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DVD Stir of Echoes (Special Edition)
The only real problem with Stir of Echoes has nothing to do with the movie itself, but with unlucky coincidence. Adapted from a Richard Matheson novel, this film arrived around the same time as The Sixth Sense, and surface similarities made it suffer by cursory comparison and the competing film's phenomenal success. It's a pity, because this one features one of Kevin Bacon's best performances, in a psychological thriller that makes a lot more right moves than wrong ones. Bacon plays a blue-collar guy who laments his ordinary life, only to learn, when his sister-in-law (Ileanna Douglas) hypnotizes him, that he is a "receiver" capable of seeing spirits and split-second glimpses of past and future events. It's a torturous gift to have--especially since his friendly Chicago neighborhood possesses a dark secret--and Bacon plays the role with an appropriate mixture of obsession and internalized torment.
Similarity to The Sixth Sense applies only to the basic premise and the character of Bacon's young son. Otherwise, this is more of a hard-edged journey of self-discovery, marital crisis, and recovery, with Bacon's wife (played by the highly underrated Kathryn Erbe) involved in an underdeveloped subplot about a group of people who share Bacon's gift as paranormal "receivers." Furthering his career as a writer-director of intelligent thrillers, David Koepp makes a few missteps in pacing and thematic overkill, but overall Stir of Echoes is a sharp, sensitive thriller that unfolds to reveal a dramatically satisfying solution to its mystery. --Jeff Shannon
(3.5 STARS) Seeing Things, Hearing Voices: Slick Occult Thriller from David Koepp
This sounds incredible, but it took almost six years for 'Stir of Echoes' to arrive in theaters in Japan, and the reason for this delay is, I believe, the film's accidental resemblance with 'The Sixth Sense.' Well, but many people have already pointed that out, so let's not talk about it now. Maybe I should talk about how thrilling this thriller can be.
Kevin Bacon gives strong acting as Tom, who is hypnotized for a lark by his sister-in-law, and starts to see things. And he realizes that his only son also has the same ability to see. The only difference is that his son is able to see clearer, even people -- particularly, a girl named Samantha. Tom's new ability results in his obsession with the girl, or the truths behind the images, and guided by the strange images, his quest leads him to the unexpected place where the key is hidden.
'Stir of Echoes' is directed by David Koepp, whose track record as writer (before 'Stir') include 'Carlito's Way' 'Mission Impossible' (with Robert Towne), 'The Lost World' and 'Snake Eyes.' Impressive record? Innovative writing? I don't think so. And I didn't mention 'The Trigger Effect' which he also directed, or 'The Secret Window' he is to direct later. To his credit, none of these films stink; they all have something to offer. However, none of them shows outstanding qualities, perhaps except the visuals.
Like these films, 'Stir of Echoes' starts with great premise, and solidly develops the idea in the middle of the story (slightly overstepping here and there), and ... here's the important part ... ends with a weak, predictable conclusion. Not that this thriller is not entertaining. I'm only talking about the weakness of the last act. I admit the visuals are often impressive (Tom's consciousness while hypnotized is brilliantly expressed). And the strong acting from the two leads Kevin Bacon and Kathryn Erbe as Tom's wife make up for that ... almost.
So what should I say if you have not seen it? Should I recommend? Yes. But do not try to find a big secret in the ending, which avid thriller fans can foresee from miles away. After all David Koepp is the guy who has also co-written the script of Tom Cruise's 'War of the World' (with Josh Friedman), and what you find here is spooky images and often disturbing scenes, not a surprise ending. But perhaps this kind of thriller of which atmosphere matters most, does not need it.
In Every Mind There Is A Door That Has Never Been Opened!
Stir of Echoes was unjustly overshadowed at the time of its initial release by the huge success of The Sixth Sense. Good as Shyamalan's film is, David Koepp's ghost tale is far more terrifying, more grounded, and doesn't resort to The Sixth Sense's clichéd twist ending. Smart and scary as hell, this is the perfect movie for a creepy Halloween night.
The initial DVD release had a 5.1 track. Now the options are 6.1 DTS ES and 5.1 EX. Steps up, certainly, at least on paper, but the actual differences are undetectable to my ears. This isn't to say the sound is bad -- it's great, and always was, with deeply sinister surround whispers and andrenaline-boosting music cues attacking from all sides.
The "digitally restored" widescreen picture isn't detectably different from the previous transfer (only now it is now referred to inaccurately and confusingly as and "enhanced" fullscreen version -- it was always anamorphic widescreen).
The commentary track (by writer/director Koepp) is the same as on the last release, but it was a very strong one then, so who's complaining. Most of the differences between the two editions come down an extra load of featurettes here. "Behind the Echoes" is a 21-minute making-of, which is pretty solid as these things go. "The Mind's Eye: Beneath the Trance" is a 10-minute look at hypnosis (with input from Richard Matheson, on whose novel the film is based). "Sight of Spirits: Channeling the Supernatural" is completely straight-faced (and therefore wingnutty) look at contacting the beyond. Special effects and production design each get mini-featurettes (under four minutes long). There are 3 deleted scenes, 3 screen test clips of character make-up, the video for "Breathe" by Moist (which was also on the original release), and behind-the- scenes/final shot comparisons for four scenes. The menu, fully animated and scored, is the creepiest one I've seen since The Exorcist, but is so over the top in its spookiness that it is a bit hard to navigate.
Not a radical change from the original edition, so probably not worth a second purchase. But most definitely worth a first.
An unbelievable movie
Wow. Wow. Wow.
That describes this movie perfectly. I am amazed at this extraordinary movie vastly superior to the sixth sense. Both of these movies came out the same year, and the sixth sense was worshipped and made a ridiculous amount of money at the box office. I saw it, enjoyed it, but was unaware that this movie existed. But now, I saw it at Blockbuster and picked it up and adored it. This movie is a remarquable achievement caried by Kevin Bacon's best performance. The first 30 minutes of this movie sucked me in and never let up.
It's about Tom (Kevin Bacon), a guy living a normal life, in a nice neighborhood in Chicago where he and his wife and child, Jake recently moved into. They are renting a nice houseand have made lots of friends. They're living the life. But after Tom gets hypnotized (in one of the creepiest and most fascinating scenes ever), he is seeing stuff. Weird stuff. And contacting with the dead. His son Jake also seems to have these abilities. Things start getting weird, and I don't want to say anything else. Nothing. I want you to discover this amazing movie by yourself. All I will stay is that everything that you see will all make sense in the masterful finale.
The little boy playing Jake was wonderful and Kevin Bacon was fantastic.
So check out this wonderful suspense movie that also happens to have lots of great humor and made me laugh a good deal. This movie is easily better than the sixth sense and easily in my top 25.
A good old-fashioned thriller that wears its Alfred Hitchcock pedigree proudly on its sleeve, What Lies Beneath stars Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer as picture-perfect married couple Norman and Claire Spencer, who seem happy and content with a fabulous house, college-age daughter and still-active libidos. When said daughter heads off to college, Claire starts obsessing about her new neighbors, and becomes convinced that the moody husband killed the neurotic wife, and that the wife's ghost has a desperately important message for her. Yes, it's true, there is a ghost, and there is a message, but it has decidedly more personal--and life-threatening--implications for Claire and Norman. Suddenly, that car crash last year that Claire can barely remember and the circumstances... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Harrison Ford - Michelle Pfeiffer Director(s): Robert Zemeckis DVD Release Date: Released the 30 January 2001 Usually ships in 24 hours
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A welcome throwback to the spooky traditions of Jack Clayton's The Innocents and Robert Wise's The Haunting, Alejandro Amenábar's The Others favors atmosphere, sound, and suggestion over flashy special effects. Set in 1945 on a fog-enshrouded island off the British coast, the film begins with a scream as Grace (Nicole Kidman) awakens from some unspoken horror, perhaps arising from her religiously overprotective concern for her young children, Anne (Alakina Mann) and Nicholas (James Bentley). The children are hypersensitive to light and have lived in a musty manor with curtains and shutters perpetually drawn. With Grace's husband presumably lost at war, this ominous setting perfectly accommodates a sense of dreaded expectation, escalating when three strangers... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Nicole Kidman - Christopher Eccleston Director(s): Alejandro Amenábar DVD Release Date: Released the 14 May 2002 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Gabriel Byrne plays Father Kiernan, a young Jesuit priest whose degree in chemistry makes him a sort of priest/detective as he investigates weeping Marys and the like around the world. Meanwhile, Frankie (Patricia Arquette), a rave-generation Pittsburgher, is afflicted with the stigmata--holes that appear in her wrists, resembling the wounds of Christ. The young woman's symptoms filter back to the Vatican and Father Kiernan is assigned to the case. The priest is puzzled by Frankie's atheism; usually the stigmata only appear on the devout (hence the age-old controversy of miracles vs. hysteria). Other manifestations appear on Frankie, and the priest's cardinal (Jonathan Pryce) is brought in, leading to political maneuvering within the Church hierarchy. The film owes a large and... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Patricia Arquette - Gabriel Byrne Director(s): Rupert Wainwright DVD Release Date: Released the 28 August 2001 Usually ships in 24 hours
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"I see dead people," whispers little Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment), scared to affirm what is to him now a daily occurrence. This peaked 9-year old, already hypersensitive to begin with, is now being haunted by seemingly malevolent spirits. Child psychologist Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) is trying to find out what's triggering Cole's visions, but what appears to be a psychological manifestation turns out to be frighteningly real. It might be enough to scare off a lesser man, but for Malcolm it's personal--several months before, he was accosted and shot by an unhinged patient, who then turned the gun on himself. Since then, Malcolm has been in turmoil--he and his wife (Olivia Williams) are barely speaking, and his life has taken an aimless turn. Having failed his loved ones and himself,... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Haley Joel Osment - Bruce Willis DVD Release Date: Released the 28 March 2000 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Saw opens with a gruesome scenario: Two men are chained to the walls of a grimy bathroom with a bloody corpse lying on the floor between them. Tape recordings tell them that one of the men has to kill the other, or his wife and child will die. The corpse is holding a gun in one hand, but it's out of reach...but whoever has locked these two up has thoughtfully provided a hacksaw that can't cut through the heavy chain, but might cut through a little flesh and bone. From there, Saw jumps back and forth as the two men slowly unravel how they know each other and that their tormentor is one of those all-knowing, all-capable serial killers (it goes without saying that Saw is hugely influenced by Seven and the movies of Dario Argento), a fellow known as Jigsaw who... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Leigh Whannell - Cary Elwes - Danny Glover Director(s): James Wan DVD Release Date: Released the 15 February 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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