Flippin' Nora I have sooooo many reviews to read!!! Kate x
Flippin' Nora I have sooooo many reviews to read!!! Kate x
Member since:17.07.2006
Reviews:148
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The Terminal
A Story of Waiting
A little bit of background first.
In 1988, Merhan Nasseri landed in Paris Charles de Galle Airport. A refugee from Iran, he was trying to get to England, but his papers were stolen and so he was not permitted to leave the airport. So he stayed in the airport and made it his home, as he was considered "stateless" by the authorities and had no other choice. As of 2004, when this film, based loosely on his experiences, was made, he was still living at Charles de Galle Airport, telling anyone who would listen his now very famous story.
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The Film
The Terminal stars Tom Hanks and Catherine Zeta Jones, and is directed by Steven Spielberg. Famous for some amazing films like E.T, The Goonies and the Indiana Jones films, this is a film which doesn't smack of Spielberg straight away, and in fact, you probably wouldn't know you were watching a Spielberg movie unless you looked very closely at the box first!
The film tells the story of Viktor Navorski, who has just landed in New York for his first ever visit to America. He doesn't speak English,
and has no idea that while his plane was in the air, his country underwent a military coo, which has left him without a universally recognised citizenship. The US authorities can't send him back, as his papers are no longer valid, but they can't issue him with a visa to enter America for the same reason. So Viktor must stay in the Terminal, and wait. He waits for a very long time, and during this time, and through the friendships he forms, he learns about love, how to speak English, the sacred art of patience, and that sometimes, while we're waiting for something to happen, all sorts of chances sail past us, we just have to reach out and catch them.
You'd think that after all that deep and meaningful stuff, this film would be billed as a drama, but it's not. This is classic comedy at it's best, and some of the scenes (including the one with the pager, I won't spoil it but it creased me up!) will have you literally rolling in the isles (or across the living room floor…!)
The film is very insular, you don't see very much of New York, where it is actually set, aside from a few silhouetted reflections of the skyline, and some yellow cabs and street scenes at the end. The entire film is set in the confines of the airport terminal, and as the film progresses, you don't even question it. You never once think to ask why he's even in New York, or why he doesn't make a run for it. But as the film progresses and we get to know Victor's character a little more, the reasons become clear, and it's very heart warming to see.
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The Acting
As far as the acting goes, it's great from the Hanks quarters, and indeed from everywhere else save Catherine Zeta Jones. It's really just a personal thing - I can't see to watch a movie she is in without wanting to laugh. Maybe it's a throwback from her Darling Buds of May years, but even the sad, dramatic moments are played by her with this faux doe-eyed-ness that just makes me want to giggle out loud. I guess what I'm trying to say is that as an actor, she doesn't do that much to make her character in this believable.
But enough of Jones, Hanks is where it's at. His comic timing, his wonderful array of facial expressions and his brilliant accent carried this movie into my good books, and I have to say that I didn't watch this and think of any of the other characters Hanks has played before. In fact, when I was watching I wasn't even thinking "oh there's Tom Hanks at Customs" I was thinking "oh poor Viktor". Which I suppose is truly the mark of quality acting!
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The Technical Stuff
The Terminal is rated certificate 12. No violence, but a wee smattering of bad language.
Running time is approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes.
Cast includes: Tom Hanks, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Stanley Tucci, as well as an appearance by Spielberg's daughter Sasha.
The music is by John Williams, and it's very happy and chirpy, incredibly Russian sounding, and it lifts you weightlessly through the movie.
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My Opinion of this film
I really enjoyed The Terminal. It has a happy go lucky kind of feeling to it that conceals the deeper, more meaningful and emotional side of the film. This is a portrayal of a man whose attitude to life is to make the best of every situation he is given, and the character of Viktor really shines through in this way. It's a charismatic film, and one that really focuses on the passing of time, and the art of waiting. The tag line for this film was "life is waiting" and it's easy to read into that in this movie as the main character waiting for life to begin. Like outside the doors of the terminal, life is waiting for him. Yet it is the time he spends IN the terminal, the life he creates and the lives he touches that hold to key to that sentiment. Every moment of your life is spent waiting for the next, when we could be "seizing the day" and making the best of what we have here, now. For me, this film was more about this idea than anything else, and it was for this reason, coupled with Hanks pure genius acting skills and the wonderful characterisation, that I simply loved this film!
Thank you for reading, Kate.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Comedy - Director: Tony Dow - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: John Challis, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst, Tessa Peake-Jones, Gwyneth Strong
Comedy - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Tessa Peake-Jones, Buster Merryfield, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst
I remember seening this now - yep it's all coming back to me!! It's the age thing you know! I did enjoy it at the time but then I love Hanks and dare I say it, the lovely Zeta Jones!!! She is beautiful and yes, she is a bit wooden in her acting sometimes but still like her, ever since the 'Darling Buds of May'!!! tc x Sal x
mum2natalie 10.11.2006 13:16
Next time this is on Sky I must remember to watch the end of it.... I enjoyed the 3/4s I've seen (a few times....) Sarah x
Like an airport running at peak efficiency,The Terminalglides on the consummate skills of ... more
its director and star. Having refined their collaborative chemistry onSaving Private RyanandCatch Me if You Can, StevenSpielberg and Tom Hanks mesh like the preci...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
![The Terminal [DVD] [2004] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/75099703.jpg "The Terminal [DVD] [2004] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]")
![The Terminal [DVD] [2004]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78010471.jpg "The Terminal [DVD] [2004]")
Nov 8th, 2006
exceptional by (7%):
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