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The Time Traveler’s Wife (2009)

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  • GENRE: Drama, Science Fiction

    • Time Traveler's Wife
    The time traveler gets gray hair, but his wife, never seems to age.

  • ACTORS: Rachel McAdams, Eric Bana, Arliss Howard, Ron Livingston, Stephen Tobolowsky, Jane McLean, Brooklynn Proulx, Alex Ferris, Michelle Nolden, Tatum McCann, Hailey McCann
  • RATING: PG-13
  • PARENTAL NOTE: Not intended for young children. Brief nudity. Implied pre-marital sex. Although in a time traveling movie, it’s hard to say whether something technically happened before or after the characters were married. Some violence, but nothing extreme.
  • INTENDED AUDIENCE: This movie has romance, which could please fans of that genre. It has science fiction, which could please those fans. Or it could be just enough of each element to alienate everyone.
  • GENERAL PLOT: (No spoilers) A man travels through time, meeting his wife and his daughter along the way. You get one guess as to whether things will end well in this story line.


    • The 1960's TV show: The Time Tunnel
    The 1960's TV show: The Time Tunnel

  • REVIEW: As a general rule, people don’t want to know what lies in their future. Other than the next winning lottery number.[1. This time traveling cliche is put to use in The Time Traveler’s Wife] The concept of time travel is fascinating. The Time Traveler’s Wife actually plays the concept pretty reasonably and realistically–assuming you suspend the laws of nature and physics long enough to accept the concept that time travel is possible. For example, do you remember the campy 1960’s TV show called “The Time Tunnel?” The time traveling leading characters travel through TV time fully clothed. In fact, their clothing appears to be laundered, dry-cleaned and pressed as they bounce uncontrollably through time and space. Not so in The Time Traveler’s Wife. In fact the time traveler in this movie is stripped, and arrives at the end of his time travels completely naked. Too bad he never seems to time travel to his bathtub. I’m not sure this variation on the time traveling theme makes sense. But it does present a twist on the experience. Imagine being uncontrollably thrust into a foreign time and place wearing no clothes whatsoever.

    I’ve never seen a time traveling experience end well. And this film is no exception. It seems as though a time traveler ought to be able to avoid his downfall, by taking a little peek into the future, and then avoiding the danger that awaits. It seems like it–but it never quite ends this way.

  • RECOMMENDATION: Actually, I liked the film, notwithstanding the “romance” factor mentioned above.[1. Come on Hollywood, how about a big budget movie about time traveling zombies?] The film makers obviously put some thought into making the non-sequential elements fit together. The “romance” part of the story line was a bit too sappy for my liking, but I’m sure it would appeal to some.
  • RATING (out of 5 stars): ★★★★★

FOOTNOTES:



MOVIE REVIEW: Sherlock Holmes (2009)

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  • GENRE: Action
  • ACTORS: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong, Eddie Marsan, Kelly Reilly, Hans Matheson, William Hope, William Houston, Geraldine James

    • Sherlock Holmes

  • RATING: PG-13
  • PARENTAL NOTE: Not intended for younger children. There may be some profanity, but it is not prevalent. Some questionable situations and references to magic and the occult. There is almost (but not quite) brief nudity in a couple of scenes.[1. One of which is shown at the end of the video clip in the full blOg entry.] Lots of violence, but not explicit nor gory. I don’t think watching this movie would harm older teenagers.
  • INTENDED AUDIENCE: This movie should have a broad appeal for viewers of an appropriate age.
  • GENERAL PLOT: (No spoilers) If you’ve read the Sherlock Holmes books by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859 – 1930), or seen other Sherlock Holmes movies, it’s best to pretend you haven’t. This movie is only loosely related to the book. I’ve always thought the detective, Holmes, was a more “dark” character in the books, than in earlier movies. He’s portrayed by Robert Downey Jr. as plenty “dark” in this film. Although there is reference to magic and the occult, I wouldn’t say that dark themes dominate the movie. Perhaps only dim themes, or grey themes. There are lots of twists and turns in the plot, but you never get the feeling that there is going to be any big surprise. There isn’t. After all, Sherlock Holmes always evades the criminals and solves the crime. That ingredient in books and previous movies has never changed.


  • REVIEW: I liked the movie. Lots of action, though much of it is pretty implausible. The scenery was great too. I wasn’t alive in 19th century England[1. My children would dispute this point], so I can’t say for sure–but I really felt like I was there. This was a dark, rainy, dirty, earthy, disorganized 19th century England too. Lots of dirt. In fact, if I had to sum up the mood of the film one word, that word would be “filth.”
  • RECOMMENDATION: This is an action movie. It is not a film about cute puppies, so don’t be offended when it turns out there are hangings, fights, shooting, explosions, and even a few killings. For all these reasons, I found this version of Sherlock Holmes to be quite enjoyable. Definitely worth watching.
  • RATING (out of 5 stars): ★★★★★

FOOTNOTES: