Review: White Noise
1/09/2005
The movie we were supposed to go see yesterday was White Noise, but instead we watched The Life Aquatic, the second worst film I have seen at the theater. Don't get me wrong; I love adventurous, off the grid movies. But Life Aquatic was deadpan for the sake of being deadpan, and nothing more. I love to hate this movie.
Tonight, to recoup our losses, we went to see White Noise - the film debut of director Geoffrey Sax and starring Michael Keaton. Geoffrey Sax is better known in fandom circles as the director of the ill-fated 1996 fox version of Doctor Who. Michael Keaton, as you probably remember, was Batman in the 2 Tim Burton movies (not the suck-ass sequels).
As this is Geoffrey Sax's first film for the big screen, I wasn't expecting Alfred Hitchcock or Stanley Kubrick (though this film would have shone greatly under the late Kubrick's direction). What we get is a bit more than standard Hollywood fare, though with a few too many cliches, and a potential glimpse of better things to come from this Director.
Michael Keaton plays a successful business owner (architect) named Jonathan Rivers. He is married to a beautiful, successful writer named Anna Rivers. She dies, and depression ensues. Through a series of events, he becomes obsessed with trying to receive communications from her via EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon). Things get strange. And scary. But he keeps on walking through the scenery. When all is said and done, why do people continue to walk into danger in horror movies? Why don't they just listen to their common sense, turn around and go home?
What is EVP? In the 'real' sense, ghost hunters plan trips to haunted places, bringing tape recorders and microphones with them. When they arrive, they turn on the recorder and ask a series of questions out loud, then play the tapes back when they get home. Occasionally, strange voices appear on the tapes, so they isolate them for further analysis. There are a ton of web sites from ghost hunters around the world with EVP available for your own listening pleasure, and I've even composed a song out of a series of EVP (borrowed, of course). The idea was to conduct a symphony of voices from beyond the grave. One day I will post it.
Anyhow, the EVP featured in this film revolves around the use of AM band 'white noise' and off-channel television snow. This isn't what most 'ghost hunters' do when searching out EVP; however, it works for the film and creates an atmosphere in which the grieving husband can experience his self-inflicted derangement and obsession. He begins to think that his dead wife is (spoilers) helping him to prevent deaths by showing him 'visions' in the static on the TV; however, the big cliche here is not new. "Don't mess with that stuff," says the psychic. Like oija boards, tarot cards, dowsing, a relatively Christian perspective is probably what gives this film its creepiness. Without it, the cliche just wouldn't work.
The scenes of the TV static are especially unsettling. More than worth the price of admission. But the ending was a bit rushed. Any film that doesn't use an over-abundance of CGI should not end with a giant CGI climax. It just doesn't fit.
All in all, a very enjoyable, atmospheric film. Watch out for bigger and better things from this director. However, if you are already familiar with EVP, it's likely that you've already heard some things much creepier than any movie will provide you.
More about EVP:
Back in the early 1950's, William S. Burroughs was at the height of his heroin addiction. He claimed he could record speeches and communications from dead persons on his reel-to-reel recorder in a sound-proof room. Much earlier, Thomas Edison was attempting to build devices that would allow him to communicate with the dead. So was Nicholai Tesla, I believe. Nowadays, interest in the 'other side' has more of a casual flair, as ghost hunter groups are forming all over the world to explore, experiment and experience phenomenon to PROVE the existence of an afterlife, or of noncorporeality, to themselves.
Google for EVP, and you will find lots of info, from interesting to eye-rolling. It's all there.
Another source is past Coast to Coast radio shows. A certain couple (their names escape me at the moment) meet up with Art or George about every 3-4 months with a series of new EVP clips. They play them ON THE AIR. Last time I heard them, we were driving home from vacation and practically ran off the road a couple of times. Some of this stuff is very creepy.
Anyhow, that about does it for me today. Good popcorn flick; might need to see it again someday, though I'll probably forget all about it next weekend when Electra shows up on the big screen!
posted by novachild @ Sunday, January 09, 2005,
2 Comments:
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At 1:43 PM,
:: miss m :: said...
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Too creepy for me. The whole thing weirds me out. The commercials scare me. Then again, I have a personal issue with voices, spirits and stuff that I repress, so I tend to avoid creepy things in my entertainment....
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At 3:33 PM,
Edward Svengali said...
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I know what you mean. My wife and I both have some interesting stories to tell along those lines, from 'shadow people' walking across the room to strange, hooded phantoms appearing directly in front of us in the front yard.
Of course, it doesn't help that the last person to live in our home was shot by his son in the very same room our bed is in. The bed is even in the same position, and the bullet hole is still in the wall. I have a morbid curiosity, so I haven't spackled over it.
