Genres

Visitors Review

fkkemble 2012-05-25 14:18:15

Simple, poignant, very real and very beautiful

There is a real magic in this film and I loved the pace and thecharming simplicity. It's also unstintingly Irish and you feel that youare there in the thick of it all. I live in Canada but have been toIreland twice and find the country to be full of intriguing paradoxesand ironies and quiet humour. You get a real feel for this in the film.I thought all three main actors were just brilliant especially CiaranHinds who played the part so naturally and so beautifully. I take myhat off to Aidan Quinn too who was a real sport and did an amazing job,Iben Hjejle was also great not to mention extremely attractive. In afilm world constipated with so much doggerel, remakes and Americanaction and teen movies, it makes a terrific change to see a movie thatis refreshing and intelligent. The Irish, Australians and especiallythe British have a way with movie making that is so far and above thecrap that comes from the US. Well done all who worked on The Eclipse,you should be proud.

2012-05-24 19:28:14

horrendous!

The description for the Eclipse is 100% completely *wrong*. This is NOT a suspense- it's a romance with subtle elements of drama. We were all fooled into thinking this was some kind of horror story involving a ghost writer being tormented but it's anything but. We were also fooled into believing there would be serious discussions involving what it feels like to actually witness a ghost for real and how the human mind feels after witnessing such a traumatic event.Instead it's about a ghost writer who meets a woman who shares similar interests in ghostly activity and they gradually fall in love. Of course there's another guy in the picture, who's apparently a boxer. Well the two guys hate each other and are secretly jealous over the woman without actually coming out and admitting it. Instead we discover that the boxer basically believes the ghost writer is a stalker, while the ghost writer believes the boxer is a drunk.There's only two segments that are worth your time. One takes place about an hour in when the ghost writer opens his bedroom closet and a scary event takes place in the floorboards, and the other is the fist fight between the two men above. That's it. The rest of the storytelling is meaningless and painful to watch.It's a shame too- this movie looks like it takes place in either Ireland or the gorgeous countrysides of England which are *perfect* locations for a horror setting. Instead it doesn't even try for a supernatural setting. I recommend skipping it completely.

2012-05-15 14:56:37

80% Great

This review is from: The Eclipse [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray) I loved the cinematography. Ireland on Blue-Ray? Absolutely stunning. The story is nice with well developed characters. Ciarán Hinds, as the father, was amazing. Iben Hjejle, as the love interest, is sexy and distant. She plays the role perfectly. The story is well thought out and we get horror that made me jump and my heart skip a beat. But, like No Country For Old Men, the ending simply fell apart. Again, 80% is perfect. . .the end leaves you going really? Do I need to turn the disc over? Is there a second disc? All in all-acting would be 5 stars, cinematoghraohy 5 stars. . .story is good, but ending leaves us looking for much more. I don'y need all the pieces tied up; but, I would like to have at least one of the questions it poses resolved. Great if it makes it to TV and the fish aren't biting.

TheMovieMorgue 2012-05-15 01:11:54

Beautiful, heartbreaking and haunting. The eerie, peaceful Cobh provides an excellent backdrop to this Gothic tale

"If there is life after death - love lives on" It's very unusual to come across a horror film set in Ireland. Therehas been a few in recent years, mostly gore-filled slashers such as"Isolation" set on a Wexford farm and the psychedelic horror "Shrooms",but that's been about it. I had never heard of "The Eclipse" beforeuntil it caught my eye a few weeks ago in a DVD rental place, and thestory immediately appealed to me and fascinated me. A Gothic,love/ghost story set in a seaside town in Ireland. The locationstraight away is eerie and kinda ghastly, but throw in some romanceelements that seem to thrive in our culture, and it looked set to be agreat film. And it really is. "The Eclipse" is a very fascinating andbeautiful film with magnificent performances. Although, flawed in howit's made as it never seems to truly know what it is it's trying to do;be a love story, a ghost story, or a horror film. Obviously, with allthese elements, it's a bit of each - a Gothic love story maybe. Thefirst ten minutes were extremely gripping and sent such a chill down myspine as Michael, who believes he's seeing ghosts around his home,follows a shadow down his stairs and sees it moving across the sittingroom. He believes it's his father-in-law, who he neglects and has beenliving in a nursing home. But why do you see the ghosts of the living?Michael, a woodwork teacher, is struggling to bring up his two teenagerchildren after his wife's death from cancer. He is a shell of a man,heartbroken, and trying to nurse his strained relationships with hiskids. His father-in-law tells him that he's been seeing Eleanor's ghosttoo, which brings Michael to look into this subject and try and findhelp. He volunteers at the annual Cobh writers festival which brings inwriters from all over the world. He chauffeurs Lena around, whoselatest novel "The Eclipse", a ghost story, is a best seller. As Michaeland Lena become close, Michael tells her about his supernaturalexperiences, while he battles against the ignorant and psychoticallyjealous writer Nicholas Holden (In a despicable but superb performanceby Aiden Quinn) for Lena.Don't let the dominant romantic themes fool you - because this film isabsolutely terrifying at stages. Being a hardened fan of the horrorgenre, I actually found myself jumping at one or two points in thefilm. Ciaran Hinds is absolutely superb as Michael Farr in a verypowerful and domineering role. He's an extremely likable guy and it'sheartbreaking seeing some of the torment he is going through. When hebreaks down crying after being visited by the ghost of his wife, it wasjust completely heartbreaking and Hinds really portrayed the anguish,loneliness and anger extremely well. Iben Hjejle also provides anexcellent performance as the writer Lena who sparks off a love interestfor Michael as they become very close. Aiden Quinn, a very successfulIrish actor abroad, ironically plays an American character here as thedespicable and horrible Nicholas Holden. It's a tragic, heartbreakingand creepy film. But it could have maybe been better had it improvedsome points, for example, I don't think the love rivalry betweenMichael and Nicholas was at all necessary, neither was the character ofNicholas necessary at all for that matter (Although, it does provide uswith a good fistfight towards the end) as it just dumbs down some ofthe eerie and Gothic elements of the film. Cobh looks fantastic on thescreen, and this really is a film that deserves a much wider audience.Foreign audiences should appreciate the hybrids the film creates, andthe overall atmosphere and the question that is asked: is death reallythe end?

Steve 2012-05-10 09:21:55

WOW

Awesome. A must see for all movie goers. You won't believe it until you see it. There is no way you will figure out until you are in your car. Sweet Sweet Sweet

2012-05-09 16:42:53

Really, really, really, really awful.

This was not a ghost, or a horror story. It was a horrible story. It was a BAD drama, and got worse as it went along. Just a piece of a boring individual's life, no strike that--boring individuals--plural, and sad individuals lives. No point to the movie at all. I don't like to leave neg reviews, but this movie actually made me mad.

BigBobFoonman 2012-05-04 22:42:17

Some strange scenes, one unforgettable, transcendent scene...

I like ghost stories, the older and closer to the abyss I get, andthere is one scene in this film that won the day for me. Hinds'character awakes one morning, to find his dead wife sitting on the bed,her hair gone to chemo, looking at him with darkened eyes. He does adouble take, and she is still there, her lustrous, long, brown hairshining, and she looking well, a shadow of sad on her face. He isstunned, and cannot move as she gets up, sits down beside him on thebed and hugs him warmly for at least a minute...he weeps openly, andshe gets up and drifts away. I cannot embellish that marvelous sceneany more....The detractions were the scenes of slasher gore as Hind's character sawvisions of his wife's sick father, dead and rotting and grabbing forhim....don't quite understand why those were in there, but this was agood film

2012-05-04 14:06:55

Description of the Movie is better than the movie

This really seemed to be an intriguing plot due to the movie description. I waited with baited breath as the slow plot moved forward. It had all the right ingredients: Ireland (w/ potential ghosts), mysterious main character, plenty of shadows, piano music w/ slow tempo to get you to pay attention and dreams that you can't tell if they are premonitions, just dreams, memories or what! What did the director do with this movie? Nothing! I big waste of an hour and a half. I love this sort of movie, however, I kept waiting for something to happen and waiting. Nada! What happened to a plot with a climax and dénouement? It just whitered away into the shadows of this movie. I have to give it a sideways thumb. Watch it on a rainy or cold day whenever you are stuck in the house.

2012-04-26 21:02:32

All three stars go to Ciaran Hinds ....

This review is from: The Eclipse (DVD) I bought the movie because Ciaran Hinds was the star and wasn't hiding behind tons of makeup. He never gives a bad performance. The movie was OK, but leaves you dangling. And too, it really wasn't Hinds' type of movie. He shines in Gothic romance where he doesn't use the f-word or smoke cigarettes. Oh, for another Jane Eyre or Persuasion!! Be still my heart.

RoseAnne 2012-04-26 13:35:58

out of my chair

It took me about six viewings before I stoped jumping out of my chair at the ghost scenes. Celebrated Irish actor Ciarin Hines is a fantastic lead character, Michael. Paring him with Iben Hejejle was an inspired match. His humanity and her warmth kept me routing for a connection. The heart thumping kissing scene did not let me down. Aiden Quinn played a great selfish, drunk,jerk,Named Nicholous. I could not stand the guy. I hope it makes it to my small town so I can see it on the big screen. Im sure the video download was only an apetiser. Enjoy, RoseAnne

2012-04-20 07:20:42

No Lame Sparkling Vamps Here !

I lucked into this film as "Movies You'll Love", movies that a computer picked out for me and this time it was right. I do not remember Ciarán Hinds (the lead actor) from any other films but I see he has done a lot of work. My point is Ciarán Hinds is a great actor and if for no other reason he is worth watching this film for, he is totally convincing as confused widower who just wants to know what's haunting him, is it in his head or is there something other worldly going on ?Aidan Quinn is also in this movie and knocks his role as a megalomaniac out of the park. Iben Hjejle is the leading lady here as the very striking love interest, I am now a big fan of hers.I highly recommend you see this movie it is unlike anything else I have seen.

2012-04-20 00:47:40

Ignore, or at least read, the low reviews

This movie is excellent. The acting is excellent, the story is moving, and the subtle elements of the movie are what it's all about.This isn't a "ghost" movie - it's a movie that, like many others, has very few, but significant, horror/supernatural elements (which are not goofy, but rather psychological). Think Biutiful, if you've seen it, which is another masterpiece. The low reviews seem to be written by people too slow to follow the movie, or too disinterested to invest in it. One is written by someone who claims he had no idea what was going on, another by someone complaining it was too slow (and one would assume, accordingly, too easy to follow).It's neither, and it's bloody brilliant. If you have any interest in movies that aren't over-the-head, yet engrossing and compelling, this is your movie.

2012-04-18 03:12:35

Engrossing Film About Loose Ends

I did not know what to expect from The Eclipse and was surprised to find myself involved in the characters, even the annoying ones (Aiden Quinn). What could possibly recommend a film more than that?Not expecting the unexpected, I was genuinely creeped out at least twice, something I haven't "enjoyed" in many years. I suppose that's the beauty of not knowing what you're getting into. Thankfully, shocking the audience is not what this film is about.The Eclipse is for adults in the sense that adults tend to be more interested in character development and relationship dynamics, both of which are here beautifully realized by committed performances. Also, it does not sensationalize, being rather discrete about the supernatural elements the intrude, almost gratuitously, into the plot. I'm happy to recommend this well-wrought drama that does what good entertainment ought to do--transport.

FourInTheFamily 2012-04-17 10:11:13

Disappointing! Great potential for whole story line wasted!

What a disappointment. It had such great potential, a widower who isseeing something in his house (a ghost?) and doesn't know whom to turnto, 2 children living with the father, a father-in-law who resentsbeing put in a home, a writer of ghost stories who visits this town,and a narcissistic writer who wants to have an affair with the firstwriter. The intersection of all these characters had such promise --wasted! The question of love and relationships gets several differentviews but they're all a little blurry.We waited for all these character's interactions to be resolved, butfor naught. We had to watch the special features with the actorstalking about their characters to get enough background information tofinish putting some of the story pieces together that didn't make itinto the film.One thing I especially liked during the film was that thesurprise/intense scenes were not proceeded or accompanied by thescary-music-track that usually alerts the watchers to "here's the scarypart." This is what was so lacking in the film -- almost all the pieceswere there for a memorable, thoughtful, suspense-filled story. It istruly too bad that the story telling and editing didn't fulfill on thepromise and premise of the movie.

Christian Andersson 2012-04-17 13:40:17

Great emotional movie

This is maybe the only film I've seen that has had me start crying, andkeep crying even 5 minutes after the film ended... and I couldn'treally explain why.It's a really nice mix between hints of supernatural happenings and avery emotional film about a guy living a quite ordinary life.For me, it was very touching and the dialogs and the minimalistic andrealistic role play by Ciarán Hinds was brilliant.I can't see how this film could be improved. This film is a greatexample on how you can make a movie that doesn't stick to the wellestablished genres, and still can be really successful.If you are interested in supernatural ghost movies, this is probablynothing for you as it doesn't contain a lot of that (but a little). Ifyou like emotional movies towards the melancholic direction and, yet,you are prepared to see something a bit different, then this film isfor you! It's great.

2012-04-17 01:28:18

Very average to below average film

This review is from: The Eclipse (Amazon Instant Video) "THE ECLIPSE" is filled with hype, and doesn't meet the expectations of being a 3,4, or 5 star motion picture. The film (optics) is very dark, using too much contrast for a high quality motion picture. The story is okay, but only has a few places where you might feel some chills from a few ghosts. With all the money that these films make, you would think that we would have hundreds of motion pictures coming out at the Theaters every week, but instead, we have only a few, which means that we don't see a great film too often. In this regard, THE ECLIPSE movie is slow, acting is good, but the story-line is dreary and depressing, the ending is a dud. If you looking to watch a film that has some great haunting chills, this is not the one for you. Rent a chiller, like in the film, DRAG ME TO HELL, if you want to be scared and filled with "wow, that was a fantastic scary motion picture!"

Tyra Tarver 2012-04-12 10:36:10

Why Kids Love The Twilight Saga

Kids love this movie because of the love trianglo of these story. It stand out from the others because of the awkwardness of Bella, the riskiness of Jacob, and the comforting Edward. The best thing is the strong bond between Bella and Edward. They still remember that she loves Jacob. That is wh kids love these movies.

2012-04-12 08:21:17

Moving and startling. Excellent.

This is a great movie. If you know what the word "symbolism" means, then you stand a chance of taking something away from the viewing you weren't expecting from a horror movie. If it isn't what you expected, isn't that potentially a good thing?

2012-04-10 23:47:09

What was the point?

I give two stars here only for the soundtrack and for Ciaran Hinds.As for the rest, it really isn't a ghost story. It's a narrative mess, muddled and confusing, with the focus taken off of the main character and given to two others whose story is not interesting. Too bad it was so pointless. It could have been much better.

Humphrey_C_Earwicker 2012-04-10 18:52:57

Suspenseful domestic drama in the guise of a ghost story

This chilling and thoughtful thriller from top Irish playwrightMcPherson exemplifies what movie makers who've earned their chops onthe stage can bring to the big screen. The characters arethree-dimensional; sharp, efficient dialog defines the relationshipsand moves the plot forward; life in a recently bereaved family, a smallIrish town, and a literary festival is acutely observed.The Eclipse maintains a spooky tension throughout and in a fewinstances will have you jumping out of your skin. (One minor criticism:Loud incidental music is constantly deployed to manipulate viewers, aperennial flaw of many mystery and horror films.) However, this is nota traditional ghost story but a psychological drama filtered throughthe perspective of the widowed father masterfully portrayed by CiaranHinds. It's probably not too much of a stretch to compare The Eclipseto In Bruges, the debut film of Martin McDonagh, another acclaimed U.K.dramatist, in the way it exploits the conventions of genre even as itdefies formula to tell a more original, gratifying story.A bonus: The cathedral-dominated town of Cobh, Cork County, provides astunningly picturesque backdrop to The Eclipse, while adding to theoverall isolated, claustrophobic atmosphere.