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Movies / On DVD / First Snow
First Snow

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First Snow (2007)

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Reviews Counted:71

Fresh:41

Rotten:30

Average Rating:5.9/10

Consensus: In First Snow, an interesting premise gives way to a slow and tedious noir that adds little to the genre.

Runtime: 2 hrs 1 min

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: Jimmy (Guy Pearce) is a smooth-talking salesman who finds himself making a detour after his car breaks down on a desert highway. To pass the time, he pays a visit to a local palm reader, Vacaro... Jimmy (Guy Pearce) is a smooth-talking salesman who finds himself making a detour after his car breaks down on a desert highway. To pass the time, he pays a visit to a local palm reader, Vacaro (J.K. Simmons). Vacaro makes a few positive predictions for him, but then appears deeply disturbed by a vision. Jimmy demands to know what he saw, but Vacaro refuses to tell him, and won't even accept payment for the reading. A few days later, Jimmy becomes uneasy when various predictions begin to come true. He returns to Vacaro and begs to know what is in store for him. Vacaro admits that, yes, Jimmy's days are numbered, and he is to meet his fate--whatever it may be-- upon the first snowfall. The news causes Jimmy to descend into paranoia and fear, and he begins to behave irrationally--endangering both his job and his relationship with his girlfriend (Piper Perabo).What tragedy is about to befall him? Should he worry about his heart murmur? The threats from a disgruntled ex-employee? Or his ex-best friend, a convicted felon, who has recently come back to town? He turns his life inside out, racing to alter his destiny before the first snow. Guy Pearce gives his usual electric performance, perfectly capturing Jimmy's slick egotism, and later, his wild-eyed fear. His puzzle-like quest for the truth combined with the film's noir-style is at times reminiscent of MEMENTO, though the pace is a bit slower, and the plot a bit clunkier. But the film does still manage to pose some intriguing questions about the idea of fate, and the notion of each life being on a pre-destined path. Like MEMENTO, FIRST SNOW will leave viewers scratching their heads in wonder, if not feeling more than a little spooked. [More]

Starring: Guy Pearce, Piper Perabo, William Fichtner, J.K. Simmons

Starring: Guy Pearce, Piper Perabo, William Fichtner, J.K. Simmons, Shea Whigham, Rick Gonzalez, Jackie Burroughs, Adam Scott

Director: Mark Fergus, Bob Yari

Director: Mark Fergus
Screenwriter: Hawk Ostby, Mark Fergus
Director: Bob Yari
Producer: Sean Furst, Bryan Furst, Tom Lassally, Robyn Meisinger
Composer: Cliff Martinez
Studio: Yari Film Group

[See More Credits]

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Reviews for First Snow

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41 - 60 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

For a movie concerned with such heady topics as fate, destiny, and mounting paranoia, it seems curiously reluctant to stick with the mystical.

Full Review Source: The Stranger (Seattle, WA) | comment Comment
04/05/07
Andrew Wright
Andrew Wright
The Stranger (Seattle, WA)

Speaks to metaphysical mysteries best left unsolved.

Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment Comment
04/04/07
Jeanne Aufmuth
Jeanne Aufmuth
Palo Alto Weekly

Pearce's usual intense dedication to being in the moment aside, there's not a lot of there there.

Full Review Source: Flick Filosopher | comment Comment
04/04/07
MaryAnn Johanson
MaryAnn Johanson
Flick Filosopher

Very little happens, and it happens very slowly.

Full Review Source: Internet Reviews | comment Comment
04/03/07
Steve Rhodes
Steve Rhodes
Internet Reviews

It’s suspenseful and kind of scary.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
04/02/07
Don R. Lewis
Don R. Lewis
Film Threat

The burden of keeping this schematically plotted tale's pulse lively falls on Pearce, who instills Jimmy with a brand of cheery, motormouthed deceitfulness and egotism that even a mother would loathe.

Full Review Source: Cinematical | comment Comment
04/02/07
Nick Schager
Nick Schager
Cinematical

First Snow is a small film that deserves to find a big audience.

Full Review Source: IGN Movies | comment Comment
04/02/07
Stax
Stax
IGN Movies

A neo-noir picture that won't entirely satisfy, but offers enough incidental pleasures to make it a moderately enjoyable trip to the dark side.

Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion | comment Comment
04/02/07
Frank Swietek
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion

torpid where it should be tense, dull where it should be sharp, and so caught up with its big themes that it forgets to give them a compelling stage on which to play out

Full Review Source: Killer Movie Reviews | comment Comment
03/29/07
Andrea Chase
Andrea Chase
Killer Movie Reviews

First Snow is essentially a short story with a metaphysical twist, but Pearce puts his fears more up front than any actor I can think of. He keeps you poked and prodded with anxiety.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
03/28/07
Owen Gleiberman
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly

First Snow is a very worthy first film, and one that lingers in the mind long after the final fade-out.

Full Review Source: New York Observer | comment Comment
03/28/07
Andrew Sarris
Andrew Sarris
New York Observer

First rate, incredibly intense and unrelenting thriller guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat.

Full Review Source: Maxim | comment Comment
03/26/07
Pete Hammond
Pete Hammond
Maxim

This is extremely uneven.

Full Review Source: Greenwich Village Gazette | comment Comment
03/26/07
Eric Lurio
Eric Lurio
Greenwich Village Gazette

It's quite admirable of Guy Pearce to try and eschew a Hollywood career, [but] if he keeps making films like First Snow...

Full Review Source: FilmJerk.com | comment Comment
03/24/07
Edward Havens
Edward Havens
FilmJerk.com

The story is familiar and the pacing much too measured for a slight tale of ineluctable fate.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
03/23/07
Maitland McDonagh
Maitland McDonagh
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Covers very familiar indie territory, but debuting director Mark Fergus covers with style.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
03/23/07
Lou Lumenick
Lou Lumenick
New York Post

A small film with Hitchcock-ian overtones, but it's got a strong pulse and keeps you wondering beyond its end.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Daily News | comment Comment
03/23/07
Rob Lowman
Rob Lowman
Los Angeles Daily News

With its quiet, unassuming style and brooding intelligence, First Snow isn't the kind of movie that announces itself, but it's well worth seeking out, especially for moviegoers who complain that 'they' don't make movies for grown-ups anymore.

Full Review Source: Reel.com | comment Comment
03/23/07
Jim Hemphill
Jim Hemphill
Reel.com

A psychological thriller with the message that knowing about your impending death has a way of focusing your life and making everything supercharged with meaning.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
03/23/07
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

A pointed little thriller with metaphysical pretensions, First Snow is shrewd enough to approach basic philosophical questions in sneaky, offhand ways.

comment Comment
03/23/07
Stephen Holden
Stephen Holden
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
41 - 60 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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