grlwndr23

It is quite obvious from the opening shots that this is no typical low-budget foray into independent film making. The gorgeous cinematography is one of the only redeeming features of this ham-fisted, dogmatic, two-hour lecture on how the pro-life movement is superior, because 'every life is beautiful'. It would have been been at least honest if this film had been advertised as the covertly Christian propaganda it was, but hey, it's probably super effective to evangelize on the down low. That is, if the viewer is unintelligent & easily available for brainwashing.

That aside, the film was very careful not to delve too deeply into medical facts, & the sermon from Jasmine Guy was a disgrace to medical professionals everywhere (her character is a nurse). Sanctimonious in its delivery & uneven as storytelling, the script renders the viewer unsympathetic to any character in the movie, because they were mostly written as one-dimensional automatons. The comic relief from Bmac (delightfully embodied by Chris Sligh) was the only semi-realistic persona in this Christian music laden, tawdry mess. The melodrama was thicker than a trashy Mexican telenovela.

At any rate, if you are at all non-religious or have something of artistic expectation when you watch a film, skip this one unless you watch it with the sound off. You could likely create a more realistic story from the top of your head whilst watching the lovely scenery. Please be wary of all the 10/10 reviews, as they are just vibrations sounding from an insular, hyper-Christian echo chamber. If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, this film is tailor made for your ilk. A tremendous waste of time, money, & resources for a 'Let's Ban Abortion' ad that runs a little over two hours, and not even cleverly so. Gah! That's two hours of clunky dialogue & a story lacking creativity as well as scientific accuracy. I will never get that back. I wish I could abort the memory of sitting through it.

This clever screenplay by Tom Stoppard challenges the viewer to listen and watch closely as the Shakespeare tragedy Hamlet is turned on its ear via taking the perspective of the oblivious rhetorics, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. There are multiple 'plot within plot' twists which intersect and skew at will, sometimes creating a surreal experience for the observer. The script is brilliant, full of double-entendres and mixed reactions executed superbly by Tim Roth and Gary Oldman, along with a solid supporting cast (including American actor Richard Dreyfus). Stoppard felt that the title characters, messengers in the original play, were under represented and so examines their possible perspectives in the tale by way of exploring their destiny and their lack-of-awareness of it. Stunning and hilarious wordplay with excellent repartee between Oldman and Roth. Refreshing and creative spin of the tale of Denmark's 'melancholy prince'.

this 2.5 hour diluted snore-fest appears to be one of the poorest excuses for an adaptation, ever. clearly possessing a budget allowing for breathtaking location shooting in Greece, the monies might have been better spent working out a cohesive script with character development and motivations clearly outlined; especially since bill has gone through the trouble of doing this already. the portrayals lacked passion & direction, leaving the viewer debating whether they should bother to care about the demise of the protagonists at all. which brings out another point-the main character of the original work, prospero, is not so named in this rendition despite the fact that most other characters' names are used. enchantment and magic are also markedly absent from this particular piece. in fact, all aspects that made the stage version of 'the tempest' full of wonder and intrigue have been sucked completely from this convoluted version about a self-absorbed, pompous jackass who can't figure out how to care about anything beyond the blur of his wealth and power. over all, a lackluster effort at best and a brutally poor imitation of the intended inspiration.