The Others

Rating:
Summary: Elegant and effective
Review: 'The Others' is one of those rare thriller/horror movies that goes for understating rather than overstating the suspense, and in my opinion, the end result is very effective. An enjoyable movie with great old-fashioned conventions (which avoid playing as tired clichés), Nicole Kidman gives an absolutely astonishing performance as a repressed mother, Grace, on the end of her rope. 'The Others' is set immediately after World War II on the secluded (and recently occupied) Isle of Jersey. The setting is very important in the movie; the monstrous house that Grace and her children occupy is their entire world, trapping them in a claustrophobic (despite the size) and dark place.

The premise of the movie is relatively simple: Grace's two children suffer from severe photosensitivity (ie anything beyond the dimmest light can be fatal), and her husband is missing from the war. Because of this, no door can be open without the previous one first being closed. Instead of trying to see what's lurking in the corner, Grace tries to hide it. I won't say anything else, but the movie is full of fun twists and turns that are characteristic of Amenábar's movies.

Speaking of Alejandro Amenábar, the writer, director, *and* composer for the film's score, keep your eye on this guy. He's only 29, and his previous two films ('Thesis' and 'Open Your Eyes', both in Spanish, which makes his English debut all that much more impressive) are very intelligent and memorable. His directing in 'The Others' is not flashy, but it's perfect for the gloomy, creeping, gothic feel of the movie. Any director who can direct a horror movie nowadays without succumbing to the temptations of cheap special effects or PSYCH! scare tactics gets my support, anyway!

So, go see 'The Others'. There's a lot of familiar references in plot and style to other movies, but it's distinct, original, and well worth it in its own right.

Rating:
Summary: CREEPY
Review: The movie was awesome. I totally enjoyed it. I had chills down my spine the whole movie. The best part about it is there were not big and fancy special effects...it was left up to your imagingation! AWESOME!

Rating:
Summary: A summer's treat; Kidman and support cast are brilliant
Review: A refreshing and intelligent contrast to the ear-splitting, overwhelmingly special effected summer films. The Others is a low-key drama, dimly and artfully lit, with an unobtrusive soundtrack and continually hushed voices. The film seems haunted in itself, but then the plot enfolds in increasing complexity. Some shocks occur, although for the most part this is less frightening than most "ghost" stories. It is more psychological, more a mystery than a fright. Nicole Kidman surprises by showing how well she can act. She is the intense focus of the film, truly the central lead character, and she portrays the mother, Grace, with intelligence, reserve, and great hidden depths. It is awesome how much emotion she manages to portray too, despite the reserve of the character -- her deep and passionate love for her husband and children, for instance, as well as her growing confusion at what is happening inside her home (the voices, the sounds of movement, the piano playing . . . ) The support cast is marvelous, so that all work together to give you a story that is less acted than lived. I do have to say that the surprise ending was not a surprise -- I spotted it coming fairly early on in the film, and you might as well. Many elements and mysteries occur, however, and while others found the film had slow parts, I did not. Only at the end do you finally look back and see the complexity of the film's storyline, but it is well worth getting to that end to have that experience, the "yes, I see". I'd highly recommend this film to anyone interested in psychological dramas.

Rating:
Summary: Bravo Alejandro!
Review: This is a masterpice suspense movie, Alfred Hitchcock would take his hat off, when you see a movie like this you just realized that there is no need for fancy "special effects", just a good script, good casting and of course a genius like Amenabar.

Congratulations sir, you just made it again!

Rating:
Summary: ONE OF THE BEST GHOST FILMS OUT THERE.
Review: THIS MOVIE WAS AMAZING. I EXPECTED SOMETHING GOOD BUT IT WAS BEYOND THAT. THE SUBTLE TWISTS AND TURNS AND INTRICACIES LEFT YOU WITH SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT FOR DAYS. I SAW IT THE FIRST TIME AND COULDN'T FULLY COMPREHEND WHAT I HAD JUST SEEN. IN THE SPIRIT OF "THE SIXTH SENSE", THIS MOVIE PROVIDES SUSPENSE AND THRILLS THAT WE HAVEN'T SEEN SINCE HITCHCOCK WAS MAKING MOVIES.BUT TO SEE "THE SIXTH SENSE" FOR THE SECOND TIME WAS TO JUST REPEAT WHAT YOU ALREADY FIGURED OUT. "THE OTHERS" HOWEVER, SEEN THE SECOND TIME AROUND PROVIDED YOU WITH A WHOLE NEW INSIGHT TO WHAT YOU HAD SEEN THE FIRST TIME. IT WAS LIKE WATCHING A FAMILIAR MOVIE FROM A TOTALLY DIFFERENT ANGLE. I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS TO ANY ONE WHO IS INTO STEPHEN KING, ALFRED HITCHCOCK, SOME OF MIA FARROW'S WORK OR IF YOU LIKED "WHAT LIES BENEATH". GREAT MOVIE WORTH EVERY CENT.

Rating:
Summary: A modern-day calssic
Review: This is one of the best ghost stories ever written, it's up there with classics like the 1963 version of "The Haunting". Very few ghost stories have ever been able to obtain such an amazing level of horror and at the same time maintain its dignity.

It's very refreshing to see a ghost movie that does not rely on computer effects and cheap, make-you-jump-out-of-your-seat moments of shock (but don't fret, you WILL jump out of your seat more than once). It achieves its horror through subtle lighting and sound effects, something that's virtually impossible to find in most modern-day horror movies.

It starts off a little slow, but quickly grabs your attention and doesn't let go until the end. Speaking of the end, it has a surprise ending that will blow you away and leave you talking about it for days.

Don't miss "The Others".

Rating:
Summary: It will scare you for maybe one night...
Review: The Others is a great ghost story, and is very suspensful. In some scenes it's completely silent and then there's a big loud noise! I thought Nicole Kidman did a wonderful job. The movie is about a haunted house, which a lady and her son and daughter live in. Ann and Nicholas, (Nicole's children) are allergic to light, so the house is always pitch black. Ann is able to see "The Others" (or what they think is ghosts), and tells her younger brother, Nicholas about them, and scares him. Nicole Kidman plays the very strict mother of Ann and Nicholas. They are a very religous family. One night Ann tells Nicholas about her "friend" Victor, who she thinks is a ghost. Nicholas thinks she's lying, so she tells Victor to come and touch Nicholas. When the ghost does, Nicholas screams, and the mother runs into the room. (I forgot to add a couple of details. There's 50 rooms in the house. There's fifteen keys and once you open the one door in the house you have to close the door you just came through. And also at the beginning three servants came, to help out around the house, and one was the childrens nanny, another a gardener, and another a mute, was a helper.) Anyway, the mother punishes Ann, but Ann's telling the truth. But then the mother starts to believe Ann after the strange happenings and noises around the house. I won't give away the ending, but watch for clues throughout the movie.

Rating:
Summary: Suspensefull
Review: This movie was really good. It's mostly unpredictable. THe acting was great. I definitely think it should get some oscar nods. Nicole Kidman was awesome. The director was good, too. If you like to use your brain or love scary movies, you should see "The Others."

Rating:
Summary: Just another 'Sixth Sense' rip-off
Review: If you've seen a few episodes of "The Twilight Zone" or you've seen "The Sixth Sense", you're going to figure out the ending pay-off before it's revealed. Although well-executed until that point, the overused, cliche, predictable 'twist' left such a bad taste in my mouth that I walked out of the theater feeling angry and disappointed.

Gotta give the director credit for good visuals and a couple of decent shocks, and the acting is good, but the big cliche at the end makes all of that worthless because it just ruins the movie.

Rating:
Summary: A Good Quiet Horror Movie
Review: Based on the previews, I expected The Others to pack more of a punch than it did. That's not to say it wasn't a good movie. The director did an excellent job setting up the spooky atmosphere. The plot begins when Grace (played by Nicole Kidman) wakes up screaming. That was a good beginning, but then the movie mellowed out after that. Grace answers the door to three people--a mute girl and an elderly couple--inquiring about servants' positions. She hires them, introducing the two women to her children, who are allergic to the sun. It is up to Bertha and Lydia to keep the curtains closed and the all the doors locked. Why isn't totally clear until Grace hears a little boy sobbing, then someone running in the upstairs hallway. The movie takes an eerie turn after the sobbing. The children start talking about the day their mother "went mad", but they don't say exactly what happened to her. We are left to assume that her mental decline occurred when her husband never returned from WWII. Grace grows more hysterical, thinking that intruders are in her house. The servants start conspiring with each other, to do what isn't clear until the end. Whether Grace is going mad isn't clear until the end. This movie has all the twists and turns of The Sixth Sense, including the neat tie at the end. But if you're looking for heart-pounding suspense, you'll leave the theater feeling disappointed. If you're a fan of quiet horror and/or mystery, you'll enjoy it.