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Whistle Stopper - Signs (Vista Series)
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List Price: $14.99
Our Price: $1.70
Your Save: $ 13.29 ( 89% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Touchstone Pictures
Starring: Abigail Breslin, Rory Culkin, Clifford David, Lanny Flaherty, Mel Gibson
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Average Customer Rating:   
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Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Binding: DVD
EAN: 0786936197594
Format: Closed-captioned
Label: Touchstone Pictures
Manufacturer: Touchstone Pictures
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Touchstone Pictures
Region Code: 1
Release Date: 2003-01-07
Running Time: 106
Studio: Touchstone Pictures
Theatrical Release Date: 2002
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Thrills And Chills With A Spiritual Message
Comment: I recently watched SIGNS for the first time and was surprised it was so much "deeper" than the usual "alien invader" movie. I'm not a big Mel Gibson fan but I can't deny his acting is first rate as a priest who has lost his faith after a personal tragedy. Juaquin Phillips is also very good as his former minor league baseball playing brother who just couldn't stop swinging. And the kids (Abigail Breslin and Rory Culkin) playing Morgan and Bo are just amazing. I'm taking a star off because I think Shymalen made a mistake in giving us such close up looks of the creatures because frankly they are so obviously fake looking they are not just that scary and just giving the viewers glimpses of them would have been more effective. I also am not fond of the flashback scenes to a tragic accident as again less would have been more. Still, this is a good movie that raises some interesting points for further thought and discussion.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Are you kidding me with 3.5 stars avg. with this movie?
Comment: This movie was one of the worst. The Happening from the same director/writer WAS the worst!
Customer Rating:
Summary: "There's a monster outside my room. Can I have a glass of water?"
Comment: Back when M. Night Shamalamadingdong was still thought of as a Hollywood wunderkind, SIGNS, following The Sixth Sense (Collector's Edition Series) and Unbreakable (Two-Disc Vista Series), merely reaffirmed the man's cinematic creds. Donning our Hindsight-Is-20/20 Goggles, we note that The Village (Widescreen Vista Series) came along afterwards and began to elicit them doubts, them doubts. But, for now, we're focusing on SIGNS, a pretty terrific psychological thriller.
If you haven't seen this movie before, you're in for something different, and I mean that in a good way. SIGNS, dual meaning noted, is one of those films where the less you know about it, going in, the better the viewing experience. The premise, in bare bones, centers on a grieving family living in a desolate Pennsylvanian farmhouse and the strange things which begin to happen to them. Okay, here's a minor spoiler: It begins with the family patriarch nosing around in the cornfields and chancing upon inexplicable crop circles.
Fear works best when cultivated in the mind. Hitchcock knew this, and Shyamalan, eagerly borrowing a page from the Master of Suspense, manipulates the viewer's imagination and invites the brain to wander into all those dark scary places. In SIGNS, the horror is sparing in its physical manifestations. The scenes unveil in restrained fashion. Shyamalan allows the tension to build, utilizing an unsettling score, an unexpected noise here, a fleeting movement there. Above all, Shyamalan makes use of his very, very good actors to lay down a groundwork of uneasiness. Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, and the kids are very good, their characters coming off as uncomfortable in their skins and just a bit disturbing. In probing the psychological scars of this troubled family, Shyamalan also paves the way for their salvation. Made captive to the brooding atmosphere, I jumped at every turn and kept waiting, just waiting, for that nasty somehing to come tap-tap-tap on the bedroom window. So effective is the film in generating that eerie mood that when the bogeyman finally does appear in all its glory, I actually felt a pang of letdown. To quote Peggy Lee: "Is that all there is?" But the build up was so good!
Not to say that there aren't several genuine jump-in-your-seat moments. Wait for the pantry sequence and wait for that video tape from Brazil. They're good for ambushing that peace of mind.
I dig the offbeat vibe. I won't mention the context, but there's a baby monitor, tin foil, and half-empty glasses of water which all play key roles to the plot. SIGNS also breaks into metaphysical ground and meditates on the power of belief and faith and the interconnectivity of things. Something in my brain clicked, satisfyingly, when, near the end, the ex-reverend instructs the ex-baseball player to "Swing away, Merrill." Aha, I thought. That's what that was all about!
In watching SIGNS, in experiencing this quiet creeping up of terror, you could see why the movie world was lauding Shyamalan so effusively. After thrilling to this one years ago, I couldn't wait to see what Shyamalan had next in store. But we won't talk about THE VILLAGE, okay?
Customer Rating:
Summary: CINEMA PERFECTION
Comment: While those who are new to Mr. Shyamalans' directing style may have been somewhat turned off by his recent release (The Happening) those who refuse to see this film do themselves a great disservice.The plot reolves around one Pennsylvanian family recovering from a recent tragedy who now watch with the world as the earth prepares for an alien invasion.In all my years of watching films I have never seen a movie deliver in every aspect such as this.Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix deliver some of the most convincing and human performances ever seen.A plethera of other actors nail their small yet powerful roles perfectly.Every emotion is triggered by this film,you will laugh,cry and you will fear.However, it is the way you fear that is most unique,instead of being shown an alien right upfont,the audience is given a situation such as hearing something running on the roof or seeing a shadow pass by the window,you don't know what is on the other side but you have an idea what it wants.Bottom line,this film is perfect in every way and it succeeds in everything it sets out to do.Perfect casting,scripting and an unforgettable musical score will leave you spellbound.One of the most unique films of our time is waiting for you,find out for yourself.
Customer Rating:
Summary: The best movie of 2002
Comment: `Signs' is a movie that is so multi-faceted that it is near impossible to sum it up in a single review. The movie is terrifying, hilarious, inspirational, moving, thrilling, and very rewarding. Director M. Night Shymalan (`The Sixth Sense') goes against the grain of modern horror movies and emphasizes character over action and suspense over violence. The result is a chilling and effective sci-fi thriller that may just be the finest movie of the year. Graham Hess (Mel Gibson) doesn't like to be called `father' anymore. His stint as a reverend ended six months earlier after a personal tragedy caused him to lose his faith. He now lives on a small farm in Pennsylvania with his brother Merrill (Joaquin Phoenix, in the movie's best performance) and his two children Morgan (Rory Culkin) and Bo (the adorable Abigail Breslin.) He enjoys a calm life, until the crop circles show up. The huge patterns carved into Graham's crops seem even odder when thousands of others turn up all over the world over night. Even more startling are the strange lights that appear in the night sky over Mexico City. The faith of Graham and everyone involved is tested as the world and their lives change around them. The director (who lives up to all the `next Spielberg' hype that surrounds him) uses many techniques to evoke fear in his audience. What works the most is the personal level he establishes. Whereas most alien invasion flicks use high-tech weaponry and government forces to evoke extra-terrestrial thrills, `Signs' shows what might happen to ordinary people, should aliens invade. The result is both realistic and affecting. `People break down into two groups,' Graham claims. `those who see signs and miracles, and those who believe we just get lucky. What you have to ask yourself is which kind of person are you. And is it possible that there are no coincidences?' Tough choice. And every person who sees this movie will ponder that question because the movie forces them to. And, for once, they will have time to think. As previously stated, this movie emphasizes character over action. In fact, halfway through the movie there is a 5-minute long scene that consists merely of the two main characters having a discussion. There is no background music, no diverting visuals - just two people talking. It is one of the most well written and acted scenes of the year. Don't get me wrong though. No matter how philosophical the movie may be, it has more than it's share of thrills. Taking a cue from Hitchcock himself, Shymalan truly "plays the audience like a drum." I have seen audience members scream, cry, and all but wet themselves in fear during this movie.
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Editorial Reviews:
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From M. Night Shyamalan, the writer/director of THE SIXTH SENSE and UNBREAKABLE, comes the story of the Hess family in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, who wake up one morning to find a 500-foot crop circle in their backyard. Graham Hess (Mel Gibson) and his family are told extraterrestrials are responsible for the sign in their field. They watch, with growing dread, the news of crop circles being found all over the world. SIGNS is the emotional story of one family on one farm as they encounter the terrifying last moments of life as the world is being invaded. "It's easy for a filmmaker to blow up the world -- but what Shyamalan does is much riskier. He tries to blow our minds. I was engaged by every inch of SIGNS." - Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper.
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