Anyone think Cold Mountain stood up to the hype?

[Dover]

I enjoyed it, but am not sure it was academy material. Of course, lesser films have won the Oscar so that may be a pretty meaningless statement.

I did not read the book, and wish I had because the characters in the movie were not very richly developed. I would really have liked to get to know Ruby and the other characters better (although the movie clocked in at almost 3 hours as it was). And Nicole is so stunningly beautiful she's almost not real...or at least it's distracting. She is a fantastic actress, so that's not my complaint. But she just looks so amazing in every scene that I just sat transfixed and it drew me away from the story a bit.

Civil wars...or any wars for that matter...do seem so senseless.
And this movie drove that home.
War seems to bring out this dark cruel element that must be otherwise dormant in the human psyche and opportunistic. How can people change from neighbor, friend, countryman to cruel murderous monsters in such short order? How is hate so easily born? In light of current events, it seemed all too familiar.

A great parting kiss between Jude and Nicole, eh?

[Shanty Oilish]

1. I'm still groggy from reading the book

to be driving to the movies! It could only be better.

[1monster]

2. The book was one of the WORST I've ever read...

It had sooo much critical acclaim attached to it that I kept on reading long after the first chapter told me it was not likely to be an interesting read. I never found a single redeeming factor about that book. I've also never talked to anyone who read the book that did like it. (One woman told me that a friend of hers said it was the best book she'd ever read. I answered that her friend needed to read more books. The woman agreed wholeheartedly.)

And the end was worse than the whole book.

Having suffered from the book, I have no plans to see the movie.

Personally, I think the critics got together and picked the worst book they could find and decided to hype it up the wingwang just to see if they had the power to make a really lousey book into a best seller...

[Darth_Kitten]

4. I just don't have any desire to see the movie......

I don't know......it's funny, I used to think Nicole Kidman was a great actress, etc, and I felt sorry for her during the whole Tom Cruise/opportunist weird Spanish actress grande "affaire", but now see her as an opportunist. Her close "friendships" with her co-workers also has put me on guard, as she isn't fooling anyone playing the misunderstood victim of adultery accusations.



Plus I like Rene Z, but find she is a tad overexposed. (and her eyes are getting on my nerves!!! Talk about shallow, eh?) :evilgrin:

[BlueCollar]

3. I saw the film yesterday

and found it to be quite good.

I never finished the book before seeing the film so I can't make the comparison.

As far as the picture goes, I'd say it was well worth the price of admission. The cinematography was excellent, the sound clear, the soundtrack appropriate, the characters were well-developed and realistic.

The ability of human beings to be both cruel and compassionate was very well done.

Did it stand up to the hype? On balance, I think it did...will it win the awards? I don't know.

I think the scene of the girl in the ferry-boat in the river made an especially powerful statement about the war as did the scene with the three Union Soldiers and the girl and her daughter at the cabin.

My thought: Worth the time and money...A- or B+

[private_ryan]

5. it's a great movie IMO

certain DUers might not like it though, constantly shows how women need / long for men....misogynistic bias of course. It also shows what effect (civil in this case) wars have on people's lifes. Acting and the story are great too.

[priller]

7. Agreed. I thought it was great, too.

Very strong anti-war message, beautiful film, good performances (especially Renee Zellwegger). I saw it last night and have been thinking about it all day today. It has a few problems, and I would have liked it better if Nicole Kidman and Natalie Portman weren't so ravishingly beautiful with gleaming hair and expertly plucked brows, but on the whole I thought it was wonderful.

[LWolf]

6. I didn't like the book,

so I'm not planning to see the movie. Although, I have to admit, a movie version can improve a bad book. Example: The Horse Whisperer.

My mom loved Cold Mountain (the book). She raved about it until I realized that she didn't even "get" the end. She thought the male character, name not remembered, lived. When I pointed out the obvious, she was aghast. And said that none of her friends who read and loved the book picked up on it either. :eyes:

Take my opinion with a grain of salt; I don't go to many movies.