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Movie Review - White Noise (2005)
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(What this rating means)
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| Director: |
Geoffrey Sax |
| Starring: |
Michael Keaton, Chandra West, and Deborah Kara Unger |
| Rated: |
PG-13 (for violence, disturbing images and language) |
| Length: |
98 minutes |
| Genre: |
Thriller/Drama |
| Tagline: |
The dead are trying to get a hold of you. |
| Studio: |
Universal |
| Website: |
White Noise |
| Release: |
January 7, 2005 |
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PLOT
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All is well with husband (Keaton) and wife (West) until one day wife disappears. Mysterious man contacts
husband and tells him that his wife is dead and she has contacted him. Husband decides to become an EVP
expert himself and soon realizes he is receiving messages that can enable him to help people. But is contacting
the dead such a good thing? Are some voices better off not being heard? A new twist on the ol' ghost story
ensues.
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JOHNNY'S TAKE
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Interesting. Intense. Somewhat original. All words to describe a conversation with Johnny Betts. But
they also apply to Michael Keaton's White Noise. What we have here is a ghost story that tackles
the subject of electronic voice phenomenon, or, as the cool kids like to call it - EVP.
For those of you who, unlike Johnny Betts, aren't master ghost hunters, EVP is the alleged communication
by spirits through the white noise of staticky radio stations, television stations, and other electronic
devices. People truly believe in it, and if you do a quick search on the Internet then you can find
plenty of websites with audio files they say prove the existence of EVP. Detractors will brush this off
with explanations of the "chaos theory" and cross modulation. I'll let you do your own research if you're
interested in the subject.
If you're looking for a factual exploration of EVP's possible legitimacy, then you won't find it in White
Noise. This is a movie that takes a subject popular with ghost hunters and glorifies it. It reminds
me a little of The Mothman Prophecies, which was a fictionalized account of what was supposed to be a
"true story." I have no problem with that. That's what movies are all about.
Michael Keaton crawls out from underneath whatever rock he's been under, does his best "Bruce Willis in The
Sixth Sense" impersonation, and dives into the world of receiving messages from the dead. Folks, you can
nitpick the logic to death if you want, and trust me, most critics are. "Why would he just put his successful
life on hold and spend all his time trying to receive messages from his wife through a bunch of radio and TV
static?" Dunno. The tragic death of a spouse can do weird things to people. Plus, you know, IT'S A MOVIE!
And in the movie, he actually does receive messages from the dead. I guess he figured he'd try it; it worked,
so he got more involved. Lighten up. It's called fiction.
"Yeah, well, if his wife wanted to contact him, then why wouldn't she send him clearer messages? Why does
it have to be through static?" BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT EVP IS ALL ABOUT! Take it up with the proponents of
EVP, not the movie. I totally agree that one of the things that makes so many people skeptical about EVP is
that the messages are never complex. If I heard an EVP that said, "Tell Johnny Betts that the afterlife rules,
and he should keep the Movie Mark going strong," then I'd probably be convinced. But what we get is a lot of
one syllable words and sounds strung together. That's not the movie's fault. Deal with it and move on.
As most of you know, I'm a huge fan of the thriller/horror genre. Admittedly, White Noise isn't one
of the best of all time in the genre, but that's OK. It didn't convince me to run home, record a static TV
channel for hours, and then play it back to see if Uncle Jack was sending me a message from the great beyond.
Like an apology for that little streaking stunt that completely ruined my 16th birthday party. However, what
the movie did do is entertain me. The mystery is deliberately paced, it kept my interest, and it provided some
creepy moments along the way.
Things start to get pretty intense near the end of the movie, and some people might not be happy with the
finale. But keep in mind that trying to communicate with the dead is a bit of a dark subject. Some people,
as the movie depicts, think that if they can contact their dead relatives then they'll have hope, they'll
know all is right in the afterlife. They want some sort of message for closure. But I'm just curious, what
if that message is, "Burning. Hell. I screwed up." ??? I'm guessing that'd be a bit of a kick in the pants.
But getting back to the movie... if there's good in the afterlife, there has to be evil as well, right?
In the movie, contacting the dead initially seems harmless enough. But why would you think only the good
would respond if you create that human/afterlife portal? What would happen if evil decided to communicate
as well? White Noise has a viewpoint on that subject, and you can't expect everything to be
cute and cuddly.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna take a closer listen to this static coming from the radio. Let's see.
Sounds like Uncle Jack! I can just make it out... "Johnny. Reviews. Not funny. Quit. Now." Um, yeah,
just as I thought - nothing but a little cross modulation!
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ODDS & ENDS
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- According to the movie, 1 in 12 EVPs are threatening in nature.
- Johnny has not been able to confirm the rumor that known race-baiter Al Sharpton has criticized the movie title,
asking why there's not "black noise." He apparently has forgotten about Chris Tucker.
- Johnny can neither confirm nor deny the rumor that Michael Keaton's career contacted him via EVP and told
him to do this movie.
- Michael Keaton was in First Daughter with Katie Holmes who was in The Gift with Giovanni
Ribisi who was in The Mod Squad with Josh Brolin who was in Hollow Man with Kevin Bacon.
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MAMA'S APPROVAL
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One "f bomb" is dropped, along with a handful of other profanities (the worst being a small number of "s" words).
Otherwise, there's not a lot of objectionable material here. It could be a little scary for younger kids though.
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TRAILER COMPARISON
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The trailer may prove to be a little misleading. In the trailer, supposed "real" EVPs are used. This may lead
some people to believe this is a serious look at the possibility of EVPs being real. It's not. It's a fictional
movie that uses EVP as its backdrop. It's not "based on a true story" or "inspired by a true story" or anything
like that. But hey, I was at least expecting a creepy movie and that's what I got.
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THE GIST
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White Noise is an interesting take on the ghost story, using the subject of EVP as its backdrop. It isn't
what I'd call scary, but it's got its share of creepy moments and effective jump scenes. If you're looking for a
docu-drama on the scientific accuracy of EVP then you might be disappointed, but if you're in the mood for a few
chills to start the year then White Noise just might suit you.
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