Rating: 
Summary: Creepy Gothic murder mystery
Review: "The Gift"'s biggest gift is Cate Blanchett, who expertly carries the entire plotline as a tarot-card reader in the deep South. This film suffers from one or two problematic actors and some cheesy visuals, but it's otherwise very creepy.Annie Wilson (Cate Blanchett) lost her husband in an explosion, and now supports her three sons on her tarot-card readings, which use her psychic "gift." Among the people who seek her help are Buddy (Giovanni Ribisi), a young man scarred by childhood molestation, and Valerie (Hilary Swank), a weak young woman who lives in terror of her violent redneck husband Donnie (Keanu Reeves). Worse, Donnie is threatening both Annie and her children, claiming that she's a Satan-worshipper and a witch because of her tarot readings. When Jessica (Katie Holmes), the seductive fiancee of a friend vanishes, Annie begins to have visions of what may have happened. The visions of white flowers, fences, and pondwater lead Annie and the skeptical police chief to Donnie's land, where the girl's body is found in the pond. Though at first Annie is convinced that Donnie is the one who murdered Jessica, her gift leads her to believe otherwise. This movie just brims over with "Southernness," with lots of moss, mist, bigoted rednecks, swampy forests and dirty little secrets. It's not an amazing movie, despite the good actors and good direction, partly because many parts of it are a bit cliched. But it's haunting and creepy, and those who enjoyed "The Sixth Sense" may also enjoy "The Gift." (Annie sees dead people too!) Cate Blanchett is, as always, stunning in whatever role she plays. This time it's a sort of tarot-reading madonna, and her expressive eyes and face can instantly flip from one emotion to another. Greg Kinnear plays Jessica's haunted fiancee, who has an eye for Annie; Hilary Swank is also very good as Valerie, as are the three boys who play Annie's children. Keanu Reeves was a problem, though. He's supposed to be a violent, cheating, raging redneck, but he wasn't very convincing. Probably to call this a horror film isn't quite accurate. Though it's very creepy and horrific, it isn't gory or truly horrific. (The most horrifying scene doesn't involve dead people or visions, but the sexually-abused Buddy crying, shrieking and attacking his father) Actually, it sags when we get things like visions of Jessica, or rolling stormclouds -- these are a little too obvious for the otherwise eerie movie. And I was able to guess quite quickly who the murderer was, simply by considering who it would be too easy to think it was. "The Gift" isn't an astounding movie, but quite a watchable one. Part Southern Gothic, part murder mystery, part horror/ghost flick, this is not something to watch with the lights off. Definitely nowhere near a pond.
Rating:
Summary: Thrilling and Entertaining
Review: This is a trully Thrilling movie well done in about every way. I love Cate Blanchett so I thought I would give the movie a try and was very pleased.
Rating:
Summary: Class Act of Deep Gothic
Review: I generally abhor Hollywood movies. I decided to watch this one solely because it was co-written by Billy Bob Thornton and because the brilliant Giovanni Ribisi was in the cast. Much to my surprise, I found a bevy of good reasons to watch this film. Aside from the script, which is subtle and realistically written, actor after actor really blew me away. Ribisi, as I said, is one of the finest younger actors I have seen come down the pike in a long while. He really shines here as the troubled Buddy. But Cate Blanchett and Greg Kinnear are just wonderful. Even Keanu Reeves does a serviceable job as a redneck S.O.B. Horror movies are a real love of mine. Calling this a horror movie is a bit simplistic, but it certainly has that element and a number of quite creepy scenes. Do NOT expect some gore fest or a typical shocker. Like the swampy, slow town where the film is set, the movie flows along with a great deal of restraint and allows the viewer to become immersed in the characters and goings-on. All in all a good job, and something new that doesn't stink. Kudos to writers and cast. My one caveat is that I found the ending a little stiff and cliche. No real surprises there, and it ventures into sappy territory at the end. Overall a great watch though. If you enjoyed Sixth Sense, Stir of Echoes, The Others, you will find much to like here.
Rating: 
Summary: overly dramatic
Review: for starters, why do people reviewing on here always feel the need to recit the whole freaking plot INCLUDING THE ENDING?!!!?!!? At least one person on here blew it and gave the ending away on this one. The movie was a let down. Not terrible, but not very exciting. Very predictable at times and quite overly dramatic (check out the sound effect when she trips over the toy truck). Reeves does a good job as does Ribisi, but the characters aren't particularly memorable. And yes the rumors are true-there is a cameo performance by Katie Holmes' breasts. They have nothing to do with the plot and are not needed, but they are most welcome. They just didn't need to be unwrapped for the sake of the plot.
Rating: 
Summary: It was all right...not the best I've scene...
Review: Okay, must be honest, the only reason I saw this movie was because I'm a Katie Holmes fan, and if you are, you'll probably like this movie, (or at least the parts she's in) because she gets to play a different type of character than you've ever seen her as. She is so wicked and it's great. Katie does have her only nude scene (in Hollywood so far) in this movie and she is very beautiful. Everyone in this did a fabulous job in acting, and it kept you on your toes and did frighten you a bit, I just wasn't really fond of any of the other actors in this movie, their characters I mean. It was kind of an ugly, depressing movie sadly instead of a dramatic thriller than kept you fascinated. Cate Blanchett, the star of the movie who played Annabelle 'Annie' Wilson did a fabulous job. She plays the town's fortune teller/psychic whose husband has died and she's raising her two sons on her own. When Katie Holmes's character Jessica King is murdered, she finds where Jessica's body disappeared to through her psyhic abilities, and works hard to solve the mystery of who did it while struggling through the troubles of her own life. Keanu Reeves's character Donnie Barksdale is also brilliantly performed. I didn't even realize it was him! He plays an abusive husband who beats the hell out of his wife and smacks Katie Holmes around a bit as long as anyone else who gets in his way. But what terrible things is he guilty of and what is he actually innocent of? Greg Kinnear's character Wayne Collins is a different type of character than I've ever seen Greg play and he did fabulously. He is Katie Holmes's fiancee and is devestated by her murder, but he knows a little more than he's letting on, and Cate Blanchett works with him to discover who is the REAL murderer of Jessica King (Katie Holmes). Everyone in this movie did very well and it does keep you frightened and waiting for the next bomb shell to drop, with a surprising twist at the end! I didn't enjoy this movie immensely because it had a lot of violence and hatred in it, but if you're a fan of any of these people, they all performed so well it's worth seeing.
Rating: 
Summary: dude!
Review: ok, i havn't actaully seen this movie yet, but i heard that you can totally see katie holmes naked. ya, 5 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Suburban swamp ledgend
Review: Twisty ending, very neat ghost story, memorable characters, difficut situations... The local lady who makes her living and supports her kids by telling fortunes sees the ghost of a girl. And everything goes from there... disbelief, anger, hostility and scorn from the locals; some from the police, even as they ask her to help; a greiving fiance, a violent local troublemaker, more red herrings than a fishmarket and you've got a movie. Did I mention Keanu Reeves is in it? Even if he plays an arse...
Rating:
Summary: The Gift is the Cast, Not the Story
Review: If you had to pick one, which would you choose?
A. A great story with a lousy cast
B. A great cast with a lousy story Actually, 'The Gift' does provide viewers with a great cast, but to be fair, the story is not lousy. It is formula, it is predictable, but it's not lousy. Cate Blanchett plays Annie Wilson, a Georgia widow with three young boys. Annie scrapes together a living by giving psychic readings. She's not a con artist. She genuinely cares about people: the friend (played by Hillary Swank) being abused by her redneck husband (Keanu Reeves), the local town idiot, and others. She does have a gift, which she uses to try to find the killer of a prominent local woman. The cast of 'The Gift' kept me watching through a very predictable script. Without giving away the plot, I can tell you that there are really no true surprises since everything in the film is telegraphed. The story of the "psychic" or "seer" has been used in many films countless times. The only thing that separates 'The Gift' from all the other films in this genre is its all-star cast. Wonderful performances. It's just too bad the scriptwriter didn't put as much into his work as the casting director did. Rated R for language, nudity, violence, and some disturbing images
Rating:
Summary: A Very Spooky Ride
Review: This movie is a true mystery/thriller and it will keep you on that roller coaster to the very end. You will be on the edge of your seat and the hair will be up on the back of your neck. This is one of the rare (these days) thriller scares without being an overtly gory or slasher film. Cate Blanchett plays a small town psychic that has "The Gift". You soon realize that her gift is more of a curse because she see flashes of previous or future events horrific in nature. Blanchett plays her as a vulnerable woman who is trying to support her two kids and supplement her income by reading cards for people. The tension progressively grows as Annie Wilson (Blanchett) has more an more visions of a woman who disappears and presumed dead. Will she solve the murder before the murderer comes after her? There's a plethora of suspects to watch. The only caveat I have is the total southern stereotyping is here, from the redneck wife-beater (played surprising well by Kneau Reeves) to the doughnut eating cop, the town tramp, etc....scenery reminded me more of Louisiana, than Georgia, but the eery moss covered trees and swamps coupled with some well done soundtrack, sets the mood well.
Rating:
Summary: Another Sam Raimi, low-budget HIT!!!
Review: I really like this film. I really like ghost stories. My favorite ghost films aren't available on DVD, and the incredible Sam Raimi created the perfect atmosphere to keep me sated until they do. Billy Bob Thornton's script had every element needed to satisfy this crave, and Raimi assembled an incredible ensemble to execute the final result. Cate Blanchett is magnificent (as always), and she takes you down her road of discovery with innocence and conviction. The biggest surprise, of course, is Keanu Reeves. HE CAN ACT! It was a treat to see him let down some barriers and create this horrible monster of a character. The entire ensemble is amazing (Greg Kinnear, Hilary Swank, Katie Holmes, Gary Cole), but aside from Blanchett, acting honors must go to Giovanni Ribisi as the sweet, confused village idiot ready to go over the edge. Michael Jeter also shines as a reprehensible defense attorney. I hate it when people blab away plot points, so I won't do that. What Raimi has done is to take a wonderful story and give it his own inimitable spooky touch. Everyone is suspect, and I was shocked, scared and surprised at how it all evolved. Until THE HAUNTING ('63), THE INNOCENTS ('61) or THE UNINVITED ('44) are available, this would be your best bet on DVD. This is pretty much of a folk tale, but if you're looking for a recent honest-to-goodness Haunted House story, you might check out THE OTHERS (Nicole Kidman). The DVD transfer is excellent ( a good 1.85:1 LBX, like most indies), there's one of those gratuitous "extras", where the cast and director all talk about how wonderful each other was; a music video by Neko Case & Her Boyfriends (very folksy), and some trailers. One interesting note (to me, anyway): Giovanni Ribisi was nominated for Best Supporting Actor by the Independent Film Awards; other than that, I know of no other awards recognition.
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