Rating: Summary: Spooky Ghosts Around Us Review: Great movie. It is kind of a rip off of The Changeling only a reversal with the ghosts getting all the lines. It is still a great movie. Kidman delivers a great performance. The cinematography and lighting are exceptional. It moved kind of slow up to the last half hour, but I think that added to the overall suspense of the film. You really don't know what is going on until the final third of the movie. I like that, but I can see how others may not. If you like spooky gothic style movies you're going to love this one. If you get scared in movies you better watch this one with someone. The special features are pretty good on the DVD. A good featurette. They still didn't give any credit for ripping off The Changeling (one of my all time favorites), but that's ok; still a great movie.
Rating: Summary: GREAT DEEP HORROR FILM Review: The Others is a excellent film. The entire film held my attention. When I saw the ending I was so taken aback. It was a well writen and executed film. I always knew that Nicole Kidman was a great actress. What I loved about this film is that it's a film that is really about religion. If you see the ending or just the entire film you will understand what I mean. Kidman's performace reminded me of Ingrid Bergman's performance in Gaslight. Kidman doesn't overdue it. She keeps her performance at the same level throughout the film. Not many actresses today could pull of a performance like this one. This is a film that will become a classic very soon.
Rating: Summary: Wonderful acting Review: I think that there's been so much hype over the Kidman-Cruise love-hate relationship over the years, that I haven't really been willing to give the actress her due professionally. I bought The Others because I enjoy a good ghost story, and this one sounded pretty good from the descriptions I'd read of it. Surprisingly I not only got the great ghost story I wanted, I got a new definition for Ms Kidman: superb performer. Her portrayal of a slightly unbalanced woman with an obsessive concern over the health and well being of her children was a jewel. The diligent closing of curtains, the compulsive locking of doors behind her created a natural tension that built gradually as an apparently normal mother grew more and more dysfunctional before the viewer's eyes. The slightly suspect servants who appear at her door in search of employment, after the woman's previous domestics had left without notice, heightens the sense of "something's not quite right" which builds to the denouement. Although not totally unpredictable, the movie is still a masterpiece of craftsmanship. While The Sixth Sense, another film I liked, relied more substantially on CGI for its effect upon the viewer, The Others relies completely upon it's set, the progression of events, and the talent of its actors to create that sense of otherworldliness that makes a good story. Since the action occurs almost totally in the various rooms of an old house and to some extent on it's immediate grounds, the movie might make a good stage play, if it isn't one already. As such it would certainly give ample opportunity for the set designer and the lighting and sound managers to give vent to their creativity. I'd certainly look forward to such a production. In all an enjoyable movie.
Rating: Summary: Nicole Really SHines In This One! Review: Nicole Kidman really performs her best in this movie. The script and direction allowed her to creat a character that is full of depth and real passion. The child are wonderful and the housekeeper, don't take your eyes off her. Very well done. Editing and music make it a "classic" spoke for young and old. I don't want to give away the story, but just remember when you atch this - nothing is as it appears to be. The DVD extras include a background in the rare diseas the children have and real behind the scenes of Nicole and director working to achieve the best. Very insightful and informative - especially the designing of the special effects sequence. This is a very good film.
Rating: Summary: One more thing, sorry... Review: If you knew me I think you would know I like very good movies. Some of my favorites: One Flew Over the Cukoo's Nest; The Great Escape; Body Heat; The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly; E.T., The Extra-Terrestrial; Double Indemnity; The Shawshank Redemption... I rank this one right up there. This is a great film, and when I see the two-line bad reviews of this film, my heart cries out in protest. And for those who rank The Sixth-Sense above The Others, well, I just have to wonder what barn you live in. SD
Rating: Summary: some creepy ish yall... Review: oh yeah! this was a tight flick yall... "the sixth sense" was predictable to me and i had pretty much figured that out from the beginning... but this movie!?!?! the others!?!?!? man...normally you sit back and try to super-sleuth durin the lulls in the movie, but they dont really offer you many opportunities to do that with in this one... very suspenseful...BR>well acted... and actually pretty scary!!! my 13 year old spent the night in her mama's bed after seein this one...(and she had jus seen '13 ghosts' two weeks ago and was braggin bout how good that movie was...but she loves this one even more! FROM A 13 YEAR OLD YALL!!!) the ending was a complete surprise to me and had me completely perplexed up until the final few frames... this is a great date movie, but i gotta get this one for my collection as soon as possible...
Rating: Summary: This house is ours... Review: I happily recommend this movie for fans of scary movies set in big, dark houses with a spine-tingling soundtrack. Nicole Kidman plays a high-strung mother of two young children, whose husband is off in the war (WWII). They are stuck in a huge house with no electricity (of course) and three spooky servants. The daughter keeps hearing and seeing a ghost. There is so much tension in every step that Nicole takes while searching that creepy house that you will definitely be on the edge of your seat throughout the movie, and the music only increases the chills. Just when you think you have the movie figured out, you don't, and the twist at the end is really fun. Kidman looks very much like Grace Kelly in this film. I think this is her best acting role ever. She is snooty, rigid, and quite often, hysterical. The children are both very creepy and Mrs. Mills, the housekeeper, is really scary. The music is intense and chilling. A frightening film that really delivers the goods!
Rating: Summary: Fool me twice, shame on me Review: Had "The Others" been released about ten years ago, it would have been hailed as a classic. However, because the movie has virtually exactly the same plot twist as another film of recent years, it instead comes off as a bit of a copy. (If I mention the film it draws parallels to, it will guarantee to spoil it for you, but you'll probably figure it out. The director even maintains the same limiting conventions.) Nonetheless, this is a very good film. Nicole Kidman and Fionulla Flanagan both hit exactly the right timbre for their roles and the children artlessly combine a sense of dread, resignation, obedience and stubbornness. Remarkably, there is not a single cuss word, nor to my memory, as much as a drop of blood shown. This screenplay could have been written 50 years ago and still have passed the censors. But that in no way makes it a Disneyesque family film. There are several definite heart-stoppers, and it is infinitely scarier than anything in the Friday the 13th/Jason line. My wife is no big fan of the horror genre, so I let her know that this was a gore-free, psychological horror film. "Yeah", she replied, "those are the worst kind." She's right.
Rating: Summary: M. Night Shyamalan called ... Review: ... he wants his movie back! Nicole Kidman gives an excellent performance in a mediocre film. The ending, while somewhat surprising, then causes one to look back at the events in the movie and notice the logical irregularities. I liked the sense of desolation that the film portrayed, but it took forever to get things really cooking.
Rating: Summary: SNOOZE!!! Review: Please don't compare this film with What Lies Beneath which, while it has its faults, is a very stylish and watchable movie. I had no expectations going in (to The Others) and even watched it a second time to see if maybe I'd missed something good, and still nothing. Kidman was wooden, the plot rambling and unbelievable. I was hoping for some suspense -- there was none. Hitchcock would roll over in his grave. This film is pure drivel. Kidman should be embarrassed -- she has the ability (see Dead Calm). I expected nothing and GOT nothing.
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