Having just finished watching this, and then reading the other reviews I am at a loss for all the fuss about the sub par special effects. They looked a lot better than the 250 million dollar Oz the Great and Powerful, which felt sadly fake in near every scene, and both movies are fantasy, so I saw nothing lacking in the special effects. The dialog in the opening of the movie for about 20 minutes is really just not great, but being a fan of Nightwish I stayed with the movie, and was glad to do so by the halfway mark. The other reviewers pointed out the homages so I will skip them. Coming at this film after seeing Tommy, The Wall, and Harry Potter films, I was not left in the lurch as many were about what was going on. I knew darn well I was seeing symbolism at every turn and was enthralled by it. The scene where the generations overlap in their pain was pure brilliance on the screen. I had never seen optics used in such a way to juxtapose two time periods and create a mood while still piling on the symbolism to even deeper meanings. The skipped words between characters in certain scenes is tasty for those who like being appreciated by the filmmakers to be smart enough to recognize what they were - like with the combination. It may not start out tidy but it gets that way. I was surprised by the idea that it was a movie with music and not a music movie. I was under the impression it would be more like Tommy than The Wall, it's not. The brief appearances by the band did leave me wanting way more, because I am fan of the group, but it didn't hurt the movie a bit. If only the beginning was as good as the rest I would give it all the stars, but it does open so poorly it would not be honest.
Imaginaerum
2012
Action / Drama / Fantasy / Musical
Imaginaerum
2012
Action / Drama / Fantasy / Musical
Keywords: musical
Plot summary
Imaginaerum tells the story of an elderly composer, Tom, who suffers from severe dementia. As he has had the disease for years and has regressed into childhood, he remembers practically nothing from his adult life. His music, friends, all his past including the memory of his daughter are a blur in his fragile mind. All he has left is the imagination of a ten year old boy. As he drifts away into coma, it seems impossible to get back what he has lost. Or is it? The film is a journey between two different dimensions. Tom travels through his imaginary world seeking answers and finding memories, while his daughter, Gem, tries to recover the bond she had once shared with her father in the real world. As they have become more and more distant from each other over the years, and as there's even greater obstacles separating them now Tom's coma and his imminent death Gem's project feels doomed to failure. However, through Tom's darkest secrets, Gem discovers the path she must follow in order to find her father again. There are some questions we must ask ourselves before entering the world of Imaginaerum. What is most important in life? Can the power of memories protect us during our last moments? Will our imagination help us find the spark of life in the deepest darkness? Can we still find love after bitter forgiveness? Imaginaerum is an emotional fantasy-adventure powered by the music of Nightwish. The story reminds us of our childhood where the smallest but most precious thing meant everything and losing it would have left an everlasting scar. Now its time to reopen the wound and see what became of it, but above all, where it came from.
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A Fine Story - you have to wait for
THE LAST SNOW FLAKE
Tom Whitman (Francis X. McCarthy) is a composer and poet who has reached the end of his life. He has severe dementia and is hospitalized. His daughter GeM (Marianne Farley) hates him. The film consists of a plot and subplot concerning his life and their relationship.
Tom lives in an imaginary world, reliving his life through music and heavy symbolism. In his mind he is trying to remember and reach out to his daughter. Meanwhile we get to see the daughter's life as she rediscovers her father's life and learns who he really is.
The film is artsy. It is filled with symbolism such as toys representing the people he stepped on and takes place in winter, i.e. the end of the life cycle. The winter/white symbolism is contrasted with the red of life's blood. This film is clearly not for everyone. I'm not even sure it was for me. I'm still trying to figure it out. It may take another viewing. Great soundtrack.
Parental Guide: No f-bombs, sex, or nudity. Just scary clowns and a snowman.
Maybe a journey a lot of us are gonna take someday...
During my elementary years they showed us this cartoon about a flying snowman and a boy. I always found it kinda sad and haunting for some reason and very dreamlike. Now I wouldn't say this is a haunting movie but it does have it's presence. Not a strong one but it's passable, and imaginative in the "A Christmas Carol". Except it has rock music to get you through it and the music is entertaining and catchy. Most of it is by the band "Nightwish" that also makes appearances. When we get older or life gets difficult in some areas we have the tenacity to reminisce of the young good old days or go into a fantasy world. And that is sort of the theme for this movie. Movies like this doesn't get much backing from the studio and it's kind of a indie film. But the makers have room to do whatever they want with it, despite the limitation when it comes to the budget. It's visceral experience and a journey that a lot of us will take someday. It's not a movie I would see again but despite few areas I thought is lacking, this one still has a bit of heart.
7/10