I want to be an adapter... -(Semi) Old School Movie Review #7

That is really what this one boils down to: I want to be the one that takes an existing piece of brilliant literature (The Kite Runner)and just smashes down until it is barely recognizable as the story once told.

Ok not. I loved the book, and I guess the film was just a bit rushed for me. Not awful. I would give it one more chance just to be sure, but it wasn't shattering or anything. And I will admit, I had hoped it would be. They missed out on the part of the book that is so meaningful and relatable I thought. Sure, the essence was there. The setting was well communicated and a few of the characters I actually liked. Most of them I didn't though.

The biggest downfall of any adaptation is what you will find here: editing. When adapting, you cannot-- I will repeat-- cannot cram the entire story in. Duh. That's a no-brainer. (I thought so too) but apparently the makers of this one thought it was still a good idea so they picked the kites themselves as the theme, crammed all the footage they could into 2 hours, and left out most of the harshly redeeming and sincere moments.

Possible ways the film could have been done (obviously without ruining it for you):

Maybe narrating it would have helped. So much of the book is told from one perspective and most of which comes straight out of his head. We only learn through about the other characters because of how we understand his heart. His guilt is what drives the piece. It is also what most can't handle as they read because it does tend to leave a very negative and depressing stroke on the reader.

Maybe pick only a few of the plot lines to tell. Truth be told, the movie was going to be great, but they couldn't really spend the time on the good parts, so it just... wasn't. Don't brush over the whole thing and give me a shallow film experience. Give me one to the point deep and moving one. Maybe then I would have sobbed at the end like I did reading the book. just an idea.

In my humble, yet correct opinion: 2/5
(for forgetability, less-than-par casting, and poor editing)

(as a brief adendum... if you haven't read the book, the film perhaps could have been more like a 3/5. My criticism is more in the adaption than the film itself. Which I understand isn't the most fair.)

Scrictly a renter. But do, because it is entertaining.

The movie website
Go buy the book

Vantage point -New Movie Review #3

way to take a cool genre and transfer it to film so nicely. frustrating, exciting, high speed, and yet conscious of my occasional need to breathe.

i loved this movie because of it's creative editing that gave it such a fast pace and high energy the entire time, while still clinging to the need to delve a little deeper into several characters.

if this movie had a concept it would probably be: "from every pair of eyes their is another story—another piece to the puzzle that is the history." (which, i might add, would be a great concept for a stage production as well...)

it begins from the vantage point of what would be one step closer than the average citizen encountering the media: the camera and reporting crew of the event. after we discover the event as we would in any normal situation—by the news stories—then they start the clock over and re-tell the same story from another character's "Vantage Point." i was impressed. the 24, LOST, and Memento-ish movie made for a mini-series style engaging story that felt all too real because of the editing and filming. it made me think of how the media transfers to the people and exercises the right to censorship and editing. there will never be a way for us to see all of the angles of an event. if i had to recreate the story of 9/11 it would only seem appropriate to tell it from every angle possible. telling the story as if every party involved was the protagonist of their own story—because they are.

i might bring this up in a class about editing and how we film what stories we want to tell. how can the stories be best represented? how else can we tell a story rather than the one story line in a linear form? or we could talk about how to write stories: how can we connect characters to each other or intertwine separate characters' stories into one?