Cinefantastique Online

Both of the major entertainment trade papersn Variety and Hollywood Reportern have posted positive reviews of THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON, the fantasy film starring Brad Pitt as a man who ages in reverse.

From Hollywood Reporter:

The fantasy element in F. Scott Fitgerald’s 1922 short story “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” in which a man ages backward, does not begin to suggest the urgent drama and romantic fatalism that director David Fincher and writers Eric Roth and Robin Swicord have so strikingly brought to the screen in the movie version.

Fitzgerald’s story is little more than a plot gimmick. Yet the film transforms this gimmick into an epic tale that contemplates the wonders of life — of birth and death and, most of all, love.

From Variety:

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” represents a richly satisfying serving of deep-dish Hollywood storytelling. This odd, epic tale of a man who ages backwards is presented in an impeccable classical manner, every detail tended to with fastidious devotion. An example of the most advanced technology placed entirely at the service of story and character, this significant change-of-pace from director David Fincher poses some daunting marketing challenges, even with Brad Pitt atop the cast. Strong critical support will be needed to swell interest in this absorbing, even moving, but emotionally cool film, which is simultaneously accessible and distinctive enough to catch on with a large public if luck and the zeitgeist are with it.