The Others 10/10

[Horror whore]

*****SPOILER FREE****

WARNING: IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE MOVIE AND RENT THE DVD, DON'T READ THE CHAPTER NAMES, THEY GIVE AWAY THE ENDING!!!!!!!!


http://www.myvideostore.com/images/gallery/52197/3.jpeg

Director: Alejandro Amenabar
Nicole Kidman

When The Others came to theaters last August I remember say to myself "Holy Shit!" Hardly ever does a movie come along that it's so good it blows you away. Everything in The Others is perfect. The reason the Academy didn't recognize it is beyond me. This truly was the best movie of last year.

Widow Grace (Kidman) lives all alone with her two kids in a mansion in 1945. Her husband was at war but never returned. One night her help vanishes off the face of the earth (this isn't shown, just mentioned). A few days later three strangers arrive at her door looking for work. Grace lets them in right away and introduces them to the kids, Anne and Nicolas. There is one strange thin about Anne and Nicolas, they're allergic to light. Whenever they are around all curtains must be closed and all doors must be locked. That gives the film a great "eerie feeling." Soon enough we find out that the kids are seeing ghosts but Grace thinks that's a load of crap, until she hears them. I'm not going to say much more because I don't wanna give anything away.

One thing that really stuck out in this movie is the acting. Nicole Kidman gives the performance of her career (she should have been nominated for this instead of Moulin Rouge). She shows all her depths and ranges as an actress in this movie. She goes from mean to joyous, depressed to scared, scared to sad, you name, it she did it.. The two children were also perfect. And the three helpers in the house were very good and strange at the same time.

I must admit, The Others isn't scary. Sure, there are a couple of jump scenes but that's it. I don't think it's meant to be scary, but creepy. You get a real feel of dread during this movie, Alejandro Amenabar did a perfect job directin/wrighting/scoring this film.

I've heard people complain about the pacing of The Others. And all I have to say to the is "Shut up, and watch the movie!" because at times when the movie seems to be going slow, there are little subtle hints to what will happen in the end. I saw at least three. I sure as hell won't give them away cuz I'm not going to be the one to spoil the movie for you!

I really do suggest all of you go rent The Others right away, you probably won't be disappointed.

[This message has been edited by Horror whore (edited 05-13-2002).]

[Dehydrator]

I completely agree, THE OTHERS is the best horrormovie to hit the screen in ages. Nicole Kidman is perfect as Grace, I never thought she'd turn out to be this gifted. Gotta love that ending, even if I liked THE SIXTH SENSE (to which this movie often gets compared), it's damm near nothing compared to THE OTHERS.

8/10

[pod2010]

i have to agree the others is one of the best films in a long time 10/10

POSSIBLE SPOILERS

what the hell was up with the husband? was he dead or was he alive?

[This message has been edited by pod2010 (edited 05-16-2002).]

[crazy_nick28]

the others is the best movie ever made my favourite
10/10
aNYWAY 90 DAYS AGO I WAS CHECKING UPCOMING MOVIES and bam i saw it the others i ran aroudn ym house craz ppl wouldnt let me pre order it gr but i bought it the first day i love it. I t has a cool twist which makes some ppl get cojnfused and dont liek it but its the best rock on others fans!!
-John.A.

[Tarantino]

SPOILER!
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
.
.
.
.
.
.
The husband was dead...he died in the war.

[urbanlegend23]

I love this movie. It's very creepy and scary in my opinion and has some great ideas and concepts. It's lots of fun to watch with heaps of friends. The atmosphere is intense, fun and well done. Kidman deserved an Oscar Nomination for this one and Moulin Rouge. Alejandro Amenbar's script and directing is accurate and the movie is perfectly paced. Third or second time round it might not be AS good though.

"The Others" - A

[The Other]

Why the fuck does the IMDb have their last name listed as Stewart? It's never said in the movie that Stewart is their last name. Their last name is never mentioned at all (unless I missed it).

And, urbanlegend, I think it holds up. I've seen it three times now. Once in theaters and twice on DVD and it's still a riveting drama to watch.

I think the reason I like it so much is because of Nicole Kidman's performance (incredible). THE OTHERS is a fantastic movie and I can't believe the Academy completely shut it out.

Easily should have been nominated for...
Best Actress in a Leading Role (at least she was nominated for MOULIN ROUGE!)
Best Cinematography
Best Art Direction-Set Decoration
Best Original Score
Best Original Screenplay
Best Costume Design

Of course these would have been great as well...
Best Picture
Best Director
Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Fionnula Flanagan)

Rating: 10/10 (my favorite movie from 2001)

[This message has been edited by The Other (edited 05-18-2002).]

[Mike]

When I first saw a TV spot for this movie last summer I thought it looked like shit, it looked very laughable. Then I kept seeing them and guess what? My opinion didn't change. So I was shocked as all hell when I went to www.rottentomatoes.com (http://www.rottentomatoes.com) the Friday it opened and saw all of the positive critic
reviews it received. I honestly never expected that. And then everyone kept saying it was so great and were raving about it, I couldn't believe what I was hearing. The movie looked so bad based on the TV spots. I had numerous chances to see it in theaters but I never did. Even with all of the positive reviews it got I still couldn't bring myself to actually purchase a ticket and go see it. Plus, I hate HYPE and when a movie gets hyped up a lot I usually don't like it because you find yourself expecting too much and then you get disappointed. That happened with The Sixth Sense, EVERYONE kept saying how great it was but when I actually saw it on video I was really disappointed and didn't think it was anything special at all. Of course that could have something to do with the fact that I had the ending ruined for me before I saw it so it had no surprises whatsoever when I watched it.

When The Others was in theaters I had said I'd check it out on video. Well, when it came out on video this last week I wasn't very excited about it at all. Yet I was still going to rent it so I could see what all the fuss was about. But just like The Sixth Sense I had the ending to this ruined for me as well. So that was another reason I didn't see the point in watching it because it wouldn't be worth it since I already knew
the big twist ending, and if I had that ruined for me then it would be kind of pointless to watch. Having the ending to The Sixth Sense ruined for me basically wrecked the whole movie and as a result I didn't find it that great.

But to my surprise The Others wasn't just a one twist movie like The Sixth Sense and it had a couple extra twists that I wasn't aware of before watching it. Therefore I enjoyed the movie a lot more and I had a lot of fun trying to figure out how the ending I had heard about would fit into the movie. So I had one twist ruined for me, and it was the biggest one of them all, but it still had a few tricks up it's sleeve that overall were very satisfying.

Even with all the hype I still didn't expect much from this movie. And now I'm grateful that I didn't expect much because I ended up really digging it. It was not what I expected at all and was a real treat to watch. It was creepy as hell. I hardly ever get scared from movies but this one managed to get the best of me and it had my stomach in knots. And even when the movie was over I was creeped out for about a half an hour. All of the acting was great, Nicole Kidman was very good and she'd did a great job at making you like her, then think she was a nutjob, then like her, then think she was a nutjob, etc... But overall in the end I liked her character. The kids also did a great job, mainly the little girl since she had a lot more to work with. And the servants were also great and managed to freak me out. The silent scenes in the movie were the true frightening moments. Instead of loud music making you jump you had to sit through the silence not knowing what or when something was going to happen. And the atmosphere was great, all of the fog was a nice touch and the night scenes were creepy as hell. I also loved the old fashioned look of the movie, it almost looked and felt like you were watching a movie from the 50's. With the color of the movie being so plain
and the outfits and hairdos the way they were the movie ended up having a unique look to it. I also loved the accents, they were so amusing and I don't think the movie would have been as good without them.

The Others managed to surprise me and turned out to be a very enjoyable old fashioned ghost story. I was interested the whole time and never bored once. I'll admit to laughing at it during a few scenes mostly in the first half of it, just because the mother (Nicole Kidman) acted a little crazy and was so naive. But the movie is anything but laughable. It's a very well done adult drama/horror/thriller that shouldn't be missed.

I will be buying the DVD for sure, there's no doubt about it.

Grade: 9/10 or A

[Snowboy]

This was definitely one of the cooler thrillers of last year. I'm still shocked that Nicole Kidman didn't get an Oscar nod for this role, her performance in this film was nothing short of brilliant. I also enjoyed the kids' performances, wow..I always wonder where on earth they find these child actors?? As for the technical aspects, flawless. It's interesting because in most horror films, the darkness is the enemy, whereas here the light is the enemy..very interesting there. Some cool camera shots, VERY cool lighting, and great set design.
This film should have been recognized by the Academy. It's a shame. Those people have very little taste in movies.

[Cyclonus]

The Others (2001)

Director: Alejandro Amenábar

Cast: Nicole Kidman, Fionnula Flanagan, Alakina Mann, James Bentley, Christopher Eccleston

Screenwriter: Alejandro Amenábar

Producers: Fernando Bovaira, José Luis Cuerda, Park Sunmin

A Dimension Films release


http://www.joblo.com/arrow/arrowimages/arrowothers.jpg


The Others is an old-fashioned ghost story in every sense of the word. It does not rely on graphic violence, but on atmosphere. Notice that for the duration of the film, the setting is always foggy and dreary, one of the time-honored spook staples. While there are some creepy scenes every now and then, none of it is showy or special effects-laden. It's surprisingly minimalist for a modern horror film, taking the "less-is-more" approach. When something otherworldly happens, it's usually off-camera; giving us the eerie feeling of unknowable things happening just around the corner or above our heads.

Have you ever been alone in a dark house at night, and had the feeling that unseen, scary things were around you? That is the feeling that The Others tries to evoke; while the viewer rarely sees anything, the power of imagination goes a long way. There is an interesting deviation from convention: darkness is a friend, light is the enemy. If we are honest with ourselves, we will agree that--in a way--we feel the same way when watching a horror film; dark, gloomy scenes are just more interesting than bright settings.

Nicole Kidman gives the best performance, needless to say. She successfully runs the gamut of emotions, from love to anger, faith to doubt, calm to panicky; all these emotional transitions are accomplished without ever striking a false note. The best supporting performance comes from Fionnula Flanagan, whose quite strength and grace provides an effective counterbalance to Kidman's hysteria. Alakina Mann also comes off well as the independently-spirited daughter. The remainder of the cast turns in decent work.

I doubt that The Others would have been financially successful, at least to the degree that it was, without the presence of Nicole Kidman. However, it's not just a "star vehicle." It's an honest, legitimate ghost story that just happens to have a name actress; quite frankly, I can't imagine anyone else in the role. Much has been made of the twist ending; I won't reveal it here, but in retrospect, it was inevitable. As a whole, the film does a solid job in achieving its stated goal. It isn't one of the horror greats, but it works.

7/10.


[This message has been edited by Cyclonus (edited 05-21-2002).]

[Moviefreek]

I just finshed watching The Others, and i must say it was rather interesting.

I'll start of with the acting as Usual, Kidman gives a great performance, the children on "the other" hand could use a little bit of work.

It's nice to see a horror film without all the blood and gore, and the teenagers running around screaming about someone with an ax. It plays out very nicely, it does have a few slow parts, but makes up for those with some good, on the edge of your sit parts. It was a good story that moved along nicely, and then you get the end, which you will not expect, I didn't.

The movie had no special effects or anything, so I will talk about the atmosphere that was created. It was a creep atmosphere, from the opening scene until the last. The whole movie takes place inside of the house, with a few scenes which do take place outside.

If your looking for something different, something that will keep your eyes on the screen, somethign that will give you thrills and chills, and a smack in your face ending, check out this film.

8/10

[eurocat]

not scary. boring and dismal

[Cyclonus]

I don't suppose you'd be willing to say a bit more?

[crazy_nick28]

HORROR WHORE UR DA BEST THE OTHERS IS WORTH 10/10!