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THE SIXTH SENSE review
I got stung by the review bug this lonely dark evening
here at Geek Headquarters. I’ve just finished writing
5337 words of reviews covering some of my all time
favorite films, all of which I’ve had the opportunity to
re-watch at a local cinema here in Austin in the last
week, but now... Now I am compelled to write about
a film you probably haven’t yet seen.
It’s a movie coming this crowded August 6th
weekend. It involves the supernatural and folks this
is not a film to take lightly.
I’m talking about THE SIXTH SENSE and this film
does something that you should not let yourself in on
until you’ve seen it for yourself. As a result of this I
recommend not reading any further, and PLEASE do
not read or scan down to the TALK BACKS, there
was a creep that posted the thing you shouldn’t know
as a subject heading about a week ago, and it’s
possible some nimrod will do it again. So for your
own mental safety, don’t scan down to the talk backs,
and be very very afraid of reading reviews on this
film. There is something... brilliant to be spoiled.
However, there are two brilliant things you need to
know about this film and two things only.
The first is M Night Shyamalan. He’s the director. A
guy about a year older than me. I’ve never seen
another of his films, but if this one is an indication
that he thinks and creates very smart films that go
beyond the traditional studio fare. This is a
supernatural film, but it’s not about scares. It’s more
about that prickly feeling you get walking through a
graveyard. That sudden inexplicable cold chill. It’s
about the dead. And what is really going on around
all of us blind folks. M Night Shyamalan has crafted
together a film that left me devastated and stunned.
Then there is the matter of Haley Joel Osment. You
are probably familiar with him as the kid that played
Forrest Gump Jr at the end of FORREST GUMP.
Now that little rascal didn’t give us a clue to what was
to come from him, but I’ll tell you. That kid might
have just given the strongest performance I’ve ever
seen come out of a child actor. This isn’t a matter of
hysterics, and over-the-top cryfest stuff. This is about
a kid that is trying to be strong and brave, but has
been being scared to death moment to moment,
second to second, every day of his life. He trembles
ever so slightly and in his eyes there is this look. A
look as if his soul was actually tormented. As if there
was no rest and no redemption in sight. That kid
looked half a shade from tearing himself apart ala Jim
Stark style.
That’s all you need to get into this film. This isn’t an
effects movie. It isn’t a trick scene movie. This is a
brilliantly crafted film that deals on multiple
emotional levels. It’s also a film that tricks you on
some basic fundemental levels into thinking that you
might be in a safe movie. You aren’t. This film will
leave you... unsettled. Be it by the ending or the
performances, this movie got me.
This movie deals in atmosphere and emotions. It
deals in relationships. And it is ungodly good.
If you want to see a film that doesn’t do any of the
things you hated in THE HAUNTING, then see this
film. Now I know... I liked The Haunting. I did.
I’ve seen it twice now. BUT, all I did on The
Haunting is ‘LIKE’ it. It wasn’t a matter of falling in
love with it.
And... I don’t know if I could say I fell in love with
THE SIXTH SENSE either. Not because it isn’t a
great movie, I believe it is, but at the same time, I do
not believe it is a movie that you want to fall too in
love with. Like I said, it’s not real safe.
Bruce Willis? Well, he’s wonderful, if a bit distant in
this film. Because of the atmosphere of the film it’s
paced very deliberately (translation: some of you
might very well feel it is slow, however, I did not) in
order fulfill the mood of the piece.
The acting here is top notch all the way across the
board, but none better than the kid.
I am still a bit stunned by the film, I’m going to have
to see it a couple of more times to really get a feeling
for how I really feel about this movie. It is a movie
that doesn’t ask to be seen a couple of times, it
demands it.
This movie is all about making you feel and react to
what you are seeing on screen. There are a couple of
scenes that the people sitting around me reacted quite
strongly and negatively towards. They didn’t want to
see what they saw.
It damaged them a bit. They felt a bit violated. Now
saying that, it’s not like the crucifix masterbation of
THE EXORCIST, where people ran screaming from
the theater. It is more along the lines of, complete
and total disbelief at what they were seeing and then
an emotional reaction to it so strong as to create an
audible “Oh god No” from more than a couple of
folks.
I’m seeing this one again this week. And then this
weekend we wind up with the happiest of problems.
You have to decide what to see from a bevy of
winners.
If you pick THE IRON GIANT your soul will be
warmed and you’ll see a classic film that WILL stand
the tests of time I am sure of it.
If you pick THE SIXTH SENSE, there is a very
strong chance that you won’t really want to deal with
to many people afterwards, but you’ll refuse to be left
alone. The film forces limited immediate human
interaction.
If you pic MYSTERY MEN, you’ll be entertained,
but possibly not completely satisfied.
As for THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR... I don’t
know... I haven’t seen that one yet.
If you hear anything about M Night Shyamalan’s next
film or what he is up to let me know. I am now a
gigantic fan of this very very talented man’s work.
The writing on this film is utterly superb, and his use
of Tak Fujimoto’s cinematography is on par with
Tak’s work with Demme.
This film is extremely satisfying for me. And in the
realm of the studio supernatural films so far, it rates
as the best I’ve seen this summer. Here’s the order
I’d place them in right now:
1. THE SIXTH SENSE - taut intellectual emotionally
driven film that is excellent
2. A STIR OF ECHOES - so close to being at the
same level as #1, but has an ending that just isn’t
anywhere near as brilliant as THE SIXTH SENSE.
3. THE HAUNTING - fun Haunted House film with
a shitty ending.
4. THE MUMMY - a bit too cheesy for my tastes.
Like I said, beware of reading too much on this film, there are secrets best left to be revealed in the cinema. Believe me, you'll most likely thank me.... or scream at me, one or the other, I guarantee it.
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Aug 02, 1999 4:41:21 AM CDT
Don't you just hate those morons that scream, "I'M FIRST!!!"
by attorneyfrog
Harry, I love you man. Thanks for your reviews. I have to say that I don't really visit your site for the reviews, but I do read them and I appreciate your enthusiastic, young, cholesterol laden reviews. I do. I don't think of you as the "Will Rogers" of movie reviews, you just love movies, as most of us here do.
And thanks for the great review of "Stir of Echoes". I can't wait for this one after reading your review. Can't wait!
I'm out, ... Rob -
Great job tonight, Harry!
We fellow insomniacs appreciate your hard work.
Sincerely,
LABMAN -
Why wasn't the Blair Witch Project on that top 5 list of your's? Thought it blew you away. Regarding 6th sense, I read the script and at the end I wish I hadn't. Now I know it all. It was a beautifully written script though. They filmed it here in Philly... supposedly M. Night likes this town. Do you know that the 6th sense started out as a serial killer movie... and after 11 drafts (11!!) he wound up with what we'll be seeing this weekend -- meaner
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Sorry, man, but it had to be done.
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Aug 02, 1999 6:06:14 AM CDT
Oops... didn't see that line abt the "studio supernatural films"
by mean ween
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I'm so ticked off right now about the reviews on this website that I'm making a conscious effort not to listen to any more hype, especially anything that says, "brilliant" or "disturbing" or "masterpiece". Twice I've listened to it - with Eyes Wide Suck and the Blah Witch Project - two movies, it turns out, that were crap. Not "brilliant", not "disturbing", not "masterpieces", as was stated - but utter wastes of good unexposed film. I usually love discussing films with friends and colleagues, and I used to feel like this site was the online equivalent of that. But in recent months, the reviewers and hypers posting here have been consistently wrong, and have only sought to perpetuate the pretentious, self-indulgent opinions of the arthouse movie punks - people who watch movies blindfolded and cry "Bravo" at anything labelled "independent". I would just like a little honesty and objectivity for once.
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We caught this film at a preview in Dallas this past Saturday night (undoubtably offered in other cities, as well)...
I think the majority of the audience was very appreciative of the efforts of the filmmakers and actors on this one... so here's the three best reasons to see this film (spoiler free!)...
#1: Great acting. Not only does Willis provide a (dare I say it?) touching performance as a child psychologist, but the performance of the child in question is amazing. This little guy just tears at you, everytime he's one the screen (and his screentime seemed about equal to that of Willis). The woman who plays the mother is equally stunning. The moments the child and mother share on screen are so rich with character, you'll wonder why other filmmakers can't follow suit.
#2: Great writing. This is a very intelligent script that never insults the audience. An above poster mentioned that the script underwent many rewrites. Good deal. Rewrite is might.
#3: Great creepy moments. If you liked Blair Witch for what it was and despised The Haunting for what it wasn't, you should enjoy this one. It is nothing like those films (well, I thought Blair Witch had its creepy moments, but those were nothing compared to this film... also, if you are a viewer who was actually frightened by The Haunting, I should note that The Sixth Sense may cause you to soil yourself... by comparison, it is that suspenseful). With each creepy moment is a sense that it was necessary, that is was germane to the story. And with no noticable CGI to speak of. You've got to love that.
One final thought... if you've seen this film, please be considerate and refrain from giving away any details. And none of that "it has a GREAT whatever" either. An insightful reader/viewer might still make some educated guesses based on that sort of thing.
If you have not seen the film, avoid any review at all costs. Go in without any background on this one. It's fairly difficult, in this day and age, to avoid any info or spoiler on a film, but The Sixth Sense is definitely a treat if you manage to do so. This film still gives me the creeps, 48 hours later... -
I knew there was a Donnie Wahlberg in this film, but was that THE Donnie Wahlberg, of the dead-and-buried New Kids on the Block? The last film I remembering seeing him in was Ransom, and he was looking pretty chunky in that one. If this is him in The Sixth Sense, he appears to have pulled a DeNiro and shed about 50 pounds (and taken a few acting classes, to boot). I didn't even recognize him, which is why I'm wondering if it's the same guy. Can anyone confirm this? If I'm not mistaken, no two actors can be in SAG and share the same name (spelling and all). I think this Wahlberg spells it the same way, so maybe it is him... if it is, my hat's off to him for a great supporting performance.
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There is one reason Im not sure I could stand to see this film, and that reason is the fact that the kid in it won't talk above an affected whisper, I mean what is that all about. All he does is over annunciate everything he says in this "i have something desperately important to say" whisper tone, that just drives me crazy. Plus the fact remains that he played young Forest Gump, and I'll never be able to get that image out of my head, the dude is just too weird looking. Sorry kid but you were born with a strange mug and untill you change your facial expression I can't endorse your flick. Oh and lets not forget that Bruce Willis is once again helping a kid, whats with that, wasn't Mercury Rising enough to tell him that movies where he helps kids don't do well. Before he was fighting FBI agents and secret government conspiracies, and now he's fighting the walking dead and some supernatural conspiracy, same flic.
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He should've learned his lesson after Mercury Rising... tsk tsk tsk.... ah well. See The Blair Witch Project.. "it'll fuck you up for life"
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I haven't seen the film yet. What strikes me as scary is that all the review blurbs on the commercial come from critics like Sixty Second Preview (has anyone even SEEN Sixty Second Preview??) and other little backwater critics that are quick with blurbs, so they can say "Hey Maw, I'm on the TEE-vee!" Where was I? Oh, yeah. My friend worked on this flick, and she told me the whole story. When she told me the ending, I had one question, which I repeated on Talk Back a while back. That question was, "Can ghosts change their clothes?" Not sure if that's what Harry was referring to up there, but it's a valid question.
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I'm not entirely sure what his name was but I do know the incident Harry is referring too last week. Some asshole posted the ending twist in a talkback and made a few enemies for life. When I came back later the posting was gone but I know he got me and a few others. I still want to see the movie but its just not going to be the same now.
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Kahotec: you're not alone. That whisper really bugs me too. Child actors can be such a hit or miss (not that adult actors can't be hit or miss too, I suppose), so seeing a sum total of *one* annoying mode of delivery in the trailer does nothing to endear the movie to me. So he supposedly has 50% of the screen time and for all we know he spends the whole sum of it whispering to Willis. Obviously it might work to establish tension, but you need contrast for that to work. Three out of three of the kid's lines in the trailer are delivered the same way... it makes it seem very monotone.
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Just a note, the movie is amazing and no, Forrest Jr. doesn't whiper the entire movie. The trailer shows you two emotional scenes in which the kid is scared to death. That's why he's whispering in the trailer. I don't recall how often he whispers in the film, but if that's all you're concentrating on by that point in the film, then it has already lost you.
-Q -
My skin is still crawling from this movie after seeing it on Saturday I wont say any more other than GO SEE THIS FLICK rather than Blair SHIT project you will not be disapionted...
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Yes I Promise you will NOT be disapointed without question one of the best films of the year...
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1) Marky Mark? Yup, that's him. Actually, however, they have change the rule in SAG, and through a rather tricky process, those seeking a name in use can attempt to have the situation arbitrated. In the case of Mark, however, nope, that's your boy. 2) I've seen Shyamalan (sp)'s other film. It was semi-autobiographical about his experiences as an American returning to India for schooling. He wrote it, he directed it, and acted it. It was a perfectly decent film, and had many nice moments, but nothing truly incredible other than the fact that he brought it in for 750K, and it looks like a good 15 mill film. Wish I could remember the name of the film, but I'm feeling lazy right now. 3) His projects coming up, of course, are Stuart Little, which I am tremendously exicted about, and Labor of Love, which I disliked, which Wolfgang Peterson, I believe, will be directing. www.get.to/sterlingwolfe/
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I refuse to buy into anymore of the hype that Harry keeps spewing forth in his reviews. I saw Blair Witch and it was, without a doubt, the worst movie of the year. Harry practically wet his pants praising this dreck in his review, now two weeks later it's not even in his top five films of the summer. It must have really resonated with you, huh Harry? I'm with some the other posters about this kid whispering all his dialogue and the whole Willis/Mercury Rising thing, but that is not the reason why I wouldn't go see this movie. I've had enough hype to last me for one summer. I'll wait for this one on video.
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An excellent, excellent movie. Jan DeBont should be tied to a chair and forced to watch this movie (either before or after the flogging, he deserves it for the $#@! he served up called "The Haunting")
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I saw this movie a few weeks ago and I cannot believe all of the hype it is getting. This movie is NOT the best movie of the year. It is not even a 'horror' movie. It's really a 'love' story with a twist ending. The fact is, if you want to see a good 'horror' movie, save your money and see The Blair Witch Project.
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...for dropping that bozo's posting which gave away one of the best parts of the film. Hopefully, not too many folks had the misfortune to pay a visit to AICN while that moron's undoubtably purposeful spoiler posting was up. Some people, man... what up with that?
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I saw the trailer for this movie in front of Son of Sam the other day. There was lots of whispering by a little boy. Is this movie for kids or adults? I'm not exactly sure what it's about, but it looks as if Bruce Willis needs to get out in the sun a little. He looks a little pale. Is he supposed to be a 'ghost' or something?
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The film is for adults, not for children. Maybe teenagers. Bruce Willis plays a child psychologist. No, the child in question does not whisper through the entire movie. And it sounds like you saw a bad print of the trailer, if some of the characters looked pale to you. The trailers we've seen in Dallas looked pretty damn colorful...
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Who are you? And why are you posting such 'artificially positive' reviews on this site?
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Who am I? You want a literal answer or an existential one? Tell you what... I'll play along. I'm a self-taught, learned-by-doing, indie filmmaker living in Dallas. A business television director. And a fan of any good film, indie or big-budget, foreign or domestic. Or were you looking for my resume and filmography? Feel free to email me; I'll provide you with both. As for my 'artificially positive' comments on Sixth Sense... well, I guess you'd have to be a little more direct before I can comment on it. 'Artificially positive'? I'm not sure what you're looking for, unless you think I'm one of the producers trying to hype the film. Sorry, pal. I've got nothing to do with it. Just a guy who caught the film at a preview this past weekend and really liked it. Also one who hopes some jackass doesn't ruin the film for anyone who knows nothing about it. Kinda relates to the fact that I liked the film. Try not to take it personally. Anything else, Sherlock?
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Someone asked about Donnie Wahlberg in an earlier post - when the director spoke before last night's premiere, he mentioned that when he first met him, he looked big and muscular, which was the total opposite of what the script called for, so Donnie Wahlberg went out and lost 40 pounds prior to shooting.
I saw the movie at a cast/crew screening on Saturday and loved it. The ending was a nice "reward." I thought the whole cast was great, especially Haley Joel Osment as Cole. He gave an excellent performance and the director was impressed, calling him an "acting prodigy."
It's definitely a movie I'm going to see again.
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why listen to any review of a movie posted anywhere? here's a novel idea folks. Go form your own opinion. go see for yourself.
I havent seen Blair Witch or Sixth Sense, but theyre both on my list for this weekend just because i want to, i dont care who calls it what. and quite personally, I cant stand al the damn CGI in movies nowadays, thats why im wantin to see blair witch so damn bad, im sick of million dollar computer made flicks that dont have a plot to piss in. Whatever happened to good old Rick Baker. When you saw his name attatched to a film you knew you were gonna see some shit.
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Aug 04, 1999 9:03:26 PM CDT
I find it extremely ironic that everyone who reviews this movie
by nihilon
And I agree with them... but I'm not the one writing the reviews.
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...it is rather ironic that those of us who "reviewed" the film are suggesting that others avoid reviews of the film. Although (and I may be splitting hairs here), I might argue that folks such as myself are merely walking a fine line between "recommending" and "reviewing." I don't think it is sufficient to simply say, "Hey, check out this film, it's great!" but I also do not want to give away any real details of the film, so I (and others) speak to points of the film like character and acting, while refraining from touching on plot and story. But again, you're right, it is more than a little ironic... and thanks for the morning chuckle... Mr. Dark.
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http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/Movies/9908/05/review.sixth.sense/index.html
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There have been TOO many over-hyped films released this year. I for one liked Star Wars, despite it's obcious major plot flaws. I really wanted to be scared by 'Blair Witch', but the fact that I knew everything about the film before going in made it feel so fake and forced. Movies don't scare me, anymore, for some reason. Well, I TOO thought that this was gonna be a very silly movie. I TOO thought it was gonna be 'Mercury Rising 2'. I TOO thought the kid was gonna whisper the entire movie. Therefore, I really didn't care to see it.
I am now on my knees thanking GOD that my friends dragged me to see it, because FINALLY a film has been released that lives up to it's hype. I'm talking about 'Sixth Sense' and it truly is an unsettling, emotional hurricane of a film. Not too mention a wonderful story of love and relationships.
Now, I won't give away any details. What you seen in the trailers and in the commercials is ALL you need to see. DO NOT read any spolier-filled reviews before seeing it, because you'll really be kicking yourself if you know some things you shouldn't know before seeing it.
What I'm trying to say is, forget the fact that Bruce Willis has had a spooty track record. Forget Color Of Night and Mercury Rising ever existed. Go in with no expectations and I guarantee you will be truly rewarded by the end of the movie.
BTW, If the kid doesn't get the best actor of the year award, then there truly is no heart or emotion in hollywood. This kid gives a devastatingly real performance that still leaves me shaking after 7 hours. He onyl whipsers in a few scenes and those scenes were some of the most heartbreaking and eerie scenes in recent cinema.
The films starts off slow and stays that way pretty much the entire film, but the final payoff is so satisfying that nothing at all is lost. I do have a few problmes that seem a bit far-fetched, but I will wait to discuss those until more people have seen it. -
I really liked this movie. Not only did the ending take me by total surprise but because of how things turn out the scariness did not go home with me. In other words, I fell asleep after I saw it with no problem. I have recommended this movie to everyone I see. Waaay more intense than Haunting or Blair Witch.
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I had to see this @ the first showing today and man was I thoroughly impressed. I am so glad this week came around before school starts again in 2 weeks! Willis and Gump Jr (Osment?) were very impressive and their characters really come from the heart. As for all the talk about the genius of the film, all I can say is as we were walking out of the film, we were just taken back by the simplicity of the story yet the nature by which it was woven... We gave this flick 10 thumbs up! :)
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What the hell is up with Blair witch, i saw it yesterday, and it really didnt do anything for me. I didnt even find it scary, i thought the end was a little creepy, but otherwise i was a bit annoyed that the dialouge seemed to be the same conversation over and over again. I was "scared"(scared meaning i popped out of my seat at one scene) but it over all it wasnt a scary film, i found the film to be much more creepy than Blair Witch, which for the life of me i cant understand why anyone thinks it's scary. AS for Eyes Wide Shut(responding to another Talk Back) i thought it was brilliant, and its a movie where either you get it, or you dont, there no Middle Ground with EWS.
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Aug 06, 1999 10:15:42 PM CDT
2 surprises, the ending and the fact that it was a good movie
by velvetjones
I must agree with the majority that this was a really good film (surprisingly). My thing for Friday afternoons is to always see two movies, I pay for one and then sneak into the second. I try to pay the admission to something I want to contribute to, and sneak into the crap that I don't want to vote for with my dollars (Deep Blue Sea, Armageddon, any more Star Wars movies, etc.). Today, I paid for Mystery Men and got Sixth Sense for free, and now I feel guilty for not contributing to the cause. I absolutely loved the ending, it answered a lot of questions I had about the interactions during the movie. I really didn't think I would dig this one, but it was great. Paced a little too slowly at times, but that's always better than Michael Bay type shit.
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To all of the numerous idiots who are repeatedly posting "Don't go see this movie, Bruce Willis was in Mercury Rising with a kid and it sucked, so this movie will suck too" please place your collective crackpipes back on the coffee table for a moment. This movie isn't a masterpiece but it is one of the few things right with hollywood these days. Each aspect of this film was above average. Every once in a while, the industry inadvertantly throws you a morsel to get you through the rest of ths shit they try to shove down your throat and make you look forward to more gems like this. I am sooooo glad that TBWP was sold out tonight otherwise, fate may not have ushered me into The Sixth Sense.
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While it has a few minor flaws, I still found "The Sixth Sense" to be one of the best movies that I have seen so far this year. Plus it was good to see Bruce Willis in a non action role again. The guy is a pretty good actor. Hopefully Sly Stallone will take some lessons from this guy on how to vary your projects.
The acting was top notch, especially in the case of the kid, and it held my interest throughout. Plus the ending is pretty stunning although it makes sense once you think about the film a little more.
Overall this movie is more of a supernatural drama/thriller than a horror movie, but it still does have a couple of very creepy scenes that were a lot scarier than anything in either "The Haunting" or "Blair Witch Project". I'd give this film 3 and a half stars out of 4. -
Have you ever been in a theater full of noisy assholes? Mine was sold out, and they talked at a level loud enough to obscure the previews. The film shut them all up. It literally took a 'scream 2' or 'I know what you did last summer' crowd and SHUT THEM UP! They were too into the movie to talk. That, my friends, is a rare thing. This movie sucks you into it like a black hole, and the ending knocked me into next tuesday. I was with 4 friends and the lowest rating any of us had for it was a 9 (I was thinking 7 until the ending, boy did that change everything!) If you like drama/thriller with a bit of supernatural suspense, see this movie!
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First off, the ending was spectacular. But that is not the only great thing about this movie. In fact, I don't even rate it as the best part, because there are so many great scenes in this movie. And I want to know why many are hesitant to label this a masterpiece? Is it unrealistic to think that anything made after 1970 could not be a masterpiece? I mean I am a fan of the classics as well, but I also believe there are some brilliant films out there today. And yes, this is one of them. Some of you say you have problems with this film, but I am curious as to what those problems are. I must admit that there was one problem I had with it, but it was only in one particular scene. In fact, it is so minor I can't even say it was a problem. I will just say it deals with a girl and a bed. Overall though, this movie is a masterpiece, and I am not too shy to admit it. 5/5 stars!
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No, not going to spoil it for you...Go! Just go!
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I thought so. But I have to believe that some of what this guy says is true.
http://www.salonmagazine.com/ent/movies/review/1999/08/06/sixth/index.html
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Oops.
Uh, What was with the red handled door? Someone want to help me out?
nogero@hotmail.com -
Aug 07, 1999 12:55:38 PM CDT
EXTREME SPOILER ALERT!!!!! DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE
by mrbeaks
Sorry to go overboard with the subject line, but I'm sure somebody will read this and still complain that I didn't give them proper warning. I'm surprised everyone is so taken with the ending. I had it figured out pretty quickly (and I *completely* avoided all reviews, posts, etc. regarding this film,) and that knowledge really hurt my enjoyment of the film. Still, look at all the hints Shyamalan drops: for one thing, Willis never engages in a conversation with another human being (besides the boy,) which is what immediately spoiled the ending for me. Plus, there's the scene in the hospital, where the child all but spells out to Willis that he is dead. Overall, I thought the film made great use of its Philly locations (lensed by the ever-dependable Tak Fujimoto,) and I liked James Newton Howard's score, but, stripped of the surprise, I found it a pretty shallow flick. It's rare that I disagree with everyone on this board (especially Moriarty,) but what can you do? Did anybody else feel this way?
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I saw both of these movies, and I must say that they both scared me pretty bad., . Only because I had not heard anything about any of these movies before hand. I first saw the BLair Witch Project about a month and a half ago., I came home one night and one of my roomates said that he had received this mpeg of this movie about these kids who went camping in the woods to make a documentry for a school project and were never seen again, untill somebody found there film footage a year later., So of course we watched it and I felt like I was watching something i wasn't sopposed to be! That's what made it scary, Sitting in my roomates room watching this weird black and white movie on a computer in the middle of the night,.Watching these kids run from something in the middle of the woods. I mean hell thats one of your childhood worst memories was being lost in the woods at night,. beautifully done,.......... A couple of weeks goes by and im in line to see it and I have to admit it didnt have the same effect that it did,and nobody takes it serious when all there buddies are around eating popcorn and watching this film that somebody (me) dragged them to go see. It just dosnt work........., I will admit it the Blair Witch Project should have gone staight to video, that would have made more of impact as a film, but Hollywood would not have such a profitable purse to go along wth it,.........And The 6TH sense, is just damn good,. A another thing your scared as a kid about GHOST, ......... remember it takes alot of people to make a movie, and if they dont make it EXACTLY the way you would then its ok, but dont get all twisted up on it. It seemes like it starting to be very trending to be negative with a movie than postive,........
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The section of the film that dealt with the little girl was truly disturbing.....more horrifying than anything in Blair Witch. This is exactly what Harry was talking about in his review....it left me unsettled. The scene was perfectly executed by Shyamalan, from the bus ride to the hand from under the bed, to the moment where Cole gives the father the box with the tape, to the look on the fathers face, to the looks directed at the girls mother. Just an incredible scene.
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I couldn't make total sense out of the scene where the cancer girl filmed her mother feeding her. The only thing that I could think of is that she was slowly poisoned by the mother, and the girl filmed it so the mother would eventually be caught. But other than that part "The Sixth Sense" in my opinion was very close to being a flawless picture.
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I can't believe that anyone familiar with films like Angel Heart or Jacob's Ladder wouldn't be able to anticipate the "surprise" at the end of The Sixth Sense very early in the film. Writer/director M. Night Shyamalan pulls it off very well but after one or two scenes of Willis not directly interacting with anyone besides the boy, it was pretty obvious what the film was up to. I still liked The Sixth Sense alot but was not at all floored by its final "twist".
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Gee Whiz. Congratulations to all those who were too smart to be surprised by the ending. How foolish of me to miss all those obvious signs from an otherwise fantastic movie.
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I myself didnt get the twist because I wasn't looking for it or expecting it. I didnt go to the film because I wanted to solve a mystery. Sometimes you gotta sick back and let things go by without thinking about them ahehe. -- G`Quon
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Aug 07, 1999 8:28:36 PM CDT
Is Oscar Buzz already starting for little Gump Jr.?? hope so
by miss lavendar
I've heard that Oscar buzz is already starting for the kid in this movie. He was utterly amazing. It's been a long time since I have been so affected by a child's performance. Willis,Collette, Wahlberg (I didn't even know it was him) were top notch.
I'm one who thought BWP stunk. I didn't like the characters at all. This movie is great in that you get emotionally involved w/ them (all I have to say is "the car scene"). This movie was great will probably see it again. -
Go see them both.
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I totally agree with Harry's review -- a great movie with great chills. A scary (not horror) movie that gave me lots of goosebumps, and a couple of really good scares (the sick little girl totally freaked me out and I watched it through my fingers -- I got that scared).
I can't even picture the marketing team trying to figure out this picture -- no CGI, no huge "stuff" just a slow building story that really pulls you in. It never felt Hollywood, which was the best. There were actually times where I got the same chills as I did when I first saw the original Haunting film from the 60s with Julie Harris -- one of the best ghost stories ever. Not that piece of crap (one of the worst movies ever) out this summer. I see Lily Taylor in my neighborhood in NYC all the time, and I want to ask her what she was thinking. I love her, seen all her movies, but I'm still puzzled about this one.
Back to 6th Sense. I didn't even think about the ending, even though I heard there was a good one, and I'm glad I didn't. It really surprised me and made me love the film all the more (although I kind of kick myself for not realizing it sooner). I am a bit of a sap and romantic at heart, so it really got to me.
I highly recommend this, in a year when most thrillers have dissappointed big time. -
I liked 6th Sense, it reminded me, in a way of Jacob's Ladder, good plot twists, but the "scary" scenes did not scare me..c'mon, when the camera pulls out, and the sountrack gets brooding, expect a arm, or a body or something to spring out.
But overall, a good flick, and to you who didn't like BWP, I read too much before seeing it, yet still like it..hooray for lo tech, I've seen enough special effects dreck marketed to us in the name of horror, BWP was a masterpiece in its simplicity, I guess all you detractors would rather have a bunch of pondorous, CGI, souless dreck with scary music to remind you to be scared.... -
I know you're reviews come from the heart Harry, but as a film aficionado, you have got to read this one. I nearly wet my pants after I finished it.
http://www.salon.com/ent/movies/review/1999/08/06/sixth/index.html
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I've looked at only two reviews on this site - The Sixth Sense and The Blair Witch Project. There is an amazing difference in the way people are reviewing these two films. Blair Witch reviews are filled with direct, personal insults directed at those whose opinions differ on the quality of the film. An example is "those who don't think this film is scary are one of the walking dead clogging our nation's shopping malls" (implying that anybody who doesn't like BWP are unimaginative and must be spoonfed everything by Hollywood). So far, the critics of The Sixth Sense have communicated their points without insulting other's views, and without much of the mindless profanity of those reviewing BWP. I understand why those who figured out the ending of The Sixth Sense beforehand did not appreciate the film as much as I did. To the people who are annoyed by the boy's so-called whispering, I answer that a boy, scared by his own ability to see what other's consider to not be real, and having been called a freak all of his life, not to mention he is smaller than other boys his age, may in fact be soft-spoken due to some insecurity. *-POSSIBLE SPOILER-* As for the sincere question as to why the little girl filmed her mom in that scene, it was an accident (she was making an amateur video of her puppet show). The little girl did'nt know the truth about the mom until she was dead. She did not know that her mom was killing her (slowly over time of course, since the little sister was "falling ill" in the same manner. The point is that The Sixth Sense is a good movie, and The Blair Witch Project is not. I think that explains the difference in the style of reviews.
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I myself loved The Sixth Sense. I have to say its one of the best movies I've seen in years. The reason I liked it is it was like a jigsaw puzzle. You are watching nearly two hours of pieces going by, and most of them look unrelated and confusing. On occassion, you end up putting some together (with help from the director). And in the end, just as you think you can't get all the pieces together, everything falls into place. And when you see the result, you just can't believe your eyes. I think that the people who have not enjoyed this puzzle are the ones who tried to put it together before all of the pieces were on the table. Some people tried to mash the pieces together only making themselves even more confused and upset. Then once the puzzle was complete they could only focus on the outline of the pieces and not the beautiful picture revealed. This movie was indeed a puzzle and if you sit back and enjoy it you won't end up leaving the theater dissatisfied. -- G`Quon
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Sorry, but a great writer encourages you to look deeper into the story, and *then* pulls the rug out from under you. Shyamalan simply hopes you miss the tiny fact that Willis is not communicating with other adults. True, this would be a great perception shift, but, if you've seen a lot of movies, you begin to realize that there are certain scenes we aren't seeing (i.e. after the boy's traumatic incident at the birthday party, wouldn't the mother want to ask Willis why, with all the therapy, he isn't getting better? She's obviously angry, and I'd expect her to lash out at all parties involved.) When you begin to notice the absence of these puzzle pieces, you then begin to question the writer's intent, leading you to solving the "mystery" way too early. In my opinion, this is far from sophisticated storytelling (watch Atom Egoyan's films for something truly layered.) I admire Shyamalan for trying to put such a great twist over on the audience, but, as a writer, I don't believe he has the skill to pull it off. I do, however, find him a very talented director, and hope he will find more capable scribes to work with in the future.
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About passive viewing..... there are certain films that encourage you to sit back and just let it happen. They're called popcorn films, and I love them as much do an effort with deeper meaning. The problem is, THE SIXTH SENSE is a film that has a veneer of being from that latter category, which is where, for me, its problems begin. It encourages you to ponder what's going on.
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Wow. What a great film. Unbelievably well conceived, and the writing is ... superb. It has probably one of the best endings I've EVER seen. So, that said, I recommend not reading too many reviews on it, otherwise it could be spoiled for you.
Bruce Willis is back in fine form, and the KID in the movie is fantastic. Very talented. Can't wait for the next film from this very talented writer-director. -
THE SIXTH SENSE:
In what film book is it written that only buildings, objects or a person's enviornment get to carry within it the burden of a haunted past and have it portrayed in a movie? Something that rises up out of our dysfunction and decides to lay a hand on us everynight, after dark....for the rest of our very lives. To be sure a soul can be held prisoner by such demons of history and it is the terror of this most human of purgatories that can bury itself underneath our flesh. Antagonizing us...digging away under our skin, day after day...burrowing ever so slightly into our behaviors. This is the underlying personal dilemma that is slowly & methodically crucifying the young
boy who sits wide-eyed at the center of a horrifying union between life and death. There is no
pinhead or rabid shark here...no Freddie living in the closet...only unexplained noises and a cavernous silence
that hangs all around us when we know that we are not alone at night. This boy carries all
of the fears that transgress our childhood and his EVIL DEAD are not going "gentle into this goodnight." The theraputic term "excess baggage" takes on a whole new meaning here in his world. If the "eyes are the mirror" to the soul..then his are the reflection. Life and all of its meaning has become a living,
breathing example of the word purgatory for our young sage.
THE SIXTH SENSE is a film dark in its subject matter and also in the way in which it is shot. It takes place in Philadelphia and rarely is a sunny day part of the norm. But a beacon of light does arrive in this south end of town. It comes in the form of a therapist played by Bruce Willis who shows us some of the salt that he gave director Quentin Tarantino in PULP FICTION. As Malcolm Crowe he is superb here. Neatly understated...likeable..quietly alluring and trying to be sensible with his own emotional struggles while attempting to heal those that belong to his young client. But ahhh! The good doctor has brought along some demons that are haunting him as well and like the boy...his are also coded with the DNA of a personal agenda.
Haley Joel Osment as Cole Sear is terrific. Some actors are born truly gifted and can say more with a look than a lifetime's worth of words on paper can convey. They are just able to set their jaw or throw a
glance a certain way and then there is no more reason for any discussion. You know that the party is over.
Jack Nicholson and Clint Eastwood can both say, "end of story" with one bold look that will help lead generations of audiences into celluloid history. This young child is capable of expressing more grace & fear with his eyes than I've seen many actors do in a lifetime. He embodies the young boy in Leone's ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST who ends up staring the coldblooded
Hank Fonda right in the eyes as he begins to understand that they are seeing right into the soul of a deathmaster. There is no turning away or back. His facial expressions are akin to being caught in the steely gray of Clint Eastwood's stare before being taught one final lesson...But this time there is redemption as he becomes the Knight in Ingmar Bergman's THE SEVENTH SEAL and there is no doubt about it, he is fearfully making THE winning chess move. This is the world that this child is in and he handles it masterfully.
I enjoyed this film immensely and I am glad to see this late entry into 1999's summer's horror fest. Like THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT...it
relies on intellect rather than special effects to convey the misunderstandings often associated with what we cannot see. In Cole's world...the labyrinth of fear and desire for personal liberation fall back on communication, faith,
and belief. These are the subjects that we need to quietly reckon with. There is not really a dark side revealed to us in this film and no definitive good vs. evil content. This movie rests on a middle ground where even small children who are good and innocent can end up being diseased by what things swirl around the enviornment next to them. The film reminds us to take great care with what we dish out in relationship to others...because our own toxicity can ultimately return to haunt us. In THE SIXTH SENSE the past has waltzed into a child's life and it has propelled him into a hostage negotiation of the strangest kind.
Some of us are told, or discover for ourselves...that we all have something to accomplish during our lifetime. One thing that we need to do our own journey before death takes us for that final ride. THE SIXTH SENSE tells us how important our work can be and how mysteriously it
can be accomplished. For young Cole Sear..what Walter Scott once wrote is apropo, "Death--the last sleep? No, it is the final awakening."
4 wolves a surfin' -
I agree with the following:
And this year's "Touched by an Angel" award for gaggingly mawkish supernatural kitsch goes to Bruce Willis's newest film, "The Sixth Sense." The star, who plays Dr. Malcolm Crowe, a gifted child psychologist in Philadelphia, also earns the Robin Williams-manqu -
Aug 08, 1999 8:45:14 PM CDT
Question about the movie - DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT!
by the tree
DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THIS MOVIE!! SPOILERS AHEAD! TURN BACK! With that out of the way, I have a question for those of you who have seen the movie: Once Willis is shot, does the entire movie Willis' dream as he was dying? Was it his way of redeeming himself in his own mind? The straight take on the movie is that Willis is a ghost but doesn't realize it. But I think there is another level to this film. When I left the movie, I was extremely impressed with the ending, but something kept nagging at me: First, why did Vincent and Cole share so many unnecessary similarities? There was no indication that they were related, and yet Cole had the same white streak in his hair as Vincent. Odd. And during Vincent's diatribe at the beginning of the movie, he called himself "cursed" and "a freak." We see that repeated in Cole's story. Strange that Cole would be cursed and that his nickname would be "Freak." And are we to believe that Vincent saw apparitions just as Cole did? And what about the fact that Willis' house was cold the evening he died--so cold he could see his breath--and then cold air became the predicter for ghosts later in the movie? Here's my take: after Willis is shot, the entire movie is his dream as he is dying. He took snippets of his last few moments--the cold air, Vincent's claim he was "cursed," Vincent's white-streaked hair, "Freak"--and created a dream around these images that would help him redeem himself in his own mind before he died. I would love to hear other people's thoughts on this.
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Terrific movie, great performances, great twist, uncommonly intelligent. But did anyone else, watching this movie, regretfully imagine what might have been if Haley Joel Osment had played Anakin Skywalker in TPM instead of non-actor Jake Lloyd? How cool would that have been... not to mention that it would have paved the way for another excellent actor, Ed Norton, to play the grown-up role in Ep2 (note their resemblance). If only...
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Sometimes I read a review that seems to have "hidden agenda" written all over it, and this was one of those. There were so many things this guy either missed or ignored that it *was* almost funny. Example: The comment about Cole evidently "reading" his teacher's mind. How obvious did it become that Cole was hearing the dead as well as seeing them? Isn't it likely that he heard a ghost taunting the teacher as a young child? Was this such a big stretch? And the reviewer also claims that there is no scene in which Malcolm has to admit to himself that the paranormal exists, but then goes on to describe the scene itself for the express purpose of claiming it was "botched" by the director. All the while ignoring Cole's comment that the dead "see what they want to see." All in all, It's a very dishonest review by someone who aparrently spent too much time at the popcorn stand.
I saw BWP and The Sixth Sense both this weekend. BWP was a good film, but on such a different level that it's almost unfair to compare the two. Blair Witch made me afraid to sleep in a tent for a few nights. Sixth Sense just made me afraid.
And to all those who said they saw the ending coming, I'm not ashamed to admit that I didn't see it. And I kicked myself all the way home, reviewing all the clues in my head and seeing how obvious it was, in hindsight.
A terrific movie. -
This may not be your opinion, but I can tell you that it speaks for many others.
http://www.salonmagazine.com/ent/movies/review/1999/08/06/sixth/index.html -
A soda spilling ending that will soil your pristine boxers and leave you with little or no coherent words until the final credits roll past. Indeed the concluding reel will have most viewers breathless and in need of a pint of ale, as for me I let out a primal string of coarse language to ease my cranial pressure. This film begs to be talked about, and you may find yourself snagging bits and pieces of plot from loudmouth heroes spreading the plot around like an STD, so sprint off to the theatre and bag yourself a true piece of astonishment before some knob spoils it for you. If you thought that Deep Blue Sea had a few tricks hidden sleeve side, feast your eyes on this debonair little gem.
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DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU DON'T WANNA KNOW.
Ok, how the hell are we supposed to believe Malcolm is walking around for a whole year, and he doesn't find it strange that his wife doesn't talk to him AT ALL. C'mon, a week maybe, but not a year! And when he would go places to eat, whatever, wouldn't he notice that NO ONE EVER TALKED TO HIM??? That was kind of hard to believe. Nice movie though. -
Great God Damn Movie! Perfectly executed, so well I wonder if the director meant it. Good character developement, some scares, some laughs, a couple of endearing scenes and a surprise ending -you can't ask for much more than that in a film. It's a shame we have to have this BLAIR WITCH crap shoved down our throats. Although I know most of you bought into that shit. WITCH fails to accomplish anything the 6TH SENSE does. SENSE is a real movie. But hey, God bless those BLAIR WITCH kids, they won the lotto. And the success of their film makes digital video media more acceptable to the industry which is important for all the truely indpendent filmmakers out there. At least that. But spend your money on 6TH SENSE if you can't decide which to see on the big screen. WITCH is a rental.
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If you are going to cut and paste a review from a published source, it might be decent of you to credit said source. "Your" review of The Sixth Sense was in Friday's NY Times.
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Best film of the summer!
Beat the pants off of the Blair Witch project and The Haunting!
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I liked this film, though it didn't scare me as much as I thought (or hoped) it would. The only jumps I got were the usual ones that everyone jumps at. My son came home and said he still had the creeps from watching it. Me? No dice. I haven't felt that way since the Exorcist. As for the end of the film. I saw it coming from almost the beginning. After every one has seen this flick who's going to, I'd like to chat some more about it, but now is not the time or place.
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In regards to Malcolm not noticing that his wife has NEVER spoken to him since the New Kid on the Block shot him, I've been thinking about that too. I get the feeling that Malcolm's post-bullet "life" is like a dream. I assume, through a few clues, that he comes in and out of consciousness at various moments. For instance, in his notes (after first meeting with Cole) he writes that for some reason he missed their original appointment, but he can't seem to remember why. Later, when talking with his wife in the restaurant, he essentially tells her that he just can't seem to keep track of time.
Also, some other cool things I noticed on my second viewing: he never opens any doors or moves anything (that's not already on his person, e.g., the penny.) In the restaurant scene, he sits in the chair without pulling it out and never touches the water glass. Also, the only time he wears anything other than that blue shirt is the sweatshirt from the wine-drinking scene.
Anyway, best movie I've seen this year. Can't get it out of my mind. By the way, what the little dead girl's mother does is an actual psychiatric disorder. (The girl I saw it with could actually name it.) Some moms intentionally keep their kids sick in order to keep them from getting away from them. (Note that the girl wants to go have her soup outdoors and the mom wouldn't let her.)
Oh, and one more thing...how come in every movie where there is a scene taking place at a grade school play production, the sets always look Broadway quality?
Oscars all around (except maybe score)! -
This is a really good movie. I thoroughly enjoyed this film and was impressed by the characters and story. Some scenes were quite creepy and it stayed with you after a while. !@@***SPOILER AHEAD((***)!#_* The name of the Pschychological disorder that the little girl's mom suffered from is Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome.
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Note: THE FOLLOWING IS DEFINATELY SPOILER MATERIAL, AND IS BEING BLANKETED BY THIS NOTIFICATION ON BOTH ENDS. PLEASE MOVE ALONG TO THE NEXT POST AND IGNORE THIS ONE. THIS POST IS MERELY TO ANSWER A PREVIOUS STATEMENT MADE BY ROLANDE, AND SHARE WITH OTHERS WHO HAVE SEEN THE FILM AND ARE INTERESTED. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!
Good, now that that's out of the way...
I was thinking about that myself, how no one spoke to Malcolm at all, considering that he won an award and the like. That would give him a bit of fame, wouldn't it? My only answer to that is (at least for the dinner scene), perhaps the director wanted to focus mainly on the couple. What confused me greatly was how the mother (played wonderfully by Toni Collete, who is she?)called the neighbors when the doctor implied she may have hurt Cole. (By the way, that doctor was M. Night Shyamalan himself - a cool director's cameo).
I figured that she would have either told Malcolm about it, or even wondered if he was the one abusing Cole. That was very strange to me and I considered it a slight flaw in the film until the end. And she didn't even speak to Malcolm when Cole walked in on both of them in their house.
I never expected for "The Other Man" to talk to Malcolm, he'd have no reason to. I didn't expect his wife to say anything, especially after she was taking medication, but there was something awfully strange about the gift exchange she had.
As for time being an issue, that's happened before in films. Ghost, for example, seems to move on an every other day basis. Sam Wheat was up and running around right after he was shot. In Beetlejuice, the couple watched things move very quickly. Months seemed like minutes for them. I've never seen a Ghost film where the main characters weren't fixated on one or a few things, blocking everything else out.
All in all, it's a great movie. M. Night Shyamalan's next outing will be "Stuart Little", based on the children's book, but he only wrote the screenplay for that. One more thing. Did anyone in the audience find it humorous when Cole's mom said she'd kicked their ass (meaning whoever was hurting Cole), while she was asleep? :)
Note: THE PRECEDING WAS DEFINATELY SPOILER MATERIAL, AND IS BEING BLANKETED BY THIS NOTIFICATION ON BOTH ENDS. PLEASE MOVE ALONG TO THE NEXT POST AND IGNORE THIS ONE. THIS POST IS MERELY TO ANSWER A PREVIOUS STATEMENT MADE BY ROLANDE, AND SHARE WITH OTHERS WHO HAVE SEEN THE FILM AND ARE INTERESTED. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!
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I have to wonder about this film. I've not seen it, but it sounds to me as though it relies on a 'hook' at the end, that if revealed beforehand, will ruin the effect of the film. Such a gimmick to me indicates that the material doesn't hold up under scrutiny. A good story should remain a good story even if you know the gimmick. (Saving Private Ryan is an excellent example of a film that is still every bit as good even if you had read the script beforehand.) I only mention this because so many are raving about how excellent this film is... so I wonder, of those of you who have seen it, how many of you think you would have enjoyed it just as much if you went in knowing the ending? I suspect very few, as there are already reports from those who figured it out and lost the effect. Too much reliance on a gimmick, it appears.
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Ok, I'll buy the answers above to why Malcolm didn't notice no one talked to him except the boy.
This one warrants a 2nd viewing, just to watch Malcolm a little closer, now that I know the twist. -
The ending is not a gimmick. Though giving it away would ruin the "effect," it does not make it a worse movie if you know it in adnave. Think of the Usual Suspects in this respect. When we the audience learn the identity of Keyser Soze, we are forced to mentally revisit every scene in the story and examine it in retrospect. This is the essence of a good story. When you see a movie where one thing happens, then another thing happens, then this happens, then that happens, and there is nothing that ties it all together at any point in the film, you feel cheated, and rightly so - the story is non-existent; it's episodic garbage (in most, though not all, cases). I'm not saying every story has to have this big huge "zinger" at the end that makes everyone say "Ohhhhh!" I'm saying that if a movie has a bunch of unrelated scenes, sequences, etc., something needs to unify it at some moment - a light needs to be shed on the whole piece. Most good stories are unified throughout, and each scene relies on the scene that preceded it and leads into the one that follows it, thus building the puzzle sequentially. A few - like Usual Suspects, The Sixth Sense - wait until the very end to put that last puzzle piece in. The one that fell under the table when you first opened the box. The one that lets you know what you've been looking at the whole time. With the Usual Suspects and the Sixth Sense, all the other pieces are equally as interesting, so even if you have inadvertently started with the "missing piece," or were able to make out the picture before that piece was found buried in the shag carpet, it's still a very pretty picture.
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Did it occur to anyone that perhaps Cole is whispering the majority of the time because he is talking to something that is not actually there as far as the rest of the world is concerned and doesn
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I saw the film after reading a few reviews that promised a surprise twist ending that would make it worth while so I expected just that. Unfortunately, it was really obvious right after Bruce Willis gets shot exactly what the "twist" was going to be. Maybe if all the reviewers hadn't warned of a twist ending I wouldn't have been thinking about it, but it was really obvious especially the way all the other characters interacted with him and that no one ever mentions him around the kid. They gave too many hints to make sure the audience would get it at the end, but in doing so gave it away too early. Maybe the audiences used to Jerry Bruckheimer movies would have been surprised, but anyone else should have gotten it right away. It was a nice idea that was a little too dumbed down. Oh well. The kid was great though. It was nice to see a child actor that can act for a change unlike a kid in a certain new Star Wars movie.
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RLantz,
You must be an idiot! Like nobody would know that you cut and pasted a professional review from the NY Times.
BTW, the Sixth Sense is a great psycholigical thriller, something the Blair Witch Project failed at horribly. -
Note: THE FOLLOWING IS A POSSIBLE SPOILER FOR "THE SIXTH SENSE", AND IS BEING BLANKETED BY THIS NOTICE ON BOTH ENDS, FOR THE SAKE OF THE READERS. IF YOU READ IT AND FIND OUT TOO MUCH, YOU MAY BE SORRY. DON'T SAY YOU WEREN'T WARNED.
You know, I've been thinking about books, and the Sixth Sense reminds me of a story I read in College. In it, there was a man who was being sentenced for committing a crime. He was to be lynched at a bridge. During the hanging, he broke free and tried to make a valiant attempt to get the hell out of Dodge. Just when he was about to make it, the hanging rope curls around his neck and snaps it. In the seconds it took for him to fall, he imagined all of that. I followed the story and was rooting for him all the way, but once that occured, the entire class was in a state of shock. They loved it. I see that same style here with "The Sixth Sense".
Did anyone notice that?
Note: THE FOLLOWING IS A POSSIBLE SPOILER FOR "THE SIXTH SENSE", AND IS BEING BLANKETED BY THIS NOTICE ON BOTH ENDS, FOR THE SAKE OF THE READERS. IF YOU READ IT AND FIND OUT TOO MUCH, YOU MAY BE SORRY. DON'T SAY YOU WEREN'T WARNED.
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The story you mention was also a short French film that won the academy award for Best short film. I don't know which came first: the film or the story. If you're interested, the film rights were picked up by Twilight Zone and it aired as a Twilight Zone episode called "An Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge" without so much as a single word of dialogue. It's worth checking out and can probably be rented as it is included in the Best of Twilight Zone double video released a few years ago. Just thought you might be interested.
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Thanks, That's the one I'm looking for. Hey, Harry, when are you going to open a Sleepy Hollow forum. I have a question about some of the music used in the teaser trailer. :)
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POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR THE UNINITIATED! DO NOT PASS GO! DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER! Okay, anyways... nice to see some intelligent observations being made about this film. I caught the flick a little over a week ago, and did not want to talk about it for fear of ruining it for others. However, now that some folks have seen it... MametFanatic, great observations on Malcolm's spatial relationship with objects and time, but there is one moment in the film when Malcolm affects an object - the glass in the door at his wife's shop - he pounds it, breaks it with his fist when he sees his wife with the other man. And they both hear it and turn around, but do not see him, of course. 1419, excellent thought about why Cole is whispering off and on throughout the film. And Brendan3/Cavatian (sp?), the short film An Occurance At Owl Creek Bridge is based on a short story by Ambrose Bierce, I believe. I haven't read anything by Bierce in years, but I seem to remember that he had a fondness for creepy Civil War-era settings... something like that. (a little useless trivia for you) POSSIBLE SPOILERS ABOVE! PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK!
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Firstly, I would like to point out that I DID figure out the ending to this movie and still loved it. Although it minorly detracted from the experience only because I would have liked to be surprised. I would like to point out, however that I place the blame for me figuring this out on two things, everyone who advertised it to have a surprise ending and the HOLLYWOOD FUCK SUCKERS, those people who made it necessary to connect the dots for everyone who watches movies (and I doubt that the director had enough control to keep it more mysterious, if so, that's his only real fault here, it's fantastic otherwise).
As for the people with questions above:
-"what's with the red handled door?": that's an easy one, it leads to his basement where he keeps his files, we are only shown the top part of it, and we don't see that his wife has blocked it off with a table which is why he has so much trouble getting in.
-"Why doesn't "Bruce" notice that people don't talk to him?":well here's a direct quote from the movie "the dead see only what they want to see". Maybe he does realize no one notices him, but he's not ready to accept it.
-The idea of the whole thing being a dream before he dies: That's an interesting idea but I think it's a little too Jacob's Ladder. I think that the paralels between "Bruce's" old patient and his new friend go back to the idea that the dead kind of make thier own world out of reality. His desire to figure everything out lead him to the boy.
I thought overall, this movie was very well made. There is definately more there than the "surprise ending".
OH, also: People stop comparing this movie to BWP that's stupid, that's like comparing Silence of the Lambs to Comando. -
I have not seen the movie, but i'm not so sure if the ending can ruin an experience. I love "Mirage" (1965). Although these two flicks can't be really compared, they're both a puzzle.
Question for everyone: I have friends that go to tons of movies, and both want to write movies for a living. They tend to see the digital stuff movies, although they both appreciate the "Shake.in Love" type of movies too--to a lesser degree. My belief is that the fewer you see, the better off, so you are not influenced --even uncounsiously-- by the crappy scripts of the bad movies(and these friends have seen them all.) I have not been to a movie in a few years, and feel like I have some fresh ideas. My friends' scripts are the same old quip-quip-shoot-spy crap. What do you all think. Am I logical about this, or off base. This is hardly the place to ask this, but I have read some intelligent responses on this page, so please let me know. Thanks. -
SPOILERS!!SPOILERS!!SPOILERS!!
I was glad to see someone else noticed the same white streak in both Vincent and Cole's hair. I picked up on that right away and thought that the "twist" had something to do with both of them. I was interested in your theory of the whole thing being Malcolm's dream, however, I find that too sad. I'd much rather believe that it all really did happen and Malcolm really did "redeam" himself. -
Well, I just read the review in www.salonmagazine.com. I'll give the reviewer, Charles Taylor, he benefit of the doubt that he did, indeed, watch the entire movie--it just SEEMS like he left to stand in a long popcorn line.
There aren't many reviews where I disagree with practically EVERYTHING the reviewer has to say, but this was one. Go read it yourself if you wish, but he trashes practically every aspect of the film (his prerogative, of course), and in MY opinion he is WRONG on every single point. He even had difficulty understanding the simplest elements in the plot.
And his criticism of the pace of the movie lets us know he can't wait to get back to some MTV eye candy. The review is just bizarre--I'm sticking with Harry on this one. -
After reading talkbacks about this great movie, I thought I might pitch in.
1. The "Twist" - I agree with an earlier poster: a surprise ending such as this one or in "The Usual Suspects" should seem consistent and clever when re-examining it in the context of the movie. Both forced you (with the help of some flashbacks) to examine key events and details, revealing clues and hidden meanings. A counter-example was this year's "Arlington Road", another movie with a surprise ending, but when thinking back on the events that led up to it revealed a very poor series of improbable events: each plot point was strung along with no plan or overall structure.
2. Malcolm's daily life: A lot of the threads here and on RAMCF deals with the improbability of Malcolm being unaware of his situation, especially after a year. Personally, without knowing what the director had in mind, this makes sense. Malcolm is no longer aware of the continuity of time, but accepts it - just like we do. In one scene he meets the boy, talks, and then they part. The next day, they meet again. As the audience, we don't see every second of what transpired between the two meetings, but we assume, like in any other movie that doesn't occur in "real-time", that each went about their normal lives. Perhaps Malcolm's perspective is the same way. One day he's meeting the boy, and then he meets him again the next day. He can't explicitly remember what happened in-between, but _something_ must have happened. So his mind just fills it in. In fact, we do this all the time. If you recall your last 24 hrs, you won't remember everything you did, particularly if it was routine. But you know must have opened certain doors, walked down certain halls, and eaten some meals. Do you panic just because can't remember opening your front door today? No - you assume you did at some point, otherwise how could you be where you are right now? Malcolm's world-view must have been an extreme form of this "patchiness" of memory, coupled with a strong desire not to attribute it to the real explanation.
3. The trailer - Re-watching the trailer is interesting for the missing scenes. In most cases when this happens, we can figure out where they would have gone in the final cut. Here, I count five missing sequences, only the first I can place in the movie.
a) The handprints _appearing_ on the table. (1'39")
b) Cole reaching to comfort a weeping old man (1'41").
c) Malcolm almost getting run over by a honking car (1'50").
d) A woman (no face visible) crossing a street, with papers blowing around (1'54").
e) Cole and his mother driving in the car, with some papers stuck to the windshield (1'55",1'56").
Anyone explain these? Scene (c) is particularly intriguing, since it appears to break a "rule" of the movie's premise. BTW, if you watch it FbF, you can see the hand start to come out from under the bed... :) -
The handprint on the table happened as Cole was running out to go to school with the Pop Tarts.
As for Malcolm running away from an incoming car, since he is unaware of the fact that he is dead, the car would be perceived as a threat. That is why Malcolm still ran. -
This movie was amazing. It seems so simple and you're left wondering what the big deal is until the final few moments. Then you start to run everything through in your head and it becomes truly unsettling and frightening. One of the best films of the year. The best "horror" film since SE7EN.
POSSIBLE SPOILER QUESTION:
One question though: DOES COLE KNOW THE WHOLE TIME? -
I assumed the print was Cole's--left because his hand was sweaty from the anxiety of just having seen another corpse. As I recall, this was the scene where his mother found all the doors to the kitchen cabinets open.
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I agree that there is some unexplained stuff concerning Cole
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This is one of best movies I have ever seen. Beware: it will leave you emotional exposed...it will take you to that creepy part of your psyche where you secretly fear the boogieman, and ghosts....
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As for the handprints, I think they were Cole's as well. He was sitting with both hands flat on the table, virtually paralyzed with fear. The significance of that scene was the mother noticing the prints and how they could only be left by someone in severe state of terror/anxiety, considering how moist they were, which adds to her mounting sense that something is horribly wrong concerning her son... As for Malcolm's physical manifestation (broken glass), obviously the ghosts can do such things, hence the cupboards, the sick little girl sliding the box, and the injuries the spirits inflicted upon Cole at times. Maybe when singularly determined, they, in there complete state of obliviousness to their condition, can physically alter their surroundings (hate to compare to "Ghost," but maybe a similar phenomenon). At any rate, this movie's ability to provoke such extensive discussion is one of the reasons it's special.
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This movie (and I call it a movie rather than a "film") is anything but the masterpiece those above have claimed it to be. Not to say it's a bad movie; I've seen much worse this summer. The two leads give great performances, the direction/shot selection is excellent, and the photography is certainly nice to look at. But come on, the so-called "twist" was obvious after the first scene. The plot holes were so abundant, they became major distractions. There were several moments of unintentionally humorous moments (especially the mishandled "love story" between Bruce and his wife). Face it, this movie has its share of story problems. It simply does not stand up to the above-mentioned hype, period (remember, some of the above people considered "The Haunting" a good movie!). Go see it, because it's a good movie, but for a truly excellent "death vs. reality" film, rent "Jacob's Ladder."
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I went to this movie ready to hate it. I had just gotten news from reliable friends that TBWP was a rip off, so I was pessimistic about Sixth Sense really delivering on the scare factor.
I'm glad to say that I came away really liking the movie and being scared shitless. People in the theater screamed at all the right parts.
This is a movie made for repeated viewings as it is so subtle in its delivery of terror. Kudos to the kid in the film-he really tears your heart out. Donnie Wahlberg also does a surprisingly good job and is almost unrecognizable.
A classic for sure -
I walked into 6th with very little to go on. I saw the trailer and caught a few commercials, but never heard any reviews about it. I like to think that just about every story is flawed in some way. Titanic won Best Picture last year, but the story wasn't all that great. (I myself would have picked L.A. Confidential because Good Will Hunting had a ending that made everyone sit in the theatre until they shut the projector down, expecting a resolution between the two lovers.)
Back to 6th, I liked the pace. I never seemed tedious or painful to watch. I've seen The Phantom Menace about 3 times, and I always seem to drift during the whole Coruscant part...but then, that's Star Wars. 6th was slow, but during that time, it gave the audience food for thought. I walked away from 6th with the notion that the characters had either come full circle or gone farther than they thought they could go. I hoped that they'd show more about Cole and his mom after the resolution, maybe as an epilogue, but it was good as it stood. Even if the story was flawed, you can't knock the Character Development in it. Spielberg could have learned a lot from this one for Saving Private Ryan, honestly. -
I think everyone who figured out the ending before it happened is cute, but it's not gonna get you into Yale, so enjoy it while you can. I myself did not, and I'm glad I didn't. People have been mentioning more notorious twist endings like The Usual Suspects and Jacob's Ladder. I love these movies that give a little more payoff at the end, and was wondering if people could come up with more titles. I'd like to nominate The Spanish Prisoner, which gives the obvious twist a twist of its own. It's not the best movie I've ever seen, but definitely good. The problem with listing other twist movies is that it kind of ruins them if you're looking for a twist, but I thought it would make an interesting discussion.
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I want to see this film again, now that I know the ending twist. There were several items during the movie that had left me wondering, "Well, why didn't ******* just do #######." but I didn't think anything more of it until I saw the ending, then IT ALL MADE SENSE!!!! Everything appeared to me to come together in this movie, you just have to give it a chance. The comment was made that perhaps the movie was a bit slow-paced (it really wasn't), but there is a reason for that. The pace is absolutely necessary for this movie to succeed
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Aug 11, 1999 11:53:18 PM CDT
anyone notice the mike was in frame in the scene in the classroo
by xavier masterson
the movie deserves repeated viewings.
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From the moment Cole appeared, I assumed he was Victor's son. The streak in the hair was the first clue, and that Malcolm did a background check on Victor to find out about his family (after the shooting) and found that he had had a son. Maybe after some initial observations, he realized the boy needed help - this way, he could atone for his failure with Victor by helping his son.
All the dialogue about his parents being divorced was likely true, but the story about Cole's father living with a toll booth operator I assumed was a story his mother told him to hide the truth of his father's suicide.
The final evidence - the last scene between Cole and his mother in the car: Cole tells her his "secret", and the look on her face told me instantly that she'd heard it before, as in her former husband had the same demons haunting him that caused them to get divorced in the first place...
Anyway, that was and still is my belief in the relationship between Cole and Victor...
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Cole being Victor's son? That would make a lot of sense, actually. Even though Cole's last name was Sear, it's possible that the mother simply kept her maiden name. The only problem with that angle is this: With all of the clues she found - the light in the pictures and the strange occurances, she couldn't piece together what was occuring in Cole with what happened to her would be husband? I'm not saying that angle wouldn't work, it's great. I just think they'd have to alter the background information a bit. :)
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Learn to spell, people (e.g. "Sithmaster BB")! Not only does it make each one of you look like a moron but it decreases your credibility. Now, I think I'm going to HAVE to see "Blair Witch" for the plain fact that the "idiots who can't spell" seem to hate it (thereby proving it to be a worthwhile film). By the way, "SithmasterBB," your comment about "The Sixth Sense" sweeping the Oscars made me laugh harder than a Mel Brooks movie. Thanks, I can always use a bit more comedy in my day!
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The Sixth Sense, sweeping the oscars? Hardly. A.M.P.A.S. tends to look at really serious dramas for that sort of thing (and in my honest opinion, Titanic won Best Picture simply because James Cameron had the guts (and the money) to prove everyone wrong and make the movie a hit.) If anything, 6th could pull off both the Best Original Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor (in Haley Joel Osment), Best Cinematography, and perhaps Best Sound. Best Visual FX will go to "The Phantom Menace", for the Gungan Battle or the Podrace. Best Music - Disney will probably want to snatch that up. But 6th sweeping the Oscars? I don't know about that.
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Remember at the start of the movie when Malcolm's wife came down for a bottle of wine. She feels a chill like there's a ghost? Is that just saying that there are ghosts everywhere, or did it have a specific purpose? I kept waiting for that to be explained. Also, concerning Victor being Cole's father, didn't we see photos of the whole family? God, I love a good movie like this. Art is supposed to affect us, and this one did the job. --Fred4Sure
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I think the house was just cold over all. As for getting into the Wine Cellar, that's something different. Malcolm's wife associated the Wine Cellar with Malcolm and his work. You can figure out the rest.
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First things first -- is this a great movie? No, but it is a very good one and a hell of a lot of fun if you are willing to take the ride. Haley Joel Osment gives one of the best performances of the year. How they got that performance out of a kid is beyond me... I don't remember him from "Gump" (though truth be told I've spent the better part of three years trying to forget I ever saw that manipulative load of crap), but I don't think I'll forget him. Where was he during auditions for "Phantom Menace"?
Anyway... This film, despite its flaws and implausibilities is FUN! It is one of the few films I've seen recently that doesn't pander to it's audience. It moves at its own place, has a lot of exposition and PAYS OFF! Great performances from Toni Colette (Muriel's Wedding a distant memory) and even Bruce Willis (!) who I have never liked.
I can't wait to see it again... -
Solar: Although I do like your idea of Victor being Cole's father, there is one big thing that doesn't allow me to believe it would be possible...the timeline of the movie. In the beginning when Victor visits Malcolm, he states that he was a patient 10 years ago. Judging from his looks (which I guessed at late teens, early 20s at the oldest), that would place him to be a patient around the same age as Cole. This is supported when Malcolm is playing the recording, and Victor definately sounds to be pre-pubescent. With Cole being 9 years old (as listed in the notes that Malcolm took), that would mean that Victor would have been the ripe old age of 11 or so when he fathered Cole. I attributed their similarities (especially the white streaks in the hair) to be a result of their "gift" which caused them to live their life in constant fear.
Fred4Sure: regarding it being cold in the cellar at the beginning, my theory is this: Victor broke into the house while Malcolm and his wife were celebrating. The ghosts were constantly seeking out and following Cole (and assuming Victor as well) around. I assumed that when Victor broke into the house, at least one of the ghosts followed him or paid him a visit there. Any other theories on this? -
Aug 12, 1999 3:59:24 PM CDT
If you haven't seen the movie don't read this. Its not the endin
by ernestb
Well after seeing the movie only once, well lets say I am going back to see it again a few more times. Here's my take on the whole Malcom thing.
SPOILER***** But not the real Spoiler
SPOILER*****
If you haven't seen the movie yet don't read this. If you remember in the very first of the movie Bruce Willis' wife in the movie is getting a bottle of wine from the cellar. If you notice she has cold breath comming from her mouth (when dead people get angry, it gets very cold), she runs back up the steps. Her and bruce are drinking when they hear that noise upstairs. When they get there she is grabbing a shaw to put over her (because it cold) and the window is broken. When bruce sees Malcom he starts talking to him and listening to him. If you remember Bruce's wife never makes a sound, only the first reaction to the shadow, but Bruce jumps first then his wife. When the show bruce's wife she is only looking at Bruce not Malcom. My opinion Malcom was already dead and only Bruce can hear or see him. He did have cuts across both wrists. When Bruce gets shot they actually never show Malcom shooting Himself they pan away to the left. They show Bruce falling on the bed grasping his Stomach. But yet again you never hear not a word from Bruce's wife she dosen't scream or call for help or look at where Malcom was supposed to be. The only word she says is It'll be OK whats wrong. Or something very simular to that. My opinion is Malcom was already dead and Bruce saw him but not his wife and Shot bruce but his wife didn't know****Spoiler****
Also remember the silver streak of hair Malcom had! Remember all the pictures of the little kid had a silver streak beside him at all times in pictures. Could that have been Malcom in those pic's? Just a question I had. They never made any kinda hint or suggestion about that.
But I got to SAY don't tell anyone the ending to this movie. The first time you see it it's something special don't ruin it for some one else. It's one of the best Horror/Suspense movies I have ever seen. KUDOS to the Director. -
I'm sorry I got a couple names confused. Malcom was Bruce Willis. I accidently wrote the name Malcom for that first guy In Bruce's house that said he knew thing Bruce didn't. Sorry for the confusion.
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I am supposing that when Cole talked about those prickly things on your neck or when your hairs stand on end.....thats them.....it was suppose to make you think about the first scene (wine cellar) and make you go ...hmmmmm
i agree maybe it could have been from the ghost following Malcholms patient...but who knows....theories theories theories.....hmmmmmm
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Grade: A- Awesome acting. Note to Bruce Willis and Roger Ebert: your spoilers of the incredible "twist ending" ruined the movie for me. I figured he was dead the whole time before I ever saw the film.
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There were definately a lot of surprises in this movie, but the one two that surprised me most were the computer graphics and Edward Norton's character. Im not talking about the cheezy "breath in cold air" computer graphics that we all painfully witnessed in the Haunting by the way. Oh, no! Im talking about computer graphics that most people probably didn't notice when they saw this surprisingly good film. This breakthrough in computer technology goes hand in hand with my second favorite surprise: Edward Norton's role. We have all known that Mr. Norton is a fine actor for quite a while now, but I think that it is safe to say that, even though he uses many of the same techniques as he did in Primal Fear, we have never seen him like this before. Both his ability to play a psycho child so well and the computer animator's ability to shrink him to child size in such a realistic manner really shocked me. Both Norton and the graphics were so convincing that many people who I have spoken with actually think that a child played that role! Norton must have been a busy man making both this film and Fight Club at the same time, but if he did as excellent an acting job in that movie as he did in this, he must be the finest actor in hollywood today. Hats off and thumbs up to both Norton and the animators... Bravo!!!!!!!!
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Thanks for proving my point once again, SithmasterBB! Man, you're amusing!
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SithMasterBB: Everyone has the right to defend himself, but you've gotta' know you're not helping yourself when you come on like a raving lunatic. Calm down. Phantom Menace will be lucky to win a souple of technical Oscars, but Best Picture, Actor (who were you thinking, by the way?) or even score are probably out of the question. And as far as Haley Joel Osment goes, if there's any justice he'll be nominated for Best Actor, not Best Supporting Actor. Not to take anything away from Bruce, who I thought was teriffic, but Cole was every bit Malcolm's equal as a lead character.
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I have not seen the flick, but the last few comments dealt with grammer. I have NEVER seen worse grammer, and just plain use of english rules in my life. Go back to school or buy a book on improving your skills. There is a difference between "too", "to", and "two". And also, not every word that is plural needs an apostrophe! Of course, those who know there...Opps...THEIR grammer don't need this message, and those that don't, won't understand what plural means. For your own sake, please get some help!
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Aug 14, 1999 12:45:04 AM CDT
this is a MUST SEE movie...totally chilling and suspenseful.
by destinychicks18
i'm in love with horror movies, or any type of scary movies at all. i thought that this movie, totally kicked ASS!! if you wanna be on the edge of your seat the whole time you should definatly see this, it is a physcholodgical thriller beyond any others. if you want your mind to be twisted around by the end of a movie then go see this.
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The Sixth Sense completely threw me, and I was happy to be thrown. This movie was wonderfully acted and skillfully pieced together. I'm happy to throw another $6.50 into the pot to see it again.
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At this moment, Haley Joel Osment is my choice for Best Actor of 1999. The ending did trick me, and now I have got to see it again to see how I miss it. I know why I miss it - I was too emotionally involved and that is the magic of the movie. Harry mentions that the Bruce Willis' Malcolm is a bit too distant for his taste and I can think of two reasons for that. First is in a professional psychologist. A certain amount of detectment is called for, and even when he is opening up, it is in a very measured way...until the secret is revealed.The other reason is that he is in shock of the experience of ...weelll, I do want to give anything else way. The magic of this movie is that I share in that shock yet I did go to sleep that night. Where, with "Blair Witch Project", I left thinking something was missing but had a terrible nightmare. Also, I use the term "movie" rather than "film" for the "Sixth Sense" on purpose. It is a thriller in old way but done with great art. There was one scene with a man five row behind yelled out "Oh, My GOD!" and others that made me think of the dear departed Kubrick. And the music was great - an integratial part of the experience. I am looking forward to seeing M. Night Shymalan next movie. And if you have not see "Blair Witch" yet - see it BEFORE you see "Sixth Sense". Otherwise, wait for it on video.
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shitmaster, i apologize in advance for what i'm gonna say. i hate to attack anyone for their opinions, but since you are more guilty of that than anyone, you are a hopeless idiot. surely you are kidding when you say you saw the muppet menace 14 times?!? exactly WHO's been brainwashed? i'm gonna guess that you are not quite fourteen yet, and have had about as much action as the internet warriors you listed as "not getting laid." seeing that movie fourteen times must surely be one of the circles of hell. don't you get it? lucas is laughing at YOU. he's fantasizing about jar jar bending you over shitmaster, and you're plopping down eight bucks for every thrust jar jar gives you. i know you're just a kid, but please think about it before you finance any more of that shite.
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I read with humor all of the BS about Academy Awards. The entire AA program is all politics. Entertaining I suppose, but political. I haven't watched it in years because it's BS. E. Taylor won the best actress for "Butterfield 8". She almost died from an illness before the awards. I love Liz Taylor, but it was a sympathy award. I'm new to this site, but I think I've had enough. Most(not all)of you seem to be not very bright. Watch some movies made before 1980. And may the Farce be with you.
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This film is incredible. Someone up there said see it knowing as little as possible, and I will second that notion. The film does start slow, but builds and builds and builds until you realize that you are thickly in the meat of it. From that point until the end, the audience is given a brilliant fear factory that actually tells a story, then smacks you square in the face with understanding. I was EXTREMELY disappointed by Blair Witch, and I am happy to report that this film has more than made up for that. I grant the artistic turn that Blair took, but for a more familiar ( yet fantastically clever) narrative approach to an eerie film, look no further than The Sixth Sense.
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Ok dude, you're having trouble reading now, as well as with spelling and punctuation. I happened to like Phantom Menace. Not enough to see it 14 times, but I liked it. And most of the reviews I read in my neck of the woods were very positive. But it's an "experience" movie rather than a "story" movie or a "script" movie, and as such it will never, repeat never, win any major awards. It just won't. Politics aside, it just doesn't deserve them. I'm a big Star Wars fan and a George Lucas fan, but it's just not going to happen. You need to deal with that.
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Evidence.
1. Both Vincent and Cole had the 6th Sense. It runs in the family.
2. Cole says that his Dad went away and has never come back. Vincent is recently dead.
3. Both Cole and Vincent have a white streak of hair on the back of their heads in the exact same spot.
4. It was remarked by Malcolm (Bruce) that both Vincent and Cole looked and acted strikingly similar.
5. Vincent was called a freak apparently by everyone when he was a child and he called himself a freak. Cole used that same word and would called himself a freak.
6. When Cole was in school he started to call his teacher his old childhood nickname "Stutturing Stanly". I think that Vincent and the teacher grew up together and were classmates and Vincent told Cole the story of his teacher's nickname.
7. The writer of the script likes surprises:)
Can anyone refute or add to this list?
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Best film of the year. One of the best of the past decade. Smart and poignant. Acting is amazing all accross the board. I agree with everyone that Haley Osment is great. I'd like to praise Toni Collette as his mom. She is absolutely perfect.
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I just got back from seeing this movie and it was great. The ending totally got me by surprise. For once, the hype was correct. But, I don't think the restaurant scene makes sense. She said "Happy Anniversary". Was it their anniversary,or her and her new boyfriend's. I don't think she would celebrate her and Malcolm's if she was dating someone else. If it was her and her new boyfriend's, why did Malcolm come, but her boyfriend never showed up? What anniversary was it? This didn't make much sense to me. Does anyone think they know the reason they were at the restaurant that night?
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it was her's and willis's anniversary. if you'll notice, when he first sits down, he makes an offhand joke about thinking she meant the other restaurant that he asked her to marry him in. she was honoring their anniversary because that's where he proposed. and she hadn't started dating the tool at the shop yet, we witness the beginnings of that through the movie.
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THERE MAY BE SPOILERS AHEAD! As Brendan said if it weren't for everyone saying how there was a big twist ending than maybe I wouldn't have walked into the theater and watched the movie constantly thinking about what the ending would be and therefore figuring the ending out in the first 10 minutes of the film. Then again, the film makes it kind of obvious what the ending is and I don't think they tried to hard. He didn't communicate with anybody but the damn kid. it was so obvious when he first goes home and his wife is sleeping and the door is locked. Then again, my brain was working a mile a minute as I watched because I was expecting the ending. So I blame two things, the laziness of the movie to make the ending surprising (I knew Arlington Rd. had a twist ending but I still didn't see it coming) and the people who have to go "It has such a great ending!" Fuck you all! It was a good flick though.
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Its a good theory and I think it would have been good in the film that Donnie Wahlberg was dead at the beginning but it isnt right because Malcom's wife does say something to him like "What do you want?"
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First, was 6th Sense any good?
Absolutley. This is one of the best movies I've seen in some time-as creepy as the SHINNING but with much more emotional depth. This IS the one to see, and so far most all have been very sub-standard (Mummy/Lake Placid/Star Wars). Forget BLAIR, this is the by far the best summer movie-Harry's review is 100% on the money.
Now-the gaff:
The theater was crowded, forcing the uberman to take a seat in the front row, craining my head up to see the screen. This was my 1st time since I was a kid that I had to sit in the front row, and it really forces a different perspective on the film. In fact, you see EVERY inch of the frame. I reccomend all serious contenders for GREAT films be put to this test, Trust me-it is a different experiance.
Anyway, during the scene when our disturbed young psychic is in the class, where he starts yelling at the teacher during history-look in the top left screen. The Boom Mic and it's arm are in every shot of the teacher. Not once, not for 3 seconds, BUT THE ENTIRE SCENE-5 minutes? More? This is a Major gaff-it is as in your face as any I have ever seen-in fact it takes the cake!!!!
Also, for a fleeting second you see a boom in the Top Right corner during the scene where our younf Pyschic and Mom are eating Roast Beef-it's quick, but it's there. Anyway, the movie is so great anyway that I'll give em a pass. A Powerful, scary, and u;timately beautiful movie. -
I must say this before going any further: This movie was the best I have seen in a while (That is my opinion, so all you don't-listen-to-other-people-go-judge-for-yourself people don't even start about it!)!!!! The acting was great, the scenes were amazing, and I love the way it ended (I'll say no more about that, thank you!).
Anyway, what I really wanted to write about was all the dissing going on here. First, I have read several posts about not going to see Blair Witch (which I still am), and then you have to start dissing Bruce Willis. So the guy has had a few bad (and I do mean BAD) movies in the past few years, but don't we all make mistakes? I think he made a very decent career move, going with a movie where he was not the main character (although that really didn't work too well with Mercury Rising, but that movie didn't have the storyline this one did).
Also, where did this Haley Joel Osment come from? The last time I saw him, he was the goofy son of that country comic on his now cancelled television show. If he dosen't get a award nomination for this movie, I am going to boycott the intire movie industry for a LONG time. -
Sorry, folks. Still new at this AICN talkback screen. Mea maxima culpa. Anyhow, I just came back from seeing "Sixth Sense" and was utterly blown away. Yeah, I didn't anticipate the ending (making me just a dope, I guess) and was quite hesitant based upon our local reviewers (Detroit, y'all. Both the Free Press & the News gave this mutha 4 stars.) When a film gets this many stars, I have to wonder who got enormous gift baskets by well-heeled studio reps. At any rate, the ending took me by complete surprise. (I also saw an advance screening of "The Usual Suspects" and was just plain stupid regarding the ending. Duh for me.) The kid, Osment, was remarkable. I haven't seen a performance like that from a CHILD in recent memory. Since the ending shocked me, I had the same sensation as when I saw "...Suspects": what did I see & how did I see it. The best film of a fairly ragged summer. (P.S. "Blair Witch" blew. It was even smaller & cheaper than expected. Except for one ever-so-slightly chilling moment at the end, it simply wasn't worth the hype. Love, Eli
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Aug 15, 1999 9:38:06 PM CDT
Yeah, Bruce Willis finally in a good movie!!!!!! Spoilers!!!!!!
by tan-man
I'm a Bruce Willis fan, but his recent outings sucked big time. Marital Problems have been messing with his head, I'm afraid. But he got his hands on this one which was a very good thing. This movie, was classy, not too gory, with great acting and some nice shocks in it. Yes, the ending did take me by surprise, but I was mad it did because there were SO MANY CLUES sprinckled throughout the movie. I just want to take a moment and commend Toni Collette for a touching performance as our young protagonist's mom. That last scene with her in it actually brought tears to my eyes. My girlfriend was touched too, "Watch for those killer slinkys hun". Oh, this movie is not a horror movie. I love the fellow poster who said you couldn't compare this movie to BWP, it was like comparing the Silence of the Lambs to Commando. Ha Ha! This is a character driven film with elements of the supernatural in it. In my opinion it is not a traditional "horror" movie. It is something much more substancial than that. The fear I felt was the apprehension of what the next apparation Cole would see was going to look like. The gore in this movie isn't THAT graphic. Why was I so frightened of seeing it? I think it was because when these apparations appeared, it was so sudden.SPOILER!!!!! P.S.To Jack Burton: Cole knew from the second he saw Willis he was dead because Willis's midsection would be covered in blood from the gunshot. However, we were viewing from Willis perspective so we didn't see the blood.
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I saw this film and wow it took my breath away. This film is creepy. The atmoshphere, acting, script and direction all work. At times you swear the theater temp drops several degrees. What I liked best about this film is that it is quite. They do not bombard you with sound and music instead the music is used sparingly and effectively. It is wonderful to watch a movie that has that much confidence in its story. The directory lets the images and ideas sink in slowly which makes the film even more creepy and moving. Also a very special performance by the young boy. SEE THIS MOVIE. Its a classic.
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I saw The Sixth Sense today and am still trying to get my mind around it. 20/20 hindsight allows you to replay certain scenes from the movie in your mind and actions in the film take on new meaning. I was remided of the movie No Way Out in terms of sheer shock at movie's end. I feel Sixth Sense is a better movie though, and completely agree with the review.
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Spoilers ahead...
Any theories about why Malcolm was able to enter the church? Presumably, the church was his first meeting with Cole, so Cole couldn't have invited him in.
And about the girl, I'm trying to decide if she knew what was on the tape before or after she died. The tape was hidden in a special box under the bed, and that makes me think she knew before. But if so, why didn't she say anything when she was alive?
And if she was dead when she found out, would she even have become a ghost if she didn't KNOW she had unfinished business?
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I don't think the girl knew she was taping her own murder. This is what I think happened: she was supposed to stay in bed (being very sick and all), but was bored and got out of bed to do her puppet show. When she heard someone coming, she quickly returned to bed but didn't have time to shut the camera off. She hid the tape so that her parents wouldn't know she'd been on her feet while she was so sick. Later, after she died, she saw her mother poisoning her little sister and put 2 and 2 together. She remembered the tape and was drawn to Cole because he was the only one who could help her. As for Malcolm entering the Church: He's a ghost, not a Vampire.
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Well, I must say, I was impressed, and the ending TOTALLY got me, which is difficult considering how many reviews I read on the Net. The kid should be nominated, and this could be the best I ever saw Bruce Willis. Now onto the Vincent Gray is the kid's dad. Check out the photo of the Mom & Dad in their apartment. The photo is a bit out of focus, but to me that wasn't Vincent Grey.
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i thought this was an exceptional movie and here are some answers i came up with for some of the questions****SPOILERSSPOILERSSPOILERS****when the little girl gives cole the video tape i believe its all done after she's dead-it seems the ghosts can move things around especially on their own(bruce going through books downstairs as well as playing with the tape recorder)she probably found the tape after she saw her sister getting sick because she already had a shelf full of tapes she had made because she couldn't leave her room. As for malcolm's wife saying happy anniversary--that was just her eating by herself and speaking to him by herself
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Although AICN usually has great information, and Talk Backs can be informative & quite entertaining, I am amazed that such poor grammer & limited vocabulary as SithmasterB's is allowed in the forum. All I got out of his posts is that he has very little to do with his life, and must constantly escape via movies. As for "Sixth Sense", I have not had a chance to see it (and thus skipped most of the spoilers), was not planning to (don't care for thrillers), but I have changed my mind. I don't mind plunking down $6.75 x 2 for this movie. And if the kid is a good as you folks say, I shall PRAY that he shall get an Oscar - for once, to a deserving actor, instead of a brown-nose/prima-donna.
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If you were in a public place, even if it wasn't filled with people, and you were talking to an imaginary person, would you be talking in a normal tone?
The only part I didn't understand was when the kid seemed like he became possessed in the classroom- he was a nice kid, why'd he become all evil all of the sudden? -
To the above poster who complained about poor English in the talkbacks: Before preaching about proper spelling and "grammer," perhaps you should take a little refresher course.
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I think that by the end of the movie, Cole DID know about Malcom's state- At least one clue would be the fact that he explicitly says to Malcolm that he won't be seeing him anymore. The obvious explanation is because he was "cured" and no longer needed the psychologists help. But another explanation would be that Malcom was "cured" and that he no longer needed Cole's help! Cole now knew that once he had helped the dead attain what they needed (in this case Malcolm needed to help Cole), he wouldn't see them anymore. Hence Cole's comment that he wouldn't be seeing Malcom again.
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I recently saw the Sixth Sense and I must say I thought it was the greatest. I can't believe I am saying that about a Bruce Willis movie, but it's true. The little boy in the movie was phenomenal! I remember him as Little Forrest but he sure can act. He also must be an extremely intelligent little kid to be able to distinguish movie fiction from reality. I think he definitely deserves an Oscar!
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For those evolved souls who mount the highest of high horses to complain about some correspondant's use of "grammer"; IT'S "GRAMMAR", GODDAMNIT! If you wish to call people on the carpet on such things, use that modern replacement for 11th grade English, Spellcheck. 'Grammar'...damnit.
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My big question is, what were the scratches all about? Both he and the naked guy had them...
Also regarding the question of whether Cole knew from the beginning that Malcolm was a ghost... remember that at first, Cole ran away from Malcolm when he saw him on the street (he ducked into the church and hid in a bench)...
Also regarding why there were similarities between Cole and the naked guy, I assumed that the naked guy was Cole's father. Remember, Malcolm's journal said he was a "single father" ... and the "hair patch" similarity only further supported this. Also, the Cole made a comment about his dad's glasses and watch. I figure after his dad died, he went to live with his mom? -
Spoliers ahead...
This is about the church again. From all appearances, the church was Cole's sanctuary from the ghosts. He raced there from home not to avoid Malcolm (in particular) but to avoid all ghosts who might accost him on the way. Inside he was safe -- otherwise, running to an isolated, lonely place seems like an odd thing for Cole to do. But if other ghosts could not come in, why could Malcolm?
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Aug 17, 1999 2:28:09 AM CDT
The Sixth Sense - this is going to be long, so, bear with me
by nordling
THERE WILL BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW. YEP, NO BONES ABOUT IT. IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THIS FILM YET, WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING IN THE TALKBACK SECTION? GET THE FUCK OUT! Okay, Bruce Willis Bad Days - Armageddon, Die Hard With A Vengeance, Color of Night, Mercury Rising, Bonfire of the Vanities, the last season of Moonlighting, a dumb pseudo-Western with James Garner(the name escapes me right now). Bruce Willis Good Days - Die Hard 1 & 2, Pulp Fiction, Nobody's Fool, The Last Boy Scout(sorry, guys, really like this one), The Fifth Element(barely). Bruce Willis Knock-It-Out-Of-The-Park Days - 12 Monkeys, and now The Sixth Sense. I was not prepared for this quiet, unsettling film. In a way, the trailers are brilliant, and in a way they piss me off. I had heard very little about this movie until just about the time of its release, and managed to avaoid spoilers on this one - a difficult feat, for those who come here every day. I stayed away from TalkBack until I had seen it. I loved this film. A Blair Witch addendum - yes, I was the writer of the now infamous "shopping mall zombies" line, and believe me, I've got a lot of flak for it. I have seen a couple of films since then that have adjusted my view of the best film of the year so far, and I retracted that line later on. THIS FILM IS BETTER THAN THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, okay? And I really liked Blair Witch, still do. Now to the film. This is one of the best scripts to come out of mainstream Hollywood in a while, and it shows what big studios can do when they fire on all cylinders, and respect the audience's intelligence. Mr. Willis's performance was brilliant, and moving. People compare this film to Jacob's Ladder. Jacob's Ladder tried too hard to make you see, than ignore, the fact that Jacob was dead. This one, I didn't have a clue. I assumed Malcolm's isolation was something he inflicted on himself. Cole Sear, played by Forrest Jr. himself, Joel Osment (sorry, can't remember his first name) is also in isolation, an isolation that he created to keep himself sane in a very insane world, a world that no one else can see. When these two meet, and help ech other, you can't helped but be moved. If the performances were sub-par, or the direction too cloying, this wouldn't have worked. But it did, wonderfully. I'm so glad I saw this one. This was a summer movie without the dumbness of most summer movies. If this is the direction Bruce Willis is taking with his career, I'm there. Breakfast of Champions, here we come.
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GREAT FLICK!!! Here's my question. What about the ring Malcolm's wife was trying to sell to the couple in the amusing scene in her shop? The obvious answer is it's her ring (from Malcolm) given her comments about the ring's past. But why would she sell a ring that obviously meant so much to her and was from someone she so obviously missed?
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Did anyone else think at first that the video Cole handed the dad at the funeral contained the Dad and daughter is some lewd act together? My friend and I both thought that at first and were completely surprised at what it actually contained. We were also disappointed that it didn't contain a bigger confrontation afterwards, but I suppose those people weren't the main focus of the movie. I am very impressed with the movie. I will definitely see it again.
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let's see...
first things first,i do not believe that Victor and Cole are father and son, they are similar in their gift.."the sixth sense"
there ages do not match someone mentioned this earlier ... good guess.. ( the reason i said guess is because, you can interpret the film so many different ways) i do not believe that the boy knew that bruce's character was dead till the end ... when the boy comes to grip with his gift. it could have been sooner, i must see the film again and soon. the reason that willis character could enter the church is because he was sent by a higher power.. GOD? willis was the answer to the boy's prayers... he was not a being who was anger and bent up with rage...he was there to help cole. later he in turn was helped ... the higher power knew that this would happen. correct? i believe this to be
true. others are allow to disagree and that's wonderful. the boy deserves a oscar! yes he does... wonderful film, it deserves to be watched again and again... -
WARNING SPOILER (although if you're reading this and haven't seen the movie you deserve to have it spoiled) Unlike many, apparently, I was totally blindsided by the ending. Obviously looking back all of the clues were there (boy runs into the church at first sight of Bruce, Bruce's complete lack of interaction with anyone but the boy--most noticeable at the dead girl's house, wife's comments about the dead leaving a piece of themselves in objects left behind, and of course the boy's own words to Bruce about the dead people he sees not knowing they're dead, etc. But in retrospect I think the film fudges it a little bit by making the boy so nervous about talking to the dead girl; building it up as a momentous occasion, when he's been interacting with a dead guy for nearly the entire movie.
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Aug 18, 1999 7:48:49 AM CDT
Many Questions Answered.......SPOILER CITY!!.....and quite long.
by drewdog
Wow, alot of you sure do try to read into a lot of things. I've seen it twice, and I think the real desire of the director is to distract, not to answer a lot of questions we're asking. But here is how I would answer a lot of them:
1. Did Cole know about Malcom?
I don't think so. Certainly the director can't let on that he does, because that would spoil the movie......because we'd know. Notice, the first two encounters between Cole and Malcom are the only two when we see them "come together". In all of the other encounters, we catch them "midstream". I believe that this is intentional. When Cole runs to the church during the first encounter, he hasn't seen a ghost, he's just doing what he always does. Notice that Malcom has a coat on whenever he is with Cole, covering any sign of blood. And when he does see his own blood on his back at the end, it is completely dry, so nothing would have "seeped" through for Cole to see. The second ecounter at Cole's house is great. He walks in, they appear to have been talking.....very normal in appearance to Cole...therapists have been in and out. When she leaves, she says "see you in an hour" (a great coincidence, and very intentionally added by the director....we're led to believe its appointment time). After that, we always catch them in the middle of a conversation....thus we're led to believe that Cole sees this as a very normal doctor-patient relationship, even though it seems odd to us. Malcom always shows up for the appointment, mom's always working.
What about Cole saying "I won't see you again, will I?" This is a tough one, but I think he's referring to Malcom saying earlier that he can't be his doctor any more.....and now that's definite, since Cole seems somewhat better. I really think if Cole knew about Malcom, he would have said something like "come visit sometime". Afterall, his dead grandma comes to visit often. Wouldn't he want Malcom to do the same?...I mean, he's still seeing dead people - unsettling even if you know what they want. He'd encourage Malcom to come see him if he knew. I think that if you asked the director if he knew....he'd either say "no".....or "it doesn't matter".
2. The ring - I'm surprised several of you did not notice that his wife had her wedding ring on at the end. Malcom looks to her finger first after he hears the ring fall, to validate that it wasn't hers that fell. The ring appears similar to the one she was selling, but I don't know if it was identical. Her talking about "a lost love" to the engaged couple was a reference to herself, but not a reference to that being her ring.
3. "Glimmer" in the pictures of Cole - Folks, that glimmer isn't a ghost, its the sixth sense...its a visual symbol of his special gift.
4. Is Vincent Cole's father?
NO WAY!! When I saw it the second time, it was obvious that the guy in the family picture was not him.....totally different.
What is great about this movie is that it is more about Malcom, even though it is centered on Cole. Malcom had two unresolved issues - not being able too help a kid, and his wife telling him she wasn't first. I think the latter is even more important. He needed Cole's help to know that he was a good doctor and a good husband. Coles gets his help too, but more as a result of helping Malcom. When you think about it, its really a great love story.
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You spelled grammar wrong.
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My take on the interaction, and why Cole didn't run screaming from Malcolm (assuming that Cole knew Malcolm was dead, which I assume he did), is that it seemed that every ghost that Cole encountered gave him reason to be scared - the wife in his house, the boy without the back of his head, the lynched colonials in the school - yet Malcolm approached him very calmly and in a way that seemed to bely that he wanted to help Cole. Additionally, Cole, if I remember correctly, never saw Malcolm without his overcoat and/or sweater vest on, which covered his wounds. As a result, it didn't seem (in retrospect, of course) that Cole had anything to fear from Malcolm because he wasn't physically frightening or outwardly aggressive - he just wanted to help.
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Why are so many of you bent on thinking Cole knew?...For the reasons I stated a few posts above, it is fairly clear that he didn't. But I'll elaborate further...There are three places in the movie that have been pointed to when people have asserted that Cole knew about Malcom......(1)Their first encounter, him running to the church. What in Malcom's appearance would have led Cole to believe he was a ghost - nothing! He saw what we saw. He ran to the church perhaps because he had just seen a scary ghost, or
more likely because he always moves to his one place of refuge with urgency. 2. When Cole says "they don't know there dead". This is simply a clue to us, its not Cole dropping a hint to Malcom. In the same exchange, Cole was very afraid that Malcom wouldn't believe him. What better proof would Cole have had, but to tell Malcom that he is a ghost, and show him his wounds. He didn't tell him because he didn't know. 3. When Cole says "I won't see you again, will I". He was referring to the time when Malcom told him he couldn't be his doctor anymore. He Malcom had to tend to his wife, and that, at least for the foreseeable future, was more important. We know this, because of Malcom's reaction. He knew that Cole was referring to the doctor-patient relationship. It seems that so many of you need for Cole to know in order to make sense of the movie. I contend that it makes far more sense if he doesn't. Please my prior post for further explanation of this. -
So what? Why do you need so badly to believe that he didn't know? I simply seems to me that Cole was hinting to Malcolm (as well as the audience) that Malcolm was a ghost, but didn't want to upset him with the absolute knowledge. The line that speaks to me as the one that most clearly lets the audience know that Cole understood what Malcolm is was when he tells him (toward the end, after the play) "Tell her when she's sleeping. She'll listen to you then." (...or something along those lines.) That exchange belies a deeper understanding on Cole's part on what Malcolm is, assuming that Cole knew (or thought) that ghosts communicated with people through dreams/sleep.
As it is, who cares whether or not Cole knew that Malcolm was a ghost? If it works for you to believe that he didn't, then believe that. If it works that you believe that he did know (I believe he did, obviously), believe that instead.
Sheesh. -
Cole knew Malcolm was a ghost the minute he saw him. Why wouldn't he, as he did with every other ghost he saw. He didn't need to see physical injury to know because he had the "sixth sense." Also notice that Cole never acknowledges Malcolm in the presence of others throughout the entire movie.
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Hey did any one else catch the mistake during the classroom scene. You can see a microphone hanging over the teachers head.
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I thought this was a great film because it reminds us of the finality and violence of most deaths beyond "she passed away in her sleep". Even though violence is prevalent in our culture, it is a certain type of violence. IT's the blast of the gun without the bloody damage that the bullets do, or or what a car accident victim really looks like. We all know that these things exist but we try not to see or dwell on them. To a certain degree we hold onto the prettiness of the moment and sometimes miss the important stuff.
The Sixth Sense reminded me of how precious life really is as well as stirring up the grief of remembering those close to me who have died.
It's very powerful. A must see. -
I BELIEVE THE KID DIDN'T KNOW ... WHY WOULD HE SAY I SEE DEAD PEOPLE TO A DEAD GUY? CAUSE HE DIDN'T KNOW!
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Just trying to stimulate debate deathlok...and it worked...not worth "sheeshing" me...You bring up a good point about telling her in her sleep. However, I chalk this up more to "boyish innocence" than a deeper understanding. He simply thought if he told her while she was sleeping, she couldn't walk away or dismiss him...If he did know, please explain why he was so concerned about whether or not Malcom would believe him about seeing dead people. It would seem very easy for him to simply show Malcom that he is dead...if Cole knew that the proof was right in front of him, he would have used it.
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Okay. Here's my take on this. (Spoilers) When we see Cole and Malcolm talk in the church for the first time, I don't think this is their first meeting... The whole scene doesn't feel like their first meeting. Malcolm says he is late for their appointment, and Cole doesn't question his presence, or his probing questions. The whole 'did Cole know/did he not know' question would have been answered if we DID see their first meeting... We would have seen if anyone else could see him, or we would have seen Cole freak out. My own guess is that Cole did not know until towards the end, but by the time he is 'cured', he did know the truth. Look at the reaction he had to each ghost. Each time, they freak him out. Even the non-threatening ones (gunshot kid). Even the girl freaks him out (But let's face it: just about anyone would freak out if someone appeared in front of you and puked on you.)
Anyway, the only reason Cole made himself go back and talk to the girl was because of the conversation with Malcolm. Otherwise, he would have waited for her to leave.... So, sometime between the time he is giving his advice to Malcolm and the time he is talking to the girl, he discovers Malcolm's true identity.
As far as the discussion on if Cole and the naked guy were related, I don't think there is any evidence at all to support this. What are the similarities? The 6th sense. That's it. The hair discoloration, the scars and the mannerisms and the nicknames are common by-products of having the 6th sense. Think about it. When the naked guy is in therapy with Malcolm, he is Cole's age. That's when they are both called a Freak. There's nothing genetic about this. If you have the ability to communicate with dead people, and you are freaked out and manipulated by them on a regular basis, people are going to call you a freak, regardless of what your father/brother was called. (If they were related at all, the only thing that makes sense age wise would be as a brother, which is entirely possible... Otherwise, there's no reason, nor evidence for them to be related.)
I like the explanation of the little girl figuring out what killed her after her own death. That works for me. Her reason for sticking around is to save her sister from her mother. This also ties in with why I think Cole figures out that Malcolm is dead. Apparently, these ghosts are around because they have to finish something or do something, then they disappear... And that's why Cole knew he wouldn't be seeing Malcolm any more, and that's when he gave him the advice on how to talk to his wife.... I think there's a reason he told him to do this. I think Cole knew that this was the way that the dead could communicate with those who only have 5 senses... AND I think that if Cole has the lead in the school play, and is as open and comfortable as he is in the last scene, then lots of time has passed. He has accepted his abilities (as shown with his encounter with the teacher) and isn't afraid all the time... BUT, if he didn't know Malcolm was dead, their sessions would have been over long ago... Cole would have been pronounced 'cured' sometime around the point of getting such a big role in the play. Not that he couldn't have gotten that role otherwise, but he was obviously too quiet, timid and anti-social to play such a role. Back when he was given this role, his personality would have been stable enough to handle this. This point would have been the logical conclusion of the sessions with Malcolm. Malcolm is still around because he still hasn't put 2 and 2 together...
The theory seems to be that in order to stop being a ghost and disappear, you must both discover that you are dead, and finish whatever you need to do. Malcolm does this in reverse order from the girl. She discovers her own death by watching the video tapes (possibly) and then gets Cole to deliver the tape.
My only question is this: why didn't the little girl deliver the tape to her father herself? If she can put it in the box, why can't she put the box in his car, or on his bed or somewhere where he would see it and watch it? Why does she need Cole's help for this?
Any comments?
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SPOILERS WARNING. Ok, a couple more questions for those of you who've seen the movie. If Malcolm can't interact with physical objects, then what's up with playing the tape on the tape player? Secondly, why can't Malcolm see other dead people? Or am I just making that assumption that he would be able to?
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First, Erasmus, Cole said that the dead people couldn't see each other. On to my "TalkBack"---> Something I didn't think about until a friend, Paulman, mentioned to me. It relates to the scenes after Malcolm is shot. The title pops up "The next fall...". I originally thought it meant fall, like the season of the year. My friend suggested that maybe it meant the next step in falling from.... mortality. The first 'fall' might have been death and the next was the 'fall' Malcolm experienced in dealing with Cole, and the help he needed to move on to the next level(?). If this is a fair assumption, the term fall relates to Malcolm
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The next "fall"?? Are you kidding me? "Fall" was capitalized, denoting the season, not the verb. Unless of course, we're referring to the original "Fall" of man. Doubtful.........No one has answered my question yet. If Cole knew Malcom was dead, why didn't he tell him? What better prove did he have for "seeing dead people". Cole would have certainly used this information if he knew, because he wanted the terror to end. He would have risked "freaking out" Malcom by telling him, if he had known. It was too important to Cole for Malcom to know the truth. Yet, the way Malcom found out was by the tape recorder, not by Cole. Why?? Because Cole didn't know...someone respond and tell me why Cole would withhold the info if he knew.... Also, Cole goes to great lengths to get Malcom to at least pretend that they'll see each other again. If he had known Malcom was dead, he would have known that he WOULD see Malcom again. Afterall, his dead grandma visits all the time. Cole would have simply said "come visit sometime". Even though Malcom would not have known what he meant (nor would we) it would have made perfect sense at the end. It doesn't go down this way because Cole didn't know...As for ghosts manipulating their environment...some of you have alluded to the most glaring inconsistency in the movie. It was obvious that ghosts could move stuff (bumblebee pendents, tape recorders, windows, etc.) If so, then why did the girl need the boys help to get the tape to her dad? Couldn't she just put it where he'd see it?...Great question...The only answer appears to be that she wanted to be sure he'd see it. Planting it somewhere wouldn't have offered the same guarantee. Its a weak, unsatifying answer. But I think this is just one of the holes in an otherwise great movie.
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I just saw the film for the second time and wanted to post my take on the "does he/doesn't he" debate.
I think that Cole knows all along who and what Malcolm is. Why wouldn't he if he has this "sixth sense"? Nothing I saw last night definitively says that he did know or didn't know, but I think that Malcolm just wasn't AS threatening as the other ghosts and therefore Cole was willing to take those first steps with him. We are lead to believe that the young girl is Cole's first interaction with a ghost, but I just see it as the next step in his growth.
Drewdog wants to know why Cole doesn't "prove" to Malcolm that he sees ghosts. The way I see it, if Cole knows that Malcolm is a ghost, why would he have the desire to prove the ghost thing to Malcolm? I mean, Malcolm is just another ghost, Cole doesn't actually need his approval or validation. I also don't think that Cole can "prove" it to Malcolm. He has already said that these ghosts don't know they are dead and see what they want to see. Malcolm wouldn't have seen the wounds even if Cole pointed them out to him. If he was capable of seeing them, don't you think he would have noticed without Cole's help? Malcolm had to be emotionally ready to see them, which he is at the end of the movie.
Last of all, Drewdog gets hung up on the not seeing each other anymore angle. I think that once their (ghost) business together is over, they won't see each other anymore. I know his grandma visits but maybe it is because she has things to say to her daughter (which Cole does at the end of the movie). Maybe he won't see his grandma anymore now that there is closure with Cole's mom. Or maybe grandma's getting special visitation rights in the hereafter, who knows? I do think that no matter how much Cole and Malcolm have bonded, their business is finished, and Malcolm has to move on. He can't be Casper the friendly ghost to Cole forever. Your argument works the reverse for me - if Cole thought that Malcolm was alive, why couldn't he ask him to come visit him sometime? Sure he had issues to deal with with his wife, but they would have to get resolved somehow or another, no reason for him to NEVER see the kid again.
Whew! Sorry so long, but a very thought provoking movie! -
Ok Gator.....lets play out your scenario....Cole knows all along...he has finally come across a ghost that he can talk to...this ghost doesn't know he's a ghost...Cole knows this...at the same time, Cole desperately wants to not be a "freak"...if he tells any other "living" person, they'll start to look at him "that way". Wouldn't he try to get this ghost (Malcom) to be aware of his ghost status so they he could help him out? That doesn't add up to me, because, instead, Cole is obviously worried that Malcom won't believe him. If he knows Malcom is dead, this is his first opportunity to get some real answers. Wouldn't he pry into Malcom's past a little bit? He should at least want to fish for some answers, even if, as you say, he wouldn't come right out and tell him. It doesn't add up to me.
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We didnt see it happen all the time (perhaps because the director chose not to always show it?), but wasn't it always cold when a ghost was present? I.e. We see Cole's breath when the little girl comes to his bedroom but not at her house, etc. So wouldn't Cole know Malcom was a ghost by a temperature change?
The boy wouldn't flatout tell Malcolm he was a ghost cause he spent his life in terror-if a ghost doesnt want to know, you dont piss them off by telling them! After all, they already showed they can cause physical harm. -
I really enjoyed the movie but I was just wondering if anyone could explain why Malcolm doesn't figure out he's dead until the end. Hasn't he tried interacting with anyone aside from his wife? What happens when he goes out to eat?
In the scene where Malcolm is sitting across from the mother, how could he not expect to engage in conversation with the mother?
I've got a bunch of other small nitpicks which could maybe be answered on their own if these are explained. -
I've been reading with great interest all the posts about this great movie. I don't remember though too much discussion on why Cole would get bruised, cut, etc. by the dead people he sees. Also, what happened to him when he was locked up in that room and his Mom saw the hole in his sweater? These questions are still puzzling me.
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As far as to why Cole doesn't reveal to Malcolm that he's a ghost, I'm going to make the assumption that Cole is understanding enough of Malcolm's situation not to "spook" Malcolm, as evidenced by his comment about some ghosts not realizing that they're dead. Given the way Malcolm approached Cole, I think it's reasonable to assume that Cole understood that Malcolm a)didn't realize that he was dead and b)Malcolm wanted to help Cole in understanding ghosts and his (Cole's) situation with them, even insomuch as Cole realized that Malcolm didn't know about Cole's abilities. With this in mind, it's entirely reasonable to assume that Cole was gently providing clues and understanding all along to Malcolm, preparing him for the realization of his condition. When Malcolm finally realizes that he's dead, the shock is abrupt but quickly dissolves into a deeper understanding...he quickly realizes what Cole has been telling him all along, takes his advice, and finally brings himself the peace that he didn't seem to have at his death. "You were never number two" is Malcolm's final, loving declaration to his wife, and provides him with the resolution to his internal conflict that allows his spirit to release itself from this mortal coil, just as Cole provides other spirits (the young girl being the most obvious) with the means of their release.
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I think your description is exactly what is going on. Cole IS learning about Malcolm, just because he isn't confronting him on the ghost thing doesn't mean he isn't getting the answers he is looking for. After all, isn't that the ending of the movie? Cole learing to live with his situation? Malcolm helps Cole (and vice versa), but why do you think that Malcolm knowing that he is a ghost is to Cole's advantage? It seems to me that that Cole gets the help he needs, at a pace that both he and Malcolm can deal with. I don't think that if I was a child who had been terrorized by ghosts my whole life (not that I am very good at imagining this!), I would make this leap of faith that you describe, and confront Malcolm with all this. I think that as Malcolm leads Cole to his answers, Cole also leads (not bashes him over the head) Malcolm to his answers. Also, don't you wonder how Cole knows that these particular ghosts don't know that they are dead? It seems to me that we are making a big assumption in thinking that he has never tried to talk to one before. There has to be something in his prior experience with them that convinces him of that, which makes him proceed gingerly with Malcolm.
Of course, I also think we are overanalyzing the hell out of this. I sincerely doubt the writer gave anywhere near as much thought to this as we are! -
In the film, I think it only gets cold when the ghosts are "angry". Did I get that right, kids?
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BAD
1.the film would have been much better without all the Massive Headwound Harrys walking around. It just got silly after a while and though I agree BWP was lame, it did illustrate that in horror less is more. I mean that scene backstage when the boy is talking to the burn victim casually and they are smiling and laughing is just retarded.
2. the cancer girl poison scene was in very bad taste for a 'feel good' movie, which is what I think this film is ultimately, not a psychological thriller or horror film. and so fine he enacted this girl's revenge and ruined her fathers life even more. What about all the other people long dead. The hanging victims? What's he gonna do for them??
3.the tape recorder scene, like the guy from salon said, was a pathetic way to convince a non-believer that ghosts exist.i couldnt hear a thing! (my friend said it was the same latin or spanish phrase the boy had uttered)
4.the boys miraculous recovery to well adjustedness was the films biggest shortfall. so because of cancer girl he is suddenly a happy kid getting leads in school plays and swapping recipes with every handgun casualty in Philadelphia? Please.
GOOD
Performances: The mom, who was also good in muriels wedding and velvet goldmine.(The grandma is proud of you scene was very manipulative but they made it work didnt they)
the boy's performance saved this flick from its flaws.
willis is a decent actor as long as he stays away from meteors.
the ending def tricked me no question and Im glad cause i love surprises in film.
Overall i did enjoy this movie, i would recommend it.
SUMMER 1999--awesome movie crop!! -
I just saw the movie again and I think I can end the debate as to whether Vincent Grey is Cole's father. He is not. I believe that in one of Cole's sessions with Malcolm, Cole mentions that his father is living in Pittsburgh with another woman.
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(SPOILER) I just saw the movie for the 2nd time. As far as did Cole know or didn't he, it's pretty clear to me that he knew from the beginning that Bruce was dead - gator is dead on, as well as about why Cole simply doesn't tell him. Also note that the only other ghost Cole really interacts with during the movie-the little girl-also apparently doesn't know she's dead ("I'm feeling better") nor does he tell her. As far as general thoughts about the movie-I like the homages to past horror/thriller films: the "aura" in the photographs from The Omen; the disarranged kitchen from Poltergeist; the little girl/green vomit combo from The Exorcist; and the "recording analysis" a la The Changeling. (I half expected to hear a whispered "Joseph" when Bruce turned the tape recorder up to 10. Yeah, it might be a cheesy way for a character to find out indispensable information, but it's still pretty damn cool. Lastly, the movie to me is not really a horror film. Although it's ominous, a bit eerie and deals with the supernatural, it felt more like Ordinary People than The Shining-which is not to say that it isn't very good. But man it came close to sliding over the edge a couple of times-the potentially sappy scene with Cole and mom in the car, for instance, which was saved by excellent, subtle acting by both of them: watch how when Cole tells his mom his secret-she conveys both awareness of his courage to do so and a refusal to disbelieve him at all costs. But ultimately the movie is about two people helping each other, and I found it particularly touching that Bruce not only helped Cole learn to deal with his gift, but spared him Vincent Grey's fate, which given how close we've become to Cole, would have been truly tragic.
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After reading tons of reviews , I am really quite shocked at the brass of some of the people out there. Opinions are like assholes, yes, this I know, but really now, all of this talk about the Sixth Sense and whether it is for adults or kids, whether the kid whispers the whole movie or not, and whether to spend money on the Blair Witch or not is quite mindless. Here is a clue to all of you out there ,who seem to have no lives. Spend most of your time with PEOPLE (preferably girl or boyfriend) and less time stalking future movies on the internet. Yes of course the Sixth Sense should not be spoiled , but really now, why would you purposely read about a movie you may have interest in before you see it ? Can't ya wait for a month ? Or a week ? Sorry to say to you folks out there who judge this movie based on Bruce Willis and 'Mercury Rising' that that is not a great way to go into a movie. Following reviews before you actually GO to a movie , kinda gauges the pointlessness of your meager lives. Also sorry to say that this movie , as WELL as the Blair Witch, are something that 95% of movies these days are NOT. Thats original. Most of the people who post here really are sick morbid fucks who are so seemingly jaded that they can't really judge a film. It's obvious that the people who hated the Blair Witch were people who were subject to hype, the same goes for the Star Wars movie. I'm sure its a natural human reaction to hate anything that is mass liked, but hey - every once in a while , there's a reason so many people like something. This movie was good due to its substance. The acting WAS good , whether you liked it or not, and if you went in with an attitude, then you got out of it what you really wanted , which was 'nothing'. Geez, how enjoyable your life must be...
Warning ## possible spoiler###
Anyhow , here's for the people without their head up their asses - Was the guy who shot Bruce, the kid , all grown up ? I mean , what are the odds there 2 psychic kids ? ANd HOW did Willis get a docket on the new kid if he was already De#d ? Kinda weird...
Bye now , get a life, and respond to me personally , cause i wont read this section again... -
First of all, I consider myself a fairly intelligent person, and I didn't figure out the ending, although now I slap myself on the forehead and exclaim, "You idiot!" I think if you figured out the twist during the movie, then obviously the movie wasn't working for you, or otherwise, like me, you would have been too distracted by the acting, writing, and directing to think through the plot. I loved this movie; its quality totally surprised me. BTW, thanks to all the posters who've obviously put a lot of thought into the plot; I'll be looking for answers(does Cole know?,etc.)next time I see it. As for the Blair Witch Project: it had good acting, a few truly creepy moments, and an overabundance of hype that pushed people to see this movie who should not have(for instance, my friend who hates unresolved storylines). The only really impressive parts of BWP are the concept and the way it was made. Finally(!), I agree that H.J. Osment would have made a great Anakin; as a big S.W. fan, I think he would have elevated the movie from very good in a fun way, to great in a good ole' Star Wars way. Anyway, just remember: if you like spooky movies that make you think, The Sixth Sense is probably for you. Sorry this is so long; it's my first Talkback.
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Aug 23, 1999 1:23:45 AM CDT
I have the solutions to all the riddles. sst, sst, Studering St
by dabri
Or at least I believe I do. I have 3 scenarios.
1. It was Malcolm's dream all along. He died, and the whole thing about Cole was made up in his head, it was just him reenacting his experience with Vincent. In parts of the movie, he was dreaming about his wife, and in others his past with Vincent. Since he did not want to believe he was dead, he saw Vincent as "Cole"
Though this may be possible, I doubt this one, but at least its a thought.
2. We never take in consideration that the person writing the film is the doctor right? Well, wasn't the doctor Indian? Which would mean their is a possibility he believes in re-incarnation. Which would mean, its possible that Vincent, in the beginning, was a ghost, and Cole, was the reincarnation of Vincent. This too is doubtful to me, but using a little bit of lateral thinking never hurt anyone!
3. This is the scenario that I believe is the plot of the whole movie. Both Vincent and Malcolm were ghosts. They both were reliving their lives, but Vincent, as Cole, knew he was, kind of, but Malcolm did not. The reason I think this is because there are defiantly too many clues that they are the same person (Cole & Vincent) plus, you can tell Cole knows the truth that Malcolm is dead. He (Malcolm) wanted to fix what he didn't have a chance to before, which is to change what happened to Vincent (Cole) so that he can move on (To heaven, or in my belief, the ground with maggots and dirt) He regretted that he never went back to visit him.
Cole aka Vincent had 2 things he wanted to accomplish. 1. To not be afraid, and to tell his mom about the ghosts. He wanted to go back and tell his mom, which was the big build up in the end of the movie. Think about it.. Also, first of all, since Malcolm was dead, where did he get this magical assignment to help Cole? He didn't, he helped Vincent, as Vincent helped him. I believe part of Cole knew he was Vincent, but he was also reliving his life, kind of like when your in a dream about when you were younger, and you wake up and go "Oh fuck, I'm 26!".
I know this is it! Think about it. Cole pleaded with Malcolm "Don't fail me" and said he was a "Freak". Well, what did Vincent say in the beginning???? "YOU FAILED ME" and the freak stuff as well. Not to mention that when Malcolm asked Cole if he could change one thing, what would it be? He said to not be afraid, and what did Vincent say at the beginning? "I'm tired of being afraid" I doubt the doctor stumbled upon 2 people with the same "powers" in the same city, in the same manner, with the same streak in their hair, with the single parent thing, etc. It adds up too much that this is the right scenario. Also, not once, any time, in any part of the movie was possession brought up..
Then how come Cole started calling his teacher "Stuttering Stanley"??? How come he knew about his teachers past? And made reference to Elementary? Could it be that he, (Cole aka Vincent) went to school with Stuttering Stanley? And since he was reliving his life (in modern time, dream state) He knew Stanley as a kid, (Maybe Stanley picked on him or something, he did call Cole a "Freak".
To me, this is the scenario, I may have more bugs in my story then Windows 95, but if you piece it all together, this is the most likely scenario. Remember, dead people see what they want to see. -
If you need further evidence that Cole knew, consider this: His reaction to the first time he sees Bruce in the living room of the apartment, sitting across from Mom. He does all that he can to not acknowledge his presence while Mom is around. When she leaves the room to make pancakes, Cole is still shakey about openly communicating with him which explains why he won't speak until later (the "mind-reading game" is a device by the writer to allow for an exchange that still points to Cole's reluctancy to speak aloud to him). Eventually- the scene requires him to speak and the OS sounds of Mom in the kitchen come up (another "cover our ass" trick by the filmmakers) so that we don't ever really fear that she will hear that he is talking (to himself, as it would appear). Also look at the scenes when Cole is whispering. The only time he speaks aloud to Bruce is when there is no fear of him being heard (an empty church, the street, etc.). The exception of this, is the wake for the dead girl- which I can't explain. RE: their first meeting. Cole IS running at the beginning because he KNOWS there is SOMETHING watching him...he just doesn't know where. He knows when ghosts are around because of the "falling" feeling he describes- this description in the script eliminates the need for visual cues. He's hauling ass to the church to get away from Bruce but when Bruce catches up and begins to speak with him, he is immediately put at ease (because, as the screenplay has already told us...he's good at what he does.) It can be assumed that this is a unique experience for Cole- the first time one of the spirits had talked in a way that seemed to acknowledge Cole as Cole rather than a person from their specific past experience. This is what makes Cole pay attention. As for why he doesn't tell Bruce the truth- he doesn't want him to leave and he knows that he will if he knows. He likes how "normal" their interaction is. As for people wondering how a ghost could change clothes or manipulate a tape recorder- i see it like this...Bruce (and the other ghosts) experience what i imagine are dreams...dropped into scenes moment to moment...His experience is disjointed but he doesn't notice- just like in a dream where you never really question "how did i get here?" you just accept where you are and go through the motions the way you would when you are awake. Its only when you wake up that you question the journey you've been on. The tape recorder is a part of the real world that becomes a part of Bruce's dream. Who knows whether the tape even actually existed or if it is Bruce's spirit presenting a truth to him that he would not have accepted otherwise? Only the screenwriter knows that for sure. But consider that sometimes he is in the basement (where we learn his home office is) but other times he finds that he can't get into the basement because the door is locked (as it has been by his wife since his death)...this points to a fine line between his existence in the "real" world and the "dream" world that his memories and experiences create for him. I don't believe that "the next fall" refers to anything other than a passage of time...but its fun to imagine otherwise. Nor do I think that we are expected to believe that Donnie W's character at the beginning is the same as Cole. Same affliction, different person. The shock of discolored hair is just meant to signify a trait belonging to those with the gift. Also- it would have been easy to eliminate speculation about this by shuffling the movie's timeline to allow for reincarnation or something- but in a movie with so many clever twists it, that just doesn't seem to fit. Bruce is not time traveling because "the next fall" has been clearly pointed out. Bruce's character finds Cole in the same way that all of the other spirits do. Not from seeking him out, but by being drawn to him. Some spirits see him as a husband, a brother, an acquaintance...as their experiences would dictate. Bruce, naturally then, sees him as a patient and treats him as such. Anyone disagree?
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I am not giving this one away, I figured the final piece to the puzzle, and when all you get it, you will laugh that you didnt notice it. The director tells us inderectly that Cole and Vincent are the same person. Think about it...
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First, to the Thin Man:excellent analysis. I came to the same
conclusions but you put them down
quite convincingly.
Question: The color red seems to
play some role in the film that
I can't quite figure.
I will most definately see the film
again but as I remember these were
colored red:
The door knob to the basement.
The balloon at the B. party.
The tent in Cole's room.
The dress of the homicidal mom.
Did I miss anything?
Thanks all, this has been the best forum on the film that I have found -
The hype machine strikes again, and I'm a little concerned that I seem to be so affected by it. I did my very best not to read much about the movie, or have anyone tell me about it, to preserve this wonderful surprise. When the movie started I even thought, ok don't overanalyze trying to figure out the twist, just go with it. And when he gets shot (a friend told me I would never guess who Donnie Whalberg played, and he was right), my very first thought was, he's dead. I don't say this to congratulate myself. I just see too many movies, I guess. Maybe if the hype about the ending wasn't so strong, I wouldn't have figured it out. I think if you don't think he's dead right away, you get off that track, and you miss the clues. When you do get it right away, it seems glaringly obvious. So much so that it was a distraction to me. That being said, I thought the kid did a great job (definite Oscar consideration, though I'd think his Supporting Actor nod will be it for the film, maybe Screenplay, if Ghost can win, this surely can be nominated), and I've really enjoyed reading the posts - did Cole know the whole time (not sure, but I do think he knows at the end), is Donnie's character Cole's dad (don't think so). But I do have a question. At the end, the kid feels ok because the ghosts don't want to hurt him. But does this mean he'll be spending the rest of his life running errands for the recently deceased? Would he have been able to take that bus, go to the funeral, etc without Bruce Willis (apparently, since how much help can a ghost be? - when they bought tickets, did they buy two? It seemed like it wasn't just a crosstown bus). Sorry about the rambling... I just think I wouldn't be too thrilled knowing that at any given moment, my house is going to freeze, my sleep interrupted by a gross corpse, and my days spent running around the country telling grieving people secrets from the beyond. I suppose he'll probably get locked up at some point, and then the ghosts will really help as he's talking to himself in the nut house. But really, I did like the movie. Kinda.
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I believe that all these mysteries can be answered with one of these as-of-yet unmentioned theories:
1. The script, elegant and smart as it was, simply wasn't perfect. M. Night might have simply overlooked these finer details.
2. Additional scenes that explain these things were edited out due to length, studio interference, continuity, etc.
3. M. Night intentionally wanted some points to remain vague, leaving us to come to our own conclusions. He may not even know the answers himself.
Regardless, I'm thrilled to see this movie still going strong in its 3rd week. It could very well become the second biggest movie of 1999 and surprise with some additional Oscar noms besides Haley's certain one.
A few loose ends: For another good, twisty Bruce movie, check out "12 Monkeys." My take on the Stuttering Stanley exchange: Remember, Cole did have a history of misbehavior in school. (He took a step backwards when Malcolm guessed otherwise.) So this wasn't out of character. My favorite scene: The shopping cart. A simple, quiet moment that said everything you need to know about Cole's relationship with his mom.
Bob -
That had nothing to do with his problems in school. He directly said "They use to call you stutering stanly in elementary" and the teacher said "How did you know that?
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Just saw 6S, thought is was a very good film. I have two questions though, and I wondered if anyone could help to answer them.
1)If Cole's gift is the ability to see the dead, what is the significance (or the cause) of all the cabinets and drawers opening instantaneously in the early kitchen scene? Was this Cole's doing? I don't think telekinisis was part of his gift. If not Cole, then why (and how) would a dead person do this?
2. Did anyone else notice the awkward pan and scan camerawork during the dinner scene between Cole and his mother when they are discussing the bumblebee pendant? I kept waiting for an explanation of this tight, distracting camera movement, i.e. a dead person behind either of the actors, but nothing ever explained it.
Thanks for the help. -
The one thing in the movie I did not like... THE DISTRACTING CAMERA TEAM SUCKED!!!
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Despite the fact that there are a million and one theories on just about everything that happens in this flick, there is one thing I am positive about: Cole's advice to Malcolm to "talk to her in her sleep -- she'll understand/hear you then" (not sure precisely what was said anymore -- it's been a while) is derived solely from an experience he had with his mother and not from some innate knowledge that the dead communicate to others as they sleep. If you recall, at one point, Cole awakens to hear his mother fitfully sleeping, tossing and turning and talking aloud about her concerns involving her son -- she is obviously under great stress. Cole sits at her bedside and quietly assures her that everything will be okay, or something along those lines, and she, without ever waking up, appears to "hear" him in some sense and becomes calm and peaceful.
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As for where Cole's knowledge of his teacher's knickname came from, I always figured that what with all the ghosts floating around that joint, he was told of it at some point by one of the dead.
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Sorry to be all over this thing today -- trying very hard not to do any actual work. As for the scratches, it's obvious the ghosts can have a physical effect on Cole. I think it can be assumed that he has occasional "run-ins" with the spirits (read: is abused by them during the course of their often confused, overzealous, and agonized "existences"). There are probably encounters we don't actually witness. As for the thing about the table in front of the basement door, I think it was always there. Malcolm worked in the basement (or sees himself as working in the basement) because he "sees what [he wants] to see." When he becomes aware of the reality of the situation, he sees things for what they are: the basement door was blocked off long ago, by his grieving wife who probably didn't want to remember their days of fetching wine from the wine cellar, and (perhaps) his tendency to work down there. She's in too much pain to venture back down there, especially after that one fateful night. When Malcolm's vision is no longer obfuscated by his delusion, he all at once "sees" with shocking clarity.
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Great movie! I admit I got sucked in also and did not see the surprise ending coming. Now I need to go back an watch the movie I "didn't see."
To Whomever wanted to know what the red door handle to the cellar symbolized, I read this on a movie website called Hollywood Jesus (http://www.hollywoodjesus.com/sixth_sense.htm):
Red is an important color in this film. It is used to underscore important links to the supernatural. Red in our culture is a symbol of blood, and hence, death. It is also a bright color that pulls the eye. It underscores. Shyamalan gives it a spiritual connection as well. We are introduced to the boy at a church with two big red doors. The little icon of Jesus in the church has a red cloth draped over his white robe. The holy candles have a reddish pink glow. After learning from Malcolm about how previous generations sought refuge from their enemies in the church, Cole goes home and builds a red tent sanctuary in his room. And, inside he places little Christian icons, a bed and a flashlight. Cole follows a red balloon up the spiral staircase at the birthday party, and is wearing red. At the funeral, the box Cole hands to the dead girl's father is red-striped and has red velvet inside. The wife is wearing red. At the end of this film, in a heart-grabbing scene, the mother (wearing red) becomes Cole's new sanctuary as she lovingly embraces her son.
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Here is something interesting the director has said about "The Sixth Sense":
"'Sixth Sense' is frightening, disturbing and horrific in the tradition of films like 'Rosemary's Baby,' 'Repulsion' and 'The Omen.' It's reality based fright. It comes from the fears of real people, real children and real adults; fears of loss, the unknown, of having a sixth sense about what lies beyond and fears of not understanding those intuitions.
"Ultimately, it's about learning how to communicate those fears, whether it's communication between a doctor and the patient, a husband and a wife, a mother and a son or between ourselves and loved ones who have passed on. As we all have seen, not communicating with, or keeping secrets from people we love can destroy marriages, careers, families and even lives. That in itself is horrifying."
So you can see that he thinks the movie is mostly a relationship movie, not a horror movie.
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If you'll recall the scene where we (and Cole) see the dead abused wife in the kitchen, she is searching through the cabinets and drawers before she notices Cole and runs at him screaming, I think mistaking him for her husband. Therefore, in the earlier scene, it is my assumption that while Cole's mother was out of the room, Cole had another run-in with the wife, and it was she who threw open all the cabinets. This would also explain Cole's sweaty handprint on the table, since she was quite a frightening apparition.
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Ever since i was three years old and i was accidentally subjected to part of a freddy kruegger movie, i have been entirely enamored with everything horror/suspense/thriller. Only one small problem: Virtually all the movies of such a nature to be spewed forth from the loins of production companies in the past, say, 40-ish years have been, for lack of a better word, crap (This of course excludes such films as Silence of the Lambs and a select others--but you catch my drift). I have been sustaining myself on old classics such as "invasion of the body snatchers" and, i admit, seeing some of those crappy high budget-high star quality-high gore flicks i so much detest. But, at long, long last, a light at the end of the bleak and crap filled tunnel: The Sixth Sense. My new favorite movie. And that's saying a lot, as i am not one to go flinging such a culturally important phrase around willy-nilly. I won't say much (if you're not already dead with boredom you will be cheering) but i will say this: yay for haley joel osmont (a new edition to the my hall of favorite actors; there are currently two residing in that lonely place: haley joel and jake gyllenhaal. and let's not even go there)He was riveting, he was intriguing, and he had the audience so mesmerized that we were all practically figeting in sync. And two, yay for M. Night Shaymalan. He has done a lot to revive my faith in the good ole movie business: written a script for a suspense movie that didn't totally suck, he actually found a kid who could act (i don't know what you people thought, but i personally was a little disapointed in jake lloyd's performance)and he made a movie that actually scared me. Quite a feat, considering when i was 5 my favorite movie was Gremlins, a fairly untame movie for a 5 year old to be enjoying. I haven't been that scared in a long time. It didn't really hit me until later that night--it was quiet, it was dark, and my movie-popcorn weakened brain starting playing back to me all the scary things that can happen in the dark. It was so cool! Finally, to all of those who have websites and are using them to post detailed accounts of this movie, YOU SUCK, YOU SUCK, YOU SUCK!
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I saw this movie at a sneak the week before it's release, and was totally blown away. I knew little more about it than what the previews told me, and that's not much. It's been a while since I walked out of a movie with that in total shock look on my face. Just reading the posts mentioning the sick girl, and the psycho wife gave me the chills all over again. When I saw the movie I remember distinctly a guy in the row in front of me yelling "Oh Shit!" when we glimpsed the wife walking across camera behind Cole. It was a damn scary movie. I enjoyed it, and have recomended it to everyone since then. But more to the discussions here.
I am positive that Cole knew about Malcom, basically read the recent posts on the subject to see why. I always believed that, but they sum it up better than I could. Vincent and Cole were simply products of similar enviroments, that is the extent of their similarity. They both grew up in single parent homes, could see dead people, and had unpleasant social lives; duh, they'd both be called freak and be scared all the time. As for those who didn't like it I've got to ask what did you miss? Was it that you figured out the ending too soon, therefore ruining the suprise? i doubt that could be it, as there is far more to this movie than the end. I think it was mainly that you are trying to pidgeon hole the movie into a genre. It's not horror, it's not drama, it's not suspense, and it's not romance. It's all of the above. The movie doesn't have to fit a particular mold to be good, it doesn't have to be pure terror to be good. If a movie can make me jump out of my seat, bring me to the verge of tears, and then be heartwarming all in the space of two hours I say more power to it. It rarely pandered to the emotional rollercoaster movie mold of making sure you know when to laugh and when to cry, it simply told a well rounded story that had all these elements. A movie is afterall really just a vicareous experience, so why shouldn't it pull our emotional strings at the appropriate times?
I thouroughly enjoyed this movie, and as far as Oscar Nominations go I doubt it, I'm still bitter that all Contact was up for was Best Sound Mixing. It's all about politics and mony, but maybe the 6th has the money to buy some real nominations.
-The Caribou
http://www.crosswinds.net/denver/~ggcaribou/ -
I heard that Italians believe that if you are born with mucous over your face, you are born "with a veil" and you are clairvoyant. They also believe if you have a patch of gray hair before its time, you can communicate with the dead.
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Did anyone else catch the episode which had our young actor in it? He played pretty much the same part, scared then draw out by the adult. Have to think this is where the director picked him. Interesting contrast between the heart-to-heart chats with the boy and Bruce Willis -vs- Chuck Norris.
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I don't consider being bored out of my mind for an hour and a half adequately compensated by 10 minutes of entertainment. This movie could have AND SHOULD HAVE had something worth watching as we waited to confirm what was suspected after the first scene. Just wasn't worth it.
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I've read a heck of a lotta reviews and pieced together all the solutions which seem to work best. One question though- in the beginning why is Vincent naked? He broke into Malcolm's house to shoot Malcolm for not helping him, and then shoot himself. We see Vincent standing in the bathroom shivering, and there are dark colored clothes and shoes on the floor next to the bathtub. It is winter (Or Fall) and Malcolm & his wife are dressed appropriately. Vincent has the 6th sense and has been terrorized by ghosts his whole life, but why does he take off all his clothes? This seems strange. He is obviously very cold.
All the ghosts in the movie are wearing the same clothes at the time they were killed. If Vincent thinks that he will become a ghost (just IF) then he would be wandering around in his underwear as a ghost. There's not a good reason for this. So why does he take off his clothes? This is the only thing left that really confounds me. Maybe the director just used it for the shock effect- a naked skinny guy w/ terrible mental problems breaks into his doctor's house. -
Honestly, now, aren't the spoilers
the most interesting reviews to read?
The thing you have to remember about
this film, kids, is the medium the
director is working with. Film. Film has its own conventions, such as
the fadeout/fadein to show a passage of time.
The longer the fade to black, the longer the
time elapsed. Because they are conventions,
they don't need to be explained while the film goes along.
Another convention is that most scenes (and stories) begin "in media res" or in the middle of things.
Something must have happened prior
to the current scene, but we assume it
is not really relevant to the story line
or we would see it. That's why the scene where both Malcolm
and Cole's mother was, in my mind, pure genius. They are sitting across from each other waiting for Cole to arrive home from school. They are not speaking however, which is not really that unusual if they do know each other that well and they are both waiting for someone else. Like you would do in a waiting room. Anyhoo, we assume that we have just walked in after the end of a conversation. If you hold it up to scrutiny, then of course Malcolm would have noticed she hadn't been talking to him, let alone open the door for him to come in. And of course he would have noticed no one had spoken to him in the last year, or that he didn't have to pay for his bus ticket. It's not Malcolm that's being fooled, it's US, the viewers (or readers, in an eralier time and place). The fact that Malcolm hadn't noticed these details just isn't relevant to the story. I don't konw about you, but I just ASSUMED he'd been killed by the bullet at the start, and if you think about it, the dreamlike quality and sense of isolation... -
Sorry about that. This is a rather limited internet interface, and I apparently ran out of space. Now, where were we?
...from everyone but the boy serves to underscore the point.
That, and the fact that everyone says YOU'RE JUST GONNA LOVE
THE TWIST ENDING sort of made it hard to miss. Oh well. Now, why this scene
and all the other ones like it that seem to HINT that he's alive
are also meant to deceive US, not Malcolm. The director very cleverly uses these cinematic conventions to
make us ASSUME we know the whole story, when we don't.
Just like Malcolm, we see only what we want to see. I was beginning to wonder
if I might be a ghost while I sat in the dark theater. How can anyone prove they exist? But
I digress by waxing too philosophical. I must say, I was dissapointed immediately
after the movie was over, but I like it more the more
I think about it. It gets better with time. These talkback reviews are pretty intesting too--keep up the good work, Harry. I do recommend this movie to anyone who, like Roger Ebert says, likes to have the right side of their brain engaged while they watch it, and the left side engaged after its finished. About the time thing: think of ot like an M.C. Escher picture: the waterfall looks pretty convincing on paper, but you could never build it in real life. /:' P.S. RICHIE27: maybe they just wanted everyone to see how much Donnie Wahlburg had lost. -
Harry's review of Bruce Willis's The Sixth Sense could not be more true. I originally wanted to see the Astronauts Wife last friday, but they didn't believe I was 17 and I didn't have my college ID, so I was stuck in the pee-smelling theatre of the sixth Sense.
At first I was angry I couldn't see Edward Sissorhands and the glorious Madame Theron cry at each other for 2 hours straight, and then I began to consider what this film was about, and what the hell I did to get myself into it.
I started hoping, surprisingly, that it didn't have dead people scenes in it--but then I thought, it's just PG-13, so they cant be THAT bad.....
I was wrong. Embarassingly, I have been a tad afraid to be alone since I saw it 3 days ago. Like Harry states, the Cole character (preteen kid played by the Haley genius) is astounding and heart breaking at once. To put it simply.
One of the things that gives this movie its dark shine is that the main, shocking dramatic event that usually occurs at the end of crappy movies actually happened at the beginning, which makes this movie un-crappy. A very chilling and real-life event occurs, and makes you wish that you had spent the rainy humid day inside playing with your guinea pigs.
The ending is shocking, wonderful, chilling, and leaves you with dear hope that you won't have nightmares about young girls with purple lips vomiting, or grown women with slashes on their wrists screaming at 12-year old mortal boys "You're a horrible husband!!" or people hanging on nooses in the middle of an elementary school hall. Haunting indeed.
Unlike a lot of ghost movies (or dead people dripping with blood movies, rather) there was a REAL reason for why this poor Cole boy was being haunted by dead corpses that no one else oculd see (well, other people could see them, which plays another chilling event in the plot, which gives me goosebumps now and always to remember) and it is almost tear-forming for the viewer when this young guy presents such outrageous courage in situations where, I quote, "Most adults would piss on themselves".
Also, this is a sympathy movie, and not for no reason. You feel deep sympathy at first for one character, and then BOTH at the end of the movie, when all is explained. And that, my friends, is where you feel even MORE sympathy for the Cole child also, when you truly realize his wisdom, courage, and humanity when everything around him seems to reek of death.
Ordinarily, I don't like going to movies that came out almost a month ago when there are decent fresh ones about. But this is a brilliant, touching, many-a-tear bringing movie with the best children's performance (and a lot better than most adults, mind you) ever. Don't miss it...but if will leave you shocked, and afraid, wanting to see it a millions times again but terrified to.
I, for one, admit that this is the one movie that kept me hugging my boyfriend's arm with a hand over my face, peeking out between my fingers, not wanting to be the biggest wimp to walk the earth.
:) -
***POSSIBLE SPOILER****
I've seen this movie twice now and I'm still left with a couple of questions. I beleieve there is a direct connection between Vincent and Cole but can't come up with the facts to back it up. I've read some of the other theories that have been posted and most were very interesting. The one that really intrigued me was that Vincent is Cole. The obvious grey streak and similar behavior resonate too greatly throughout the movie to be passed off by explaining them as being two separate people. This is very simple to say, but I haven't read a convincing theory that supports this with facts from the movie. I can't come up with anything myself other than what's already been said here. This movie is ultimately about redemption for both characters, Vincent/Cole and Malcolm. If someone can post a convincing theory on their connection let me know -
Normally can't stand thriller/horror genre. This movie is so ingeneous that I knew there was a surprise ending and I tried to figure out without coming close. Was the woman with bruises in the kitchen and backstage at his school play his grandmother ? Did Cole know that Malcom was dead the whole time ? Did Mrs. Crowe hook up with her co-worker when he sped off from the doc ? I thought so but my friend said not. Why did she keep the cellar locked ? And why do the dead always need to be cold ?
-
A lot of you have been debating (rightly so) whether or not Cole is related to Donnie Wahlberg's character, Vincent, since they both have a white spot in their hair, behind the right ear. I was thinking while watching the movie that Vincent was Cole's father. But I read something interesting in Roger Ebert's column "Movie Answer Man" this week. Ebert inquired whether they are related, and the assistant to director N. Night Shyamalan, says: "During research for the story, the director found that people who experience extreme trauma sometimes lost pigment in their hair. The relation between Cole and Vincent is that they both experienced extreme trauma and lost pigment in their hair." So coming from the director, this seems conclusive that Cole & Vincent ARE NOT RELATED.
-
I just watched the movie, and thought it was a good. However, anybody who didnt see that twist coming right after the window was broken and they walked out to see (well not see) bruce willis walking away, must have been watching a different movie. No I didnt read any spoilers, etc, because I wanted to be shocked by this movie. As a matter of fact, I wasnt even aware of the "twist" at the end. My friends were very careful not to tell me anything about the movie. As stated before, this is a good DRAMA, and a mediocre story, saved by a clever ending. This was by no means a thriller, suspense, horror, creepy, or whatever has been used to describe it film. The almost melodramatic preformances outweighed the hint of suspense or anxiety tenfold and this spoiled parts of the movie that could have been developed more. Interactions with the dead, suspensful moments such as the bedroom scene with the covers coming unclipped were cut WAY SHORT because of the drawn out dramatic monologues. Some of the many catch phrase, inuendo, foreshadowing style statements in the film were repeated several times as if they assumed that the audience would be utterly confused by what was happening. It seems as if they were force feeding the audience the plot, I almost began to feel insulted. Nevertheless, an overall good movie worth seeing once in the theater and once at home on tape. By no means a classic.
-
From the fee-grief department: THRASHER: you seem
to have some familiarity with the
workings of Mr. Shymilan's mind (did I spell that right?)
So far, your theories make sense to me. Tell me, how
does the director answer questions
dealing with the skewed time frame
in the story? Personally, I don't
think the long periods of time when
Malcolm does not talk to other people and seems unaware of his isolation
are that big a deal, since the deception is really meant for the audience. Let me know if you
discover anything. By the way, how does one contact
the horse's mouth to find out the truth? /:' -
I wholeheartedly agree with your review of this film. When I saw it, I immediately told everyone to put this film on their list. It's exceptional. Haley Joel Osment deserves an Oscar (we'll see if he actually gets nominated). I thought Bruce Willis gave a very controlled and understated performance which was appropriate for his role. He brought out his own vulnerability (which was needed) in this role and I believe he deserves a nomination as well. This film is on my Top 10 list.
-
can somebody tell me what was with the reflection of light that was over Coles shoulder in all of the
pictures on the wall that his mother noticed when she was dust-
ing them?? Thanx to anyone who can answer this! -
..Yeah, the little boy in the Sixth Sense. He will be on "Oprah"
today. (Wed. Sept. 8)
Half the show will be Haley interviewed and half will be answers to letters people have written to Oprah. Here in Dallas it comes on at 4pm,on ABC and will be repeated tonight at aprox. 12:05 am.
He is such a well spoken little guy and simply brims over with talent. -
The spots in the pictures are the ghosts that are with him. Thats what is seen.
-
I totally, undoubtedly believe Vincent and Cole to be the same person. There are too many clues as I said before. I have read a few posts from people who say they heard, or read something from the directors' friends niece or whatever. If you make a claim, back it up. At least with some basic evidence. My evidence is all in the movie and how yo look at it. I have never heard anything from the director or his best friends lover. So please, if I am wrong and he has made statements as to Cole and Vincent, give me the url because I am sure there will be something here on this big web!
-
The kid's brilliant. Willis is touching in an unexpected role. *********** Yeah, the kid's the pick for the Oscar. And his Momma's a lock for a nomination for suppoorting actress, maybe winning. *********** But Star Wars is owed a big one. So best pic goes to Lucas ?
*********** -
DABRI: Think about it. If Vincent
and Cole are the same person, then the
story doesn't make any sense. Vincent kills
himself because, presumably, he has
never been able to come to
terms with the ghosts he sees. Cole,
on the other hand, resloves his conflict at
the end of the story. He accepts his
mission as a sort of Dr. Laura
for spooks. Why would he suddenly
decide to blow his brains out ten years
later and take the good doctor with him? Plus, if he knew
Malcolm was a ghost, shooting him would have no effect. The story is more interesting, I believe, if Malcolm is in denial, but as long
as he thinks he is alive, he can redeem himself by helping out another kid LIKE Vincent. By the way, the kid always suspected Malcolm was a ghost, just a nicer
one than most of the ghosts he'd met. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. -
SPOILERS PROBABLY BELOW!!!!!
I had been waiting for this movie. The first preview that I saw sent chills down my normally unchillable spine. The only review that I read before seeing the movie was (I think) from scifi.com. No real spoilers there, just a mention of a suprise ending and Brucie's character getting shot. Didn't take but a moment to realize that Bruce would be playing a ghost. Turns out that I was right. Knowing this from the start made Bruce's obvious lack of social interraction irritating at times, but overall the movie was pretty effective. The boy that played Cole is about the greatest kid actor to come around in a LONG time. It is a shame that someone of his caliber didn't play Anakin in The Phantom Menace.
If I hadn't seen the twist coming, I would have been blown away instead of just very impressed. The greatest twist-flick of all time for me is Angel Heart (I was floored by the ending).
My only remaing issue with the 6th Sense is this: If the ending means that this was some bull-shit, cop-out Jacob's Ladder kind of crap, I will feel very let down. -
Sep 15, 1999 5:05:57 PM CDT
There is one part that could have solved the issue if cole knew
by jack la motta
When Cole and Malcolm take the bus ride to the girls house. If the movie could have shown us them two buying there tickets. They had to have paid someone for the tickets. Thats the only part of the movie that didnt make any sense to me. Cole had to have known in some way that malcolm didnt pay for his ticket because he is dead and no one sees him. But, they didnt show that part for the obvious reason...it wouldnt make sense.!!!! So i still have no idea whether he knew or not, but the whole bus ride part makes no sense...an abvious mistake on the writers part!!
-
Tony,
The kid knew what he was - that was the whole point of the goodbye - Bruce healed the kid and had to say goodbye to go over to the other side. -
For the person who was wondering if the director really said something about the white patches in Vincent and Cole's hair, there is a quote from him in a recent Entertainment Weekly about that. As to how/why Malcolm hooked up with Cole, here's what I think and I haven't seen anyone else mention this possibility: Cole was going to be a patient of Malcolm's, but Malcolm was shot before Cole's first session. When Malcolm first meets Cole, he apologizes for missing their appointment. That would explain how Malcolm had the file on Cole that he is looking at when he first seeks Cole come out of his house and also how he would have basic information like his parents being divorced and so on. He probably even met Cole's mom at some point so he wouldn't have felt weird about sitting in the apartment with her waiting for Cole. Anybody see in holes in this possiblity? Speaking of holes, I think that Cole didn't realize at first that Malcolm was a ghost because he couldn't see his injury because it was in his back and under his coat, and when he figured it out he already realized that Malcolm wouldn't hurt him and that he was trying to help him so he wasn't scared. He just didn't know how to tell him without scaring him off because he really wanted his help and as he told Malcolm, Malcolm was the only one who could help.
-
Well, to give my mini-Harry review:
This movie, like Blair Witch, and unlike The Crying Game, rests on not knowing the "secret" or the catch" - so I won't be revealing it here! I find too many reviewers give away too much of the plot these days, rather than talk about the movie.
I went to an early afternoon showing to avoid the crowds. I went alone, since my friends don't do scary movies! Evidently, Wall St. had a half day that day, becasue the theatre was filled with briefcase-toting men.
While I loved the movie and thought the performances all received kudos, I was particularly struck by one scene and the audience's reaction. THe scene was in the antique shop when the indian couple was buying an engagement ring. When the prospective groom asked Bruce Willis' wife if she should could show them something plainer, and BEFORE the soon to be ex-fiancee could respond "a plain ring for your plain fiancee?!", the entire audience groaned in unison. Memories of chateau bow-wow! -
Jan 15, 2000 2:56:34 PM CST
DEFINITELY Cole knew + The Ring Question + Other Answers (SPOILE
by jordisoler
OK, I just saw 6th sense yesterday and I wanted to share my thoughts with you all... Maybe they are silly 'cos I always try to take things in the simplest way possible, but here I go: (FROM NOW ON BIG SPOILERS ALL AROUND)
1. Cole DEFINITELY knew that Malcolm was a ghost. Why? Because the first time he sees him, he runs to the church because he is really scared. Then, in the church, he hides under the bank 'cos he sees Malcolm's ghost coming. He only dares to stare at him when he realizes that this ghost may be peaceful (apparently other ghosts have beaten him in the past, as we later realize). When he sees him again in his house as he comes out to school, he is VERY afraid of Malcolm: he hesitates every time he has to take a step ahead (and what about the last thing he tells him --the answer to "what am I thinking now?"--??). Finally, Cole gets along with this ghost, to the pointy that he doesn't want him to leave. There is one scene where he says to Malcolm "Don't leave me, please!" That's why he doesn't want to tell him he's a ghost: maybe he would then vanish...
2. Obviously Malcolm's wife is not trying to sell her wedding ring to the couple: in the last scene, when Malcolm realizes he's dead, he sees a ring rolling on the floor. First thing he does is to check if it's her wife's ring, but no, she still has it on her finger, then he realizes it's HIS ring...
3. Toni Collette is a superb actress, and you should rent "Muriel's Wedding" to see her australian debut on the big screens (it's amazing how she has changed physically in every film she's beeen on).
-
Anybody who didn't see the "twist" coming is probably the same sort of person that trips up steps and walks into lamposts! It was so obvious what the score was here.
This film is NOT, I repeat, NOT ingeneous. It's just your average ghosty story with added shmaltz.
Imagine Sleepy Hollow crossed with The Dead Poets Society and you're close. -
Let me first say that the little boy is absolutely wonderful, the couple of scenes where he's shakey and whispering are the scariest I've ever seen in any movie. Also the scene where the ghost is beating on the side of his "fort" are about 8 times scarier than the comparable scene from Blair Witch. If you're looking for Scream 2 then you're going to be disappointed although this movie does have a handful of Jump-out-of-your-chair-and-wet-yourself-scares. But mostly this movie is about fear itself, not the kind of fear when an ax murderer hacks up his victim but rather more like you're half asleep half awake lying in the dark and you realize that someone is silently standing beside your bed! You're too afraid to move, too afraid to scream, you feel like your hearts going to explode right out of your chest. Good gawd this movie was scary! I mean genuinely scary not Hollywood scary, the kind of scary when you're alone in a house at night and every creak from the house settling is someone sneaking up on you and there is no way to lock your bedroom door. The kind of scary when you hear a strange sound downstairs but you're too afraid to go investigate, too afraid to fall asleep, too afraid to call out "who's there?". All you can do is hold your breath and be so still that you can feel your heart beating in your ears and stare wide-eyed into the blackness beyond a half open door.AHHHHH! Is this the best movie I've ever seen? No. Is it the scariest? Abso-effing-lutely, this movie still freaks me out almost a year after seeing it. It's one of those that sticks with you, sure to be a classic. And also in regards to the surprise ending I've read several people saying they knew from the get-go, well congratulations on being smarter than me and everyone else I know who have seen this movie. To us it was a complete mind blowing shock and at the same time it felt completely natural as if that is the only way it could have ended. On a scale from 1 to 10 without the surprise ending I'd probably give it a 6, but with the surprise ending its well up to 9 and maybe a fraction further(with 10 being theoretical perfection, unreachable like a perspective artists 'vanishing point')
-
BIG SPOILER HERE DON'T READ UNLESS YOU'VE SEEN THE MOVIE. Question: if Dr. Crowe was a ghost to Sear, why could Crowe's ghost go to the church to talk to Sear? I thought the church was off-limits to ghosts?
-
I just saw Sixth Sense for the first time on Saturday, March 11. Fortunately, even though the film has been out for a long time, I wasn't aware of the ending.
It is a great movie with just a few holes in the plot (i.e., how did Cole know the teacher's nickname, why did Malcolm come to believe Cole's abilities so easily, why were all the cupboard doors open in the kitchen, etc.).
I also thought that Cole became comfortable conversing with the ghosts too quickly. The plot calls for a better transition than one day Cole is completely frightened of the ghosts to the next he converses with them at ease(i.e., burn victim).
Regardless, it's a great movie that could be better if those loose ends would have been tied...
But then again, I'm just your average caveman movie goer. -
DON'T READ THIS UNTIL YOU HAVE SEEN THE MOVIE.
Vader is Luke's father. -
The wonders of DVD digital freeze frame allowed me to find an unnoticeable but obvious mistake in the production. Before Malcolm and Cole's first meeting, Malcolm is seen reading notes from Vincent's file. When Cole appears, Malcolm flips to his notes regarding his new patient. The notes already mention something about their first meeting that happened in the church, yes, previous to his actual meeting in the church. You can verify this when Malcolm is in his basement translating the Latin phrase. When he is writing notes on the translation, you can freeze frame and read that his notes are the exact same as before the meeting and that it mentions of already meeting with him at the church. Again, this is way too quick to catch upon viewing the movie in real time but a noticeable inconsistency.
-
I am not the type of person that likes to say "my opinion is right and urs is wrong." but with this movie i cant help saying it--this movie was so amazing on so many levels that u would have to be in some sense nuts not to fall in love with it. It is just...breathtaking. The writing, direction, ACTING, and story are all SO wonderful that i just cant find the words...the ending kicks ass too!!! Dont not see this movie becuase it has bruce willis, or cuz the kid whispers (by the way Haley Joel Osment is what can only be described as a prodigy!)or cuz u dont like Philly--those are very ignorant reasons to dismiss a masterpiece like this. See it. Have your own opinion. I think youll find that it is one of the best you've ever seen.
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For the people that for once in their life saw a ripoff independent film, the slow paced story of "The Sixth Sense" helps them to be surprised by the ending. They will think that this movie is just another one of those ripoffs that had no surprises. But to those people who have faith in executive producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall, they know that these film makers will not end the movie without something that will blow peoples minds away.
-
The Kid steals the show, Bruce Willis is utter garbage. I was told to watch this, because there is a twist in it. WHAT TWIST? It is so bleeding obvious, what the 'so called' twist is, it hurts! Try FIGHT CLUB, if you want to say WOW! I WASNT EXPECTING THAT. But in all, the kid is a talented actor. He made you believe that he could speak to dead people, and without him; this movie would be panned down the toilet. Nice touches, sometimes. But do not insult my intelligence to say there is a twist in this film. I have eyes, ears and have watched many films in my life and there is no twist. I will not give the twist away, because it may spoil it for some of you, who have not seen it. But believe me, you will not be disappointed by the acting talents of the boy. All in all, piece of crap saved by a young talented actor. Suspense (WHERE!). BRUCE WILLIS should just give up acting altogether, like ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER he is finished. Go OSMONT go, boy! Leave the rest of this cast (apart from his mother, who puts in a good performance). Why! OH WHY! do Hollywood think we are thick, with such a stupid twist.
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I'm sorry, but the "surprise" ending was only a surprise to dolts-they gave it away in the first 5 minutes, and did you REALLY think that a mainstream Hollywood film could do anything clever? As for "The Mummy" being too cheesy, how did Space Truckers get a "This movie fucking rocks" review Harry?! Space Truckers was HORRIBLE B-Movie shit! People, watch Space Truckers and then Mummy (or the otherway around) and tell me which was "cheesy". I'm surprised Harry, usually your reviews are better.
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I have just bin readin the comments that some people have made about (the exelent film) the 6th sence, now i know that it was a loing time ago when i saw it but i can still remember it vividly ! Now in regards to the people who could see the plot coming a mile off, well good luck to them, as they arnt "normal" human beings, i thought that the 6th sence was a massive film and the roles were portraid beautifully by Willis and Co. So in result i think that the 6th sence is a film that you could go and see again and again and again and still love it 10/10 :)
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Ahem, Philadelphia is most certainly NOT a gloomy, sunless city. So there. The movie was good, but the filmmakers were true asses for giving me hell when I walked through the shooting for "Unbreakable". Hey, I was late for work, and not a bit impressed with hotshot movie pros.
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