsunami strikes a seaside resort, was overwhelming, and several other scenes were very moving. Like several critics who have weighed in already, I thought the ending was a bit too pat. The performances were all fine, particularly Damon's and Cecile de France's, and there's an unexpected cameo by Derek Jacobi toward the end.

Also, our friend Palooka will be pleased to learn that he is very visible onscreen during his scene, in which Matt Damon's character tours the Charles Dickens house in London.

Afterward, I told the friend who accompanied me that if I hadn't known who the director was, I don't think I would have guessed it was Clint Eastwood. I might, however, have guessed who composed the score, which I thought was very well done and well used in the movie.

  Thank you KC for your comments !
It will be long to wait for it on French screen now ...
And of course I will go to see it on the first day 

[exit00]

I saw Hereafter yesterday and enjoyed it quite a bit.  Went to the first showing at noon and there were at least fifty people there so hopefully that forcasts a bigger opening weekend than expected.

The film is certainly in the style and tradition of European films (especially French ones) as it does tell the stories of the main three characters slowly but most important -interesting. The film is not riveting and powerful like Mystic River but more a thought-provoking story telling. (Although the tsunami scene is the best flood disaster scene ever done in movies) All the acting is just fine and let me say that Clint always gets these great performances from kids in his directed movies.  From A Perfect World, Mystic River and now Hereafter, the performances of these kids are right on.

Unlike others here, I did not find the film uneven nor the ending pat.  I thought the back and forth story telling of the three main people moved just perfectly and while the ending might have been a little too coincidental, I still thought it was a great ending overall.

Matt Damon proves yet again that he is a really good actor.  He never seems to overplay the part and makes his character very believable.  It wouldn't surprise me if he turns up in yet another  Clint movie.

So, I would probably rate Hereafter a B+.  There are very few pure dramas in movies today so it always nice to see an original and well done one.

[clint got HOSED]

Saw Hearafter with my wife yesterday and was pleasantly surprised. After reading reviews I thought I would wait until it came out on DVD. My wife, not a fan of most of Clint's work decided to go with me. Perhaps out of pity.

Great opening scene. The three storylines were all well done and tied up neatly in the end. Very good casting for all the players.  Damon was very good in his role. I agree that the movie was a little slow in parts. Surprisingly, my wife actually liked the movie better than I did.

My opinion is this movie will not garner strong word of mouth and will fare better overseas than domestically. I also don't believe this is an Oscar contender in any capacity.

Looking forward to the Hoover project.

[clint got HOSED]

Appears only three Eastwood fans have posted reviews {no spoilers} for this movie. Has anyone else seen this movie but not commented? I would have expected more support from members of this board.

[Lin Sunderland]

Appears only three Eastwood fans have posted reviews {no spoilers} for this movie. Has anyone else seen this movie but not commented? I would have expected more support from members of this board.

Well there are a few of us who are not able to see it yet as it is not released in our countries.  In the UK it will be January before we are able to see it. 

[Christopher]

Appears only three Eastwood fans have posted reviews {no spoilers} for this movie. Has anyone else seen this movie but not commented? I would have expected more support from members of this board.

There's possibly been a few that's seen it so far but haven't posted yet. I'd like to see it sometime this coming week.

[Perry]

I saw Hereafter in California and.....well..........

[Christopher]

I saw the movie today, and I did like it. I liked all the performances. I'll get around to commenting more in the spoilers thread about the storyline. The movie was very much what I expected, which seems to be an issue with some people--not realizing what the film is because they have been led to think it is a supernatural thriller.

I was just thinking that I'd thought Palooka was in this one as well, but I hadn't thought of that until after I'd watched the movie. So was the Dickens tour scene actually filmed in Dickens's home? I was sitting there thinking that would be really cool to see!

[TWOMULES]

Christopher, I'm glad you liked movie and it lived up to your expectations.

So was the Dickens tour scene actually filmed in Dickens' home? I was sitting there thinking that would be really cool to see!

Yes, the Dickens tour scene was actually filmed at  The Charles Dickens Museum in London.

[palooka]

Christopher, I'm glad you liked movie and it lived up to your expectations.

Yes, the Dickens tour scene was actually filmed at  The Charles Dickens Museum in London.

Yes the filming was done at the actual Dicken's house in Bloomsbury, London.

Here is a news video taken that day. It is the same day I was there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KmZBxPxEpo

Apologies KC as this really belongs in the other HEREAFTER thread

[Lin Sunderland]

Thank you for posting that clip Palooka.  I looked hard but didn't see you. 

[MC]

I'm surprised there have been so few comments on the board about what is clearly (at least to me) a deeply felt film for Eastwood ... regardless of what you think of the final results

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed Hereafter, probably ranking it as his best film since Letters from Iwo Jima (though I'll have to see Hereafter again to better judge it versus Gran Torino.)

I'll start with the negative: I didn't care for the use of music in many spots in the film. Though the score itself is fine, Eastwood seems to punctuate each emotional moment with a musical cue, which struck me as unusual for a director who prides himself in letting the audience think for itself (and also completely unnecessary, since there were many moving scenes in the film that stood on their own).

Outside of that element, and another item I'll discuss in the spoilers thread, I was quite impressed with Hereafter. The opening tsunami scene is extraordinary, brilliantly executed and unlike anything Eastwood's done. I agree with the critic who noted that Eastwood's decision to stay with the character through the scene really draws the viewer into the horror of the situation.

Matt Damon was superb, again confirming my belief that he's an ideal counterpoint for Eastwood, constantly underplaying the part to strong effect. Eastwood's direction (credit Peter Morgan's script as well) smartly conveys the isolation and loneliness of the Damon character. Great stuff.

Cecile de France is also excellent, yet another strong female character to add to the legion of Eastwood's female protagonists.

And speaking of the acting, one of the things that separated Hereafter from many of Eastwood's recent films for me were the uniformly solid performances,  include standout work from the young twins, Bryce Dallas Howard as a Damon romantic interest with a secret past, and Jennifer Lewis (making the most of a few seconds of screen time) as a woman desperate for Damon to communicate with her dead kin.

Some people have complained about the pacing, but I felt like every scene contributed to the plot or a characterization.

Overall, a powerful film that I'd highly recommend. Great to see Eastwood continuing to try new things.

[Hemlock]

Hereafter opens (finally) in Finland this week`s friday 14.1.2011

Probably I´ll go to see it early next week 

[-satu-]

Hereafter opens (finally) in Finland this week`s friday 14.1.2011

Probably I´ll go to see it early next week 

I'll go see it tomorrow.. umm, today actually, since it's past 00:00 have fun when you go!

[Lin Sunderland]

Hi -satu- Great to see you on the board.

Hope you enjoy Hereafter.