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Visitors Review

Killa42 2012-05-25 09:35:03

Bad, boring, and bad

This is why people hate sequels. Rob Lowes is a good actor. He getsinvolved in these movies that just suck… like this one. The ghost inthis lame sequel is trying to tell him something. Spoiler; it's tellinghim that his son along with friends killed him because they thought hewas an Arab that hated America… based of course on his rude demeanorand tone towards American soldiers, easy mistake.This movie was made by obvious liberals because a conservativerepublican would be pleased that an American stuck up for their countryand said hey, you want to mess with my land and talk crap about oursoldiers… well F-you. They should make a movie praising Americans forsticking up for themselves for once instead of preachy junk like this.The a-hole gets killed and then has the audacity to haunt the boy'sfather, (Lowe). At the end his son goes to jail and his wife gets shotand killed, while Lowes character seems to be placed into an asylum.Gee nice message thrown in my face to be tolerant of others. F ucktolerance! Whatever happened to America being home of the brave?By the way... I'm not some racist redneck, I hate everyone equally

2012-05-24 22:52:21

I knew any sequel to Stir of Echoes would be worse than the first, but this is too much.

Stir of Echoes: The Homecoming (Ernie Barbarash, 2007)I let this sit on my DVR for weeks, fearing to watch it. Well, I finally did, and it turns out I was right to do so. The original Stir of Echoes was one of my favorite movies of 1999, though it never got the recognition it deserved (it was eclipsed by The Sixth Sense in much the same way Near Dark was eclipsed by The Lost Boys fifteen years before), and I was pretty sure any sequel, especially one that went straight to the morass of the Sci-Fi Channel Original Movie, was bound to tear out anything that made the original good and keep the lurid aspects without anchoring them to anything worthwhile. Seems I didn't need to watch the movie, as I pretty much had it dead-on already. But I sat down and watched it, more fool me.Plot: Ted Cogan (Rob Lowe), an Iraqi War vet, suffers a traumatic injury after his position is hit by an RPG shell. When he returns home, the fallout from that incident gets him branded a murderer. Worse, he finds he can see ghosts. Sound familiar? One in particular needs him to right an injustice. Sound even more familiar? Yeah, it's less Stir of Echoes than it is Sixth Sense, but without any of the excellent acting, original touches, or attention to detail that characterized both of those 1999 movies. Worse yet, Barbarash (Cube Zero), who also wrote the screenplay, turns this into bland, pallid message crap that recognizes no grey areas in its subject matter whatsoever, one of the real defining characteristics of the original.Just plain awful. *

Jay 2012-05-23 17:52:01

It was pretty good...

Don't set yourself up by thinking this one will be just as good as the first. It was a pretty good film over all, however the story or direction (I'm not sure) could've been a bit better. Snuggle up with ur honey and spend a Friday night watching this flick.

sol1218 2012-05-23 05:32:13

I hope some day you would forgive me

***SPOILERS*** Highly inflammatory made for TV movie showing how thepresent war in Iraq as well as in Afghanistan effects us all here athome as well as on the battlefield of those two war torn and embattledcountry's.The film "Stir of Echoes: The Homecoming" starts out like your typicalwar film with an attack on a van that runs a road block in Iraq. Theperson in charge of the US patrol Capt. Ted Cogan, Rob Lowe, orders awarning shot but his order doesn't go through to the tank commander.This results is a full scale one sided fire fight where everyone in thevan gets roasted alive when it's hit in the gas tank by a volley ofrifle shots. The results of the attack on the van led to a real Iraqiinsurgents attack on the US Army unite with both Capt. Cogan and one ofhis men the units medic Kabinsky, Nicholas Carella, badly wounded inthe shootout; It later turns that Capt. Cogan survived but Kabinskydidn't.Recovering back home the now discharged from the US military Ted Coganfinds out that his actions resulted in some half dozen innocent Iraqicivilians being killed including a 12 year-old girl that he andKabinsky desperately tried to save. It's then when Cogan starts to getthese intense headaches and hallucinations where he relives the horrorsthat he went through in Iraq. Back home Cogan finds that everything that he left behind isn't what itused to be with his son Max,Ben Lewis, becoming very resentful and evenhateful of all persons of Arabic decent as well as taking up smokingand drinking. Later going to see his neighbor April, Katya Gardner,Cogan is shocked to both find her husband was not only killed in Iraqbut savagely decapitated! Cogan finds April is so distraught over herhusbands brutal death that he had to take a .45 handgun from her tokeep April from blowing her brains out.Th film wastes a lot of time in Ted Cogan going through a number ofstrange and almost unnecessary mental breakdowns and mind-bendinghallucinations but when it gets to the real reason for what'sunknowingly on his mind it more then makes up for that defect. We andTed are drawn to this place some two hours drive from his home and it'sthere that he finds out what's really driving him insane and it hasnothing to do with what he did in Iarq! Ted's deteriorating mentalcondition does in fact have everything to do with what people here inthe states see on TV and read in the newspapers about that war and howthey in their own way try to fight it here back home!Very unusual war movie that's made at a time that the war that itdepicts is still going on. Ted who by being in the war and sufferingfrom it's affects is by far more understanding then those who aren'tabout the people, basically Iraqis, who are said to be his and Americasmortal enemies. The ending is almost too hard to watch in that it turnspeople here at home who are effected by the war in Iraq into themonsters, like Al-Quida and the Taliban, that we depict our enemies asbeing.Besides the aforementioned cast there's also Mannie McPhail as MollyCogan who ends up not only losing her husband Ted who ends up in amental institution from the criminally insane but her son Max, in howwhat happened to his father affected him, as well as her life! All thisbecause of a war being fought some 7,000 miles away on the other sideof the globe that, with what we now know, should't have been fought atall!

2012-05-22 10:02:48

Don't Bother With This One!

Sure glad this film was not released in the theatres. On video, its barely acceptable. Although I like Rob Lowe, the plot line is so stupid and fake. Its hard to accept and the film should not have been made. Bad acting and real fake scenes are the story behind this one. Stick to Stir of Echoes -the original --I don't know why they called this a sequel. Definitely not. Stay way from it.

dogs0ldiers678 2012-05-21 22:38:25

Controversial

This movie was exceptionally well done for a Sci-Fi original movie, andin my opinion a very controversial one as well, considering the fact itdeals with the current war in Iraq.To begin with a man named Ted Cogan (rob lowe) and other soldiers killa van full of people in Iraq creating a huge conflict, thus sending Tedand his men back home. When he arrives back to his house he startsseeing visions of the victims that were killed in the van. Finally,when all his buttons have been pushed Ted decides to try and find outwhy this is happening to him and what all the symbolic occurrencestaking place really mean.Now, here's the part that I found rather controversial, upsetting andat the same time sickening. I am myself an American, but during thepart when Ted's son and two other of his friends kill what they believeto be an Iraqi citizen in the country side I felt ashamed to callmyself American. Although people may think that this doesn't happen, itdoes. Maybe what bothered me about this scene the most was thebrutality behind the murder. The beating, the dousing of alcohol, thesetting him on fire, the locking him in a dumpster to burn so he can'tget out, all of this seemed to be so hostile that I felt completelyrepulsed. And then there's the part of the mother, Molly. She confidesin her husband that although this was horrible, she doesn't want herson to be charged with this crime and she asks her husband how they cancover it up.All and all, the movie itself was good and entertaining, it was justthe last fifteen minutes or so that bothered me. People may agree withme, or may not agree with me, either way it doesn't affect me. I justwanted to voice my opinion about what I found to be a rather disturbingsequence of events in the movie I just watched.

Mr Saxon 2012-05-13 12:24:12

Flawed But Watchable Sequel.

In "Stir Of Echoes", the always watchable Kevin Bacon played a man whobegan to see restless spirits after being hypnotised at a party andsubsequently uncovered a terrible crime. "Stir Of Echoes: TheHomecoming" utilises this premise and gives it a twist. Our maincharacter here is U.S Patrol Captain Ted Cogan who is forced to givethe order which leads to the death of a family in Iraq. He is alsowounded and falls into a coma which - much like the hypnosis from thefirst movie - turns him into a 'receiver', able to see the ghostsaround him."Stir Of Echoes: The Homecoming" uses the horror genre to comment onthe situation in Iraq and its effect on Americans back home. Forexample, early in the story we have a party in which one of Cogan'sneighbours makes a racist joke which results in laughter from some andan outburst of anger from Cogan. It's an interesting idea but,unfortunately, the script is not quite strong enough to quite carry itoff. There's a good idea at work here but the movie comes off as fartoo preachy in places for its own good.The horror aspects are well done and very interesting. As the ghostshaunting Cogan become more frustrated and aggressive, their attacksbecome increasingly more violent. Much like Bacon's character in thefirst movie, Cogan also experiences various hallucinations related tofuture events. I certainly can't fault the work of director ErnieBarbarish who manages to stretch a small budget out so the movie looksgreat.If I had to point out the areas where this movie fails, the mostobvious area is the casting of Rob Lowe as Cogan. It would be hard forany actor to follow Kevin Bacon but Lowe appears to sleepwalk throughmost of the movie. There are moments when you glimpse him come alivebut, for the most part, he seems to be there just to pick up his moneywhich is a shame. The second failing of the movie comes with itsconclusion which simply didn't sit right with me at all.Strangely, Bacon's son from the original "Stir Of Echoes" appears in acameo role in this movie but has been greatly aged which suggests thatthe sequel takes place many years later. Although it was a nice way totie the two movies together, this decision ultimately baffled me.Despite its flaws, its still a watchable movie. If you enjoyed thefirst movie, then you might still enjoy "Stir Of Echoes: TheHomecoming" if you can forgive its sledgehammer approach to racism andthe current situation in Iraq. Unfortunately, if you've seen the firstmovie then you'll also probably realise where the story is going due tocertain similarities in its plot. Is it worth purchasing on DVD? No. Isit worth a rental? Well, if you like supernatural horror movies thenthere are certainly worse ways to spend an hour and a half.

Prolox 2012-05-13 00:38:36

As good a sequel as they could come up with.

Direct to DVD sequel to the original KEVIN BACON chiller, casts ROBLOWE as an American Soldier who along with his comrades is fighting inIraq & whom accidentally kills an Iraqi family driving in a van whomistakenly go through a check point when ordered to stop. After anambush, he awakens two weeks later & returns back home whereunfortunately for him, he begins to see ghosts, horribly burned ghoststhat for some reason or another is trying to make contact with him &are seemingly determined to hurt his family & drive him insane, howeverwhen he tries to figure out what they want from him he discovers somedark secrets that will shatter his life & that of his family forever,should the ghosts allow them to live that is...STIR OF ECHOS 2: THEHOMECOMING surprisingly turned out to be a pretty decent sequel, thatwhile nowhere near as scary, or suspenseful as the original, stillmanaged to provide a few creepy moments of it's own & some prettyinteresting plot twists. ROB LOWE was great as the hero of the movie &the rest of the cast also performed pretty good. The direction was wellhandled & the make-up effects are also very well done. Fans who enjoyedthe first however are advised not to go into this sequel expecting itto top the original, because if you go into it expecting it to beat outthe first, you'll be extremely disappointed, since Echoes 2 comesnowhere close to doing so, however non demanding fans will no doubtfind plenty to like. The films plot twists are neat & surprising muchlike the originals & the pacing although slow at times, moves at a fairpace throughout most of the film. Definitely recommended to fans of thefirst. Like I said don't expect it to top the original & you just maylike it, I know I did.*** stars

slayrrr666 2012-05-11 16:33:30

Barely better sequel to a rather decent original

"Stir of Echoes: The Homecoming" is a mildly disappointing but decentsequel.**SPOILERS**Injured in battle, Ted Cogan, (Rob Lowe) returns home from the war inIraq and immediately puts off wife Molly, (Marnie McPhail) and son Max,(Ben Lewis) by his militaristic attitude. The more time he spends athome, the more he's tormented by nightmarish visions and dreams aboutan incident during the war involving a small girl. As they get morefrequent in terms of frequency and intensity, he is determined to findout the cause of the attacks. When his family become targets, he findsthat the true cause of the attacks is based around an similar incidentbetween his family and that the ghost of that incident, rather than theone from the War, is intent on hurting him and he must stop it beforeit hurts more than just his family.The Good News: This here was decent enough when it counted. The mainfactor with this one is the ghostly visions in here being down-rightcreepy at times. Mixed along with the hallucinations and the sightings,these here are the highlight of the film with ease. From the encounterin the kitchen, the burnt ghost reaching out for him that comes fromout-of-nowhere scoring a massive shock. The encounter with the widow isjust as fantastic, being even better with the added bonus of theshocking, brutal kill to wrap it all in a great package. There's evenmore fantastic, fun encounters in here, with the Veteran's Hospitalseries standing out nicely with it's myriad of different sequences andtense moments. These are mostly helped out by the fact that the ghostsin here look fantastic, with the burnt flesh, distorted features,smoldering heaps of flesh and tattered clothes make for tons of greatscenes with the ghosts. This one also has a fairly impressive actionscene that kicks the film off, as the different traps, shootout andmassive explosions that go off in the sequence are a lot of fun anddefinitely do a lot to make the film rather enjoyable. The last plushere is the fact that there's some really nice blood and gore in here,even if not all of them are deaths. From the views of the burntcorpses, which look suitably gruesome and graphic, there's a gunshotthat blows half the victim's head off, one has words burned into theirarm with a lighter, one shows the scars of being beaten and pummeledwith a tire-iron and another couple are set graphically set on fire,complete with full-body burns. These here are the film's only real goodpoints.The Bad News: There was a couple flaws with this one that managed tohold it down. One of the biggest issue here is that the film manages toget heavily bogged down in politics and world events, especiallytowards the end. Despite it being something that might turn some off onsheer principle, the fact that it consistently does it by beating usover the head about the War and it's affects on those not directlyinvolved make for some incredibly tough and irritating viewing attimes. The severity of how it's beaten down is really where it getsit's really aggravating, because it drops the ghost angle to throw inthe angle with the citizen seeking retribution for the political-basedattack. These are almost as bad as the early scenes of the family dramaand tension, which isn't that good and does the exact same thing, serveno purpose being there and have a bunch of rather irritating factorsabout them that can easily be left out without any consequences. Thesescenes are just aggravating to sit through and don't belong in thefilm. The film also manages to score a couple of rather lame ghostattacks as well, some of which don't even make sense. The entireencounter at the psychic's hotel makes no sense, there's themalfunctioning appliances that showcases an unmentioned-and-unnecessarypower of moving objects around when it should really be about theirinteraction with each other and in effect really neutering the wholething. The last flaw here is the entire middle segment, which featuresno ghost action at all. Mixed between the need to deliver theback-story about the events as they're going on, the most irritatingelements of the family-drama and the first hints of the politicaltension, it has a lot of down-time and really shouldn't be. All told,these are the film's flaws.The Final Verdict: While it's not entirely perfect, it's good enough togood parts to warrant a look at the very least. Really only recommendedto those who liked the original or are interested in this who canoverlook the flaws, while those who are turned off by the flaws areadvised to seek caution with this one.Rated R: Graphic Language and Graphic Violence

2012-05-11 08:59:43

There's a reason for direct to DVD...

Like my title reads, there's a reason this movie went for a direct to DVD release. It was pretty bad. The original Stir of Echos had a great plot and actually carried a story with good characters, whereas this movie resorts to cheap scares and a story that I'm still trying to put together a week later after watching it.Rob Lowe's acting was good and believable but that's where it ends. The movie opens with Rob Lowe's character commanding a troop in Iraq that accidentally kills a van loaded with a family trying to escape. An rpg explodes, Rob's character is hit, his friend is predictively killed and he is sent home after waking from a coma still suffering from the guilt of killing an innocent family. From there it only gets worse with what I think the director wanted as a twist comes off as simple confusion.The first movie was so good, it's too bad they used the same name for this movie because anyone who has never seen the original Stir of Echos prior to watching this one won't bother to watch it when they should.My take, you can safely skip this one.- Dan.

2012-05-07 23:31:53

A war movie that happens to be a ghost story

If you remember the original Stir of Echoes starring Kevin Bacon, It was a surprisingly good ghost story about a man whose mind is opened to the paranormal after a hypnosis session gone awry. The film turns into a murder mystery as our hero struggles to comprehend what the ghost is telling him. Stir of Echoes: Homecoming attempts to capitalize on the original without much more in common than it being about a ghost trying to tell a tortured protagonist something. Which is pretty much the plot of every ghost story ever.United States National Guard captain Ted Cogan's (Rob Lowe) command goes awry while serving in Iraq. Cogan orders an allied tank to fire a warning shot at a vehicle approaching his checkpoint, but due to a miscommunication the tank fires ON the vehicle, killing everyone in it except for a young girl who is subsequently killed in a separate RPG attack. Wounded, Cogan wakes up from a coma back in the States.Cogan comes home to a family strained by the tolls of the Iraq war; wife Molly (Marnie McPhail) works double shifts to pay the bills, Max (Ben Lewis) has taken up smoking and hangs with a bad crowd, and Cogan grapples with his PTSD. To make matters worse, a burning ghost and visions of murder and suicide bedevil Cogan at every turn. The identity of the ghost is not so clear cut.Homecoming bridges the gap between civilian and military lives, bringing the war home so to speak, through the paranormal. On the surface it may seem antiwar, but it's surprisingly pro-soldier, detailing the struggles Cogan faces in paying his bills as a discharged soldier under investigation for the death of civilians, the lack of medical care for shell-shocked soldiers, and a civilian population who can't possibly understand what he's been through. In that regard, Homecoming drives the point home that war is hell - not just on the battlefield, but at home.Unfortunately it drives the point home with a sledgehammer. Homecoming's messages are poignant but occasionally forced. Lowe does a passable job of a conflicted soldier, but the chemistry between he and McPhail is nonexistent. Lewis, who bears the majority of emotional scenes, struggles with his lines. The ending spirals and leaves Cogan with few options. When the ghost starts possessing Cogan, it robs the narrative of any moral dilemma by taking away personal choice.For all its flaws, Homecoming is an unflinching portrayal of the costs of war...that just happens to be a ghost movie. With such a burden to bear, there's not much hope of a happy ending.

the_headless_cross 2012-05-07 15:48:52

A little disappointing sequel

The first Stir of Echoes is IMO the most underrated horror film ever.Had it not came out at the same time as The Sixth Sense maybe it wouldhave done better, but sometimes the little known gems are the best.Heard about the sequel a while back ago, and was kinda excited.Disappointed when I heard it wasn't getting a theatrical release, but Ihave come to find out that these little know gems do get released STD.Unfortunately, I wasn't feeling this movie. First of all, is it just meor did it seem very fast paced? I like fast paced, but not to fast thatit feels like the movie is just an hour long or shorter. And thecreepiness of the first movie was certainly missing here. And wow, whata downgrade music wise. From the classic Rolling Stones song "Paint itBlack" (albeit it was a cover version, but I like any version of thatsong) to some rap song? I know that song kinda had to do with what washappening, but rap? Bleh! And the twist wasn't quite too shocking thatit had me going "no way!"And this just did not feel at all like a Stir of Echoes sequel at allto me. OK, we had Jake from the first movie all grown up. How long agowere the events of the first movie? Or are we still at war 20 or 30years in the future (man I hope not)? And why no mention of his dad?But at least they brought back the OJ drinking.Overall, it wasn't a bad movie, but many miles away from the underratedfirst.

dmacpherson12-1 2012-05-04 23:42:03

well made for a low budget movie

Political ranting aside, I think the movie deserves better than asub-five average rating. It's well acted by the leads and Rob Loweseems 'engaged' in his role. The DVD extras explain in detail thelimitations of the production but at the same time the investment inthe film by the director and cast members. It works as a ghost storyand also as a mystery. The make-up and effects are well done and it hasa decent pace. In a way it still has a distant connection to the firstStir of Echoes in that it portrays a working class American family.Yes, the film does make a comment on racism, but I didn't feel this wasa generalized anti-American slag the way some other reviewers did. Ilook forward to other movies by this director and thumbs up to Rob Lowefor bringing his 'A' game to this small film. And where else can yousee a Stouffville, Ontario sand pit doubling for Iraq?

das417 2012-05-04 11:37:12

A surprisingly intelligent thriller

When coming across a direct to DVD sequel of a mainstream horror or scifi movie movie, usually one cannot be blamed for staying away. Therental stores are full of such sequels that are abysmal due to pooracting, poor special effects, and most of all poor directing. One willboth waste their time and their money trying to enjoy such nonsense.Imagine the surprise when Stir of Echoes: The Homecoming, yes a sequelto a mainstream horror movie, proves itself to be a surprisinglyintelligent thriller. The Homecoming won't win any awards but it doeshold its own and is able to give a convincing story.Captain Ted Cogan (Rob Lowe) holds himself responsible for the death ofan Iraqi family during his tour of duty. Like many veterans, Ted onlywants to return home to his family and forget the war so that he can goback to the life he once knew. The problem is that such memories neverfade easily and home is never the same once you have been gone for solong. Ted's wife Molly (Marnie McPhail) and son Max (Ben Lewis) findthat the husband and father they once knew is a different man.However, something else haunts Ted. A series of graphic images of thosewho died in Iraq, including strange visions of what appear to be thefuture, stalk Ted. While he believes it to be mere post traumaticstress disorder, it soon becomes clear that something else is going onand that Ted is facing a different kind of ghost then he expected.While his family falls apart around him, Ted realizes that if he is tokeep his sanity then he needs to solve the mystery of what ishappening.Much like the previous Stir of Echoes, a spirit demands vengeance andunless that vengeance is fulfilled then that spirit will take its angerout on whoever it can reach. The truth, however, is more horrific thaneven Ted could imagine and will force him to make the most difficultchoice in his life. The ghost isn't one that followed him from Iraq.The truth is that the ghost wants vengeance against Max for a crime hecommitted......Stir of Echoes Homecoming doesn't rely on gore to push the horror thatTed is experiencing. Instead it uses dialog and mood setting to givethe feeling of Ted's isolation and confusion. Not the best movie but itis a good sequel that shows the original idea of Stir of Echoes isstill interesting.7/10

dschmeding 2012-05-04 05:49:53

Like most sequels pretty average one

I really liked the first "Stir of echoes" movie and after reading somebashing here I thought I'd also give the second a try because too muchpraise and bashing indicates that its most of the time way out ofline... and once again I was right.The movie is wrapped around a more up to date story revolving around anIraq Soldier having to deal with his wrong decisions leading to anIraqi family's death and his coming home to face demons which soon turnout not to be those you expect. Of course the basic premise from hereon is 100% the same as in the first movie. Man has dreams andhallucinations and tries to uncover what they are about. Where in thefirst part hypnotizing triggered the events here its the war traumawhich fits the explanation of the soldier in the first movie (they evenpicked back up his "X-Ray eyes" line).I think the movie is decent for a sequel... all the bashing about theacting and effects and bad story are pretty much over the top. But Igive you that its at times annoying to watch the same ideas from Part1recycled in a different environment and that the ending really sucksbad. Where the first part gave some kind of resolution this onedoesn't... its real disappointing to have such a clichéd "happyHollywood ending" (considering the ghosts) and everything else being amess of storytelling. You can see they went for a drama like the kid inPart1 having to deal with the voices for life but here it just fallsapart and pretty much left me cold when the credits rolled.Anyway I have seen far worse... and what really makes me smile is thatI now know why there are such harsh reactions on the movie. There isnot much positive left on the American side of glory at the end and itseems that some of the guys here are too damn brainwashed to face thatthere is also another point of view possible than the anti-Arab U.S.propaganda that is all over the place. Come on guys... comparing thismovie to anti-semitic propaganda and Jud Suss is a joke. With hundredpercent of the Nazis Jud Suss image stuck to Muslims in dozens of U.S.Blockbusters in best "Der Stuermer" manner. Look at the imagery andcompare to Jud Suss and maybe you realize how damn brainwashed you arethat you can't even face a movie about the negative sides withoutcomplaining. Now that the Russians are not the bad guys, the Muslimsare... and as soon as someone depicts holy America as bad itspropaganda of course. Get a life and look in the mirror for adifference... and after all its just a movie. If you are angry about itit must have had some kind of impact... and thats much more than mostof todays movies even come near to achieve. Time to face your demons!

scottwallvashon 2012-05-03 21:48:34

Hideously Anti-American Anti-Patriotic Propaganda

This is quite possibly the most hideously anti-American anti-patrioticfilm ever made by a western producer.Persons who support the American war effort in Iraq and who are opposedto terrorism are portrayed as hateful racists who commit an unthinkablecrime in the name of patriotism.Then, these persons are brought to justice; not by secular forces, butby the supernatural and presumably infallible forces of the spiritworld. It is a feeble attempt to put a supernatural stamp of approvalon holier-than-thou liberalism.I recommend that you watch this film just to see how deeply entrenchedthe forces of skullduggery have become.

2012-05-03 01:33:22

Much better than expected

I am still not sure why this movie is called "Stir of Echoes 2" since it really has nothing to do with the original "Stir of Echoes" other than the main character having "visions". That being said, this was a surprisingly good movie in its own right. The acting was good, the script was good, the plot was good and effects were good too. I actually found the film to be quite disturbing. I think the "haters" were expecting a sequel to the first film, and if that is the case, I can see why they would be disappointed. But if you forget about the title and just watch the movie, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

2012-05-02 16:36:41

Better at Drama than Dread

This movie features another avenging ghost, a somewhat pale pastiche of the spirit in "The Grudge." This haunt isn't as frightening because its popping up is too pat, and it is too laden with excrescence, making it almost reminiscent of "The Creature from the Black Lagoon." Such appearances end up bringing the apparition almost too close to campiness.However, this "Stir of Echoes" is unexpectedly, seriously good in another way. It very movingly portrays some of the tragedy and trauma coming out of the War in Iraq, actually doing a better job of this than many of the documentaries I've seen on the subject.The movie also takes an interesting turn. It rises above predictability and builds into some very telling character study.The film already seems to be a little dated in its portrayal of U.S. citizens' tendency to stereotype all Middle Eastern Muslims just after 9/11. Thankfully, most Americans seem to have gotten beyond such corrosive, knee-jerk prejudice.In addition to the more major charge that can be brought against this film for projecting some rather ludicrous apparitions - there are a few minor distractions about "Echoes 2." For one thing, Rob Lowe seems miscast - not in his role as U.S. soldier fighting in Iraq - but in his role as father to the young man he's trying to discipline at home. Lowe just seems too young to be this actor's father. I persistently wanted to transfer Lowe himself into the James Dean-like role of troubled, rebelling son.Also, the extras on the DVD aren't very good. The Director's Commentary doesn't add much to the understanding of the film or its making, and you can probably skip it.However, "Echoes 2" is a worthwhile film, not so much as a thriller as an exploration of certain emotional landscapes created in the wake of 9/11. The trailers on the DVD will probably inspire you to go back and check out the original "Stir of Echoes" if you are looking for some more convincing, straightforward chills.

Claudio Carvalho 2012-05-01 13:22:51

A Supernatural Tale of Prejudice and Justice

During the invasion of Iraq, the National Guard Commander Ted Cogan(Rob Lowe) sees a van speeding up against his site without respectingthe warning plates. He orders his men to fire, and later he discoversthat in the van there was an Iraqi family. He tries to save a younggirl from the fire, but the vehicle explodes and his group is attacked;he enters in coma severely wounded and his friend and neighbor dies.When Ted recovers, he returns home to meet his family, but he isincreasingly haunted by ghosts of dead people, premonitions and guiltycomplex for the death of the innocent family. He seeks medical supportbut his financial situation does not allow him to pay for a treatmentand the government denies helping him. However, one ghost gives thename of Jake Witzky (Zachary Bennett), who tells him to find out whatthe spirit demands from him. When his son Max (Ben Lewis) is severelywounded in a car crash where his girlfriend Sammi (Tatiana Maslany) andtheir friend Luke (Shawn Roberts) die, Ted discovers the wish ofjustice of the tormented soul and he tries to do the right thing.The ghost story "Stir of Echoes: The Homecoming" is a surprisingly goodand dramatic tale of prejudice and justice. Rob Lowe gives a solidperformance in the role of a man that feels the effects of a senselessinvasion, earning a medal but no financial or medical support in hishomecoming, living with the remorse for a wrong order in a moment ofstress in a foreign and hostile country. The bigotry of his neighborsupsets him until his final discovery of the despicable act of his sonand his friends. This supernatural story is certainly polemic for many,but I liked it, specially the unexpected twist with the true reason forthe spirit's revenge. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Ecos do Além 2" ("Echoes from Beyond 2")

J 2012-04-30 23:08:57

What a waste of time!!1

They take a great movie! and totally change EVERYTHING!!! The first one was GREAT and this one is a total FAILURE! Just like Boogyman 2 AND white noise 2 they changed everything!