The Sixth Sense

Rating:
Summary: Lives up to the hype
Review: I am always skeptical of overly hyped films and directors. Prior to seeing "The Sixth Sense", I would have described both the movie and Shyamalan as being over-hyped.

Now that I've seen it, I have to admit that the bang-to-hype ratio is surprisingly high. This is an outstanding movie!

What must it be like to be a small boy who "sees dead people"? As a former kid-with-an-overly-active-imagination who had a staircase to the attic in my bedroom closet, I never saw dead people, but I sure had my share of sleepless nights imaging to closet door opening on its own. I thought Haley Joel Osment's performance was extraordinary.

I already knew the "big twist" before I saw "The Sixth Sense", but I found that it didn't matter. I was able to enjoy the story and the performances on their own merits.

With very little graphic gore and few jump-out-and-get-you moments, Shyamalan is able to keep the suspense level very high. Unlike most of the horror/suspense movies made today, which rely on a lot of technology, stunts, and effects, "The Sixth Sense" is a throwback. It could easily have been made in the 40s or 50s, given the level of technology required to pull it off. This is a movie-maker's movie, not a technologist's. I found it refreshing and all the more enjoyable for that.

Shyamalan has a ways to go before he earns the title of "The Next Spielberg", but he's well on his way to the top of the field.

For a change, I can say without reservation: Believe the hype!!

Rating:
Summary: A classic thriller/horror with a twist
Review: This is definitely the best of Director Shyamalan's films.

The story is about psychiatrist Dr. Crowe's (Bruce Willis) interest in a child-patient. The child claims to see dead people, and mysterious incidents indicate that the child is telling the truth.

The movie proceeds at a slow pace, yet is very absorbing. There are several suspense-filled moments, silent but disquieting. Just when all the answers seem to be revealed, the final twist just blows the mind away.

Rating:
Summary: A perfectly done chillimg film...
Review: Right after I watched it, I immidiately watched it again. It had that kind of an impact, and has re-watchability. Like the great films of suspense by Alfred Hitchcock, this film doesn't have to show gore to be effective and leaves you with the chills thruout, and on the edge of your seat. A great film, worth watching many times.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Film--One of Shyamalan's Best
Review: From the explosive beginning to the surprising end, The Sixth Sense engages the attention of any viewer who does not mind a movie devoid of violent explosions, extensive gunfire, and bedroom scenes. (Indeed, no film should contain the latter.)
The heart of soul of the film is Cole Sear, a disturbed nine year-old who hides his run-ins with ghosts from everyone around him, including his mother. Actor Haley Joel Osment gives a stunningly mature and good performance, especially judging from the fact that he was not yet a teenager at the time. He is uniformly believable, and his character is very real--he is not one of those movie characters that makes you sick and eager to get the movie over with.
Bruce Willis, playing the child phsychologist Malcolm Crowe, gives a very quiet performance, but still with plenty of feeling. He is not at all dry.
You can tell from the get-go that M. Night Shyamalan is a master at his craft. The entire feel of the movie is perfect. From the silent views of doors inside a house, to an angry voice shouting from behind a door, he keeps up a very expectant suspense. You aren't really sure what is going to come next until it happens.
The screenplay is quite realistic, the music is great, and all the other supporting actors give smooth performances.
In a word--it's a great movie. Watch it and you will be in for an enjoyable ride.

Rating:
Summary: Willis's quieter hero
Review: "The Sixth Sense" is M. Night Shamyamalan runaway hit about a more senseable and logical look at ghost stories. It is a slow movie and your patience is rewarded. It is the story of distinguished child psychologist Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis in his best non-action role) takes on a new patient, 12 year old Cole. Cole claims to be able to see "dead people". To tell anymore would be to spoil the movie for anyone who hasn't seen it yet. As I said before, this is a slpw movie, but that dosn't mean nothing happens, you have to be very alert, and maybe, just maybe, you'll figure out the secret at the end before it's reveled. Haley Joel Osment dose a great job as the quiet and sensitive kid trying to understand his unusual gift. I really believe that this is one of the best horror dramas made in a long time, and Shayamlan deserves all the success he has achived.

Rating:
Summary: Classic but I like "the others" better!
Review: The Sixth Sense is a Hollywood classic. "I see dead people" is now a household slogan. The only problem is, I didn't know if this was supposed to be a thriller or scary movie. Some parts were scary, but it just seemed to kind of go on long. The only thing that saved this movie was the acting (incredible) and cinematography (haunting). Don't guarantee this movie to scare the pants off you. Personally I prefer "The Others."

Rating:
Summary: Scared the freaking beejesus out of me...even now
Review: For MONTHS after I saw this, if I got up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night--which sadly, I do nightly--I'd see that sad man standing in my tub in his brown-should-be-whitie-tighties. SCARY SCARY SCARY... but not with gore or effects. It's a full-on psychological thrill ride!!! I nearly missed it, b/c I shun scary movies, but my hubby's discussion of it piqued my interest and I am glad I saw it. Just terrific film. Great story, unusual, unique, smart. Just terrific. Don't hesitate here.

Rating:
Summary: mindless marketing morons make menus moot
Review: I immediately destroyed my copy of this DVD after purchasing it to prevent subjecting another human being to the inane and rude programming of this so-called DVD. Some committee of cluelss cretins decided to force each "owner" of the disk to watch a half-dozen horrible movie previews every time the disk is inserted before the feature commences. You can't call up the menu, you can't fast-forward, you can't even stop the damn thing without hitting eject or turning off the power!!

Well, here's my response to this evil tactic. I will never, ever purchase another DVD distributed by Hollywood Pictures Home Video.

I will never view or purchase Mission to Mars.

I will never view or purchase 13th Warrior.

I will never view or purchase...this is far as I got before I ripped the disk out and smashed it to bits.

0 stars, no make that a NEGATIVE 5 stars.

Rating:
Summary: I love this movie
Review: This is such a good movie. The ending is extremely shocking. Because of that watching the movie a second time, the movie is totally a different movie. Unfortunately because of that, it's not much fun watching it the third or fourth time because you know what's going to happen. If you haven't seen it though, it is a must see.

Rating:
Summary: A Classic Example of Horror Cinema
Review: This is my taste in horror movies. Some people go for the gore-fests, some go for films that are just shocking and disturbing. Nothing wrong with that. I myself just prefer something with a little more depth to it than most of the films in that category.

The Sixth Sense, from writer/director M. Night Shyamalan, is fully satisfactory. This is possibly Bruce Willis' best role to date. The movie itself will probably remain one of my favorites for years to come.

Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Willis) is a child psychologist. It goes badly one night when one of his former patients now grown up takes a gun to the doctor in his own home, claiming that Crowe never helped him. Fast-forward several months, to see Crowe trying to help young Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment) who is affected by the same symptoms as the patient who shot Malcolm before committing suicide.

Malcolm is determined to try and save Cole from himself, but learns that Cole is the unwilling bearer of a strange and macabre gift: the ability to see and communicate with the dead. At first, Crowe is unwilling to believe it, but as the film progresses, he begins to believe Cole and helps him to overcome his fear of the ghosts, instead speaking with them to try and bring them to a resolution that allows them to move on to the next life. In other words, Cole is given the duty, the destiny, of putting restless spirits at ease.

The eventual twist ending was quite a shocker, though many of you have probably already heard it from friends yammering about how either they never saw it coming, or lying and said they knew it the whole time. These twist endings are sort of a trademark for Shyamalan, as are his directing techniques.

One thing I particularly liked about his style, was his usage of symbolism and atmosphere. Throughout the film, doors and windows always symbolize something significant. It isn't until you see the whole film that you understand this, though. Another subtlety in the film is the usage of the color red. All of the other colors seem muted, but red stands out. And it's so well-executed, you don't even realize it unless you're actively looking for it.

In addition to the creepy psychological facets of the film, there were also a few shocking moments carefully placed throughout to create a greater sense of tension and dread. There were also a couple disturbing aspects touched upon to give the film a heavier atmosphere. These moments are made all the more disturbing by the fact that some of the acts people commit in the film are based on real mental illnesses.

Overall, I give The Sixth Sense 5 stars. Bruce Willis turns in a much better performance than some of his other recent works, Haley Joel Osment is refreshing in his incredible talent for someone his age, and Shyamalan provides a compelling story with memorable characters and some of the finest, most innovative directing approaches I've seen in a while.

This is all, of course, just one man's opinion. I'm not going to tell you that you will or will not like it, but if you enjoy the sort of stuff I've described above, it's at least worth giving a shot, right?