Cloud Atlas is surely a film that will have audiences talking. Whether or not that chatter is positive or not really depends on the viewer. For trying to tell 6 convergent and interweaving stories is a difficult enough task, yet alone trying to do so in different centuries. If you're someone who isn't bothered by countless cross-cutting, a nearly 3 hour running time and a story that features Tom Hanks and Halle Berry speaking a language that makes Pig Latin seem discernible, then you might really enjoy Cloud Atlas. There are certainly many many things to appreciate here, not the least of which is the phenomenal job done by editor Alexander Berner, who should really be a lock for the Oscar this year. Despite the fact that some stories work better than others, the editing allows each story just enough screen-time before jumping back, allowing the viewer to be truly immersed in the process. The acting veers uncomfortably from wonderful to overcooked as several actors, some in heavy makeup, play numerous characters. Jim Broadbent who may well be looking at his 2nd supporting actor Oscar for his work, is the best of the bunch. He, along with Hugo Weaving and Jim Sturgess excel in everyone of their multiple characterizations. Berry does best as a pot smoking 70's reporter, Hanks as a foul-mouthed foreign author with a dislike for critics. A sprawling, ambitious and sometimes frustrating epic, that is visually stunning, yet deep enough to have something substantial to say about the inter-connectivity of life throughout time. While certainly not a masterpiece, it is, at the very least, a film that deserves to be seen.
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I have been reading your reviews and I find that your observations are quite insightful in the same vein as reviews that I have written on Cinema Clock. I don't often commend other critics but I had to say it is refreshing to read someone who knows what they are talking about and expresses themselves in a sensitive, well written manner. Keep up the good work and know that other film lovers are reading your insightful reviews. My best to you.