White Noise Review

Adam Portrais · 01-05-2005, 02:14 AM

It's hard to describe what genera "White Noise" would go in. In some ways it's a thriller/horror movie, but then again it has sci-fi elements as well mystery/who done it. Jonathan Rivers (Michael Keaton) is an architect married to Anna(Chandra West), a beautiful author who when coming home one night has a car crash but her body is not found. One morning Jonathan notices a man parked outside his house and then later at his office. The man's name is Raymond Price (Ian McNeice) who tells Jonathan that his dead wife has been contacting him. Rivers belives the man to be a nut but keeps his business card. Over the next six months Rivers tries to put his life back together. After moving he decides to talk with Price. At Price's house Rivers meets Sera (Deborah Kara Unger) who's fiance has communicated with her via EVP or Electro Voice Phenomenon (a way the dead communicate with the living through the static of modern audio and video equipment) of which Price happens to have an obsession with.

Jonathan gets contacted by Anna several times but soon it's not exactly what he expected. Through her contacts Jonathan will begin a quest to find out what happened to his wife among other things.

The mood of "White Noise" is close to that of "The Ring" but doesn't come close to the eerieness I felt when watching "The Ring." Over all there are a few "jump out at ya" scares along with the standard "fooled ya" and "double fake out" scares. Overall the story is told pretty well and the way that EVP is shown is a bit scary (I won't see noise on the TV or hear static on the radio the same again).

The main problem with this film is the ending. So many times movies are warpped up in a nice neat bow for the audience. I love it when a movie leaves everything open. Why does everything have to have a complete ending? It seems to me though that towrads the end the wirter, Niall Johnson, didn't exactly know how to end it so why not thow in the whole kitchen sink? "White Noise" is well acted, shot and edited but in the end it just lacked that special something.

1/2 out of

Sean Laughter · 01-05-2005, 08:44 AM

Adam, did you see the preview for this movie they had running in things like "The Twenty" and other pre-show advertisement stuff? I found that segment pretty freaky everytime I saw it, so I'm wondering if this film is going to end up in the same class as another.

That is, Blair Witch Project, where there is a piece of promotional material (for Blair it was that Sci-Fi - I think - special) that is perhaps more involving and better than the actual film.

Holadem · 01-05-2005, 09:00 AM

The TV spots for this thing are some of the worse I have ever seen. Right up there with Supernova from a couple of years ago, another member of the January dumping ground.

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H

ThomasC · 01-05-2005, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Right up there with Supernova from a couple of years ago

Five years ago.

Andy Sheets · 01-05-2005, 11:14 AM

Saw it last night and I more or less agree with the review above. It's basically a B-movie knock-off of The Ring, which doesn't in itself mean it's bad, but it does turn out to be a very slow movie with lots of hints that something's about to happen only for nothing at all to happen, and with an ending that's just sort of slapped together. It doesn't help that Michael Keaton's character is really slow on the uptake on just about everything

I got the impression that the filmmakers heard about EVP, thought it would be cool material for a horror movie, but then realized they didn't have a very good idea of what the hell to do with the concept once they started getting the story developed, so a lot of the film is just stretching things out as much as possible. It does have some eerie bits in it, though, and the acting and directing are competent.

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TheLongshot · 01-05-2005, 11:55 PM

Quote:

I got the impression that the filmmakers heard about EVP, thought it would be cool material for a horror movie, but then realized they didn't have a very good idea of what the hell to do with the concept once they started getting the story developed, so a lot of the film is just stretching things out as much as possible.

It is certainly the impression I got from watching "The Twenty" promo stuff. They were big on talking up the EVP angle, and not really saying much of the film itself.

Jason

Adam Portrais · 01-06-2005, 02:38 AM

The idea for the movie is a really good one and for about 80% of the movie it goes really well. But like I said, the ending just kind of makes you say: "Damn, I thought this was gonna be good."

Quote:

Adam, did you see the preview for this movie they had running in things like "The Twenty" and other pre-show advertisement stuff? I found that segment pretty freaky everytime I saw it...

Stephen_Dar · 01-06-2005, 01:54 PM

Could you tell us the ending? I'm not gonna see the movie, just curious. Put it in a spoiler box to protect those who don't want to see?

Scott Weinberg · 01-07-2005, 01:53 AM

Here's my review, as written from the perspective of a disappointed (but not surprised) fan of Michael Keaton's.

Short version: lead actor does what he can in a drab and predictable "thriller" - which is entirely composed of ideas from other films.

Keaton deserves better.