Teringer
An Exercise In Nonsense
WillSushyMedia
This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.
Brenda
The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one
kosmasp
As quite a few people have pointed out, this will especially appeal to people who migrated to other countries. It doesn't have to be the USA, it could be the people who came to Germany after the second world war or other countries. With Armin M. Stahl you have a heavyweight actor, but you also get Elijah Wood as a kid. Who knows if someone thought he'd become famous like that, back then? The title of course is a clue in itself, but the movie is nicely paced drama. I only watched it this year (at the Berlin International Festival) but I think the impact the movie has, still works. It didn't lose anything over the years. Hopefully you are in the right state of mind, while watching it
FilmNutgm
THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS: I missed this film when it came out and eagerly taped it when it recently came on television. The trailers emphasized the nostalgic feel and I vaguely remembered it being a period piece about how modern life--especially television--splintered close family ties. What I didn't expect is the movie's journey to hyper-realism. When a film starts out like it's going to be in the same vein as, say, "A Christmas Story", I didn't expect it to end up like a documentary on the indignities of old age. Imagine every report on senility and its toll on everyone and you get an idea of the end. It isn't this movie's fault that the trailers portrayed it as one thing, and it was something else. It isn't the movie's fault that I just wasn't in the mood to see what's happening in real life in homes all over this country. If the movie does have a fault, it's that the director/writer, actors, and set designers, etc., were so good at setting the tone for a gentle trip down memory lane, it was just so jarring when realism intruded at the end. I think the same thing could have been accomplished by stopping at the "hypnotized by TV" holiday dinner--with a lot less scenes of heartbreaking decline. I know that wasn't what the filmmaker wanted to do, but it would have been a film I would have enjoyed seeing more. We should be depressed by what this story says about us; I just wasn't expecting a lesson on the topic when I taped this film. That's my fault, but so many people use the terms "feel-good" and "nostalgic" to describe this film, and I didn't feel good after watching and I consider nostalgia to be something that leaves you with a happy, positive feeling about the past. For all this film's fine acting and great set design, it did not leave me with anything but regrets--maybe that was the point.
numberone_1
I have shown this movie in entry-level college geography classes, as it is first of all a fine film, but second because it so clearly illustrates concepts of acculturation, assimilation and the American "melting pot." The story certainly could be told, and re-told, from a number of other perspectives (i.e., another city, another ethnicity, even a different starting decade), but despite its length, Avalon captures so much of a way of life in our country that has eroded throughout time. College freshmen, on the whole, seem to really enjoy this film, and papers that I ask them to write on it have been thoughtful and provocative.The story is multi-generational, and centers on an immigrant arriving in Baltimore, MD in the early 1900s. It then traces his life forward through the generations, all the while noting how the impact of being in a new country changes him and his descendants. The cast does a fine job, Levinson's direction is superb, but pay attention to subtle nuances! This is one of those films that I can pick up something different every time I watch it.Highly recommended.
MissyBaby
How can I explain how much I loved this movie? I can't. I just can't. I love it so so much, I can't explain it. I came across this movie by somewhat of an accident last year sometime. I did a Netflix search for "The Mists of Avalon." No "Mists of Avalon," but instead an Aiden Quinn movie called simply "Avalon." I pushed it aside and didn't give it a second thought. 5 months or so ago I was just browsing the same sight, once again, "Avalon" popped up. I watched the trailer, thought it looked good and put it on my queue list. It sat forever and ever, so I deleted it. Once again never giving it a second thought.Then 2 months ago I became very interested in the actor Tom Wood (Noah Newman from The Fugitive and U.S. Marshals and the adult Michael from this film.) I, of course, went to Netflix and did a search for him. "Avalon," however did not show up on the list. I returned my attention to a list I had written with all of the movies he's made listed. I typed "Avalon" in the search box and sure enough, it was the same "Avalon." I immediately put it in the queue and bumped it up to the top spot. A day or so later we received "Avalon" in the mail and I waisted no time in watching it. I was immediately in love with the characters and the way the family bonded together. My family is a lot like that, OK, we're not immigrants (oh somewhere down the line I'm sure we are, but that's not the point), we're not Jewish (we're in fact Missionary Baptists) and we don't live in a clump (ok, most of us do, but a few cousins and me and my parents live apart from the clump.). We have those conversations at the dinner table, we have those conversations at Thanksgiving, and Christmas and things like that.I was so touched by the simplicity but emotional impact of the simple line "I came to America in 1914....." I couldn't help but burst into tears.****SPOILERS**** My favorite scene had to be the scene where they had the family circle meeting at Gabriel's house and Eva kept saying it was "like a furnace in here!" And then without warning "An elephant just walked by the window." So funny the first time you see it.And of course I had to love the last scene when Michael and his son Sam went to see Grandpa Sam. I was especially touched by this scene because that is the same shape my grandfather got into shortly before he passed away last year. I did cry and remembered all the times my parents dragged me to the nursing homes and hospitals to see him, and I began to miss him again.So I guess the reason I loved this movie so much is because after seeing it the first time, Sam sort of brought my Grandpa back to me for a little while. The way he acted, the way he would take control of a situation, the way he told stories....Thank you Barry Levinson for that, even if no one else cares. You did a good thing for me. The final moments of the film made me think of what I'd tell my kids when I'm older....Michael and Little Sam walking out of the nursing home and Michael beginning Sam's story and passing it down...."He came to America in 1914......"Definitely watch this movie. Don't let it pass you by. It's amazing. Take my word for it.
