Rating: 
Summary: Spirited by Shyamalan
Review: August is typically the month chosen for studios to dump films considered too poor to compete against the bigger summer vehicles and too weak to war with fall releases. The irony of 'The Sixth Sense' being released during this month is all the more peculiar when one hears of its $8 million triumph on opening day, not to mention curtailing a $30 million mark its first weekend. Screening amidst blockbusters like 'Runaway Bride', 'The Iron Giant' and the much-discussed horror mockumentary 'The Blair Witch Project', the success of 'The Sixth Sense' surprised not only its skeptical audiences but its humble filmmakers as well.Action buff Bruce Willis stars as the unruffled child psychologist Malcolm Crowe, a man who has spent the last ten years devoting his life to the mental health of Philadelphia's troubled children. After ogling a plaque of commendation given to him by the city's mayor for his painstaking services, he and his wife Anna (Williams) retire to their bedroom, drunk on wine and ready for a romantic tryst. To their surprise, they find their window shattered and their phone beeping urgently off the hook. A half-naked intruder lurks in their adjoined bathroom, a gleaming handgun lying dormant in the sink. The intruder tearfully reveals himself as Vincent Grey, a former patient who never found peace. Malcolm desperately tries to placate the hysterical young man but Vincent fires a round through his abdomen before turning the gun on himself. The story leaps to the following year, the incident having irrevocably damaged Malcolm and Anna's marriage. Unable to repair the breach in their stunted communication, Malcolm busies himself with a new client, one whose traits are eerily parallel to that of Vincent. The enigmatic youngster this time 'round is Cole Sear (Osment), an oft-morose elementary-schooler whose permeable eyes disclose the terror and mysteries of the netherworld. Not only is Cole oddly intuitive but he also has the power to see and communicate with restless phantoms, entities that consistently make their presences known in the dusky apartment that he and his mother Lynn (Colette) share. Both Malcolm and Lynn assume Cole's behavior is rooted in the emotional pangs of his parents' divorce, but they are sorely mistaken and one day the terrified tot exhales 'I see dead people' to the stone-faced shrink, a rivulet of tears cascading down his porcelain cheeks. It is at this point that Shyamalan grabs us by our shirt collars and pulls us closer towards the portico of restless spirits, revealing to us their many macabre but misunderstood worlds. This subdued paranormal yarn literally became a theatrical juggernaut overnight and many people were compelled to see it a second or third time just to spot director M. Night Shyamalan's clues to the gasp-inducing denouement. I remember sitting in the theater with my husband and hearing him incredulously whisper 'Holy s**t!' as the last five minutes of SS unfolded, hitting the audiences' collective realization like a sledgehammer. Like the rest of the world, I was mesmerized by 11-year-old Osment's unbelievably mature performance and I admit I was a little disappointed when he didn't even receive an Academy Award nomination for his flawless work. However, I didn't overlook the rest of the cast's efforts and I was very pleased by the performances from both 'Die Hard' trilogy star Bruce Willis and his Australian co-star Toni Collette (who was nominated for Best Supporting Actress). Willis had ventured into chancy territory before undertaking the complicated role of Malcolm Crowe, choosing character roles like high-strung mortician Ernest Menville in the black comedy 'Death Becomes Her' and quirky car salesman Dwayne Hoover in the Kurt Vonnegut-adapted 'Breakfast Of Champions'. Collette had a shorter but nevertheless impressive resume, Shyamalan having enjoyed her as Muriel Heslop in the 1994 comedy 'Muriel's Wedding'. Olivia Williams hopped onto the project after starring in the Costner flop 'The Postman' and the independent comedy 'Rushmore'. The biggest casting surprise however was former 'New Kids On The Block' member Donnie Wahlberg as Vincent Grey, the ex-singer-turned-actor barely recognizable due to his emaciated physique (he shed a dangerous total of 45 lbs. for the part). Some people complained about knowing the secret only halfway through, saying Shymalan made it too easy to guess what was going on and/or gave too much away. Only the people who allowed themselves to be consumed by the director's languid but intriguing style and the riveting performance from Osment were shocked, but they were pleasantly surprised as well by how carefully he concealed the truth. So to the critics who pieced together the theoretically palpable puzzle: good for you. Just don't ruin it for the rest of us who would prefer to enjoy the film for its imagination and talent rather than embarking on a rabid search for its technical flaws.
Rating: 
Summary: Overrated. And How.
Review: Unbelievably over-hyped and carelessly fashioned ghost story, critically adored mainly due to a stand out performance from Osment. Unfortunately his adeptness in handling the material cannot save a film which as a whole is unsatisfying and incoherent. The central premise intrigues, but the twist ending is inadequately set up, contextually makes no sense (so bruce Willis never changed clothes, or opened a door, or spoke to anyone other than this child and never figured out anything was wrong? Wonderful psychologist) and is utterly plagiarised from Herk Harvey's 1962 film 'Carnival of Souls'; a laconic Willis seems content for the most part to sit back and look as bored as I was by about 45 minutes in. Trite Hollywood fodder unfortunatly described by some as a Masterwork; there are numerous directors with greater talent who could do with this kind of recognition.
Rating:
Summary: Red Red everywhere there's red
Review: This is one of the few movies that lives up to all the hype. It is excellent. The movie maitains its suspense throughout the entire length. Haley Joel Osment is every bit as good as they say he is. The ending is amazing, I didn't guess it and I highly doubt many people do, but at the end you can't believe you missed it. Watch the rules and clues at the end and then watch it again and pick out all the clues. Pay close attention to the color red it is everywhere. I recommend to everyone of all ages.
Rating:
Summary: Oh Yes
Review: Much has already been said about this film, so I will keep my comments brief. I loved it. It was the first film to scare me in a long time (vomit girl under the bed, yuck!). It was the first film to surprise me in a long time (great twist ending, my god!).
Rating:
Summary: Seeing dead people
Review: In my humble opinion, THE SIXTH SENSE was the last great horror movie of the cinema in the 20th century. I say this for a number of reasons. First of all, writer/director M. Night Shayamalan must be credited with having made a horror film that is genuinely frightening and unsettling without resorting to undue blood, gore, or nudity (thus the 'PG-13' rating). Second, his handling of the relationship between psychologist Malcolm Crow (Bruce Willis) and the troubled boy Cole Seer (Haley Joel Osment) is one of the more psychologically satistfying things I've seen in the cinema in years. Third, and last (but not least), is the twist ending that occurs--and, contrary to what anyone else might believe, I did NOT see it coming. This twist is perhaps the greatest sting-in-the-tail ending the cinema had seen since the coda of the original PLANET OF THE APES in 1968. I have the feeling that Rod Serling, no stranger to sting-in-the-tail endings (see "The Twilight Zone" and APES), would have found a lot to admire about THE SIXTH SENSE. Shayamalan weaves elements of such great horror movies as CARRIE, THE SHINING, and POLTERGEIST into his film; and yet, THE SIXTH SENSE does not seem too terribly derivative--it's paying homage. Willis and Osment, as well as Toni Collette's performance as Osment's equally troubled mother, are at the center of this intriguing thriller. If you missed it in the theater, try not to miss it on VHS or DVD. See it; you won't be sorry that you did.
Rating: 
Summary: An Average Film With A Great Twist-Ending
Review: I am not a fan of either Bruce Willis or most modern American movies. I only rented M. Night Shyamalan's "The Sixth Sense" because I read that the movie was supposed to have a great surprise-ending. "The Sixth Sense" is an average thriller. Child psychologist Bruce Willis is shot and wounded by an angry former patient who later kills himself. About a year later, Willis finds that his marriage is crumbling and comes across a young boy(Haley Joel Osment) who seriously needs his help. Osment has a special talent that allows him to look into the past. He is also haunted by spirits and says that Willis is the only person who can help him. "The Sixth Sense" is a so-so thriller. I wasn't satisfied with the first two-thirds of the film but the last third is great. The last third of the film is genuinely heartfelt and stunning. As a child actor, Osment gives a good performance but I didn't think his portrayal was Oscar-worthy; his character's emotions seem too affected at times. I also wish the film would have gone into much greater detail about the dead girl-ghost character who asks Osment for his help. If anything, "The Sixth Sense" certainly has a GREAT twist-ending. The surprise ending is both logical and intelligent, and I didn't come close to guessing this conclusion beforehand. The surprise conclusion significantly helps in elevating the film. Despite its weaknesses, "The Sixth Sense" should be seen by every movie buff at least once. For a superior thriller with an even greater twist-ending, see Robin Hardy's "The Wicker Man."
Rating:
Summary: OK, but Way Over-hyped
Review: Actually, watching the DVD of <Unbreakable> prompted this review. Both feature Bruce Willis in the starring role and are "eerily" similar in their cinematic tricks. We get lots of vague, essentially nebulous lighting (I really do need to get glasses, I guess!)and thinly-construed plot. Shyamalan is regarded in Hollywood circles as the next Steven Speilberg, but what he serves up is rather thin gruel in the larger scheme of things, even though after wincing through A.I. I see the validity of the comparisons (Sorry, Steve, I really did love <Schindler's, one of the great films of the century>). What this film fails to deliver is the type of dramatic tension that is evident in such masterpieces as <The Innocents> (an immensely well-crafted child-oriented ghost tale adapted from Henry James' <The Turn of the Screw>, screenplay by Truman Capote, and <Jacob's Ladder>, neglected pretty much by the Oscar committee and the mainstream press, but infinitely savvier and scarier than this imitation. In fact, <Jacob's Ladder> has almost the exact same ending as <The Sixth Sense>, but I've never seen or heard of M. Night Shyamalan giving credit to this earlier, superior, screenplay. Perhaps it's about time.
Rating:
Summary: That kid is great!
Review: I loved everything about this movie....the plot was original, the acting was great (what more did Haley Joel Osment have to do in order to win an Oscar? The panelists must've been out of their minds to not give him the award), and it was chilling and very suspenseful....Many of the scenes were memorable and I liked the interviews at the end.......If you haven't seen "The Sixth Sense" then you're missing out on a lot........go see it soon!
Rating:
Summary: Incredibly Over-Rated
Review: Obvious twist-ending, failed attempts at atmosphere, and a few good scenes. Rent "Carnival of Souls" (1962) instead--that is the movie deserving of The 6th Sense's praise.
Rating:
Summary: A well done ghost story with a terrific plot twist!
Review: Now American Beauty must have been really ****** ******* good to beat this ghost classic. Involving, spooky, marvelous acting and suspence, and a terrific plot twist. ....With this a gory horror, Blair WItch a creative horror, The Green Mile a big hit with a big miracle man, the Academy had plenty hits to choose from. Enjoyable and frightening, The Sixth Sense will keep you up.
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