Reviews of LMI

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Wolfchild
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Reviews of LMI

Post by Wolfchild » Mon Oct 04, 2010 8:29 pm

Now that the film is out, please put new threads regarding media reviews in the Media section. I'd like this section to transition to first-hand reviews and discussion of the film itself. Interviews can go here - so long as it will illuminate something about the film or it's production and spur discussion of the film.

Thanks,
The Management.
...the story derives a lot of its appeal from its sense of despair and a darkness in which the love of Eli and Oskar seems to shine with a strange and disturbing light.
-Lacenaire

Visit My LTROI fan page.

Barb
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Re: Reviews of LMI

Post by Barb » Sun Oct 10, 2010 8:05 pm

Just wanna say, cool, well done fan page!

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woowoo
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Re: Reviews of LMI

Post by woowoo » Mon Dec 13, 2010 9:32 pm

Howdy you all.... I have been taking a break from the cyber highway....

But, I finally seen LMI... and i was really disappointed. But I am sure this is a direct result of the fact I have seen and loved the original.

Lena and Kare simply knocked their roles out of the ballpark and to put it simply.... this film should have never been remade. LTROI simply had an aura about it that will never be matched no matter how hard someone tries. I am sure if Lena pursues acting she is destine for greatness.... she just has the "IT" factor, that makes a viewer care for the the character. She was simply too good for any remake to ever succeed.

It's too bad Lena is growing into a beautiful young lady because there is so much more that could be told... as we all know...

Oh well.......

Still a nice movie... LMI, .. that is..
"deserves got nothin to do with it" William Munny, Unforgiven

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jonjon_z
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Re: Reviews of LMI

Post by jonjon_z » Wed Dec 15, 2010 11:18 pm

Having read the book and seen the swedish film I really wanted to like this film. Not only because it's a beautiful story but also because of the talented actors involved, Chloe Moretz and Richard Jenkins. However I must have set my expectations too high because I was disappointed to say the least.

I have no idea what possessed Mr. Reeves to include the following scene; Owens finds an old photobooth strip of Abby with a young boy who bears a striking resemblance to a young Håkan. This had nothing to do with the book or LTROI. Regardless of that, whether you read the book or LTROI or not, this implys Owen was recruited by Abby to become the replacement blood procurer which then changes the entire perspective on the story as well as changing the relationship between Abby and Owen. It now seems Abby was using Owen since the start. I felt this was totally unnecessary.

Richard Jenkins didn't disappoint. You either hated him or felt sorry for his character. In any case he did have two moving moments with Abby. Chloe Moretz is indeed a talented and skilled actress. However I felt her performance was dumbed-down, or held back in order to keep Abby's aura of sadness. I'm sure many of you will disagree but I didn't feel much chemistry between Owen and Abby.

There is a deleted scene you can watch on youtube (which I hope will be included on Blu-ray) when Abby says, "Please, be me... even for a little while". Then Abby kisses Owen which triggers a vision. Cutting this scene, to me, was a grave mistake. It was *the* most compelling and moving part of the entire movie.

Overall I felt the movie was rushed, the use of cheap lighting tricks was a bit much and the ending was rather laughable.

That's my opinion I welcome yours.
"Can we die?" "Of course we can." Eli put his hand on his heart, felt the slow beats. Maybe it was because he was a child. Maybe that was why he hadn't put an end to it. The pangs of conscience were weaker than his will to live.

ColBlair
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Re: Reviews of LMI

Post by ColBlair » Wed Dec 15, 2010 11:30 pm

jonjon_z wrote:Having read the book and seen the swedish film I really wanted to like this film. Not only because it's a beautiful story but also because of the talented actors involved, Chloe Moretz and Richard Jenkins. However I must have set my expectations too high because I was disappointed to say the least.

I have no idea what possessed Mr. Reeves to include the following scene; Owens finds an old photobooth strip of Abby with a young boy who bears a striking resemblance to a young Håkan. This had nothing to do with the book or LTROI. Regardless of that, whether you read the book or LTROI or not, this implys Owen was recruited by Abby to become the replacement blood procurer which then changes the entire perspective on the story as well as changing the relationship between Abby and Owen. It now seems Abby was using Owen since the start. I felt this was totally unnecessary.

Richard Jenkins didn't disappoint. You either hated him or felt sorry for his character. In any case he did have two moving moments with Abby. Chloe Moretz is indeed a talented and skilled actress. However I felt her performance was dumbed-down, or held back in order to keep Abby's aura of sadness. I'm sure many of you will disagree but I didn't feel much chemistry between Owen and Abby.

There is a deleted scene you can watch on youtube (which I hope will be included on Blu-ray) when Abby says, "Please, be me... even for a little while". Then Abby kisses Owen which triggers a vision. Cutting this scene, to me, was a grave mistake. It was *the* most compelling and moving part of the entire movie.

Overall I felt the movie was rushed, the use of cheap lighting tricks was a bit much and the ending was rather laughable.

That's my opinion I welcome yours.
I know that there are few people who said that the deleted scene should of been there to make Abby a bit more sympathetic. When I seen the movie the first time, I thought the guy was her brother, but I found out that it was a friend when I read the Wikipedia article. I don't think Abby was really recruiting Owen though, because if you seen the hospital scene, Abby and The Father seemed cared about one another and had a history. I also think that it shows more of Abby's and The Father's loneliness. This would explain why Abby went to Owen's room that night. I do agree, it can be confusing though. One thing after I read the book though, I thought that The Father could be someone like Oskar in the book. There is a part in the book where Eli asks Oskar if he wanted to be turned and he responded by saying, "I want to be with you." if you haven't read the book, I recommend it. ;) So to me, the Father wanted to be with Abby, but didn't want to be turned into someone like Abby. Which to me, explains why he wrote, "IM SORY ABBY." ;)

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jonjon_z
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Re: Reviews of LMI

Post by jonjon_z » Thu Dec 16, 2010 1:09 am

ColBlair wrote: know that there are few people who said that the deleted scene should of been there to make Abby a bit more sympathetic. When I seen the movie the first time, I thought the guy was her brother, but I found out that it was a friend when I read the Wikipedia article. I don't think Abby was really recruiting Owen though, because if you seen the hospital scene, Abby and The Father seemed cared about one another and had a history. I also think that it shows more of Abby's and The Father's loneliness. This would explain why Abby went to Owen's room that night. I do agree, it can be confusing though. One thing after I read the book though, I thought that The Father could be someone like Oskar in the book. There is a part in the book where Eli asks Oskar if he wanted to be turned and he responded by saying, "I want to be with you." if you haven't read the book, I recommend it. So to me, the Father wanted to be with Abby, but didn't want to be turned into someone like Abby. Which to me, explains why he wrote, "IM SORY ABBY."
I thank you for your input! Actually I do have the ebook and in it, Abby and the Guardian do have a close relationship but not in the way you would think if you didn't read the book. Håkan was a middle-aged alcoholic pedophile when Eli recruited him to be her Renfield. She needed blood and had something she could offer in return for Håkan's services. By the time they moved into Oskar's apartment building they have somewhat of a bond albeit a twisted one ("You don't love me" "Yes I do" "No you don't"). I don't think Abby ever intended to turn Håkan. Of course we don't want to believe Abby was recruiting Owen but it was that photostrip that placed Owen in Håkan's shoes. That's what bothered me the most about LMI.
One evening when Hakan was sitting on a bench next to a playground with a bottle of half-yeasted wine in a plastic bag, Eli came and sat down beside him. In his drunkenness Hakan had almost immediately put a hand on Eli's thigh. Eli had let it stay there, taken Hakan's head between her hands, turned it toward her, and said: "You are going to be with me." Hakan had mumbled something about how he couldn't afford such a beauty right now but when his finances allowed ...

Eli had moved his hand from her thigh, leaned down, and taken his wine bottle, poured it out and said: "You don't understand. You're going to stop drinking now. You are going to be with me. You are going to help me. I need you. And I'm going to help you." Then Eli had held out her hand, Hakan had taken it, and they had walked away together. He had stopped drinking and entered into Eli's service.

John Ajvide Lindqvist, "Let the Right One In" c. 2004
"Can we die?" "Of course we can." Eli put his hand on his heart, felt the slow beats. Maybe it was because he was a child. Maybe that was why he hadn't put an end to it. The pangs of conscience were weaker than his will to live.

ColBlair
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Re: Reviews of LMI

Post by ColBlair » Thu Dec 16, 2010 2:50 am

jonjon_z wrote:
ColBlair wrote: know that there are few people who said that the deleted scene should of been there to make Abby a bit more sympathetic. When I seen the movie the first time, I thought the guy was her brother, but I found out that it was a friend when I read the Wikipedia article. I don't think Abby was really recruiting Owen though, because if you seen the hospital scene, Abby and The Father seemed cared about one another and had a history. I also think that it shows more of Abby's and The Father's loneliness. This would explain why Abby went to Owen's room that night. I do agree, it can be confusing though. One thing after I read the book though, I thought that The Father could be someone like Oskar in the book. There is a part in the book where Eli asks Oskar if he wanted to be turned and he responded by saying, "I want to be with you." if you haven't read the book, I recommend it. So to me, the Father wanted to be with Abby, but didn't want to be turned into someone like Abby. Which to me, explains why he wrote, "IM SORY ABBY."
I thank you for your input! Actually I do have the ebook and in it, Abby and the Guardian do have a close relationship but not in the way you would think if you didn't read the book. Håkan was a middle-aged alcoholic pedophile when Eli recruited him to be her Renfield. She needed blood and had something she could offer in return for Håkan's services. By the time they moved into Oskar's apartment building they have somewhat of a bond albeit a twisted one ("You don't love me" "Yes I do" "No you don't"). I don't think Abby ever intended to turn Håkan. Of course we don't want to believe Abby was recruiting Owen but it was that photostrip that placed Owen in Håkan's shoes. That's what bothered me the most about LMI.
One evening when Hakan was sitting on a bench next to a playground with a bottle of half-yeasted wine in a plastic bag, Eli came and sat down beside him. In his drunkenness Hakan had almost immediately put a hand on Eli's thigh. Eli had let it stay there, taken Hakan's head between her hands, turned it toward her, and said: "You are going to be with me." Hakan had mumbled something about how he couldn't afford such a beauty right now but when his finances allowed ...

Eli had moved his hand from her thigh, leaned down, and taken his wine bottle, poured it out and said: "You don't understand. You're going to stop drinking now. You are going to be with me. You are going to help me. I need you. And I'm going to help you." Then Eli had held out her hand, Hakan had taken it, and they had walked away together. He had stopped drinking and entered into Eli's service.

John Ajvide Lindqvist, "Let the Right One In" c. 2004
I understand. ;) Try not to view the Father as Hakan, but just another guy that Abby met in LMI. i read the book twice and I that's what made me think The Father may have been someone like Oskar. Matt Reeves (in my mind) did that to change the story of a friend and to emphasize on Abby's loneliness. Tell you the truth, I viewed the Father and Hakan totally different from one another. I couldn't get around that Abby was recruiting Owen at all. There is just too much there that made me turn to the positive.

Though, if Abby did manipulate The Father, then she did that maybe for the same reason that Eli manipulated Hakan in the novel. Let's play with that concept with the The Father, if he had done something that may had Abby to use him, then Abby had no feelings for the guy what so ever at the time. Then her feelings for Owen were fresh, but how do you explain the hospital in LMI? Simple, I believe that The Father only wanted to be with her, but couldn't see the fact that he wanted to be a vampire.

Oh, in case if you're interested, here's an interview of Chloe Moretz who describes her experiences of her character and on the set.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-zSxfpiq5Q

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foxfire
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Re: Reviews of LMI

Post by foxfire » Thu Feb 03, 2011 6:52 am

I prefer to think that Eli/Oskar and Abby/Owen had a different kind of love than Eli/Hakan and Abby/The (Adoptive) Father had started with. Granted, the degree and kind of love in a relationship can and will change over time. The (Adoptive) Father could have started out more as The Adoptive Brother to Abby. I think that leaving the nature of these four relationships vague allows us to interpret them however we wish, without it being glamorized or made sickeningly sweet.

ColBlair
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Re: Reviews of LMI

Post by ColBlair » Thu Feb 03, 2011 10:14 pm

foxfire wrote:I prefer to think that Eli/Oskar and Abby/Owen had a different kind of love than Eli/Hakan and Abby/The (Adoptive) Father had started with. Granted, the degree and kind of love in a relationship can and will change over time. The (Adoptive) Father could have started out more as The Adoptive Brother to Abby. I think that leaving the nature of these four relationships vague allows us to interpret them however we wish, without it being glamorized or made sickeningly sweet.
Interesting cause that's how I started to think The Father and Abby were like, brother and sister. It could be also that's how their relationship was, Abby looking up to Thomas as the brother. I do agree with the fact that each of these four relationships allows us to interpet them however we wish. To me both movies and the book have a happy ending to them. One thing I started to notice is that I believe that Abby will not make the same mistake as she did with her "Father" or Thomas as his name was in the comic LMI: Crossroads.

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Re: Reviews of LMI

Post by foxfire » Fri Feb 04, 2011 12:02 am

ColBlair wrote:One thing I started to notice is that I believe that Abby will not make the same mistake as she did with her "Father" or Thomas as his name was in the comic LMI: Crossroads.
Wait, the comic came out and I'm only finding out now? :(

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