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Movies / Upcoming / 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

US Box Office: $100,519

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

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Reviews for First Snow

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 >> >|
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A first rate thriller, First Snow is about a man haunted by his past who revisits it in a bid to change his destiny. It's a terrific role for Guy Pearce, who ably carries the film on his shoulders

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
01/29/09
Louise Keller
Louise Keller
Urban Cinefile
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Orlando Sentinel | comment Comment
05/13/09
Roger Moore
Roger Moore
Orlando Sentinel
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
04/23/09
Peter Keough
Peter Keough
Boston Phoenix

A fresh, intelligent and thoroughly involving psychological thriller.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
12/04/07
Sheri Linden
Sheri Linden
Hollywood Reporter

I was beguiled by both the eerie moods and the striking compositions, which incorporate large stretches of empty space.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
11/27/07
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader

A smart, tense modern film noir.

Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
06/30/07
Michael Wilmington
Michael Wilmington
Chicago Tribune

First Snow is an auspicious directorial debut for Mark Fergus. It will be interesting to see what he does next.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
06/23/07
Liz Braun
Liz Braun
Jam! Movies

Brings little new to the genre apart from another outstanding performance by Pearce.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
04/26/07
Marjorie Baumgarten
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle

The film has some of the bleak inevitability of Jim Jarmusch's Dead Man, but without the compelling characters and oddball twists.

Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | comment Comment
04/26/07
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie
Atlanta Journal-Constitution

First Snow is a sharp thriller with abstract pretentiousness. The writers were clever enough to approach a simple philosophical question in a devious and brusque way.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Spectrum | comment Comment
04/23/07
Vince Koehler
Vince Koehler
Entertainment Spectrum

A haunting neo-noir about a man told by a palmist that his karma is about to run over his dogma.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Inquirer | comment Comment
04/20/07
Carrie Rickey
Carrie Rickey
Philadelphia Inquirer

...the interest dissipates pretty quickly and the movie becomes a dreary plod...

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
04/20/07
Jim Lane
Jim Lane
Sacramento News & Review

The subdued ending might disappoint those hoping for a more lively denouement, but really, it seems just right for a tale as chilly as this one.

Full Review Source: Creative Loafing | comment Comment
04/18/07
Matt Brunson
Matt Brunson
Creative Loafing

Offers the satisfaction of a compelling story well told.

Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
04/14/07
Kerry Lengel
Kerry Lengel
Arizona Republic

[The filmmakers] raise intriguing questions about fate and destiny, and they get a soulful performance from Pearce.

Full Review Source: Salt Lake Tribune | comment Comment
04/13/07
Sean Means
Sean Means
Salt Lake Tribune

Fate plays havoc with a salesman's existence in [this] bleak psychological thriller about life and death in the New Mexico desert.

Full Review Source: Hollywood.com | comment Comment
04/13/07
Betsy Bozdech
Betsy Bozdech
Hollywood.com

It's a film of great promise, but loses dramatic circulation the longer it spends time chasing its own tail.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
04/12/07
Brian Orndorf
Brian Orndorf
eFilmCritic.com

Co-screenwriter/director Mark Fergus isn't able to build any palpable tension. And the fact that we're not really rooting for his protagonist to survive works against the material.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
04/12/07
Jeff Vice
Jeff Vice
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

Takes a silly premise -- a fortune teller predicts imminent doom! -- and spins it into a thoughtful, intelligent story about fate vs. free will.

Full Review Source: EricDSnider.com | comment Comment
04/12/07
Eric D. Snider
Eric D. Snider
EricDSnider.com

This is first-rate work from a talented actor who is fated to become a star.

Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment Comment
04/12/07
Jack Mathews
Jack Mathews
New York Daily News
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 >> >|
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