Contents



In Every Mind There Is A Door That Has Never Been Opened.

1999



Stir of Echoes (1999)
 
Directed by 
David Koepp    
  
Writing credits (WGA) (in credits order) 
Richard Matheson   (novel A Stir of Echoes) 

 
David Koepp   (screenplay) 
  
Cast (in credits order) 
Kevin Bacon ....  Tom Witzky  
Kathryn Erbe ....  Maggie Witzky  
Illeana Douglas ....  Lisa  
Liza Weil ....  Debbie Kozac  
Kevin Dunn (I) ....  Frank McCarthy  
Conor O'Farrell ....  Harry Damon  
Jenny Morrison ....  Samantha (as Jennifer Morrison)  
Zachary David Cope ....  Jake Witzky  
Lisa Lewis (I) ....  Debbie's Mother  
Eddie Bo Smith Jr. ....  Neil the Cop  
rest of cast listed alphabetically  
Mary Kay Cook ....  Vanessa  
Louie Meza ....  Gothic Street Punk  
Steve Rifkin ....  Kurt  
Lusia Strus ....  Mrs. McCarthy  
Stephen Eugene Walker ....  Bobby  
Chalon Williams ....  Adam  
  
Produced by 
Judy Hofflund    
Gavin Polone (II)    
Michele Weisler   (executive)  
  
Original music by 
James Newton Howard    
  
Cinematography by 
Fred Murphy (I)    
  
Film Editing by 
Jill Savitt    
  
Casting 
Mary Colquhoun    
  
Production Design by 
Nelson Coates    
  
Art Direction 
David W. Krummel    
  
Set Decoration 
Susie Goulder    
  
Costume Design by 
Leesa Evans    
  
Makeup Department 
Elaine M. Cascio ....  assistant hair stylist  
Lun Yé Hodges ....  key hair stylist  
Linda Melazzo ....  key makeup artist  
Chip Williams ....  assistant makeup artist  
  
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director 
Carla Corwin ....  first assistant director  
Don Julian (II) ....  second assistant director  
Robert Schick ....  second assistant director  
  
Sound Department 
Tim Chau ....  sound by
sound re-recording mixer  
Martin Maryska ....  sound designer  
Daniel Richter (II) ....  production sound mixer  
Scott Smith (III) ....  production sound mixer  
Scott D. Smith ....  production sound mixer  
Todd Toon ....  supervising sound editor  
  
Special Effects 
Alec Bartsch ....  digital artist: Banned From The Ranch Entertainment  
Casey Cannon (I) ....  visual effects supervisor: Banned From 
The Ranch Entertainment  
Glenn Cannon (II) ....  video playback: Banned From The Ranch 
Entertainment  
Nadine Casamayou ....  assistant editor: Banned From The Ranch 
Entertainment  
Brent O. Coert ....  visual effects coordinator: Banned From The 
Ranch Entertainment  
Hitoshi Inoue ....  digital artist: Banned From The Ranch 
Entertainment  
Rodman Kiser ....  special effects foreman  
Fred Lacayanga ....  I/O coordinator: Banned From The Ranch 
Entertainment  
Travis Langley (II) ....  technical director: Banned From The 
Ranch Entertainment  
Van Ling ....  visual effects supervisor: Banned From The Ranch 
Entertainment  
Kristine McPherson ....  visual effects editor: Banned From The 
Ranch Entertainment  
John D. Milinac ....  special effects coordinator  
Josh Saeta ....  digital artist: Banned From The Ranch 
Entertainment  
Debra Sanderson (II) ....  visual effects editor: Banned From 
The Ranch Entertainment  
Gunther Schatz ....  digital artist: Banned From The Ranch 
Entertainment  
Kerry Shea ....  visual effects production manager: Banned From 
The Ranch Entertainment  
Martha Soehendra ....  special effects: Banned From The Ranch 
Entertainment  
Derick Tortorella ....  technical supervisor: Banned From The 
Ranch Entertainment  
Todd Vaziri ....  lead digital artist: Banned From The Ranch 
Entertainment  
  
Stunts 
Rick Lefevour ....  stunt co-ordinator  
Larry C. Tankson ....  stunts  
  
Other crew 
John Axelrad ....  first assistant editor  
Helmer Claesson ....  on-set dresser  
Jacque E. Day ....  location scout  
Linda Gacsko ....  assistant camera  
Robert Hoffman (III) ....  post-production supervisor  
James Newton Howard ....  orchestrator
score producer  
Jacqui Howell ....  assistant camera  
Michael Kohnhorst ....  director of photography: second unit  
Steve Kraus ....  editing systems technician (uncredited)  
Eric Leach ....  camera technician  
Mark A. Ridge ....  extras casting  
David Sabee ....  orchestra contractor  
Cid Swank ....  publicist  
Timothy W. Tiedje ....  property master  
Barbara Tuss ....  script supervisor  
Andy Walzer ....  video assistant  
Jim Weidman ....  supervising music editor  
Allen Wong ....  assistant accountant  
  
 


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STIR OF ECHOES
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 1999 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****):  * 1/2

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then THE SIXTH SENSE, the surprise hit of the summer, should feel honored by STIR OF ECHOES since the stories are like fraternal twins. Both have frightening, horror picture elements and both feature a young boy who communicates with dead people.

The trouble lies in their differences.

STIR OF ECHOES, which by comparison might more aptly be titled NO SENSE, insults the viewers' intelligence at every turn. Writer and director David Koepp falls back on every cliché in the book to advance the storyline. The overly serious movie will likely have you laughing out loud at some of the film's ridiculously implausible and downright silly parts.

In contrast to Haley Joel Osment's brilliant performance as the boy in THE SIXTH SENSE, Zachary David Cope gives a loquacious but emotionless performance as Jake Witzky, a 5-year-old "receiver." Dead people speak and he receives, you see, not that his parents pay attention to him when he's yammering away with his companions from the spirit world.

With the top billing and the most screen time, a grizzled Kevin Bacon plays Jake's father, Tom, a blue-collar worker who lives in "the nicest neighborhood in Chicago." (As soon as you hear this phrase repeated, you know, of course, that the place will be filled with neighbors that will prove not quite so wonderful after all.)

After his sister-in-law (Illeana Douglas) hypnotizes Tom, he accidentally becomes a receiver too, causing him much mental anguish. Popping pills like candy, he runs around like a wild man who suffers from killer migraines. It's an embarrassingly bad, over-the-top performance for an actor as good as Bacon.

There's even the equivalent of a Receiver's Anonymous meeting to which Tom is invited. Too bad he doesn't go; it could have supplied some much-needed levity.

"Come on, what's the worst that can happen?" Tom asks rhetorically, egging on his sister-in-law when he wants her to hypnotize him. A lot it turns out. In an attempt to gross out the audience, Tom pulls out his own front tooth, causing a small river of blood - all this because he begins to do a mind meld with the ghost who has come calling.

When Tom has sex with his wife, he has visions of another woman but a dead one. The movie's best line mixes Tom's notorious wandering eye with his current predicament. "I'm not shocked there's another woman," his sister-in-law tells his wife. "That she's dead gives one pause."

"What exactly don't you understand?" an agitated Tom asks his wife, who never seems to get it. For viewers the list of things they don't understand would be long. At the top of such list of conundrums might be why he would choose to fill his refrigerator completely full of nothing but dozens of large containers of orange juice?

STIR OF ECHOES desperately tries to ride on THE SIXTH SENSE's coattails. Even if it's not quite as bad as THE HAUNTING, which established the low point for this year's horror flicks, STIR OF ECHOES would be better saved for video, when you can keep your finger on the fast-forward button in order to skip the more preposterous incidents. Actually, skipping it all would be a better strategy entirely.

STIR OF ECHOES runs 1:40. It is rated R for violence, sexuality and language and would be acceptable for most teenagers.

Email: Steve.Rhodes@InternetReviews.com Web: http://www.InternetReviews.com




Have I seen this movie: Yes
And what did I think: If this movie wasn't released around the same time as The Sixth Sense, I think this would have done a lot better in theaters. The two movies are quite similar to each other, they both deal with kids who see ghosts and supernatural abilities. Kevin Bacon stars in this film and has one of his best starring roles as man whose mind is suddenly opened to the supernatural world after being hypnotized. He starts going crazy when he sees these strange and frightning images that he can't explain and we are left wondering as well, until we find out near the end of the movie what it all means. Appartently both he and his son share the same gift, although his son has it more strongly. I think the boy in this movie, played by Zachary David Cope is even more creepier then the kid in the Sixth Sense, although he had a bigger part in that movie and more lines. I was pleasantly surprised with this movie, it was a lot better then I thought it was going to be. The movie can be quite frightning at times, mostly when the ghost of a girl appears in the house where they are living and she was killed in, six months before. Now while I enjoyed most of this movie, I felt the ending wasn't that great. It was done a little too quickly and there was no big climax. One thing I have to mention that bugged me, was when tom was digging all around his house, digging everything up possible, he finds the correct place to dig by just barely banging into the wall next to him and the bricks cave in. I just found that just a bit annoying. But there were plenty of great scenese that made up for it. I thought the rape-murder scene was done especially well, although I still dont know why she even went into that house to begin with. This movie isn't exactly the same as The Sixth Sense, but it is somewhat similar, so if you enjoyed that movie you should like this one as well.

I give Stir of Echoes 3.5 out of 5 stars
Review written February 23, 2000
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