THE LOVELY BONES - half way to heaven

Peter Jackson’s -’The Lovely Bones’ with Saoirse Ronan, Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Susan Sarandon & Stanley Tucci was seen at Cineworld, Shaftesbury Avenue, London 2/3/10

We see the very young Susie( Evelyn Lennon) playing with her toys and growing up in Norristown, Pennsylvania, within a happy family( Mum and Dad being Rachel and Mark and sister Lindsey( Rose McIver)). Now 14years old, Susie( Saoirse) has dreams of becoming a photographer. Her Gran( Susan) takes her shopping and she sees a boy, its Ray( Reece Ritchie) and it’s love at first sight! Later, at school, they so nearly kiss but arrange to meet on Saturday in the Mall.

It’s 1973, now December 6, with school over, Susie walks home across a field and bumps into Harvey( Stanley) a neighbour across the road, who persuades her to look into the underground den he has built for kids. Too late, she realises that he is a slime bag but worse and when she tries to escape there’s a fight. She rushes at great speed for home past her friend Ruth( Carolyn Dando). Meantime the police have been called, she sees her father searching for her but is unable to attract his attention.

It’s good therefore that there is no real completion

’The Lovely Bones’, 2009, New Zealand/ UK/ US/, Children’s Thriller, Super35 a/r 2.35, 135mins, written by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens & the director, was produced by Carolynne Cunningham, Aimée Peyronnet, Fran Walsh and the director, with a production budget of around $65million, has Andrew Lesnie as DoP - this quite nice flick has mixed genres and has a director who’s also a writer and a producer - both of which, singly or separately usually court disaster - but the story is logical, well made and makes sense so it has escaped infamy!

Ghostly appearances are rare and we get to see what heaven looks like - in fact this movie has interesting religious overtones and it’s good therefore that there is no real completion. Released in the US in mid-January, this film had a Royal Premier in London in November and worldwide it has grossed over $69million( inc $6million from the UK). A simple flick, not just for kids.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuxYIUsKDx0&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwXuhNRU6NI&feature=related :

http://www.lovelybones.com/intl/uk/#home

http://www.cineworld.co.uk/cinemas/53?film=3109

simon

www.rudereviews.com

My Gran, who’s a lot nearer to heaven than she admits, noting that the film had a contorted birth & filming took place in Pennsylvania and New Zealand, asks why Kiwis don’t try making flicks in their entirety, in North or South Island.“Maybe it’s just sheeps that keeps them going. And that’s their heaven!”