Rating: 
Summary: Deserved a better ending
Review: I really enjoyed this movie. It was a wonderful plot and I loved the twists as the mystery unwound. Cruz was good but her accent was distracting from her character. The very ending on the street was a poor way to cap off such a good movie. Halle was terrific, Downey Jr.'s character just disappeared at the end and nothing with them ever wrapped up.
Rating: 
Summary: She sees dead people...
Review: Gothika is one of those films that rides the line between psychological thriller and ghost story, until you realise that it's actually kind of both. The film traces the story of a young doctor of psychology played by Halle Berre, who after a traumatic experience driving home from work one rainy night, awakes to find herself imprisoned in the very ward she used to work accused of the brutal murder of her husband. With the assistance of fellow doctor Robert Downey Jnr, and haunted by ghostly visions and occurrences she begins a desperate struggle to piece together the truth about what happened that night. I have had friends say that this is one of the scariest films they've ever seen, but with such high expectations, it fell way short for me. Gothika is basically a pretty run-of-the-mill 'ghost is trying to tell you something - what is it?' kind of films ala sixth sense, dragonfly, what lies beneath etc. You've pretty well seen it all before, and whilst Gothika is quite atmospheric and brooding, it relies pretty much on 'boo' moments, rather than actual creepiness to evoke it's sense of fear. Also, I agree with the other reviewers that talk about the film suffering from some poor pacing in the last quarter. The film builds and builds in terms of tension, and story and then almost gets completely stifled in the final quarter. It's almost as if everything suddenly goes right out the window for the sake of the film's resolution and it kind of detracts from the realism that kept me hooked to that point. Ask yourself this (few SPOILERS in here...)1. How on earth can the two security guards not see her when she's hiding in the pool, when they are physically scanning it with their flash lights?
2. Why aren't the police crawling all over town with roadblocks, and giving chase when she escapes?
3. Furthemore, why don't the cops go straight to the house when it must be obvious that's where she's likely to go?
4. Ghosts or no ghosts, how come she ultimately gets away with hacking up her husband with a big axe? Does the plea 'sorry I was possessed by the ghost of a girl who wanted revenge' get you off scot-free in U.S courts these days?
5. Why on earth is Penelope Cruz's character ALSO released? She was imprisoned for killing her hsuband. Why does she suddenly get out? Just so we can have a nice ending? I can't help but wonder if there was some kind of alternative end that film audiences didn't like or something. Anyhow, the upshot is that everything so expertly built goes flying out the window in the finale to the film to explain things away and tie it all up nicely, which is what kind of ruined it for me. But, that said whilst it offers nothing new, Gothika is an extremely enjoyable film with some great visuals, and superb performances, particularly from Halle Berre. If you like the genre, give it a watch. If you're after something a bit more challenging and ambiguous check out the superb Session 9.
Rating:
Summary: GOTHIKA ROCKS
Review: GOTHIA ROCKS HALLE BARRY IS AWESOME IN THIS SCARY THRILLER IT'S JUST ROCKS
Rating: 
Summary: somehow better than most modern horror movies
Review: first of let me just say that i hate modern ghost movies. its all the same, and it all is too damn scary(at least to me). the first time i saw Gothika, it scared me to death! ghost movies give me the creeps first of all because i fear the supernatural and the impossible more than the natural and probable. but this movie just hits my fears all together---it shows that the mental ill are not ill, just gifted; haunted by that gift. ive been in a psychiatric hospital 3 times. everytime i tried to tell them that i was not nuts, just gifted with a connection beyond all logics. this movie really proves(even though its just a movie)that the insane are not insane at all. that the things they see, hear, and believe in are real. with that aside, this is still a good movie. heres the storyline(even though youve heard it a million times):
a therapist at a psychiatric institute for the criminally insane comes in counter with an unknown girl in the middle of the road. after wrecking her car, the therapist gets out to check on the girl. i wont tell you what happens next except that the therapist wakes up in her own mental hospital in a solitary cell. her husbands dead. shes accused of killing him. she knows that after she saw the girl, she blacked out and that was all of her memory---no killing. now we take a jump-out-of-your-seat ride throughout a story of a supposedly insane woman who tries to escape from her asylum and prove that all the strange, ghostly happenings are of real danger. at the end, we find out who has been raping chloe(an inpatient), who the "ghost" really is, why her husband had to die, and in general: why we had to sit through this terrifying yet interesting film! this is for sure worth a look. i havent seen many modern ghost movies, yet this is for sure different thatn any of them ive ever seen. if you like weird movies about mental institutions and the happenings that go onn inside them, check out Session 9 and Sanitarium. cant think of anymore right now. but it is time for me to shut up and let you go rent this movie or buy it!
Rating:
Summary: It's good-plain and simple
Review: Gothika is simply a great horror movie. There is nothing amazingly new to it, but the same can be said for all horror movies from the past decade. Some people have also been claiming the end is a bit predictable, but the fact is, watch the movie, and you get a surprise on who's involved in the plot at the end. For anyone who liked The Ring, I think you can compare the quality of this movie to that.
Rating:
Summary: I Was Wrong...
Review: I really wanted to hate this movie. I almost didn't even check it out. But curiosity got the best of me. This is not the best horror movie you will see, but it was not bad by a long shot. Every actor seemed to fit the part great. Rob Downey, Jr. even did an OK job in a role he probably never would have done before. The ending is what made the movie a keeper for me. For those of you who had the same fears I did, honest... I have seen movies that were supposed to be better than this not nearly as entertaining.
Rating:
Summary: Gothi - HUH
Review: Dr. Miranda Grey (goddess Halle Berry) was a top psychologist until she murdered Fat Albert. After an encounter with a strange girl in the rain, Grey supposedly went mental and became a patient in the ward. Of course, "Gothika" takes place in an extremely dark place where lights don't exist and people have that one-eyed pirate stare. The token buddy (Robert Downey Jr.) doesn't add much to the movie either. Well, I don't want to give away too much information because it's predictable enough even for a ten year-old to figure out. The movie reminded me of "What Lies Beneath" and it actually has a couple of boo-yah! scenes. If you're a hardcore fan of the horror genre, you might like this. But, if you're an amateur that scares easily, I recommend you don't wear white pants because by the end of the movie you might be wearing brown pants. Chocolate pudding... Doh!
Rating:
Summary: Gothika - A very entertaining film!
Review: This was one of those movies that somehow, I'd never even heard of it when it was in the theaters but when strolling through a DVD store one day and seeing Halle Berry on a cover, it immediately drew my attention to this great movie. That being said, this is a fairly good psychological/super natural type thriller that doesn't suffer greatly from the predictability factor and in general entertains from the first scene to the last with some seriously intriguing twists. Performance wise, Halle Berry definitely gives and outstanding performance in this film showing a range of acting I'd previously not thought her capable of. Everybody's favorite addict in Robert Downey Jr. performs well in this movie albeit a somewhat subdued role for him in comparison to previous roles I've seen him in. Charles S. Dutton's role in this film is fairly limited which unfortunately doesn't give him much opportunity to show off his talents. Penelope Cruz's performance is fairly limited in this film as well! This is the first film directed by Mathieu Kassovitz that I've watched and I would definitely have to say that his films may be ones to watch out for as this film is presented in a wonderful manner from beginning to end. The Premise: Halle Berry plays criminal psychologist Dr. Miranda Grey who works at Woodward Penitentiary for Women. She appears to be a highly respected employee at the prison and is married to her boss, Dr. Douglas Grey (Charles S. Dutton). Not long after leaving work and heading home in a storm she nearly runs someone over in the middle of the road and has an accident... She wakes up a few days later to find that she's now a patient in the penitentiary that she worked in and she's been accused of killing her own husband... What follows from there is a well made psychological/super natural thriller that will, as stated above, entertain from the very first scene to the last as the story is extremely well scripted, directed and played out by the actors. I highly recommend this film to any and all who enjoy films in this genre! {ssintrepid} Special Features: -Commentary by Director Mathieu Kassovitz and Director of Photography Matthew Libatique
-Limp Bizkit "Behind Blue Eyes" Music Video
Rating:
Summary: Hitchcock it wasn't
Review: I love good thrillers. I am a Hitchcock fan for life. I watched the movie last night. I thought it was going to be a psychological thriller. It was OK. Too much blood! Halle earns three stars just for being in such great physical shape. Many of her escapades however did not follow any logic (i.e. she's riding home in s storm, calls her husband, he is not the least bit concerned, sees a bloodied ghost about the time he might have died; flashbacks provide a convoluted indication that she arrived home followed a trail of blood to her husband's body, supposedly chopped up by her.) Did the ghost take on her appearance to do the crime? Now, if you go home and find lots of blood, are you going to stay? Also, when Halle was being thrown around her cell and the surveillance cameras did not see a second person, was there something about the sheriff's knowledge of photography that was totally missed? Why did the kind guard give her his keys, when the whole place was in an uproar over her escaping her cell? Now, I do have a question --who did butcher the husband, the ghost?? From the lost boy poster at the end, I can tell there a sequel is likely. I won't feel drawn to see the sequel. There are too many loose ends to make this thriller work.
Rating:
Summary: Silence of the Lambs, with a Morbid twist.
Review: Even in 2004, I am constantly finding more great films from 2003. This movie is one of the best thrillers I have ever seen. Everything is unpredictable and that is rare in films today. Halle Berry is an awesome actress and she plays the insane role really good. Penelope Cruz also surprised me, in playing a psychotic rape victim. This film really grabbed me and never let go until the end. It is as if you took Steven King, and then blended it with a little Alfred Hitchcock. I highly recommend this film for thrill fans as well as people who love Halle Berry.
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