list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around Transsiberian on Spout Copyright 2005-9 Spout, LLC Spout RSS http://www.spout.com/images/SpoutLogoRSS.jpg http://www.spout.com/ 136 30 http://www.spout.com/films/Transsiberian/361044/default.aspx Title: Transsiberian
Year: 2008
Plot: Brad Anderson is a quintessentially independent film director known for his attention to character psychology and the details and nuance of place, traits that make the superbly crafted thriller Transsiberian an uncommonly absorbing experience. One of those legendary train trips that people used to dream about taking, the Transsiberian Express has probably seen better days. An American couple, Roy (Woody Harrelson) and Jessie (Emily Mortimer), decide to return home the long way from their recent sojourn in Peking and meet another couple from the West, Carlos (Eduardo Noriega) and Abby (Kate Mara), with whom they quickly form that tenuous bond that often unites fellow travelers away from home. When Roy gets separated from the train at a stopover, Jessie begins to realize that their compatriots aren’t exactly who or what they seem to be. But the real dangers of their unforgettable trip have only begun to surface; Russian cops (Ben Kingsley plays one), mobsters, and locals are still to come. As much a psychological puzzle piece as artful suspense, the film showcases Anderson's newfound skill with dramatic action that meshes seamlessly with his engrossing atmosphere. Blessed with a engagingly subtle performance by the always-exemplary Mortimer and a surprisingly fresh turn by Harrelson, Transsiberian transports us into a new and different world and creates a unique cinematic experience. ~Sundance.org
Times Tagged: 7
Number of Lists: 9
Number of blog posts: 4
Number of discussion threads: 1
SpoutRating: 3
]]>Thu, 21 May 2009 16:50:44 GMTTranssiberian2008Brad Anderson is a quintessentially independent film director known for his attention to character psychology and the details and nuance of place, traits that make the superbly crafted thriller Transsiberian an uncommonly absorbing experience. One of those legendary train trips that people used to dream about taking, the Transsiberian Express has probably seen better days. An American couple, Roy (Woody Harrelson) and Jessie (Emily Mortimer), decide to return home the long way from their recent sojourn in Peking and meet another couple from the West, Carlos (Eduardo Noriega) and Abby (Kate Mara), with whom they quickly form that tenuous bond that often unites fellow travelers away from home. When Roy gets separated from the train at a stopover, Jessie begins to realize that their compatriots aren’t exactly who or what they seem to be. But the real dangers of their unforgettable trip have only begun to surface; Russian cops (Ben Kingsley plays one), mobsters, and locals are still to come. As much a psychological puzzle piece as artful suspense, the film showcases Anderson's newfound skill with dramatic action that meshes seamlessly with his engrossing atmosphere. Blessed with a engagingly subtle performance by the always-exemplary Mortimer and a surprisingly fresh turn by Harrelson, Transsiberian transports us into a new and different world and creates a unique cinematic experience. ~Sundance.org7Taggedy Taggged (6-10)9413http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/s361044.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/Transsiberian/361044/default.aspxFilm http://www.spout.com/blogs/gerosimov/archive/2009/3/18/41108.aspx Post By: Gerosimov
Post To: Gerosimov Blog
Post Date: 3/18/2009 8:05:26 AM
Body: I was expecting good things from this film, but I was totally blown away by it´s great script, matched with perfect directing and cast performances. Also the locations were beautiful and mesmerizing. The score was also just right. Transsiberian reminded me a little bit of Woody Allens Match Point, which is also an amazing thriller.It is not the easiest genre to pull of, but this film nailed it! I don´t have anything bad to say about this movie. Go see it!
]]>Wed, 18 Mar 2009 12:05:26 GMTGerosimovGerosimov Blog3/18/2009 8:05:26 AMI was expecting good things from this film, but I was totally blown away by it´s great script, matched with perfect directing and cast performances. Also the locations were beautiful and mesmerizing. The score was also just right. Transsiberian reminded me a little bit of Woody Allens Match Point, which is also an amazing thriller.It is not the easiest genre to pull of, but this film nailed it! I don´t have anything bad to say about this movie. Go see it! http://www.spout.com/groups/Weekly_Theme/Re_Weekly_Theme_for_February_9_Public_Transportat/625/40359/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: mciocco
Post To: Weekly Theme
Post Date: 2/9/2009 4:21:21 PM
Body: Do airplanes count? Airplane! is pretty darn funny:p These are probably more about road trips in general than public transportation, but Planes, Trains, and Automobiles and Midnight Run might count, right? Transsiberian is a recent thriller on a train. Didn't love it, but a lot of people seemed to think it was pretty good. Another recent horror movie on a train is Midnight Meat Train. Again, not especially groundbreaking stuff, but somewhat entertaining. I keep feeling like I'm really missing something obvious. Grrr. A lot of what I'm thinking of are just road trip movies, or movies that feature scenes on public transit... (like Dogma, which I'm not sure qualifies)
]]>Mon, 09 Feb 2009 21:21:21 GMTmcioccoWeekly Theme2/9/2009 4:21:21 PMDo airplanes count? Airplane! is pretty darn funny:p These are probably more about road trips in general than public transportation, but Planes, Trains, and Automobiles and Midnight Run might count, right? Transsiberian is a recent thriller on a train. Didn't love it, but a lot of people seemed to think it was pretty good. Another recent horror movie on a train is Midnight Meat Train. Again, not especially groundbreaking stuff, but somewhat entertaining. I keep feeling like I'm really missing something obvious. Grrr. A lot of what I'm thinking of are just road trip movies, or movies that feature scenes on public transit... (like Dogma, which I'm not sure qualifies) http://www.spout.com/blogs/mconrad3/archive/2009/1/24/39869.aspx Post By: mconrad3
Post To: mconrad3 Blog
Post Date: 1/24/2009 4:28:43 PM
Body: Film noir has always been an interesting genre for me, but many of them fail to hold my attention. Today there aren't many coming out on a yearly basis, but the ones that do seem to garner a lot of attention. Brad Anderson, who is known for psychological thrillers, has injected this talent into his newest outing with Transsiberian. The story revolves around an American couple haphazardly caught in a Russian drug run as they take a train from China back to Moscow to catch their flight home. After the film's first scene, the first line in English is, "ours is not a gray world" and then sets out the rest of the time to prove that statement wrong. There are few characters here that can be seen as pure good or bad. Even Woody Harrelson's faithful Christian do-gooder character doesn't hesitate to do something morally objectionable when pushed far enough. And the Rusian investigator played by Ben Kingsley, who serves as an antagonist of sorts, is a man we as an audience can sympathize with. Our lead characters are very much in the gray area but never become completely reprehensible. The entire film, with a handful of exceptions, is shot handheld. This look adds to a very documentary, in the thick of things feel to it all, adding to the tension that slowly builds from the very beginning. There are a few flashback shots that I think weren't necessary, though, and I think Anderson either wasn't confident enough in his narrative style or audience to leave them out. That being said, there are only two very brief flashback shots that I can remember distracting me from the plot, so considering the detective-like theme it could have been much worse. The acting is up to snuff, but this should come as no surprise to anyone who has seen Ben Kingsley, but this is the first time I have seen Emily Mortimer in a film. She does her part in adding to the collective tension leading the audience up to the climax late in the story. I usually steer away from thrillers because I hate having to sit through the tense moments, but here, where there is no clear cut party to root for, it was easier to bare. There were still a few moments where I found myself clenching my fists, but I suppose that is the point of a thriller.
]]>Sat, 24 Jan 2009 21:28:43 GMTmconrad3mconrad3 Blog1/24/2009 4:28:43 PMFilm noir has always been an interesting genre for me, but many of them fail to hold my attention. Today there aren't many coming out on a yearly basis, but the ones that do seem to garner a lot of attention. Brad Anderson, who is known for psychological thrillers, has injected this talent into his newest outing with Transsiberian. The story revolves around an American couple haphazardly caught in a Russian drug run as they take a train from China back to Moscow to catch their flight home. After the film's first scene, the first line in English is, "ours is not a gray world" and then sets out the rest of the time to prove that statement wrong. There are few characters here that can be seen as pure good or bad. Even Woody Harrelson's faithful Christian do-gooder character doesn't hesitate to do something morally objectionable when pushed far enough. And the Rusian investigator played by Ben Kingsley, who serves as an antagonist of sorts, is a man we as an audience can sympathize with. Our lead characters are very much in the gray area but never become completely reprehensible. The entire film, with a handful of exceptions, is shot handheld. This look adds to a very documentary, in the thick of things feel to it all, adding to the tension that slowly builds from the very beginning. There are a few flashback shots that I think weren't necessary, though, and I think Anderson either wasn't confident enough in his narrative style or audience to leave them out. That being said, there are only two very brief flashback shots that I can remember distracting me from the plot, so considering the detective-like theme it could have been much worse. The acting is up to snuff, but this should come as no surprise to anyone who has seen Ben Kingsley, but this is the first time I have seen Emily Mortimer in a film. She does her part in adding to the collective tension leading the audience up to the climax late in the story. I usually steer away from thrillers because I hate having to sit through the tense moments, but here, where there is no clear cut party to root for, it was easier to bare. There were still a few moments where I found myself clenching my fists, but I suppose that is the point of a thriller. http://www.spout.com/blogs/jimbell/archive/2008/11/9/37120.aspx Post By: JimBell
Post To: JimBell Blog
Post Date: 11/9/2008 2:28:15 AM
Body: TransSiberian (2008) is a good thriller, but be careful who you watch it with. Partner (10 minutes into the film): I’m not seeing much in the way of scenery. Maybe it’s lucky we decided not to take the TransSiberian like these two (Roy—Woody Harrelson, and Jessie, Emily Mortimer) because we might have seen nothing but trees. Partner: This is so slow. I mean nothing is happening except the movie is creating this vague sense of fear, just like so much nowadays! Just anxiety and dread free-floating. Me: I think they’re creating mystery. What exactly is that other couple bunking with Roy and Jessie up to. Roy and Jessie are such good, church-going, trusting Americans, and the other couple is up to something. The characters are developing. The girl looks punky but might be ok. The Spanish guy is sleazy and suspicious at one moment and then charming and jovial at another. Partner: Now Jessie is kissing that Spanish guy. Ok, she’s lost all my sympathy. How dumb! Whatever happens to her, she deserves. How can she be so stupid? Me: I think her somewhat troubled “perfect” marriage and her old, wild days showed through there for a second. She’s a complex women, and not a happy camper. Me: How dumb! She left that Spanish guy alone in her room with her suitcase there, with her passport and everything in it. Partner: She is not very bright for a woman who used to be worldly and street smart. Me: Yeah. Partner: Why doesn’t she just tell the Russian police the truth about what happened!? Me: Right from the start we’ve seen you cannot trust the police. The story about them holding a guy for a month because his name was spelled wrong on a travel document, then cutting off a couple of toes to make him pay the bribe. Partner: Turn down the volume! That torture scene is . . . oh, no! Although I did not enjoy watching the movie, it is well-crafted, featuring excellent acting all around and a strong sense of place which enhances the foreboding. If there is anything that keeps this from being an excellent film, it is the denouement, the very end. A strength of the movie is the depth of serious questions it raises: Can an all-American boy and a bad ole girl make a marriage work? What’s the best way to approach another culture, with open arms or with great care? And there’s the age-old question beloved by Henry James in the late 1800s about how “innocent” Americans could fit in “sophisticated” Europe. These questions understandably take a back seat to the frantic action of the climax. But in the denouement, none of these questions are developed or taken to the next level. Rather Roy and Jessie seem stunned, which is perfectly understandable but is also the easy way out for a screen writer.
]]>Sun, 09 Nov 2008 07:28:15 GMTJimBellJimBell Blog11/9/2008 2:28:15 AMTransSiberian (2008) is a good thriller, but be careful who you watch it with. Partner (10 minutes into the film): I’m not seeing much in the way of scenery. Maybe it’s lucky we decided not to take the TransSiberian like these two (Roy—Woody Harrelson, and Jessie, Emily Mortimer) because we might have seen nothing but trees. Partner: This is so slow. I mean nothing is happening except the movie is creating this vague sense of fear, just like so much nowadays! Just anxiety and dread free-floating. Me: I think they’re creating mystery. What exactly is that other couple bunking with Roy and Jessie up to. Roy and Jessie are such good, church-going, trusting Americans, and the other couple is up to something. The characters are developing. The girl looks punky but might be ok. The Spanish guy is sleazy and suspicious at one moment and then charming and jovial at another. Partner: Now Jessie is kissing that Spanish guy. Ok, she’s lost all my sympathy. How dumb! Whatever happens to her, she deserves. How can she be so stupid? Me: I think her somewhat troubled “perfect” marriage and her old, wild days showed through there for a second. She’s a complex women, and not a happy camper. Me: How dumb! She left that Spanish guy alone in her room with her suitcase there, with her passport and everything in it. Partner: She is not very bright for a woman who used to be worldly and street smart. Me: Yeah. Partner: Why doesn’t she just tell the Russian police the truth about what happened!? Me: Right from the start we’ve seen you cannot trust the police. The story about them holding a guy for a month because his name was spelled wrong on a travel document, then cutting off a couple of toes to make him pay the bribe. Partner: Turn down the volume! That torture scene is . . . oh, no! Although I did not enjoy watching the movie, it is well-crafted, featuring excellent acting all around and a strong sense of place which enhances the foreboding. If there is anything that keeps this from being an excellent film, it is the denouement, the very end. A strength of the movie is the depth of serious questions it raises: Can an all-American boy and a bad ole girl make a marriage work? What’s the best way to approach another culture, with open arms or with great care? And there’s the age-old question beloved by Henry James in the late 1800s about how “innocent” Americans could fit in “sophisticated” Europe. These questions understandably take a back seat to the frantic action of the climax. But in the denouement, none of these questions are developed or taken to the next level. Rather Roy and Jessie seem stunned, which is perfectly understandable but is also the easy way out for a screen writer. http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/7/18/32741.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 7/18/2008 4:01:14 PM
Body: The only possible advantage a small-ish movie like Transsiberian has when opening on the same weekend as the biggest box office draw in recent memory, is that in cities where Transsiberian is being shown, The Dark Knight’s screenings have been sold out for weeks. So, if you’ve been left out in the cold by Batman, go see Transsiberian. Or better yet, see them both. Transibberian is the most enjoyable film I saw at Sundance this last January. As far as best film, I’d say it’s tied with the steroids doc Bigger, Stronger, Faster. Transsiberian is directed by Brad Anderson. (Also known for The Machinist, which is maybe where Christopher Nolan found his next Batman? Discuss). It follows the story of an American couple, Roy (Woody Harrelson) and Jessie (Emily Mortimer) as they travel the transsiberian railway from China to Europe after a mission trip. Tensions in their marriage are clear, Roy is a squeaky-clean do-gooder, tapping into a delightful naiveté we haven’t seen since Cheers. Jessie, on the other hand, is a reformed bad-girl. Mortimer makes her apprehension about having settled with Roy readily apparent without overdoing it. These tensions begin to pull tighter when they meet another Western couple on the train. Carlos (Eduardo Noriega) and Abby (Kate Mara) are drifters. They’re curious and thrilling to Roy, but tempting and potentially dangerous to Jessie. Things begin to unravel when Roy is accidentally left at a train stop, and Jessie begins to suspect that Carlos and Abby aren’t exactly who they say they are. Thanks to their association with the mysterious couple, Roy and Jessie run afoul with Russian authorities, specifically a super-creepy detective named Grinko, played wonderfully by Ben Kingsley. It’s one of Sir Ben’s many performances that makes the viewer ask, “is that really the same guy who played Ghandi?!” I was taking notes during the screening, but at a certain point I just wrote “THEY’RE F*CKED,” and stopped writing. It’s one of those thrillers that does character development well enough that when the protagonists get in serious trouble you can feel your intestines twisting with anxiety. The biggest challenge with a movie that thrills by “turning the screw,” is negotiating exactly how far to turn it. In retrospect, I think Transsiberian may have turned it a bit too far. By the end they have amped things up to the point where explosions and cringey torture scenes become necessary to up the ante. Overall, Transsiberian still works as a tense, well-rendered thriller, held up by solid performances all around. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Fri, 18 Jul 2008 20:01:14 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com7/18/2008 4:01:14 PM The only possible advantage a small-ish movie like Transsiberian has when opening on the same weekend as the biggest box office draw in recent memory, is that in cities where Transsiberian is being shown, The Dark Knight’s screenings have been sold out for weeks. So, if you’ve been left out in the cold by Batman, go see Transsiberian. Or better yet, see them both. Transibberian is the most enjoyable film I saw at Sundance this last January. As far as best film, I’d say it’s tied with the steroids doc Bigger, Stronger, Faster. Transsiberian is directed by Brad Anderson. (Also known for The Machinist, which is maybe where Christopher Nolan found his next Batman? Discuss). It follows the story of an American couple, Roy (Woody Harrelson) and Jessie (Emily Mortimer) as they travel the transsiberian railway from China to Europe after a mission trip. Tensions in their marriage are clear, Roy is a squeaky-clean do-gooder, tapping into a delightful naiveté we haven’t seen since Cheers. Jessie, on the other hand, is a reformed bad-girl. Mortimer makes her apprehension about having settled with Roy readily apparent without overdoing it. These tensions begin to pull tighter when they meet another Western couple on the train. Carlos (Eduardo Noriega) and Abby (Kate Mara) are drifters. They’re curious and thrilling to Roy, but tempting and potentially dangerous to Jessie. Things begin to unravel when Roy is accidentally left at a train stop, and Jessie begins to suspect that Carlos and Abby aren’t exactly who they say they are. Thanks to their association with the mysterious couple, Roy and Jessie run afoul with Russian authorities, specifically a super-creepy detective named Grinko, played wonderfully by Ben Kingsley. It’s one of Sir Ben’s many performances that makes the viewer ask, “is that really the same guy who played Ghandi?!” I was taking notes during the screening, but at a certain point I just wrote “THEY’RE F*CKED,” and stopped writing. It’s one of those thrillers that does character development well enough that when the protagonists get in serious trouble you can feel your intestines twisting with anxiety. The biggest challenge with a movie that thrills by “turning the screw,” is negotiating exactly how far to turn it. In retrospect, I think Transsiberian may have turned it a bit too far. By the end they have amped things up to the point where explosions and cringey torture scenes become necessary to up the ante. Overall, Transsiberian still works as a tense, well-rendered thriller, held up by solid performances all around. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/drugs/MemberTagFilms.aspxdrugs
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