Production Year: 2007 - Horror - Director: D.J. Caruso - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Carrie-Anne Moss, David Morse, Sarah Roemer, Matt Craven, Cathy Immordino, Aaron Yoo more
Shia LaBeouf (CONSTANTINE, I, ROBOT) is a young talent to be reckoned with, as he demonstrates in this genre-spanning film from director D.J. Caruso. Part teenage romantic comedy,... more
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Disturbia DVD
After his father's accidental death Kale (Shia LaBeouf) becomes sullen withdrawn and ... more
troubled. When he lashes out at a well-intentioned but insensitive teacher he finds himself under a court-ordered house arrest. His mother Julie (Carrie-Anne Moss) works night and day in order to support herself and her son as she tries in vain to understand the changes in his personality. The walls of his house begin to close in on Kale as he takes chances to extend the boundaries of his confinement. His interests turn outside the windows of his suburban home toward those of his neighbours including a mutual attraction to the new girl next door (Sarah Roemer). Together they begin to suspect that another neighbour is a serial killer. Are their suspicions merely the product of Kale's cabin fever and vivid imagination? Or have they unwittingly stumbled across a crime that could cost them their lives?
Disturbia [DVD] [2007]
The soaring career of Shia LaBeouf was powered in no small way byDisturbia, an effective ... more
surprise hit thriller that he headlines alongside Carrie-Anne Moss and David Morse.Covering ground previous trodden by the likes of HitchcocksRear Window,Disturbiafinds LaBeoufs Kale, a year after the death of his father, subjected to house arrest. And as cabin fever sets in, he starts to look out of his window and spy on his neighbours. As you do.This is, naturally, where the problems soon begin. Because Kale soon starts to get suspicious of the antics of the quiet Mr Turner, played by David Morse, eventually convincing himself that his neighbour is, in fact, a killer.This fairly straightforward plot, however, is then mined effectively by a talented cast and director D J Caruso. AndDisturbia, to its credit, has its fair share of bumps and jumps along the way, working best when it plays things low key.It doesnt, ultimately, manage to prolong the suspense it generates for the full running time, and neither is it a top grade thriller. ButDisturbiais still good at what it does do: serving up solid entertainment, a few thrills, and showcasing one of cinemas fast-rising talents. Well worth a watch. --Jon Foster
Disturbia [DVD] [2007]
The soaring career of Shia LaBeouf was powered in no small way byDisturbia, an effective ... more
surprise hit thriller that he headlines alongside Carrie-Anne Moss and David Morse.Covering ground previous trodden by the likes of HitchcocksRear Window,Disturbiafinds LaBeoufs Kale, a year after the death of his father, subjected to house arrest. And as cabin fever sets in, he starts to look out of his window and spy on his neighbours. As you do.This is, naturally, where the problems soon begin. Because Kale soon starts to get suspicious of the antics of the quiet Mr Turner, played by David Morse, eventually convincing himself that his neighbour is, in fact, a killer.This fairly straightforward plot, however, is then mined effectively by a talented cast and director D J Caruso. AndDisturbia, to its credit, has its fair share of bumps and jumps along the way, working best when it plays things low key.Itdoesnt, ultimately, manage to prolong the suspense it generates for the full running time, and neither is it a top grade thriller. ButDisturbiais still good at what it does do: serving up solid entertainment, a few thrills, and showcasing one of cinemas fast-rising talents. Well worth a watch. --Jon Foster
Disturbia [HD DVD] [2007]
Alfred Hitchcock fans may experience déjà vu upon exposure to this voyeuristic thriller. ... more
That's because director DJ Caruso (The Salton Sea) and co-writer Carl Ellsworth (Red Eye) use Rear Window as a jumping-off point before cherry-picking from more recent scare fare, likeThe Blair Witch Project. In the prologue, 17-year-old Kale (Shia LaBeouf,Transformers) loses his beloved father to a car crash. A year passes, and he's still on edge. When a teacher makes a careless remark about his dad, Kale punches him out, and is sentenced to house arrest. After his mom (Carrie-Anne Moss,Memento) takes away his Xbox and iTunes privileges, the suburban slacker spies on his neighbours to pass the time. In the process, he develops a crush on Ashley (Sarah Roemer,The Grudge 2), the hot girl next door, and becomes convinced that another, the soft-spoken Mr. Turner (David Morse,The Green Mile), is a serial killer. With the help of the flirtatious Ashley, practical joke-playing pal Ronnie (Aaron Yoo), and an array of high-tech gadgets, like cell-phone cameras and digital camcorders, Kale sets out to solve a major case without leaving his yard (a feat that would prove more challenging for a less affluent sleuth). In the end, it's pretty familiar stuff, but there are plenty of scares once Turner realises he's being watched, and rising star LaBeouf makes for an engaging leading man--despite his characters propensity for slugging Spanish instructors. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Production Year: 1980 - Horror - Director: Stanley Kubrick - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd
Production Year: 2000 - Horror - Director: Keenen Ivory Wayans - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Carmen Electra, Anna Faris, Kurt Fuller, James Van Der Beek, Keenen Ivory Wayans
A review by IzzyS on Disturbia (DVD) January 27th, 2008
Author's product rating:
Did you enjoy it?
Indifferent to it
Story
Satisfactory
Characters / Performances
Good
Special Effects
Standard
How does it compare to similar films?
Satisfactory
Advantages:
Pretty decent performances, suspenseful at times,
Disadvantages:
Predictable, formulaic teen movie, apparently tries to be funny but I didn't feel that worked
Recommend to potential buyers:
no
Full review
- Introduction -
Disturbia is a suspense thriller that was covered in the media quite alot when it was originally released in the cinemas last year. Starring the up and coming actor Shia LaBeouf (who you may have also seen in Transformers), I'd heard that this movie was somewhat similar to Vacancy, which I quite enjoyed and so I decided to add this to my rental list. It just came out on DVD on Monday I believe, so I was lucky to get it so soon, though I have to say, I did find it a fair disappointment and im glad I purchased Vacancy on DVD and only rented this one! Maybe im being a bit unfair but I'll explain what I thought of this further on in the review, so keep reading to find out and feel free to leave comments if you agree or disagree... (I'm doing this as a film only review again because I haven't viewed all the bonus features)
- Main Credits (non-actors, which are mentioned further on in the review) - Source:- IMDB (see:- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0486822/fullcredits)
Director - D.J. Caruso Story - Christopher Landon Screenplay - Christopher Landon, Carl Ellsworth Producers - Jacke Marcus, Joe Medjuck, E. Bennett Walsh Associate Producer - Kwame L Parker Executive Producers - Tom Pollock, Ivan Reitman Cinematography - Rogier Stoffers
- Story (incl. main acting cast) -
Disturbia starts with a car crash, where a car containing father and son crash, killing the father but the son survives. Next, the son (Kale, played by Shia LaBeouf), is shown at school some time later, during a Spanish lesson he proves less than enthusiastic and hits out at a teacher, leading to him being put on house arrest. He gets bored being stuck indoors and starts to spy on his neighbours from his room, first watching the new family move into the house next door, where he spots the daughter, Ashely (played by Sarah Roemer), who he has the hots for.
One night while spying on the neighbourhood, he spots the guy who lives in the other house next door, who arrives home late at night with damage to his car and brings out a big black bag.
Next day, his friend Ronnie (played by Aaron Yoo), tells him about the mysterious disappearance of a local girl, that could be linked to the death of many other girls in the area recently. Soon Ashley joins Kale and Ronnie and they embark on a stakeout in Kale's room, to see if they can spot anything else going on next door and see if there is something sinister going on.
Of course, you'll have to watch the movie to find out what happens next door and what they discover.
- Genre/Themes etc. -
This is a very typical teen suspense thriller movie. The themes are of privacy and voyeurism and of friendship to an extent.
- My Thoughts/Opinions -
This movie is, as mentioned above, a pretty typical teen suspense/thriller fare. It starts pretty slowly, making you wonder where (if anywhere) its going.
Its got the usual elements, a guy who's bored and spots a 'hot new chick' that he fancies, who he tries to get close to and that also gets caught up in what happens.
The horror, where applicable, is pretty crude too, so I certainly wouldn't say that its breaking new ground. I didn't find it all that scary for a 15 rated movie.
Vacancy is a similar movie that was recently released on DVD too and I have to say, I prefer that to this.
Once the suspense or horror part really kicks in, its not too bad, thought it is pretty predictable, its just about good enough to keep you watching until the end.
There is, as you may expect, quite a voyeuristic aspect to the movie. Kale uses a/v (audio/visual) equipment in his room and Ronnie uses a camcorder to record what happens when he trespasses into the house next door, then later Kale watches the footage and at that time, its up to the viewers to guess with him, what he saw and so on.
It did seem a bit too formulaic I felt. One thing is that there just happened to be thunder and lightning on the night when everything suddenly happened. That was, I suppose, atmospheric but kind of cheesy and a bit laughable, which I guess makes sense as I did read that it was made to be viewed as part comedy, though I didn't really feel that, that worked properly.
It is suspenseful enough once it gets going, as I say but it just seemed a bit overdone, if that makes sense and it doesn't really take a genius to guess the storys outcome either. It seems a bit too daft, for example to have the main horror scenes so over the top, when I thought it was supposed to be based on a clear reality, a voyeuristic reality, that led to it, if that makes sense.
There isn't a great deal of substance behind it either, I felt, with more questions being raised from the story than answered. I know, like I say, that its supposed to be sort of comedic in that way which I guess it kind of is, maybe I take it too seriously but I didn't feel that it really worked to be honest.
I think if your a teen and you don't analyse it much, or at all, you could get a laugh out of it and enjoy it to some extent but I was left disappointed overall, I thought it was distinctly average and more teen oriented than I suppose I was maybe expecting, from the movie poster and the genre and everything.
Its marketed, I believe, as a horror/suspense/thriller but I didn't feel overly impressed with these elements, it just didn't seem to work entirely for me.
- Certificate -
Disturbia is rated 15 in the UK. This is due to some sequences that contain terrorisation and violence and there's some sensuality too. There's no drug references or nudity and no really strong language either, so its not too offensive. The content is pretty much what you'd expect, given the genre really.
- Website -
The official wesite for Disturbia can be found here:-
http://www.disturbia.com/
Here you can view the trailer and other video clips, find information about the DVD and the movie, view a photo gallery, download wallpapers, a screensaver, buddy icons and banners.
'Disturbia Suburbia' appears to tell you information regarding where you live but as it asks for a zip code, I guess this only really works for people who live in the US.
The 'Dark Secrets' section is where you can submit and read others stories about your strange neighbours.
You can register for a mailing list, apparently for a newsletter about the movie.
As ever, the site is quite fancy and graphically intensive, using Flash (Macromedia Flash Player) and so it will take a while for the pages to load on a slow connection.
- Conclusions -
I think that teens who watch this for a bit of a laugh and the odd cheap scare, should enjoy this, especially if they haven't seen many other similar movies and won't know what to expect so much. So, for that audience or purpose, I'll give it a somewhat generous 3 star rating.
I felt that the similar suspense/horrow/thriller movie Vacancy, which was also released on DVD fairly recently, was better, not perfect at all but it was more atmospheric and suspenseful and for some reason even more believable in a way but this movie still works to some extent, though I can't help but feel that it could have been alot better.
I think that it works to a certain extent and does provide some interesting thoughts (the issue of what goes on next door and so on) and there is a part which is pretty suspenseful but it still felt a bit too weak, perhaps I have high standards in such movie, I don't know. I think im becoming a little too old for teen movies perhaps lol.
Overall, I wouldn't particularly recommend it, unless your a teen interested in it, given when I've said so far. To confirm, I do realise that there is a comedy element to it and that in a way, it doesn't take itself too seriously but I still didn't feel that it worked too well.
I felt it could have been done better and was a bit of a disappointment. Distinctly average, thats what I thought. Teens will probably enjoy it for a laugh, as a teen suspense movie to watch with friends but really its nothing more than that and I didn't feel too impressed with it but of course, make up your own mind, given what I've said, as to whether you may enjoy this. Different people have different opinions, this is only mine.
You know, I can't help but feel that perhaps I missed the point of this, I'm sure it will be enjoyed to some extent by some but for me, it just didn't really seem to work. I guess I was expecting something more horror based, more fast paced and kind of more adult too. I should maybe look in more detail at reviews for movies before deciding whether to see things, I got this kind of wrong but im still rating it with 3 stars as im sure some people will like this more than I did. Maybe im getting old! lol I saw mention of similarities with Hitchcocks movies, maybe thats true, I have to say as shocking as it is, I haven't seen many of those either, so I guess I can't really comment on whether I'd go with that line of thought or not. I do feel there should have been more emphasis on the suspense and horror aspects, they seemed a little neglected for the lesser interesting elements such as Kale's interest in Ashley and so on, for a bit too long... anyway I think this is all I can think to say about this particular movie.
I hope you found my review useful in deciding whether to watch this movie, thanks for reading!
Advantages: Great performance Disadvantages: tiny bit of cheese
...This does not differ in Disturbia as Labeouf shows off his skills and you can 100% feel is horror when his father dies, the terror when he begins his paranoia and his love for the girl next door. His emotions are fantastically with you through the whole film. Performance= *****
Sarah Roemer
******************************************************************* *********
Due to Roemer's performance in 2006's The Grudge as Lacey, she has been thrust ... ...work does not disappoint in Disturbia and having not been a fan of his recorded work, I think this film made me attached to seeing more and more. Special and visual effects
****************************************************************** **********
From the beginning of the movie the effects are entirely vast and immense. As the car scene continues we witness a passionately powerful crash which sets the standard for the rest of the events. The ...
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I personally love this movie, but yet again, I love quite a few films so actually I can't possibly say that I loved this film as you'd probably question the meaning of my use of the word love due to the fact that I'm more than likely going to say that about almost every single film review I decide to write. So what do I actually mean by "I loved this film" Well I mean that it was really good and since I have watched it twice, means that it must be ... ...film more than once then it is quite possibly a really great film, unless I watch it more than once by accident.
Now this film stars Shia LaBeouf. I have seen him many times before. To kids he's most famous for playing Louis Stevens in the hit TV Show "Even Stevens". I really liked that show when I was younger and sometimes I notice episodes I have not watched so I watch it, or I'll watch my favourite episodes over and over again. However, for adults, ...
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Advantages: A likeable central turn from Shia LaBoeuf. Disadvantages: It's entirely unoriginal.
Teenager Kale Brecht becomes increasingly troubled after seeing his father die. Things come to a head when he punches a teacher for mentioning his dad. He escapes a jail sentence but is electronically tagged and put under house arrest. If he goes more than a hundred feet from his home the police will be called and he'll find himself banged up. Then his mother cancels his Xbox and iTunes subscriptions and cuts the plug off his TV. Kale is forced to ... ...spying on the locals. He mainly watches hot new neighbour Ashley. But then he becomes convinced that the mysterious Mr Turner is responsible for the disappearance and murders of a host of women. But can he find any proof and will anyone believe him anyway?
Director DJ Caruso has created an effective teen thriller to a well-worn pattern with this riff on "Rear Window". Though it may be rather predictable, it is still competently handled. Caruso establishes ...
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Advantages: Good story Disadvantages: Could have been alot better than it was
Disturbia is a teen horror released 13th April 2007. It?s rated 15 & runs for approximately 105 minutes. It had a budget of $20,000,000 & grossed an estimated $117,573,043 at the box office. Disturbia stayed at number one in the film charts for 2 weeks upon its release. The film mainly received positive reviews however like all films, some people are bound not to like it & it did receive a few negative reviews. Disturbia is loosely based on the Alfred ... ...Charlie?s Angels Full Throttle.
Disturbia is about Kale, a teenage boy who has been tagged for 3 months after punching his teacher. This means that he cannot outside the confines of his garden for 3 months. Kale passes the time by spying on his neighbours & when a beautiful girl (Sarah Roemer) moves in next door to him thinks start looking up (pardon the pun) for him & he has something to do during the day like ogling his next door neighbour. One ...
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Advantages: Enjoyable to watch Disadvantages: Not much
I am writing a review on the Movie Disturbie brought out in 2007 Directed By D.J. Caruso
The Story
The story is about a young boy Kale Brecht ,who lost his father in a tragic car accident and since then has became a tearaway teenager.
1 Year after his fathers tragic death, hes back at school and he rages out at one of his teachers and punches him and as a result is sentenced to 3 months House Arrest.
Throughout these 3 months, he spends his time ... ...pair of binoculars.
Watching Tv one day he sees a news report on a missing girl and they have a make a model of a car and a distinct bump - he found this very interesting, then that night he is spying through his binoculars and ends up spying on a man driving the exact same car that was on the TV earlier and helives just a few doors down. So now he starts investigating using the help of his next door neighbour and his best friend to try and uncover ...
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Advantages: Great teen thriller Disadvantages: Nothing new for older viewers
...doubt in my mind that Disturbia will be a smash hit here, but the build I got from an American perspective, and certainly the trailer left me feeling a little hollow. I mean just look at the movies poster, it certainly gives off a strong signal or message.
You can easily obtain Disturbia on HD DVD for around £29.99 from Amazon at present, but this disc is completely devoid of special features and in reality it gives little justification for HD format or the price tag, on this occasion I’d recommend either a cinema screening or standard DVD rental when the DVD is released next March.
HD
As touched upon there seems little reason to give this the HD treatment other than the fact that the movie was filmed in that format. While the colours are crisp, and the edges are nice and clear, had I not received the HD DVD for nothing I’d be...
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Advantages: Terrific tension built up throughout the film, excellent performances all round. Disadvantages: Slow to get going, build up is gradual and this may put some viewers off.
...Very rarely does a film emerge that truly scares me. 'Disturbia' is one such example of a film that does however and is one that I would wholeheartedly recommend to everybody out there with even the slightest interest in the horror genre. The film has a greatly powerful beginning, an opening sequence that grabs you straight away and never during the 104 minute run time of this film does it ever let you go. It's a punchy thrill ride of a film and always it impresses as the plot thickens with Shia LaBeouf cast in the leading role.
The thing about this film is that it's not instantly scary and this may well be something that could put a lot of people off. What the director does do here however is that throughout the duration of this film great suspense is built, something that leads to an intense and truly frightening finish. I would...
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...Director: D.J. Caruso
Screenplay: Christopher B. Landon & Carl Ellsworth
Genre: Comedy - Crime - Drama - Romance - Thriller
Country: USA
Certification: 15+
Language: English/Spanish
Released: 21st January, 2008 (DVD)
MAIN CAST:
Shia LaBeouf (Kale Brecht)
Sarah Roemer (Ashley Carlson)
Carrie-Anne Moss (Julie Brecht)
David Morse (Robert Turner)
Aaron Yoo (Ronnie)
Jose Pablo Cantillo (Officer Gutierrez)
Matt Craven (Daniel Brecht)
Viola Davis (Detective Parker)
Following the death of his father, Kale, a lazy and dysfunctional teenager, has a go at his Spanish teacher and ends up under house arrest. Spending his first few days playing video games, watching television, listening to music, surfing the internet, and acting like a veritable slob, his mother puts a stop to it all by cancelling internet services...
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Studio(s): PARAMOUNT HOME ENTERTAINMENT; TECHNICOLOR DISTRIBUTION SERVICES
Languages
Main Language: English
Technical information
Special Features: Interactive menu
Professional reviews
Review: Witty and intelligent (Box Office, 12/06/2007)
DISTURBIA, capably directed by D.J. Caruso, makes the most of its star's jumpy, quick-witted charm (New York Times, 12/06/2007)
LaBeouf is a winning combo of smart and smartass....LaBeouf excels as does Aaron Yoo (Rolling Stone, 12/06/2007)
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DVD Description
Shia LaBeouf (CONSTANTINE, I, ROBOT) is a young talent to be reckoned with, as he demonstrates in this genre-spanning film from director D.J. Caruso. Part teenage romantic comedy, part horror flick, DISTURBIA stars LaBeouf as the troubled Kale, who is confined to his home under house arrest after he punches out his Spanish teacher in the middle of class. Kale's array of available diversions dwindle considerably after his mum (Carrie Ann Moss, MEMENTO) shuts off his X-Box and his iTunes, and he turns to voyeurism instead, carefully noting the daily activities of his neighbours. These include the swimming schedule of the hot girl who just moved in next door, Ashley (Sarah Roemer, THE GRUDGE 2), whom he ogles with his best friend, the class clown, Ronnie (Aaron Yoo, THE BEDFORD DIARIES). When Ashley unexpectedly shows up and wants to know what the boys are doing behind their binoculars, they concoct a story about their neighbour, Mr. Turner (David Morse, PROOF OF LIFE), and their suspicions that he is the serial killer currently on the loose. The teens' subsequent stakeout makes them increasingly convinced that this is in fact the case, and their creepy interactions with Turner bring them ever closer to learning the dark secret that lies inside his impenetrable suburban existence. Despite a slight identity crisis and distracting product placements, DISTURBIA is carried by the strong performance of its lead character, and manages to charm with its portrayal of young love.
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