Evan, a brilliant college student has always had blackouts during times of stress and trauma in his life. His psychiatrist recommends writing things down in a journal. One night, as he re-reads a section of one of the journals and finds himself reliving a traumatic experience from thirten years in the past, he remembers the details that had been blocked out. After some experimentation he finds he can do this at will when reading his journals, and that he can actually make changes in the past.
After going back to his home town to visit his childhood friends, he sees how messed up their lives are, and decides to go back and change something that he believes was instrumental in their lives turning out so horribly.
He succeeds in making the desired change; when he wakes up in the present, initially everything appears so much better, but not all is as it seems. The Evan of the new timeline is different in significant aspects from how he was before, yet he still has the memories from the original timeline, in addition to the new memories that come crowding painfully into his mind.
An unintended result of his change is that while one friend's life turns out much better, another's is much worse.
He goes back again to try to fix what he left unfixed the first time. It gets even worse. Each change spawns unforseen complications as Evan becomes alternately frantic to fix his mistakes and confident that he can simply go back and make everything alright.
Add to the mix is Evan's father, who is permantly institutionalized, who appears to have had the same ability that Evan did, which is what possibly drove him mad.
There were several spots where I thought the movie was ending, until another twist was thrown in.
"What If" is always a fun game to play: how would one's life turn out iof one important decision was made differently?
In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice...but in practice there is
One reviewer on one of the news stations (I think it was CNN) said if she hadn't been paid to watch it, she would have walked out!!! Didn't inspire me to go at all.
Took my 13 year old to see "Win a Date with Tad Hamilton" last night. Unless you like looking at a really cute guy - don't bother. If you've got kids who absoultely have to go, get a group of them together and hire an older teenager to take them!
Hope R. color>size>face>
...I don't know who I am but life is for learning... we are stardust...size>face>color>
I went back and saw it a second time. There are some holes in the plot, and a few inconsistancies in the way the "time travel" is handled, and how the changes take place. Part of this is the difficulty in general in unravelling how time travel might work. AS far as we know it's not possible, and even if it was we wouldn't know how it would affect the real world.
Regarding reviews: one local movie reviewer criticized how Evan would return to the present confused at the changes that had taken place due to his visit to the past. The reviewer scoffed that he would return fitting in perfectly with the changed timeline.
Actually, science fiction handles this in a variety of ways, but in most cases the person who initiates the change still remembers the "original" timeline, sometimes holding simultaneous memories from both. Since time travel is an impossible, or at least an unknown procedure, a writer can take whatever liberties he or she wants, as long as they are consistant.
In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice...but in practice there is
Oakspear
[This message was edited by Oakspear on February 05, 2004 at 13:36.]
thanks Oak, I'm so far behind I always have to have things moved up haha.
I hardly ever go to the movies, but thought this is one I may want to see. the trailer they showed when I went and saw return of the king looked really good and I know they usually use the better parts of a movie to make a trailer. thanks for the input, I usually listen to posts here instead of taking what the reviewers say.
Steve and I LOVED this movie!!! We are buying it when it comes out on dvd!
Yes, there were blips and logistical problems, but all in all, it was wonderful. Kept us guessing....and we usually have movies figured out well before the ending.
Coulda shot our fellow movie goers, though...they must practice movie distraction techniques at home.
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Oakspear
Evan, a brilliant college student has always had blackouts during times of stress and trauma in his life. His psychiatrist recommends writing things down in a journal. One night, as he re-reads a section of one of the journals and finds himself reliving a traumatic experience from thirten years in the past, he remembers the details that had been blocked out. After some experimentation he finds he can do this at will when reading his journals, and that he can actually make changes in the past.
After going back to his home town to visit his childhood friends, he sees how messed up their lives are, and decides to go back and change something that he believes was instrumental in their lives turning out so horribly.
He succeeds in making the desired change; when he wakes up in the present, initially everything appears so much better, but not all is as it seems. The Evan of the new timeline is different in significant aspects from how he was before, yet he still has the memories from the original timeline, in addition to the new memories that come crowding painfully into his mind.
An unintended result of his change is that while one friend's life turns out much better, another's is much worse.
He goes back again to try to fix what he left unfixed the first time. It gets even worse. Each change spawns unforseen complications as Evan becomes alternately frantic to fix his mistakes and confident that he can simply go back and make everything alright.
Add to the mix is Evan's father, who is permantly institutionalized, who appears to have had the same ability that Evan did, which is what possibly drove him mad.
There were several spots where I thought the movie was ending, until another twist was thrown in.
"What If" is always a fun game to play: how would one's life turn out iof one important decision was made differently?
In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice...but in practice there is
Oakspear
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Hope R.
One reviewer on one of the news stations (I think it was CNN) said if she hadn't been paid to watch it, she would have walked out!!! Didn't inspire me to go at all.
Took my 13 year old to see "Win a Date with Tad Hamilton" last night. Unless you like looking at a really cute guy - don't bother. If you've got kids who absoultely have to go, get a group of them together and hire an older teenager to take them!
Hope R. color>size>face>
...I don't know who I am but life is for learning... we are stardust...size>face>color>
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Oakspear
Hope:
I haven't seen a good review of this movie yet, but I still liked it.
In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice...but in practice there is
Oakspear
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Oakspear
Moved up for papajohn
I went back and saw it a second time. There are some holes in the plot, and a few inconsistancies in the way the "time travel" is handled, and how the changes take place. Part of this is the difficulty in general in unravelling how time travel might work. AS far as we know it's not possible, and even if it was we wouldn't know how it would affect the real world.
Regarding reviews: one local movie reviewer criticized how Evan would return to the present confused at the changes that had taken place due to his visit to the past. The reviewer scoffed that he would return fitting in perfectly with the changed timeline.
Actually, science fiction handles this in a variety of ways, but in most cases the person who initiates the change still remembers the "original" timeline, sometimes holding simultaneous memories from both. Since time travel is an impossible, or at least an unknown procedure, a writer can take whatever liberties he or she wants, as long as they are consistant.
In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice...but in practice there is
Oakspear
[This message was edited by Oakspear on February 05, 2004 at 13:36.]
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papajohn
thanks Oak, I'm so far behind I always have to have things moved up haha.
I hardly ever go to the movies, but thought this is one I may want to see. the trailer they showed when I went and saw return of the king looked really good and I know they usually use the better parts of a movie to make a trailer. thanks for the input, I usually listen to posts here instead of taking what the reviewers say.
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Oakspear
I'd really like to hear what a "real" person (non-professional reviewer) thinks about it. My girlfriend is the only person that I know who saw it.
Sure, the trailer shows the highlights, but there aren't too many dead spots, if any. The pace stays consistant throughout.
In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice...but in practice there is
Oakspear
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Cindy!
Steve and I LOVED this movie!!! We are buying it when it comes out on dvd!
Yes, there were blips and logistical problems, but all in all, it was wonderful. Kept us guessing....and we usually have movies figured out well before the ending.
Coulda shot our fellow movie goers, though...they must practice movie distraction techniques at home.
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