An Absurdly Written Story
Added 9/6/2009
Despite Jodi's excellent acting, the development and conclusion of this story is so preposterous that one one wonders how in the world the movie ever got made or why Jodi chose to act in it.
The story goes from one illogicality to another to another to another. Even if Mom lost her daughter's boarding pass, which in itself is quite a stretch, a definite record of it existed in the computer when it was obtained. And it would have been very difficult to have someone delete it from the computer unless sufficient justification had been provided to the airline officials--which there had not been. The flight captain could have obtained that information of the daughter's boarding pass easily enough through radio contact.
That no one sitting nearby would have seen the daughter in her seat was also ridiculous. People nearby do look around, albeit casually, at the persons sitting around them. Children, because there are few of them on a flights, are especially noticable.
That there was not a small coffin on the plane, supposedly the daughter's, beside her father's in the baggage compartment, further confirms that she had not died prior to the flight. A quick examination of the baggage area would have shown this.
And a medical examiner making a false claim that the daughter had died before the flight is not such a simple matter as the movie would lead one to believe--there are many records involved when there is a death. The ambulence record itself would have clearly shown that when the husband died only ONE body was delivered to the morgue--not two, as was stated--even if the medical examiner had created a false death certificate for the daughter, which in itself is highly doubtful because this could have been easily discovered, on investigation, as false.
The writer of this story appeared to assume that everyone who would see it would check his brains outside the theater before entering. It is an insult to anyone's even meager intelligence.
As mentioned, I enjoyed Jodi's fine acting, but she continually did something that bothered me greatly--she kept talking in a whisper, making it very difficult to often understand what she was actually saying.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Didn't want to miss a minute!
Added 8/9/2009
This was a sit on the edge of your seat, question who was the real bad guy type of movie.....I thoroughly enjoyed it. Jodie Foster did a stand up job making you wonder if she was loosing her mind or not. Top notch movie!
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Why blu-ray ?
Added 4/15/2009
A good film, but the quality of the image in the blu-ray does not justify to rent or buy it if you have seen it on DVD. Sorry my english !
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Amber Alert in the sky
Added 10/29/2008
This movie is something like a cross between The Twilight Zone & Alfred Hitchcock presents, with some 9/11 themes thrown in just for fun. There is a missing little girl on a huge double-decker passenger jet flying across the Atlantic. Or is there a missing girl? Therein lies the crux of the storyline.
The DVD contains strong performances by Jodi Foster and Sean Bean. Foster is always a great actress, and the movie hinges on whether we can relate to her angst as a mother of a missing child. If we can't identify w/her, this movie is toast. Thankfully, as always, Foster comes through and we're able to feel her frustration as a person who is treated like some sort of mad woman when all she wants is to keep her daughter safe.
Bean is very good as the kind & caring captain who is willing to give people the benefit-of-the-doubt. He will do anything in his power to help a child in danger, but he is unsure whether such a child is actually on board his aircraft.
While some of the components of this film are a bit contrived (if not outright far-fetched?), it still remains right on the outer cusp of believability. There are some nice plot-twists, and it adds to the depth of the plot that Foster's character is an engineer who actually helped design the plane.
If you're in the mood for a suspenseful thriller, this is a good one to pick up. While it does not seem like it early on, everything will make sense eventually.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Flightplan Full Screen Edition Review
Added 10/25/2008
A suspense thriller about a grieving widow transporting her husband's body on a transatlantic flight with her 6 year old daughter in tow. Jodie Foster does a great job in this movie and is very convincing in her own, doubting her own sanity at times due to circumstances and what others consistently were telling her. It kept you guessing and was not a predictable plot. I'm not a big action fan, but I did like this one. It had a story to it, not just the same old crime/vengence theme.
Tao 89862 1.4-Inch Square Digital Picture Keychain (Black)
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
A smooth flight right into my DVD player...
Added 11/4/2009
For a fast paced thriller I must admit that `Flightplan' actually succeeds on many levels. The acting is committed (as it really needs to be and so often isn't in films of this nature) and the films construction is so tightly compacted that even when it doesn't make sense (and when you think about it, a lot of this movie doesn't) it doesn't matter because you are, most importantly, very entertained.
The film follows Kyle, a grieving widow transporting her husband's body home aboard a jet she helped design. She is accompanied by her daughter, but not for long, for no sooner do they take off her daughter up and disappears. She's frantic (who wouldn't be) but it soon becomes very clear that not only does no one truly believe her, but no one really wants to help her, including the sky marshal, Carson, no matter how sympathetic he seems (creepy).
Jodie Foster really delivers here, and she's not one who is all over my `must see' lists. I like her enough, but I find her highly overrated (I love `The Silence of the Lambs' as much as the next guy, but she wasn't even nomination worthy, let alone WIN worthy over the likes to Sarandon and Davis). Here, she is a complete joy to watch. This hardened woman scorned is her niche (I'd hate to see her play soft and pretty), and she is definitely believable in every scene, despite the fact that the plot is far from probable. I LOVE PETER SARSGAARD and so it's no surprise that he really steals this show for me. In fact, I love Peter Sarsgaard so much that I'm dedicating my next four (five total counting this one) to him and his greatness. Yes, he plays the `obvious creep' very well, but why fault him for doing what is asked of him exceedingly well (that's like faulting Scarlett Johansson for playing the man-eater perfectly). He is all sorts of spine chilling here and I adore that about his performance.
Sarsgaard is far from one trick, even if he has been labeled. Watch him in `Jarhead', `Garden State', `Kinsey', `Boys Don't Cry', `Shattered Glass', `Year of the Dog' and `The Salton Sea', just to mention a few. He has many faces. I really need to write a review on him as an actor soon!
Sean Bean and Erica Christensen (why has this girl disappeared?) are also very well used in their supporting roles here.
So, do I recommend this film? Yes. It is a fun, suspenseful and engaging ride that, despite a few flaws, will not lose your interest. I found that it failed to tie up a few loose ends and feeds into hysteria without purpose, but it is an easily dismissed issue. Just sit back and have fun.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
Jodie Foster vs. The World
Added 10/26/2009
Jodie Foster makes the most of her opportunities to give us a suspenseful flight to N.Y. Many reviewers have provided background so I will simply indicate that I found it sufficiently gripping to keep me in my chair most of the time the DVD was playing...a rare occurrence. Sure one can poke holes in the plot afterwards, if that gives one pleasure; I am happy to let them paper over any flaws as long as the tension is maintained. That the director does. Jodie Foster is the central focus and at the heart of almost every scene. The others support ably as crew and passengers of a very big plane. Should please most if it is your night for some distraught emoting.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
How to Squander an Idea
Added 8/30/2009
"Flightplan" is an object lesson in Hollywood film-making. That is why it fails so badly.
It takes what is a tight little idea (is the mother crazy from grief or did the girl vanish on the plane) and absolutely buries it under a bigger and bigger plot that is increasingly absurd.
Foster carries the beginning of the film well as she ramps up the hysteria, but it soon becomes evident that FAA flight rules have been ignored in this one.
There is no way she would be allowed to raise hell like this for that long and run through a plane without being restrained, as anyone who has ever flown knows.
The search of the plane, the captain having all the time in the world to just chat with her....that is more than just stupid, even with the co-pilot on the job.
The air marshal sarcastically saying to her "I understand why your husband jumped" by way of putting her down...he's supposed to be a cop and he is saying this to a woman who is already showing severe mental stress...right.
There is dramatic licence and then there is insulting the viewer.
The script includes an Arab man and his son being seen as 'natural' suspects, first by Foster and then by a redneck on the plane. It is inserted simply as a cheap thrill for the audience, and should tell you the level at which the scriptwriters are operating.
The beginning premise would have made a great Twilight Zone episode. Instead, it made a lousy film.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
