Too much of everything

Excellent adaptation.

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

I feel the film is a well timed artistic pop film, which unfortunately seems misunderstood by reviewers and film critics.Visually, the cinematography throughout is tastefully reflective of the modern trend towards 'neo-nostalgia'. Without delving into too much detail - It depicts an image of modern Europe through the eyes of someone perhaps raised on the stereotypical gritty organised crime and espionage thrillers coming out of Eastern Europe, whilst simultaneously remaining narratively (and at the very least aesthetically), realistic to a romanticised modern day Romania. Between the lingering shots of Shia Labeouf's physique & his NIKE trainers the film also donates a graceful amount of screen-time to the architecture and cultural ambiance of the city.It boldly, and occasionally voyeuristically, fuses the whimsical nature of the rom-com with hints of perversely disturbing cinematic ultraviolence. Indeed this film is a "wildly eccentric love story/thriller" but it is arguably VERY clear that it is also a comedy. Perhaps even further, it could be debated as a modern farce - wherein the player's anticipated demise only accentuates the life-affirming nature of the film. The caricatured presentation of the characters (the soul-searching American, the passionately independent European woman, the aggressively determined European man and the happy-go-lucky British boys) are a tongue in cheek reflection of modern cinema and its stereotypes. Personally I found the characters a refreshing in their satirical mockery of widely held prejudices yet I felt the narrative cocoons them in a wholly plausible moment in time. Though I could waste further time detailing the stylistically emotional elements of contemplative reflection pertaining to Charlie's numerous 'interactions' with the dead - I suppose I will simply agree with this statement from the GUARDIAN:"This is a weird and self-indulgent affair that is easy to mock but that, just occasionally, captures the romantic feel of the equally pretentious but magical Leos Carax films of the late 1980s."and add only that - yes, this film may not be wholly original, but if you're a romantic with a heart which beats at its maximum for love - then you damned better waste 1hr 52m on this this film.Thanks!

All right, this is not a masterpiece, it is a simple, light comedy/thriller at times messy and at time funny and gripping that anyway somehow entertains.Shia LaBeouf acted very well the naive part and he was great. Some moments are moving other bitter and sweet a few just nonsense. The plot is very simple, essentially it is a post adolescent love story in a thrilling contest.Despite the flaws it has some really memorable scenes with a nice soundtrack. I am writing this review because I found it, although faulty also touching and sweet as comedy, with some exciting moments but I was about to skip it for the low rating and I am glad I didn't.Some reviewers are too severe, it is not a movie to throw away to me and it should have at least a full encouraging seven for its almost novice director and certainly even more for the great LaBeouf acting.7/10

Have you ever volunteered a response to a raised question and then wished you had just kept quiet and drank your coffee instead? What about suffering a complete mental blank with no hope of a quick recovery? Apparently I haven't learned from the former nor recovered from the latter after seeing Fredrik Bond's debut film CHARLIE COUNTRYMAN.Emboldened by the sixth sense encounter with his recently deceased mother Katie (Melissa Leo) to visit Bucharest, lost soul Charlie Countryman (Shia LaBeouf) embarks on a trip of self-discovery after meeting Romanian taxi driver Victor (Ion Caramitru) mid-flight. Touched by the Grim Reaper before returning home to daughter Gabi (Evan Rachel Wood), Victor instructs Charlie to seek out Gabi and hand her the crazy hat he purchased for her in Chicago. With his improbable encounters and love-at-first-sight with a deadly twist romance with the tortured soul Gabi, Charlie begins to spiral out of control amidst a bevy of interesting characters including pill pusher Luc (James Buckley), wannabe porn star Karl (Rupert Grint), and local gangsters Nigel (Mads Mikkelsen) and Darko (Til Schweiger).Despite the modes of discourse's vacuity, the score is exquisite. From the pianissimo of piano keys to the haunting sounds of Roma music and Moby electronica, it is wonderful to hear Christophe Beck and DeadMono get it right when everything else is so very wrong. Overall, I found the film to be just okay and not worth the price of admission although, I can see it's appeal for very selective audiences. Having said that, dropping THE NECESSARY DEATH from the original film title kind of says it all really.You can catch me at my handle and at The Hollywood News.

It's a comedy with a clear theme which is about love and romance, though the content is not very concrete, but if you can view it in a way which is kind of like surrealism, you'll find it totally worthwhile to watch. Actually, we are all like Charlie, when something bad happens, we try to escape from it, sometimes we buy drinks to numb our brains, sometimes we run away from the life that we are familiar with, we travel abroad, far, far away to experience a different world and life-style. I think people do that mostly because when we travel abroad we can find that compare to the rest of the world, how small individuals,as we are, in the whole wild world are. And when we meet new people from different culture with different stories, we find that none of our problem and sorrow is alone in the world, we can somehow relate to other people. Anyway, it's a good film made in a artistic style, abstract in content but brilliantly delivered its message about the theme, lost and love. Plus, with LaBeouf and Mikkelsen in the film, why not?