Casey Janney

24 May 2012

Entertaining for everyone

Do we control our destiny, or do unseen forces manipulate us? MattDamon stars in this thriller as a man who accidentally comes acrosswhat his future has planned for him and realizes he wants somethingelse. To get it, he must pursue the only woman he's ever loved across,under and through the streets of modern-day New York. On the brink ofwinning a seat in the U.S. Senate, ambitious politician David Norris(Damon) meets beautiful contemporary ballet dancer Elise Sellas (EmilyBlunt)-who he immediately falls in love with. But just as he realizesthis, mysterious men (the adjustment bureau) work to keep the two apartfor the sake of the plan. In the face of overwhelming odds, he musteither let her go and accept a predetermined path… I've been waitingfor a movie like this to come out for years. If there really is a planfor me, why is it necessary to factor in a 15-minute period where Ican't find my keys or I spill coffee on myself and I have to go homeand change? What's the point of it all!?! This flick gives you a funtheory as to why; a highly improbable one, but also a thought provokingone. When I watched it, I kept asking myself, "How did it take so longfor a movie like this to come out?" Sure, it's a little far fetched,but fun never the less! Matt Damon and Emily Blunt have great on-screenchemistry, and this truly makes the rather sloppy narrative morebelievable. This film's got it all—romance, mystery, drama, and even awee bit of comedy, but I feel the romantics will love it the most.However, I was rather disappointed with its unchallenging ending.Despite God's plan, maybe, JUST MAYBE, love conquers all.

crazydwarfer

24 May 2012

Absolutely Excellent

Loved it from the first seconds and to the very end. Hoped it will endsexactly as it did. But until the end wasn't sure will it. The bestmovie for last years. Touching to the strings of every heart. (exuse mybad English). Excellent. This movie made me think about mankind andchoices that everyone makes everyday. How much they mean, how much theyare our own choices? Is there such thing as "destiny" or we wright our"plan" by our own. And can such a little influence (in view of thewhole planet of human beings and their thoughts and lives) like love oftwo hearts change everything in our "destiny"? Only great movies orbooks make you think after watching or reading. That's an art ofcinema, I say.

23 May 2012

metaphysical thriller

This was not at all what I expected, i.e. a thriller about some group that was exerting control to some esoteric purpose. Instead, it is a kind of metaphysical thriller, where a talented young politician doesn't fit with the plan and fights very hard to go his own way. It is a nice twist on a totalitarianism that is adaptable and not all that bad in intent, however messy the details are.On the positive side, the chemistry between Damon (an absolutely first rate actor) and Emily Blunt is amazingly believable. They are riveting on screen, genuinely moving, at least to me. This is one level of the film, a kind of love story against all odds - how can they make it work when everything conspires against them. So, without playing the spoiler, Damon discovers that he is being "managed", indeed that he has a destiny. He is a remarkable young politician, somewhat rebellious but committed to changing things. He has always felt a certain emptiness, an emotional hole within himself that he is attempting to fill with the "people's love" as he climbs the political ladder. Then, he has a chance meeting with an extraordinary young woman, and enters an adventure that is as indescribable as it is complex and ultimately impossible to limn. He feels fulfilled, which violates the logic of his destiny. Any means will be employed to correct things.This is a fun film experience, but I don't want to purchase the film, because once you figure out what is happening, you get and won't want to re-experience it. Recommended.

maximum_bone

22 May 2012

good but.......

I am still kind of unsure about this movie. I saw i last night and Iliked it. Good suspense, good acting, interesting plot. However...There are a lot of weird things in the movie that then never reallyexplain. Like the hats...What was up with that, seems stupid, why use ahat to control these beings(?) Why not something that they cant justtake of, and why not something that that doesn't make them look likemembers of a bad boyband. Same with the water, they don't explain thateither, just that it makes them not function fully.And the religious undertones where just to much. And that is somethingthat i personally kills a movie. And the question "Are you angels?"just came out of nowhere and changed the entire movie. Up until thatpoint i really liked the movie, after that question I could not thinkabout anything but the religious undertones.I just had to get that of my chest, sorry.Good movie with some mumbo jumbo bullshit packed into it.

xtian_durden

21 May 2012

Simply Fantastic!

Basically, I didn't' know what was going to happen in the plot, Ithought it would be another one of those tiring political thrillers,but it's completely upside down, I didn't expected that it would be sodifferent and that the next minutes of watching this film would beanother great experience. This film is plain fantastic. This is anoutstanding romance/sci-fi film, without being too romantic and tooscience fictional. It isn't perfect, there might be some plot holes,but I just got tired of finding one in this film, because it appearsall my questions had disappeared right after it ended, and when Ithough about it again my questions were answered when I tried toinvestigate deeper. Just one question remains, were they that advancein technology during early times, were they using those notebooks wayway back then. But that question is just for being curious. But if youfind one or more plot holes, I will remind you that there isn't aperfect plot, especially if it's a complicated one, so why spend somuch time finding a smudge in a plot when you can't even start up yourown beautiful idea. This film reminds me of Wings of Desire and BruceAlmighty, and a little bit of Dark City. I love fantasy or sciencefiction films that doesn't detach itself from reality, for exampleNolan's Inception, these kind of films can build up a notion in yourmind that maybe it's real, it's not impossible in a world like this,yes it can be true, but no one knows, and it's more likely to beimpossible but it can be possible nonetheless. Now, The AdjustmentBureau is a heart-pumping suspense thriller too, it goes so far forbeing an adrenaline rush without using any type of guns at all, whichis unusual in action movies. But can it be called an action movie, Iwouldn't call it one, but it's far more exciting than trigger-happyaction movies. The running scenes are far more better than car chases.I will not elaborate the story, but it does have a religious blend. Butwhat I like about it very much is, it didn't advertise nor did itdestroy one's faith. It's just fair. It's engaging, moving, affecting,sometimes a bit hilarious, and there is a point that it's a bitdepressing too, it's an edge-of-your-seat thriller, and it isinsightful too, all these great things in one film. I love the story,the plotting, the writing, and directing, it's not the greatest film,but why should I not rank it among the best. I will not let any criticsor friends influence me in the way I rate a film or a movie, I'm goingto be honest from now on. I love this kind of work, it rejuvenates mysoul, it makes me smile inside, it's a relief from a hard life, and thestress is gone for a while. I love great films. I can't, I wouldn't letanyone stop me from watching films.

Queer-qatfm

21 May 2012

Adjustment Bureau is based on a Phillip K. Dick short story, I knew I would be in very good company.

It's excused if you didn't see The Adjustment Bureau in theaters. Afterall, adult hard sci-fi thrillers aren't exactly everyone's cup of tea.Ones that feature plenty of men in fedoras though, thankfully, areright up my alley. And seeing as this particular Adjustment Bureau isbased on a Phillip K. Dick short story, I knew I would be in very goodcompany.See, what those guys wearing great head gear do is they open up theirlittle nifty CG booklets and when someone does something they're notsupposed to, they use all manners of tricks to get them back on course.Like a traffic tie up to cause you miss an important meeting you wouldhave been made to look foolish for, only so that later during areschedule you end up nailing a promotion. Or maybe during a chase,you'll slip and fall and lose sight of the one you are making eyes foron the train only to never see them again. It's a destiny vs freechoice type situation, and I'm pretty well tugged in by Matt Damon'scharismatic character.He does end up having one of those moments when this girl is exactlywhat he feels he must have in this world. And, of course, those peskypeople in fedoras keep trying to remind him, subtlety and then moreaggressively otherwise, that not only will he not continue on his pathof political fame if he peruses her, she'll miss out on heropportunities as well. So the question becomes not necessarily destinyvs free choice, but what's more important, goals and ambition or lovesweet love.Things get a little ripe and over the top the further down the rabbithole Mr. Damon travels. We're given more and more world building andrules as we go along. Sometimes it feels they're just making stuff upto satisfy a plot, and I suppose that's mostly what such fantasy flicksare required to do. But it seems to much at times and I'm still notquite sure how much I'm falling for the romance angle thatprogressively gets harder to root for.Still, one shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. Or a gift moviethat's actually very entertaining throughout and provides more than itsfair share of nail-biting suspenseful moments in the midst of good oldfashioned adult storytelling. Characters are great, it's filmed well,and I'm so wanting to buy myself a fedora now.

KineticSeoul

21 May 2012

Interesting premise with a good blend of sci-fi and romance

I really didn't have high expectations for this movie when I saw thetrailer, but after seeing it I can now say it really did beat myexpectations. It's a clever sci-fi romance/thriller that is craftedvery well and intrigued me throughout the whole movie. It sort ofreminded me of movies like "The Butterfly Effect" and "Inception" abit, but I personally liked this movie a bit more than "The ButterflyEffect". The movie is about trying to outrun fate or predestination andalso makes you think more about freewill and also has elements of loveand has a perfect blend of sci-fi and romance. The vibe and style hasbeen done before especially in other sci-fi movies, but the directionof it all makes it worth while. The lighthearted aspect of this movieis done right for a serious tone movie and I didn't really like MattDamon as a actor all that much but I enjoyed his performance in this.His character was very likable and a ideal politician in this movie.There is few parts that doesn't make sense, but overall the premise ismostly cleverly done. Now I never read "Adjustment Team" by Philip K.Dick this movie is adapted from, but judging by the film itself Ireally enjoyed it and seemed like a very good adaptation. There is someparts that seem to drag on sometimes and a bit slow. But overall almosteverything in this movie works and has a perfect blend of two mainelements. If your looking for tension you might be disappointed,because the Adjustment Bureau isn't very intimidating in this and youwill see why. Despite some flaws, it's still a intriguing movie doneright and to anyone who is looking for a good date movie, this one isworth checking out there is something for everyone.8.3/10

Girish Winchester

20 May 2012

The Observers.. um, Adjusters, are watching you!

Are the choices we make really made on our own free will or is it allfate, predestined and set in stone no matter how hard we try to escapeit? In "The Adjustment Bureau", a rising politician, David Norris (MattDamon) bumps into a ballerina, Elise (Emily Blunt) in the strangest ofplaces under the strangest of circumstances and they are immediatelyattracted to each other. Even though mysterious men (The Adjusters) aredead set on keeping them apart, they keep bumping into each other bychance. Finally, one of the stranger mysterious guys kidnap him and layit all in front of him. They are the course correctors of the world.Whenever they hand over free will to humans from the heights of humanadvancements, we inevitably decline into anarchy, the Dark Ages andworld wars. He realizes the gravity of the situation where his andElise's entire starlit future will no longer be a possibility if theyfall in love. In the face of overwhelming odds, either he must let hergo and accept his fate or risk everything to be with her and push theircareer into an abyss.People who haven't watched 'Fringe' are calling this movie imaginativeand intriguing, while I'd say its derivative of a far greater work. TheAdjustment Bureau in the movie is quite obviously fashioned along thelines of Fringe's "OBSERVERS". The differences being the notablenot-balded heads, the use of 'portal doors' and The Adjusters beingmore or less angels. The Observers though, are obviously much morebetter written than The Adjusters who seem very non-threatening.Implying God as the Chairman was really funny to me. It made the movieless suspenseful than it should have been. Then there's a plotdeviation in the middle when its revealed that David and Elise weremeant to be together in all the previous plans, but the plan waschanged suddenly. So, now they were meant to be with different people.This brings up the whole - Why the hell did the Chairman change theplan in the first place!! Thus, David and Elise, when you think aboutit, never had any free will to fall in love with each other since theremnants of the previous plans were subconsciously in their minds.Most people are comparing this movie to Inception which is highlyunfair since its not an all out intelligent action/sci-fi thriller.But, if this is the kind of stories 'Inception' helps bring about inHollywood, then its a step in the right direction. Let me be clear, Ireally liked the movie, but the potential it had was never quiteachieved. Why did the Adjustors want humans to have a better life? Whatwas their interest in all this? It was never explained. They didn'tdelve into the philosophical or sci-fi aspects of the story. The firsthalf was far superior to the latter half of the movie. Also it didn'thelp with the fact that the gorgeous Emily Blunt is just the arm candyfor Matt Damon and is completely under utilized, barring a few scenes.Matt Damon is perfect in his portrayal as always. By far, the breakoutcharacter being the Adjuster, Harry (Anthony Mackie) who goes againstthe rules and helps David Norris in his quest. In retrospect, his wasthe only arc where the philosophical and moral conundrum in followingGod's plans was even remotely touched upon (same storyline is donebetter in 'Supernatural'). This movie is just another 'love triumphsover all hardships' with a sci-fi/supernatural twist. Could have beendone better, but its enjoyable nonetheless.7/10

17 May 2012

Original Idea!

This review is from: The Adjustment Bureau (Amazon Instant Video) I do not remember ever watching another movie like this. It comes from a Philip K. Dick short story, which does not surprise me as his works are somewhat off the wall (in a good way!). This is a very interesting movie, with a cool and fun plot. At then end, there are some unanswered questions that, to me, only add to the mystique of the movie. What is the purpose of all that happens? Why is there a "plan?" Who is in charge and why?

vlevensonnd-1

17 May 2012

Another God Isnt Going To Control Me movie

On a very surface level, I liked this movie. On a deeper level, Idon't. It's another movie that reflects the modern way of thought: 'Godmakes mistakes, too.' - 'God doesn't know best, I know best' - 'It'sall about me' - 'I'm going to have things my way (my way or thehighway)' - 'I can defy God because I have free will' - (and the listgoes on). When we are given precious knowledge and insight into the wayGod works and is moving, and we STILL demand on doing things our way,we are in a very serious danger zone. What caused Satan to fall? Pride- by thinking that he could do what he wanted apart from the Almighty -then acting upon it. It's movies like this that seem to have such astrong-hold on so people's minds, that if you cannot be with the personyou want to be with - not even life itself is worth living. How manysuicides occur each year because someone broke up with someone and theyfelt they could not live any longer? Love stories that convey thosethings are indeed dangerous on the young and weak in society. Storiesthat convey defying, disrespecting, and distrusting God are indeeddangerous to everyone in society. The end message is 'If you push Himenough, He'll give in and give you what you want' - 'God actually doeswant you to fight against him and fight for your free will because itsa gift worth fighting for' - Can you see where these are serious twistson truths? Very serious twists. Watching this movie reminded me of oneof the very first novels I ever read when I was a teenager, called'Heaven, Hell, and the Megas Factor'. It's basically the sameprinciples - or lack thereof. I don't recommend watching this movie forthose purposes, but if you did like the movie, you would like the book'Heaven, Hell, and the Megas Factor'. I really did love it when I was achild, but I've grown a little bit older and wiser since then.

17 May 2012

Wait for cable worthy

This review is from: The Adjustment Bureau (Amazon Instant Video) This movie turned out to be nothing like I thought it was going to be. I will not spoil anything but don't expect to get excited or in suspense during this movie. Not worth money wait for it on cable.

16 May 2012

pretty good

Definitely worth seeing and a fun ride.If you really think carefully about the premise on which the movie is based, it's pretty unbelievable and doesn't make a whole lot of sense. But if you suspend disbelief for the duration of the movie, you'll enjoy a fun and exciting ride..Matt Damon is very likeable as the main character and Emily Blunt is a really good leading lady. She's quite believable as the object of the Matt character's affections. Good pace, interesting storyline.

jamiemarks-1

12 May 2012

Great acting and lovely romantic chemistry, but the story and screenplay brings it down.

The Adjustment Bureau has received mixed reviews on here so far and Iam not surprised. The trailer has been marketed deceptively to theaudience of an science fiction, action thriller and it only has one ofthe three. The thing is I knew specifically what the film was as one ofmy friends who saw it told me, a romantic drama. My rating for thisfilm wasn't as high as I wanted to be as for a while I was internallystruggling whether to award this a six or seven out of ten, but Idecided on a six in the end.The plot consists of young man David Norris (Matt Damon) who is runningfor senate in New York. He ends up meeting a beautiful ballerina EliseSellas (Emily Blunt) in the men's bathroom whilst practising a speech.They hit it off immediately and meet again on the bus, but a mysteriousgroup of men dressed in hats are tailing him and he eventually findsout that they are part of a mysterious bureau that control the choicesthat humans make due to the past historical atrocities. One man calledThompson (Terence Stamp) tells him. The bureau helps certain people getto the "top" to help keep the world in order. They try to keep Davidand Elise apart as David is destined to become down the road thepresident of America and him being with her would ruin that.But he refuses to heed them and threatens to expose their existence sothey do everything they can to stop him, which includes using some sortof magic with their hats, which enable them to walk through doors thatlead to different locations. David with help from one of the bureauHarry Mitchell (Anthony Mackie) helps him get Elise back and outrun therest of the bureau.The main reason to see this movie and what keep it afloat is the greatacting from the two main characters. Matt Damon gives a surprisinglytouching performance of a man torn between his career and love forElise. He is even convincing as a man running for the senate. EmilyBlunt is even better with a terrific performance and has a wonderfulcharming charisma that won me over. The chemistry between her and Damonis superb and convincing and you do feel as though they love eachother. They are a charming couple, which make them likable and you wantthem to be together. The supporting performance from Terence Stamp andAnthony Mackie are good and lend decent support to the main cast. Thescript has it moments of sparky wit particularly in the first couple ofscenes between Blunt and Damon and the cinematography of the scenery ismesmerising. The story is also interesting to an extent of choices, fate and love,but it dosen't go far enough in depth and just brush strokes over itand there some plot holes and unanswered questions like how was thebureau created and when? And the ending was rather silly. As Harryexplains to them, they are allowed to stay together because thechairperson changed the plan, but why didn't they just change it tothat in the first place? Why put everyone through that? Harry mentionsit might be a test and that the chairperson was won over by theirdetermination to be together, but it is too vague and apparently thechairperson can take any form. How? Of another person? Animal? If theycan take the form of any person, did their decision to change the planalter because of the "person" they took have different opinions onthings? It's never explained and as a result the screenplay just feelsempty with huge voids that should have been filled.It's a good film and I recommend seeing it, but it isn't all it'scracked up to be with even the action it had being of littleexcitement. Damon and Blunt's acting and their romantic chemistrythough carry this film afloat, but it was disappointing as it did havethe potential to be much more than it delivered. All the same I enjoyedit from beginning to end and if you want a nice romance film then thisis for you.

Ritesh Man Tamrakar

12 May 2012

In search of my free will

Interesting movie with a lots question to answer. I found followingthings interesting in the movie: 1) Logic book used for what ifanalysis of the situation 2) Doors to travel space 3) Change of plan 4)Special agents with hat 5) David Norris determination to find Elise,fight for free will. Now i knew why i did not meet her again, lost my mobile with her numberand i don't remember her name ;) They adjusted to reveal it throughthis movie to me. I am not in peace now, I need to break them to findher. First of all i will buy a hat and find a right door. :)There must be some agents trying to help me to connect to the lostperson with this comment. Some agent will definitely try to block it.:)

skaub33

11 May 2012

Good flick

I thought it was a great movie with a great story line. Definitely keptme interested the whole time. The lead characters play well off of eachother, and have good chemistry.The movies definitely makes you think about things in the world, andhow/why they happen. The next time I spill my coffee, I'm going to notstop to pick it up, and see what happens. Who knows maybe you havealready been adjusted.The writers did make one mistake in that he(Damon) runs for the senateagain 4 years after loosing, when US Senators serve six year terms.This had no impact on the movie, but I found it kind of funny.

scootmandutoo

11 May 2012

God has lots of plot holes

What a disappointment this movie was.It was bad enough that both blu-ray rentals we got were defective, butI could not get over the ludicrous plot.There were just so many ridiculous things wrong with the premise of themovie. As just one example, falling in love would stop someone fromwanting to be president...but God was considering wiping that person'sbrain clean so that they would not fall in love, yet the personalitythat would cause them to become president would be gone, too. Therewere just so many nonsensical moments that we lost count.I will say this, if there really is an adjustment bureau it wouldaccount for how many people actually gave this film high marks.Fortunately, I am posting my '3' before they get to me.

issachar

10 May 2012

For Love

The Adjustment Bureau is the new "Matrix", it makes it think overagain: Is there any chance our life actually run like this?In "Matrix", you wonder if you are just dreaming about your life whileyou are just lying in a wet battery cell for your life.In Adjustment Bureau, we do not have "Free Will", we don't makeimportant decisions, what we could decide is what we drink at lunch,but that's all.When it come to love, David Norris (Matt) fall in love in the firstsight for Elise (Emily). For some reason, he lost her number while shegive him on bus, well... he have to. A mysterious group of people "intervenue" David and force him to giveup Emily, that if he tried to approach her again, they will "reset"him. Later he found out that the reason is becoz the "chairman" gotbetter plans for both of them. David is going to be President of US andEmily become a great dancer over the world.Now David have to make him choice, to love? Or to the greater good ofhimself.In real life, from time to time, we got to make choices like this, oneway or another, that might change things the rest of our life. How dowe choose? I believe people who like this film are more passionate, they know loveis worth fighting for, and it's more important than anything in theworld. They see a great love story, presented in a sci-fi way.HOWEVER, such concept could be tricky and it's not easy to present itvisually, although the idea of this film is excellent, I do agree withsome people that the presentation could be improved, it's a commercialfilm after all.

09 May 2012

Not too over the top with effects

I'm not a fan of movies with so much as a hint of religious evangelism in them, but this fantasy thriller goes easy on the faith elements and heavy on the romantic elements so I was okay with it. It's a big budget Hollywood production, and the set values, mostly in New York City, are all real and high quality. There are special effects at work, but very subtle. This is actually a decent movie for thinking adults who can forget their cynicism for a moment and believe in fate, as they call it here. Matt Damon does very well for himself in a role that calls on his acting muscles more than his physical ones, for a change. I did have to laugh at the use of what appears to be an iconic insurance company building in Manhattan as the home of The Man who controls our destinies.

hankschade

08 May 2012

possible goof

during the "teaching" scene, it is mentioned that they are in theMuseum of Modern Art. Looks like the Museum of Natural History to me.otherwise the movie was very good. emily blunt character seemed torepresent good and the adjustment bureau - evil. but i vacilatedseveral times as to which was which and the movie did not really answerthis for me. watched this with my niece who is much younger than i andshe seemed to feel the same way. we revealed our suspicions to eachother near the end of the movie. it was a really good movie, we bothenjoyed it, just wanted to point out the blooper about the museums andthe website does not offer that option. this is the only option to givemy view.

07 May 2012

Good Action - Spiritual but not Religious

Damon takes his talented Boston-bred acting skills to a classic spiritual story. A good fit and good cinematography. -Steve K.