KnotMissPriceless
Why so much hype?
SanEat
A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."
Sarita Rafferty
There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.
Raymond
I'm a bit of a sucker for NYC based dramas, having liked Woody Allen's work since 90's. This is no Woody Allen movie, but quite good nonetheless.The acting is good all the way, the script too. It's interesting, the dialogue is never boring. The intertwined story lines don't feel forced.Like someone else here stated, I'm not sure if Isabel's story is the most interesting here, even tho she's clearly in focus most of the time. Ms. Banks is good here, and her career has gone up since this movie for a good reason.The most interesting character here is probably her to-be husband Jonathan (James Marsden) who battles with a serious dilemma. It's at the same time one of the most interesting aspects of this movie, but also a bit of a problem. It's difficult not to write about it without giving anything away, but in the finale was slightly questionable. Stop reading here if you don't want to be spoiled.In the end Isabel breaks up with Jonathan, but it's not quite clear if she does it because he was cheating on her, or because he was gay/bisexual - or both. She's just shocked to see him kissing a guy and in the next scene they've separated already. We don't get a better resolution for the relationship.It's a good movie anyway. Recommended. I hadn't heard of this before, but it caught my eye on Netflix and I don't regret the time spent.
adamshl
What a fine, talented cast we have here, with Glen Close and James Marsden heading the list. What high artistic efforts are made at every level, from scene to scene.What's so strange about all this is that the film as a whole is much less successful than its parts. In the end, there's little real feeling for any particular character. The hop and skip format doesn't seem to yield a satisfactory entry into any one character's situation.However, there's a real authentic look and feel to the inner circles of the Broadway world. We're provided a candid backstage view of intimate relationships, both personal and professional. Also New York City has been intimately captured as a background for this multi-character story.With this work we also say goodbye to the Merchant Ivory team, as Mr. Merchant passed away. A wonderful partnership that produced many great cinematic artworks.
Slobodan Grasic
Heights is astonishing masterpiece, artistic film with the only commercial credit put in star actors such as Glenn Close, Isabella Rossellini and George Segal. Directors who had made ripe and perfect films before their thirties are rare - for the moment I can only recollect Orson Welles, who made Citizen Kane at his twenty sixth, Jim Jarmusch, who entirely created Permanent Vacation at his twenty seventh, and at recent times Paul Thomas Anderson, who directed Magnolia at his twenty ninth. Obviously influenced by Robert Altman and his interlaced narration about interrelated people represented in his late shortcuts style and Jim Jarmusch's pseudo documentary, artistic approach to movie contents and characters, the Heights at first, superficial glance resembles Magnolia, reduced of its warmth and immediate cuts. But, although the both films are equal by their strength and deepness, they are quite different in their narration and artistic expression, leaving only Altman's transformed influence as common relation. On the other side, the influence of Jim Jarmusch is much stronger, especially regarding interaction between characters, which is more important than plot, and the elegance of Heights which resembles the one of notable Jarmusch's films such as Mystery Train, Night on Earth and Ghost Dog. Certainly, that influence is not linear, but transposed into phenomenological philosophy with optimistic devotion to humans and world at all. Elegant and artistically perfect, this film can be watched coloured, as it is made, but also as black and white, without loosing anything of it worthiness. Let us hope that Chris Terrio will not run down in his career and that he is going to make such excellent movies in the future.
Tilly Gokbudak
Overacting, a sloppy ending, soap opera twists and a director trying to be too hip ultimately work against some good acting, mainly by the supporting cast, and what is a good fast-moving screenplay in the first two-thirds of the script to make for an OK film that had a lot going for it. There are some films which would be better if they ended at the 75 minute mark. I have to think "Heights" may be one such film. But, there is a great moment in the film when the title character goes into a hospital to check on someone she knows and gets caught up in red tape. We've all been there. Of course, people who are in the medical field may not sympathize with her as much as the rest of us. I think that one moment in the field captures what post-9/11 America is really all about-a bureaucratic nightmare devised of measures which are supposed to make us feel more secure. But, alas one great moment and a really talented, gorgeous Elizabeth Banks in the lead can only go so far.
