Unlimitedia
Sick Product of a Sick System
Kidskycom
It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.
Livestonth
I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible
IslandMadMacs
Wonderful, fantastic, special, and yes - Rare. I know I detest it when reviewers gush, particularly for a marginal film whose mindless hordes of fans are whipped into passion by the legion of talking heads. Parroting what they say, or worse, believing what they've witnessed actually stumbles its way into the 'special' category. I can think of a good dozen half-baked flicks where it's more important to invoke the sanctioned dogma rather than speak a personal truth. ('Titanic' and 'Dr. Strangelove' come to mind) This isn't one of them.Just finished watching "Rare Birds" and I'm genuinely floored - exhausted even. I'm laughed and loved out, totally depleted from the joy of this film. It's been a loooooong time since I enjoyed losing myself in a mildly out-of-kilter world inhabited by good friends, good meals, fine wines, a stunningly beautiful woman, industrial spies from the recreational vehicle conglomerates, 20 kilos of cocaine, perpetual fusion energy, an extinct mallard, and lest we forget, a homemade submarine of questionable seaworthiness. (note to self: gotta fix that brake)If you loved "Local Hero", this will find a wonderful home in your collection. I'm planning on purchasing an extra just for the office - for when I need to 'get away'.
richard
I found this movie to be hugely disappointing. The dialogue was boring, the storyline while promising, was handled very badly and the sub-plots absolutely incomprehensible. I looked to forward to seeing this film because of comments I had read here and from comments of other birdwatchers. In the end I felt as though I had wasted my time. The Newfoundland scenery and Andy Jones were the most redeeming quality of the picture, though I felt that given better material, Molly Parker would have proved to be a gem. William Hurt however, has been better. All other characters were nothing more than window dressing, something this film could have used a lot more of, even though if you put lipstick on a pig, it is still a pig. Had I found this film more enjoyable, I feel that I could have easily overlooked the fact that the rare bird mentioned in the film is not a real critter.
boethius87
Charming and quirky, not perfect but well worth the time. Even the director's commentary on the DVD is interesting (and that is saying a lot). The locations are unique. Better portrait of Newfoundland than the bigger budgeted Shipping News.
charley-8
very enjoyable film, although one has to detach one's brain to enjoy the ending. Hurt and Parker are terrific, especially the latter. I can see why some have likened this film to _Waking Ned Devine_; however, the village as a whole plays a key role in _Waking Ned Devine_, while _Rare Birds_ is essentially individualistic. Still -- the tin whistles, desolate North Atlantic landscapes, funky characters and bizarre plot lines tie these films together. If you like one, you'll like the other. I rated _Waking Ned Devine_ a 9, I think; _Rare Birds_ gets an 8 from me.
