Vintage

Hereafter (2010) . There Before After.  Not sure that is quite witty, but wit is needed when pondering this plodding sentimental thought of a movie, of which the best part happened literally before the movie ever got started.

The tsunami scene in the opening of the flick was pretty awesome and compelling.  If that scene does not capture what is likely the horror of being swept away in a tsunami, I don't think any film can. 

In fact, for that scene alone, this film gets a queen.  If not, we are talking a Jack.  In fact, that scene alone might be worth watching the whole flick, but there again we live in the age of YouTube.

• Link to YouTube Hereafter Tsunami scene (embedded disabled by request - means we can't stick the video on our site)

Okay, now that you have seen the best part of this film, I will explain where the plot got swept away with the impressive wave.  You see we have Matt Damon as a psychic who can communicate with the dead.  He is just about the most boring dude you could imagine.  I am not sure why everyone in this film had to be boring, introspective, and pondering.  Even the boy actor in the film was for some reason boring.  Yes, it was compelling that his mother was an addict and he had a special need to not let his older brother go, but i don't know, just a boring kid.

The biggest problem with the film is it is too slow to develop and disjointed. There are three stories going on in sort of a Crash (2004) format of separate but equal stories.  We are waiting for them in Hereafter to come together, but it takes too long and for some reason, it seems contrived when it does happen.  I also was "wowed" by the idea of the film.  The French chick, quite hot, journalist pretty much gave up her career to write a book about the conspiracy of silence surrounding the hereafter.  Hmm.  I guess it has nothing to do with most such people that live for the hereafter and not the before-now are simply wacko weirdos.

Clint Eastwood directed this film and like most Eastwood directed films it is well directed.  He does have a knack for framing a shot.  I will give him that.  As for framing the hereafter?  I think he should make a film about a tsunami.