Memorable, crazy movie

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

When I review a movie I don't go into plot; you can read that anywhere. I'm a screenwriter myself so I tend to write about idiosyncratic things that you'd not look for, but your mind sees. The film has a fresh story, is beautifully lit, artistically shot, and is worth the watch. In the trivia section, one of the contributors has it exactly correct: what they would do is slow the film speed down as much as possible and have the actress walk as normally as she can. Then they speed the film up to regular speed and all the little mannerisms come out in an eerie sort of ghostly ethereal way. It's not used much - Hitchcock would have loved this technique. Lots of fortuitous things happen, like when Bacon kicks a bucket through a window which was accidental but Bacon had the presence of mind to stay in character thus the shot made the movie. The direction was better than average the acting better than average. Ileana Douglas is always good Bacon is usually good or Erbe is underrated and too seldom cast so you had the makings already of a film that you knew had potential. Add the weird twist and Jennifer Morrison, AKA Doctor Cameron from the show "House", and you have a movie that is great to watch on a rainy Sunday afternoon. I recommend it.

One of the more underrated psychological horror films from the 1990's is Stir of Echoes. David Koepp, who has proved to be a big time screenplay writer for major blockbusters before Stir of Echoes, such as Jurassic Park and Mission Impossible, did some great things with this movie he wrote and directed. First off, there is a certain gritty feel to a horror film setting that takes place in a big city such as Chicago. Second, is the acting and character attitude that fit so well for the time period, has really paid off down the road leaving a nostalgic feel and believability. The story-line is connected fairly well and there are some good scares to be found. Kevin Bacon also does a great job at balancing his character to a rational minded human to an obsessively strange being. The ending does have a great twist, a ghost story that reminds me a lot of The Sixth Sense, which came out in the same exact year. Stir of Echoes is a solid horror flick that still holds up today, definitely worthy enough to re-watch if it's been awhile and escaped your mind.

Stir of Echoes (1999): Dir: David Koeppe / Cast: Kevin Bacon, Kathryn Erbe, Kevin Dunn, Illeana Douglas, Jennifer Morrison: Similar to The Sixth Sense with a title that represents crimes unsolved that will not die. Illeana Douglas plays a hypnotist who gathers a group of friends including a couple played by Kevin Bacon and Kathryn Erbe. She hypnotizes Kevin Bacon but he begins to see images of a missing teenage girl. His son talks to the girl as if she is present, and on top of that Bacon comes to realize that his neighbour's son is about to shoot himself. Intriguing plot with many surprises and effective humour. The conclusion is conventional and too rushed. Directed by David Koeppe who presents a natural quality in the marriage relationship generated by fine chemistry between Bacon and Kathryn Erbe that is the best element of the film. Bacon is bent on solving a crime, and Erbe is trying to understand what is happening until she is in a position where she needs to rescue him. This is the best part of the film while supporting players are an odd mix of morons and crazies. Douglas has a role that is key but way too familiar and predictable. Kevin Dunn is also featured as a neighbour but the role really doesn't come to life until the third act. The result is a film that is inferior to The Sixth Sense but will still stir those seeking an interesting approach to an old paint job. Score: 6 / 10

Stir of Echoes is written and directed by David Koepp who adapts from the novel of the same name written by Richard Matheson. It stars Kevin Bacon, Kathryn Erbe, Zachary David Cope, Illena Douglas, Jennifer Morrison, Kevin Dunn and Conor O'Farrell. Music is scored by James Newton Howard and cinematography by Fred Murphy.Chicago phone engineer Tom Witzky (Bacon) submits to being hypnotised by his sister-in-law and finds that his young son's imaginary friend is not imagined after all...Undeniably lost in the slip-stream of the similar themed The Sixth Sense, Stir of Echoes screams out to be seen by more fans of supernatural mysteries. It's a near faultless production, with Koepp getting all the key ingredients right on both the page and in transfer to the screen. Pacing is often the problem with films of a similar ilk, but Koepp deftly structures it in three engrossing sections.First third establishes the main characters and the supernatural set-up, but the bonus here is that character reactions are believable, especially with Erbe's confused wife, and Koepp has a great sense of atmosphere whilst ensuring we are fully immersed in Tom Wizky's new world of disorientation by way of terrifying visions and red light shocks. Second third brings the chills and the odd boo-jump, again the director is aware that too many jumps can overkill the plot, so they are nicely spaced out and accompanied by a palpable fear of the unknown. Then the last third unravels in a whirl of Roy Neary like obsessions and ghosts of the past denouements. It's a standard formula, yet it's amazing just how often film makers get it wrong, especially in horror. Not a problem here. Film is further boosted by Newton Howard's score that blends the ethereal with rising thunder and Murphy's colour photography, the latter of which helps to paint a harmonious Chicago neighbourhood, soon to be turned upside down, literally at one end of the street. The acting is super, which in Bacon's case is a given to anyone who has followed his career, and Koepp shows some nice and creepy visual filming techniques to further enhance the great Richard Matheson's story. There's the odd little misstep, such as a thread involving a secret organisation that has the "gift" of being "open" to the supernatural, that feels like filler to over state Tom's torment. While the post reaction to a suicide attempt isn't given nearly enough screen time to really add impetus to the unfolding mystery. But small complaints and Stir of Echoes (great title) remains a truly involving and entertaining supernatural mystery. 8.5/10