The greatest movie ever made..!

Thanks for the memories!

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

This film is based on the Nora Roberts novel of the same name. I have to confess that I do have a soft spot for her TV movie adaptations, I particularly liked Midnight Bayou, Tribute, and Northern Lights. If you've seen any of these then you roughly know what to expect.In Carolina Moon Stephen Tolkin tells the story of Victoria Bodeen and her psychic ability of second sight. When Victoria "Tory" Bodeen was young her life was a mixture of good and bad. The good was her best friend Hope and the adventures they had in the local woods. The bad was her religious zealot of a father, who saw Tory's psychic gift as a curse. One that needed beating out of her. One nighttime, Tory was meant to meet Hope in the woods, though her father had whipped her so bad that she failed to make their rendezvous. Suddenly her gift kicks in and she has to watch helplessly as her best friend is killed. Worse yet, it's through the eyes of the killer. Her father moves the family away a few weeks later and Tory leaves them as soon as she can. Eighteen years later and she's returned to her hometown to try and find peace from the ghosts and memories that have plagued her. It's not long before Tory is having visions of other murdered girls... do these have something to do with Hope's murder? Is her killer still out there? Are they still active?Tolkin does a splendid job of casting suspicion onto just about everybody in this film and that is where its strength lies. I had a good idea of who did it, and I was correct, though I was thrown off the trail more than once by other possibilities. As for the direction, Tolin doesn't do pretty or interesting, though there were plenty of opportunities to enthrall us. However, he stays to the standard point- and-shoot style of most TV movies. Sometimes it's nice to have a sweeping shot or an interesting angle. The pace of the film is in keeping with the style; generally, the film has a steady and even pace. Tolkin does speed it up a little to create a little tension near the climax of the film when the killer is revealed. More suspension and tension wouldn't have gone amiss with the psychic visions and the daughter and father scenes - this would have shown her distrust and terror of the man.For the most part, the acting is above average and though I do like Claire Forlani her fake southern accent does start to irritate, though her acting is on par. It's Oliver Hudson who could win the Redwood prize in this film as there are more than a few scenes where his acting is wooden. It's Jacqueline Bisset, Shaun Johnston, and Josie Davis who are the strongest and most believable in their characters which make this movie stronger. In fact, Johnston as the Bible Bashing and Daughter whipping father is so realistic and believable I wanted to hit him myself.I would recommend this to everyone as it's a good film about youth, friendship, overcoming loss, and rebuilding relationships. All of that tied up in a whodunit murder mystery with a paranormal twist. I did enjoy the film though I'm not sure I would purposefully watch it again... but who can say, it does have Claire Forlani in it...

There are a lot of descriptions of what the movie is about, so I'll just tell you whether you should see it or not. I have not read the book, so I cannot make pronouncements of accuracy or faithfulness to the text. I'll be honest: I watch CSI: NY, and liked Claire Forlani's role on that show, and I was looking to see what else she had done. This popped up near the top of my searches. I don't really care that perhaps the demonstrated use of guns in the film may or may not have been incorrect. I'm just looking for involving entertainment; and one or two wooden acting performances won't spoil it for me. That said, I did not feel that anybody was particularly 'wooden' (contrary to other user reviews). Most people were serviceable in their roles; not outstanding, but not a bother either. Forlani and Oliver Hudson had good on-screen chemistry, and Josie Davis was also good. Carolina Moon DOES move at quite a leisurely pace, and most of the action between the scary parts consists of conversation, so if you are looking for super-powers and supernatural battles, or fisticuffs with the occasional gun drawn, you will be disappointed for the most part. The flashes of 'special' sight are used sparingly, and as a result have great impact. This is not an adventure film; it is more of a character study. I was reminded (in a vague way) of some of Tom Selleck's Jesse Stone movies. Not of the characters, the plots, or even the resolutions, but of the overall feel of the film. The countryside looks glorious, and the sun shines brightly - but there is menace lurking quietly in the shadows. First time viewers should be warned if they think this is a family film. Little is shown on screen; but, there are events that happen off-screen that include the beating of a child (10 - 12 years old) (not spanking, but whipping) by her father, as well as rape and murder of several characters (all seen in the flashes of the 'special' sight, so they are very brief, but can catch you unawares). I repeat, nothing is shown on- screen; but there was a director (Scorsese?) who said that the human imagination is more powerful than the most gruesome depiction on screen could be. Be warned!These are all peripheral considerations, though. Carolina Moon was for me a tense and moving picture that I will return to again to watch the characters, even though I now know the outcome. Special props to Forlani, Hudson, and their supporting cast for keeping their acting straight-forward, and for some directing which never gets in the way of the story. A solid 6 out of 10.

Painfully wooden acting, poor direction, and the plot was formulaic to say the least. It wasn't too far into the film (thank goodness!) that we guessed who the murderer was, so we just skipped to the end to confirm it. Even the inevitable scene where the plucky heroine is alone when she discovers who the villain is, was dull as ditch-water, and we couldn't be bothered to sit through it.I haven't read the book, or anything written by the author, so I can't comment on how close the film is to the novel. Wouldn't have thought having her name associated with this movie would do the writer's reputation much good though ...

Of course Nora Roberts fans are not compelled to give her movies tens because we all know that a lot of the time the books are VERY different from the movie, but this movie was amazing.It had so much feeling! When people were feeling tense on screen the viewers also felt just as tense. The actors and actresses in this movie MADE their characters what they were. They were a lot like you would imagine them from reading the book, but they also added their own personal touch to the character and you could tell that.I am sure that Nora Roberts is VERY proud of all five of her movies (Angels Fall, Blue Smoke, Carolina Moon, Montana Sky, Sanctuary) and as she should be! I definitely recommend all of her movies to anyone who is looking for a classic romantic, funny, mystery thriller.