The Time Traveler's Wife

[Sakrysta]

That was beautiful. sigh I haven't blown through a book that fast in a LONG time. My one disappointment was how little we saw of Clare & Alba's lives after. I'd have liked to have seen just a few more future visits from Henry. Overall, though, this story was positively exquisite. I'm trying to imagine how a movie could do it justice, and I'm just not sure. It would take a delicate touch to not make the scenes from Clare's childhood have a proper tone.

Is it bad that I want a sequel with Alba? Then we COULD see the characters some more!

Oh, a couple comments:
Yeah, Henry had a tooth pulled because he kept losing the filling.
I assumed that the emptying of his stomach was why he always arrived hungry after traveling. Anything in his system that hadn't been metabolized disappeared. Of course, where it ended up would be the tricky part, as we never read of his clothes having a wad of food in the middle of them. But yeah, that's one minor logic point that stumped me. Fortunately, the story is so compelling that it didn't bother me much.

The comparison to Journeyman is kinda superficial. The stories are similar enough that it does make you wonder, yet different enough to allow that just maybe the similarities are coincidental. I have to say, Journeyman's "rules" made this type of story much easier to film for television. But there were a couple things - Dan and Henry both being hungry afterwards, the running theme of feet/shoes - that make me a little uncomfortable as far as how closely the two premises resemble each other.

 

[Shawnster]

I'm very nearsighted and wear contacts. I thought it was a great benefit to Henry that he had perfect vision.

 

[Sakrysta]

Yeah, Henry actually comments on that fact in the novel.

 

[Kelso]

The trailer is out.

I haven't read the book yet... but the flick looks good so far.

 

[Broccoli]

So...is this the film version of Countdown?

 

[Harvey]

That looks interesting. Perhaps too melodramatic for my tastes, but we'll see.

 

[Aragorn]

Wow, the trailer makes it seem like a sappy Nicholas Sparks melodrama.

If you stay until the end of the credits, Henry encounters Sam Becket, who wants him to join the Quantum Leap Initiative. And then at the end of the Journeyman movie, Henry introduces himself to Dan Vasser and tells him about a team that's being put together.

Also, something in the TV&M forum might coincide with this release date. Just saying....

 

[Sakrysta]

^The book itself, if you haven't read it, has an enormous emotional footprint. It is difficult to translate that kind of depth on screen. From what I see in the trailer, it looks like they've made an admirable attempt here, and I'm looking forward to seeing what they came up with. I like the casting, mainly as I'm not so familiar with the leads that I'll be associating them with other roles.

I found myself thinking about this book again recently. Usually when that happens months after the initial read, it means I'm going to spend money on a purchase.

 

[Aragorn]

^ Well the female lead is best known for the sappy movie The Notebook based on a Nicholas Sparks novel.

She was supposed to be the next big thing, but it never happened.

 

[Broccoli]

^ Well the female lead is best known for the sappy movie The Notebook based on a Nicholas Sparks novel.

She was supposed to be the next big thing, but it never happened.

I don't know about that. She's been in some very big movies, in addition to being in some smaller film roles. Family Stone, Red Eye, Wedding Crashers, and will be appearing opposite Robert Downey Jr. in Sherlock Holmes.

 

[Aragorn]

Being in a big movie isn't the same as being a big name. If it were, Jeff Goldblum would've been the No. 1 actor in the world after Jurassic Park and Independence Day.

 

[Sakrysta]

^Agreed. While I know her name, and I know she's been in a number of high-profile movies, she's never had that definitive role that has become synonymous with her name. Neither has Eric Bana, at least not as far as I'm concerned. With a movie like this, with characters I'm already very attached to, this could prove to be a big plus.

 

[Broccoli]

Being in a big movie isn't the same as being a big name. If it were, Jeff Goldblum would've been the No. 1 actor in the world after Jurassic Park and Independence Day.

^Agreed. While I know her name, and I know she's been in a number of high-profile movies, she's never had that definitive role that has become synonymous with her name. Neither has Eric Bana, at least not as far as I'm concerned. With a movie like this, with characters I'm already very attached to, this could prove to be a big plus.

I'll grant that. Being a fan of McAdams, I am kinda glad that she hasn't become Hollywood super-stardom, then. It makes it easier for her to slip into a role and me, as a viewer, to accept her in a role. That is one thing that kinda disappoints me with some BIG NAME STARS. They are in a movie, but it is no longer you watching a character, but you watching the actor as the character.

Hmm...that sounded weird.

Example: Batman (1989). I love this movie, but in Jack Nicholson's case. It not so much us watching the Joker come to life, but rather looking at the screen going "Hey! It's Jack Nicholson playing Joker!"

 

[Mark de Vries]

Wow, it looks very good as far as the photography is concerned. And I can get used to Eric Bana as Henry, I think. I do miss the intensity of Clare in Rachel McAdams' performance (apart from the short bit in her workshop, "I never had a choice"). On the other hand, it's only a trailer...

I'll keep my eye on this, and I think they may have succeeded in translating the émotional footprint' as Sakrysta put it, to the screen.

I am optimistic.

 

[Sakrysta]

I had the same feeling about Clare's character. She doesn't feel quite right, but then as you said, it's only a trailer. And the Clare of the book can often seem a little extra-reality, unrealistically self-aware. From the trailer, Clare comes across as a more realistic person, which while maybe not strictly true to the story, has every possibility of still working and adding a dimension to Clare that would be welcome.

Oh, and I had to go put a hold on the book at the library so I can read it again, thanks to the trailer and this thread. It's been added to my Amazon wish list as well - maybe someone will buy it for me before I succumb to the need to own it and buy it myself.

 

[Reverend]

While a trailer isn't a good measure of quality, it looks tastefully done.
Out of curiosity, has there been ANY kind of explanation as to why this has been held back so long?

 

[Mark de Vries]

Oh, and I had to go put a hold on the book at the library so I can read it again, thanks to the trailer and this thread.

That's exactly what I was thinking just now

 

[Mark de Vries]

By the way, what do people think of the time travel effects? I always pictured Henry's disappearances as far more sudden. On the other hand, he did usually feel them coming on, didn't he?

 

[Harvey]

While a trailer isn't a good measure of quality, it looks tastefully done.
Out of curiosity, has there been ANY kind of explanation as to why this has been held back so long?

I believe they had one last scene to film, and had to wait for the weather to change as well as Eric Bana's hair to grow back. But I could be mistaken--I'm only going from memory.

 

[Trippy]

I'm actually slightly optimistic on seeing the trailer...I didn't think Bana would make me think 'Henry' but he seems to pull it off. McAdams, well, maybe another trailer will help

I loved this book, and I'm usually dissapointed from book to film, but it does work sometimes (Harry Potter is the best example).