jfoobar

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0477302/

A nine-year-old amateur inventor, jewelry designer, astrophysicist, tambourine player and pacifist, searches New York for the lock that matches a mysterious key left by his father when he was killed in the September 11 attacks.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ZqfA1BocV44" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

The child actor was actually the winner of the 2010 teen Jeopardy tournament, apparently.

Regardless, this movie looks like it should have been called "Oscar Bait."

GoldenJCJ

I bet the key opens his father's porn stash.

Solid Snake

Oscar bait? I dunno about that but it's probably going to be a money maker. Seems to be pretty general as fuck to a broad audience to feel good etc etc blah blah. Of course The Blind Side happened..so....yeah...you're possibly right.

Crocker Jarmen

I noticed it was directed by Stephen Daldry who has a pretty impressive track record with Oscar nominations.

PenguinJoe

Hmm, they haven't released where it will be in limited release yet. I'm curious to see it.

PopcornTreeCt

I thought it looked decent from the trailers. I wished it were directed by Danny Boyle because then I'd probably be guaranteed that it would be good.

Sonic

Very nice trailer very touching. Looks very interesting.

Mike86

I saw a matinee of this yesterday as I was curious despite the reviews. I have to say this movie was not very good at all really (maybe why it hasn't been talked about much on here). The character of Oskar has got to be one of the most annoying in recent memory. He basically ruined this film for me and I think the story had an okay chance at being decent if it weren't for him. I wouldn't see this again and was actually thinking of leaving at a couple points just because I couldn't take the kid anymore. Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock were both okay but neither really gave a stand out performance.

banthafett

Even in the trailer, that kid was WAAAAY to fruity.

conscience

and...

Solid Snake

gay? *shrugs shoulders*

Randy Miller III

I just thought he was supposed to be smart/special/borderline autistic or whatever. You know, because of the Hayley Joel Osment voice and mismatched outfits.

Solid Snake

Wait...he isn't? I would swear that this kid was in some way "special" cuz that's what the trailers give me.

davidh777

Well, if this was intended to be Oscar bait, it seems to have worked.

The trailer looks way too emotional-hot-button-y for me.

SethDLH

I saw him win some award on the Critics Choice Awards (or whatever award show was on Vh1) and he came off as a 10 year old kid who's parents forced the maturity of a grown man on him. It made me want to rip my own head off with frustration. It seemed so disingenuous, even though I'm sure it isn't his fault.

inri222

http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/re...bly-close/5982

...Like 25th Hour as directed by the Care Bears, the New York-set film attempts to use the ordeal of one
to address the pain and interconnectedness of all in the wake of what Oskar calls "the worst day,"
yet it's presented in a cutesy, sterile, pristine package befitting the shelves at FAO Schwartz.
Quite literally from first shot to last, it's an elaborately overworked act of shameless tear-wringing,
its manipulation increasing by the reel and emanating out of Oskar from his dreamy baby blues to his Leave It to Beaver wardrobe.
If this insufferably drawn, answer-seeking symbol of a kid were truly representative of post-9/11 New Yorkers
(or, wider still, Americans), one surely wouldn't need to look overseas to find a source of terror.

PopcornTreeCt

So, it's basically a Spielberg film?

Patman

Oscar Schell (Thomas Horn) lost his father in the 9/11 attacks on the WTC. Oscar had a good father (Tom Hanks) who piqued Oscar's native curiousity about the world with scavenger hunts. The aftermath of his father's untimely demise left him with a key and the last name of "Black". In order to find what his father might have left for him, Oscar embarks on a search for the right person, and he comes across a wide array of people on this final scavenger hunt with his father.

While Stephen Daldry's direction is solid, the film feels a little long, and Oscar's is somewhat likable, ernest, yes, with a slightly headstrong streak which doesn't quite endear himself to everyone who crosses his path. Sandra Bulloch plays Oscar's mother, and it's a fairly small, but important role. The same could be said about Max von Sydow's role as a mute renter of Oscar's grandmother's apartment. Oscar pretty much carries the film on his shoulders with his travels across New York City.

I give it 2.75 stars, or a grade of B-.

dino88

Good thing my last name isn't Black. If this kid showed up at my front door, I'd probably punch him in the face.

RichC2

The kid kind of killed the movie for me, he was annoying as hell and needed a damn smack down.

Also why the hell was Max von Sydow nominated for an oscar for this? I think he's a great actor but yeah...