Friday, Sept. 10, 1999 | 9:27 a.m.
Grades: Jeff, B; Dave, C.
Starring: Kevin Bacon, Kathryn Erbe, Illeana Douglas, Kevin Dunn and Liza Weil.
Written and directed by: David Koepp.
Rated: R for strong graphic violence and mature themes.
Running time: 103 minutes.
Playing at: Regal Cinemas Texas Station 18, Regal Cinemas Sunset Station 13, Regal Cinemas Village Square 18, Regal Cinemas Colonnade 14, Century Desert, Century Orleans 12, Cinedome 12 Henderson, UA Showcase mall, UA Rainbow Promenade.
Synopsis: Tom Witzky, a husband and father of a precocious young son, finds his blue-collar Chicago existence altered after he is hypnotized at a neighborhood party. What started as a diversion turns disturbing as a post-hypnotic suggestion releases a subconscious power Tom didn't know he had. Now he is compelled to discover the source of strange visions and otherworldly presence living in their house, even if it means unearthing a horrible neighborhood secret.
Jeff: People love to be scared and with the success of this summer's "The Sixth Sense" and "The Blair Witch Project" the box office numbers prove it beyond a shadow of a doubt. But summer is over and fall has begun with a nail-biting scream in the oh-so-creepy thriller, "Stir of Echoes," based on the novel by Richard Matheson. It seems that we are up to our elbows in ghost movies lately -- a trend that I hope will last.
Although the novel was written more than 40 years ago the film adopts some standard scares we've seen before (as in films such as "Poltergeist," "Ghost Story" and "Dead Zone"), but it's David Koepp's skillful hand and attention to detail that causes our hearts to skip a beat or two. The filmmaker's skillful intensity flows as easily as a ghost passing through a wall, with incredible ease and distinction.
Dave: Unfortunately, this classic tale, which has served as the blueprint for many Hollywood horror films, rides on the heels of the success of "The Sixth Sense." Both films arguably share close similarities dealing with direct contact with supernatural beings and the secrets that possess them -- but they are, indeed, two separate stories.
In "Stir of Echoes," simple man Tom Witzky (Kevin Bacon) is blessed with a family and and brokenhearted over unrealized dreams of being a musician. His skepticism toward life brings him to test his sister-in-law Lisa's (Illeana Douglas) beliefs on metaphysics and hypnotism. Once he agrees to Lisa's challenge to "go under," he awakens a changed individual as he begins to endure brutal visions and ghostly encounters. Soon we are involved in a nightmarish mystery that Tom is compelled to solve and that weighs heavily on his marriage to Maggie (Kathryn Erbe) and revolves around a shocking realization that entangles his young son Jake (an impressive debut by Zachary David Cope).
Jeff: His encounter with the supernatural eventually begins to take its toll. Tom quits going to work and spends most of his time lounging around the house. Once a skeptic, he becomes a true believer after undergoing perhaps the most haunting hypnosis scene ever filmed. Witzky's quiet neighborhood is torn apart at the seams as his flashes into the other worlds intensify, creating tension with friends and neighbors. His radical behavior has all involved concerned because his obsession with helping the ghost of the house has him digging massive holes in the back yard and undergoing episodes of unexplained unconsciousness.
Who or what is living in the house? What does it want and why did it choose Tom and his son to help solve its murder? These are the questions Tom seeks the answers to and he's willing to destroy his life and family for those answers. His quest for the truth is more horrific than he had ever imagined.
Dave: Koepp, who also adapted Matheson's novel for the screen, may be a victim of the old sophomore jinx. Although he has established himself as one of Hollywood's finest writers ("Jurassic Park," "Mission Impossible"), he made his directorial debut with the thought-provoking 1996 thriller "The Trigger Effect." In "Stir of Echoes," he introduces meandering subplots that either serve no purpose or deserve little attention. Example: Maggie just so happens to meet an officer of the law who belongs to a cultish clan that convenes in the back alleyways. Other than giving her some sort of ambiguous advice about her husband's supernatural situation, it seems we are missing a bigger part to the story than what is given to us.
That's too bad, too, because the film's stars are in top form. Bacon delivers, as always, a convincing and powerful performance as a sane man who falls into the very realm he denounces. His unruly passion sends him into an erratic state, until he realizes that the haunting presence is really a past secret that only Tom can reveal. Little attention is given to actress Erbe, who desperately tries to understand her husband's frightful condition. In only one confrontational scene between her and Bacon does she get the opportunity to show off her acting chops. As for Douglas, whose pivotal role gets the phantom ball rolling, she is sadly thrown to the wayside after hypnotizing our hero two times over.
Jeff: With the phenomenal success of "The Blair Witch Project" and "The Sixth Sense," movie audiences are definitely in the mood for a good ghost story and "Stir of Echoes" sets another sensational standard that will make your skin crawl with fear.
Movie Buzz
Bullock's next hit a "Miss"?: Sandra Bullock has taken a role in the upcoming comedy "Miss Congeniality." Bullock will play an FBI agent who, following in her heroic mother's footsteps, goes undercover as Miss New Jersey in a national beauty pageant. However, things get serious when she must cast off her sash and thwart an attempt to bomb the event. No director has been set.
Theron bags "Vance": Charlize Theron, currently in theaters starring in the less-than-stellar "The Astronaut's Wife," is in negotiations to play the female lead in "The Legend of Bagger Vance," the golf picture Robert Redford will direct this fall, also starring Matt Damon and Will Smith. The film is set to start production later this month.
Not About "Mary"?: Peter Farrelly is complaining publicly about the marketing campaign that Miramax created for "Outside Providence." In a recent interview in the Los Angeles Times, Farrelly objected to the film being promoted as "the new outrageous comedy from the guys who did 'There's Something About Mary.' " Mark Gill, president of Miramax L.A., responded, "The first job is to get an audience in. The marketing campaign is what gets them through the door and then once they see it they're really satisfied. Is it a little bit different from what we told them? Sure, but that's common." Oh, so, that's why DreamWorks promoted "Saving Private Ryan" as "The new World War II film from the director of ' 1941' "!
Name That Flick
Jerry Bitts was the first caller to correctly guess last week's quote, "Wake up! Time to die!" spoken by the killer replicant Leon in "Blade Runner." Way to go, Jerry! Actor Brion James, who portrayed Leon, passed away last month. We'll miss you, Brion.
For this week: Name the movie in which actor Kevin Bacon made his feature debut. If you think you know, call the Movie Guys Hotline at 225-9026 or log onto our website at www.themovieguys.com. Be sure to spell your name and if you're the first to answer correctly we will print your name right here in our column for the entire Las Vegas Valley to read.
Be sure to pick up this week's issue of the Las Vegas Weekly to read our exclusive interview with David Koepp, director of "Stir of Echoes." See you next week! The Movie Guys,
starring Jeff Howard and Dave Neil, appears Fridays in the Sun (Movie Buzz written by Thomas Feeney). You can also read their capsule reviews of movies in Las Vegas Weekly magazine. Plus, check them out online at lasvegassun.com/sun/sunlife/ movies and themovieguys.com.
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