Redwarmin This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

Afouotos Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Humaira Grant It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU The title of this film refers to the title of a collection of novellas and short stories by Stephen King. This collection contains two novellas and three short stories with recurring characters: "Low Men in Yellow Coats," "Hearts in Atlantis," "Blind Willie," "Why We're in Vietnam," "Heavenly Shades of Night Are Falling." The film only concerns the first and the last sections of this book. Ted Brautigan is an old man on the run who one day arrives in the house where a young boy Bobby Garfield lives with his mother. A relation is constructed between the two and it is this very theme of the friendship between an older man and a young boy whose father is dead that the film studies after Stephen King. It is a very pregnant and important theme in Stephen King. Children are always, in a way or another, the victims of the world, of grown-ups especially. Bobby is thus confronted to bullies and he learns how to confront them and defeat them. He is confronted with what might have become love with Carol after a first kiss if he had had the opportunity t-o stay around, but his mother moves away after having been molested, at least, by her own boss during a professional seminar away from home. When back she overreacts against Ted Brautigan accusing him of some crime he did not commit.Yet there is mystery behind Ted Brautigan because he is supposed to be "WANTED" by some low men in yellow coats and he is finally taken away soon after Bobby's mother return. And the betrayal of Ted by Bobby's mother who calls the low men to tell them about where they can find Ted Brautigan could have brought some complete different future to Bobby, but he does not go with Ted and remains with his mother. The film then is very short since we miss everything after that departure and before his return for the burial of his and Carol's friend John Sullivan. The end is even made kind of sentimental with Bobby re-visiting his old home and meeting Carol's daughter, Carol being dead, and he presents her with an old picture of Carol as an angel in some school play.The film misses what some see in the book: the fact that baby- boomers missed their historic challenge to produce a better world that is, instead, drowning under a heavy hurricane of consumer's goods. We are far from "love and peace = INFORMATION," as Carol used to state. Love has become self-centered satisfaction of hormonal impulses. Peace has become the crisscross pattern of simultaneous limited wars all over the world. And information has become the meaningless soup of being over-bombarded by a constant flow of undecipherable news, fake or not. Even the central theme of the friendship between an older man and a young boy is rather schematically reduced to something that is always seen as fishy, fuzzy, maybe false, definitely failed when ending with no hope, like in the book, no hope of Ted Brautigan being free again. That's a shame because such friendships are essential for the simple maturing of boys into responsible and strong adults, and the breaking of it meant for Bobby a ruined youth with two periods in juvenile detention facilities. I regret that mellowing of the book in this film.Dr. Jacques COULARDEAU

Leofwine_draca HEARTS IN ATLANTIS is one of those Stephen King stories that slipped me by despite me being a fan. To that end, I never ended up watching the filmed version either, at least until now. While I appreciate that this is an example of the more gentle and reflective King, looking back to his childhood years in a similar way to STAND BY ME, HEARTS IN ATLANTIS ends up being one of the weakest of the film adaptations of his work.The problem with this film is that it's a mood piece whereas King stories are known for their strong plots. It's a film in which the big overall plot is only hinted at and the viewer is stuck with mere allusions throughout. The film charts the relationship between a kid (Anton Yelchin, of ODD THOMAS fame) and a mysterious old man (a warm Anthony Hopkins) in a similar way to APT PUPIL, although this time around the relationship is for the good rather than evil.My main thought when watching this was 'what's it all about?'. The acting is occasionally good but the hints at the supernatural are annoyingly vague and there's no real ending. Some of the incidental stuff involving the usual King elements of bullying, barely-seen villains, and abuse are quite well achieved, but the overall effect is less than impressive.

SnoopyStyle Bobby Garfield (David Morse) attends a funeral. He reminisces in an old house and remembers his childhood. Bobby (Anton Yelchin) is 11 year old living with his widowed mother Liz (Hope Davis). Carol Gerber (Mika Boorem) and Sully (Will Rothhaar) are his best friends. Ted Brautigan (Anthony Hopkins) moves into the upstairs apartment at their house. Ted warns Bobby of the Low Men. Bobby starts having special powers and kisses Carol at the fair.This is a very slow moving fantasy mystery drama. Its heart may be in the right place but it's beating very slowly. The childhood part is nice like most Stephen King stories. Yelchin is good but he's not quite adorable enough. Boorem is a winning presence. Rothhaar is rather bland. Hopkins is playing at such low energy settings that it saps energy out of the movie. It's intended to be quiet intensity but it never raises the intensity. It needs more tension, more thrills and more magic.

vincentlynch-moonoi I remember reading this book by Stephen King and thinking at the time that if they ever make a movie of it, they should leave out other aspects of the story (stories) and concentrate just on the story about the man with psychic powers and the boy he befriends, which is exactly what they did.However, the film suffers from one great miscalculation. The "low-men", who are after Brautigan (Anthony Hopkins)...well, we never quite figure out who they are or why they are after him; it's left very nebulous. Are they actually "bad guys", government agents, or what? Beyond that, it's a rather charming story (and not very Stephen King-ish) about a meaningful relationship between a strange man and a boy who needs a father figure in his life. But that missing information about the "low-men" prevents us from ever understanding exactly who Brautigan is.Anthony Hopkins is perfect here, although there are times he seems to mumble, and you may miss a bit of dialog. The boy -- Anton Yelchin -- has been fairly active in films, although I did not recognize the name. He's superb here. Hope David (the boy's mother) did okay, but I was not particularly impressed, although admittedly her role was not very sympathetic. Mika Boorem, a young actress I have not kept up with, is superb as the boy's "girl friend". David Morse is very good as the boy grown up (the whole movie is a sort of flashback), and he is a busy, but in view underrated actor.Do I recommend this film? Well, yes and no. The story portrays relationships very sensitively, but that missing info about the "low-men" leaves a huge gap. I enjoyed watching it even a third time, but I won't be tempted to buy it for my DVD shelf. I'd give it a sold "7" if we learned who the "low-men" really were; instead, I'll give it a "6" -- a low rating for me.Nevertheless, I do recommend you watch this film.