Production Year: 2007 - Thriller - Director: Stewart Hendler - Original Language: English - Classification: TBA - Starring: Michael Rooker, Dule Hill, John Kapelos, Joel Edgerton, Blake Woodruff, Sarah Wayne Callies, Josh Holloway more
LOST's Josh Holloway goes from playing the island's bad boy Sawyer to being a true villain in this creepy horror film. But even though he stars as a kidnapper, he's not the... more
Whisper DVD
The devil's work is childs play... When the ten-year-old son David (Blake Woodruff) of ... more
a wealthy New England socialite is abducted his kidnapper Max Harper (Josh Holloway) and his seedy associates assume it will be a routine kidnapping in exchange for a large ransom. Unknown to the kidnappers the shy and reserved David actually has a hidden agenda of his own and a mysterious way of tapping into the minds of others. Soon Max will wish that he had never kidnapped David much less even heard of him.
Production Year: 2002 - Thriller - Director: K.C. Bascombe - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Jesse James, Rachel Skarsten, Charles Powell, Linda Purl, Kevin Zegars
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Thriller - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Timothy West, Neil Morrissey, Tara Fitzgerald, Annette Crosbie, Pauline Quirke, Rob Brydon, Denise Van Outen, John Thomson, Kevin Whately, David Suchet
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Production Year: 1996 - Thriller - Director: Kevin Spacey - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Matt Dillon, Faye Dunaway, Gary Sinise, William Fichtner, Joe Mantegna, Viggo Mortensen, Skeet Ulrich
Production Year: 2002 - Thriller - Director: Matt Dillon - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Matt Dillon, James Caan, Natascha McElhone, Gerard Depardieu, Sereyvuth Kem, Stellan Skarsgard
A review by sunmeilan on Whisper (DVD) May 8th, 2009
Author's product rating:
Did you enjoy it?
Indifferent to it
Story
Satisfactory
Characters / Performances
Satisfactory
Special Effects
Standard
How does it compare to similar films?
Satisfactory
Advantages:
Good pacing, unexpected plot
Disadvantages:
The child actor annoyed me
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
A team of kidnappers, led by Max, whisk away a small boy, David Sandborn, from his wealthy family home and take him to a remote cabin in Maine. All they want is the money; none of them want to harm David in any way, particularly Roxanne, Max's girlfriend, who tries to befriend David. All are perplexed by David's behaviour - far from being terrified, he seems supremely confident and even happy to be with them. Then, one by one, they begin to die - the first of a seemingly innocent heart attack, but as time goes on, it becomes obvious that David has something to do with each of the deaths. Who is David, and what is his influence on them? And will any of them escape with their lives?
Although the cast is unknown to me, many people will recognise Josh Holloway, who plays Max, from Lost. And as he is one of the main characters, it is just as well that he is a decent actor. Max is really quite pathetic as a kidnapper - he doesn't really want to do the job at all, but his bank manager turns down his request for a loan, leaving him with no choice. He really doesn't want to harm David, he just wants to get the ransom money and set the boy free. Holloway is more than adequate at portraying all of this, but it isn't really until right at the end that Holloway proves he really is quite good at what he does for a living. The performance isn't going to win any Oscars, but it is solid and the fact that he is seriously cute doesn't do him any harm either.
Blake Woodruff plays David Sandborn, who is supposed to be perhaps ten years old. Some may recognise Woodruff from Cheaper by the Dozen. I found him really quite annoying in the role. In some ways, I think this is deliberate - we are not supposed to like David after all - but there is a difference between being annoying in a role because it is called for and generally being so annoying that it affects the viewer's enjoyment of the film. In my case, his acting really did put me off the film. He does, I suppose, portray evil, although I felt he was ripping off Damien in The Omen a little too much, and it generally felt as though he was thinking too hard about every evil glance and smirk he gave.
I should also mention Sarah Wayne Callies as Roxanne, simply because she was the only character that I really felt anything for. Roxanne is very much a victim of circumstance who finds herself involved over her head. Her affection for David and her utter terror at what transpires is actually very realistic, so although I've never heard of the actress before, she deserves to be commended. None of the other performances are worth noting - suffice it to say that the other kidnappers and the police are all a bunch of incompetents.
The plot isn't exactly original - evil children have appeared in film before and it has been done much better in films like The Omen and the Japanese film, The Grudge. However, I had no expectations of this film, not having heard of it before I watched it, and in general, I found it entertaining. It was certainly not clear what was going to happen and there is a nice twist towards the end which I enjoyed, although in hindsight, I should have seen it coming. The pacing is great; there really isn't a let-up in the suspense and there is a good start to the film which initially doesn't seem to make sense, but nevertheless intrigues. There are occasionally rather abrupt endings to scenes before switching to another, but it wasn't enough to bother me all that much.
The special effects are good. There is a poltergeist-inspired theme towards the end where everything starts to fly around which, if not exactly original, is at least realistic enough. The best part is one of the deaths, where someone drowns under an ice-covered lake - this is very convincing and really quite uncomfortable to watch. Gore-wise, there is surprisingly little - the film relies more on ghostly scares and mystery rather than blood and ripped body parts. Nevertheless, the very young could find it disturbing, so the rating of 15 is about right. I can't say it really scared me, but it was compelling enough to watch. Had I liked the child actor, I think this film would have been much better than I otherwise found it.
I really enjoyed the soundtrack. One of the recurring pieces of music was a Ukranian Christmas carol, Carol of the Bells, which I recognised and found very haunting - a great match for the film. Then there are a selection of popular Christmas carols, because the kidnap takes place around Christmas, and a couple of familiar songs such as Ring of Fire, the Johnny Cash version, and Midnight at the Oasis, sung by actress Sarah Wayne Callies.
There are a few extras with the DVD. First of all, there is an alternative ending - I didn't watch it though because I prefer to remember the film as the director intended us to. Then there are a selection of deleted and extended scenes - nothing outstanding there. Finally, there is a making of documentary - it's worth a watch if bored, but to be honest, I doubt many people would bother unless they are a huge fan of the film or want more eye candy from Josh Holloway.
On the whole, I thought this was a reasonable film for fans of suspense and the supernatural. It isn't Oscar material, but then it doesn't pretend to be, and I think that as long as viewers keep their expectations low, it isn't a bad way to spend an hour or so. And if you are a fan of Josh Holloway, then you get him all to yourself for a while! Recommended, but I wouldn't go out of your way to track down a copy.
Advantages: Jennifer Love Hewiitt, Funny, Sad, Heartwarming, Entertaining... Disadvantages: You'll either love it or hate it...
.... While Melinda faces this task she finds that the "Wide Brim Man" is working against her. Melinda must also try to work with the crash investigators who are trying to find out how she knew that the plane was going to crash.
* eXTRAS AND DVd *
As of yet the DVD is only available as region 1...
The Show comes packaged in a beautiful deep purple casing and is spread out over six discs. You get five featurettes which are:
'Can You See Me? The First Season Of Ghost Whisperer' which gives an in-depth look at the show, where it comes from, how it came to be, writing process including interviews with Jennifer Love Hewitt, David Conrad, Aisha Tyler, John Gray (shows creator) and James Van Praagh, the clarivoyant who the show is loosley based on.
'Second Sight: The clairvoyants of Ghost Whisperer' includes interviews with James Van...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
...Director: Stewart Hendler
Writer: Christopher Borrelli
Genre: Crime - Drama - Horror - Thriller
Country: USA
Certification: 15+
Language: English
Released: 3rd March, 2008 (DVD)
MAIN CAST:
Blake Woodruff (David Sandborn)
Teryl Rothery (Catherine Sandborn)
Josh Holloway (Max Truemont)
Sarah Wayne Callies (Roxanne)
Michael Rooker (Sydney Braverman)
Julian Christopher (Mr. Harper)
Dulé Hill (Detective Miles)
During a birthday party, David Sandborn, only son of a wealthy widow, is kidnapped by a group of hapless thieves down on their luck.
Max, a wannabe-entrepreneur who dreams of opening up a small diner but has been refused a bank loan because of his past, desperately wants to settle down with his wife and start a new life on the straight and narrow. When he is offered a 'job' that will rake in the much...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: Simply Amazing Disadvantages: You should probably watch series 1 first.
...Ghost Whisperer Series 2, Amazing.
The storylines throughout this series are gripping, thrilling, and juicy.
With a total of 22 episodes plus bonus features on the DVD such as Melinda's Wardrobe. There's plenty to watch for Ghost Whisperer Fans
This series unlike series one, is more consistent with episode which maintain the gripping storylines, Melinda & Jim's relationship and Scary Levels. All the episodes leave you wanting more. The first series was great however the second series allows you to see a more dark and scary variaty of ghosts which creep you out and give you a real thrill factor. Series 2 is a combination of Amazing scripts and equally amazing acting from the likes of Jennifer Love Hewitt and David Conrad. I ensure you the strotlines will grip you, make you laugh, cry, and hide in horror!
You Will 100% not be wasting...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Plot: An eight-year-old boy displays frightening powers that threaten the group of criminals holding him hostage.
Release details
DVD Region: DVD
Studio(s): ENTERTAINMENT IN VIDEO; CINRAM LOGISTICS
Languages
Main Language: English
DVD Description
LOST's Josh Holloway goes from playing the island's bad boy Sawyer to being a true villain in this creepy horror film. But even though he stars as a kidnapper, he's not the scariest thing in WHISPER. That honour goes to the young 'victim'--an eight-year-old boy who displays frightening powers that threaten the group of criminals holding him hostage. Suddenly Max, his fiancee (Sarah Wayne Callies, PRISON BREAK), and the other kidnappers aren't sure what's real and whom they can trust, and it's not only the boy who is fearing for his safety. With the young boy providing the scares, WHISPER resides firmly in the chilled vein of classics such as CHILDREN OF THE CORN and VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED. Dulé Hill (THE WEST WING, PSYCH) co-stars.
Technical information
Aspect Ratio: 16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Sound: Dolby Digital
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Listed on Ciao since : 15/08/2007
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