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Movies / On DVD / White Noise
White Noise

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White Noise (2005)

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Reviews Counted:147

Fresh:13

Rotten:134

Average Rating:3.5/10

Consensus: While there are some built-in scares, the movie is muddled and unsatisfying.

Runtime: 1 hr 48 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

Synopsis: People have always searched for a way to communicate with the other side--fascinated, motivated, driven to find a way to connect with loved ones who have passed on. Electronic Voice Phenomenon... People have always searched for a way to communicate with the other side--fascinated, motivated, driven to find a way to connect with loved ones who have passed on. Electronic Voice Phenomenon (EVP) is the process through which the dead communicate with the living through household recording devices. These extraordinary recordings--captured by people all over the world, in their homes, with a simple tape or video recorder--seem to confirm what many of us have dared to believe: it is possible for the dead to communicate with us. And all we have to do is listen. Now, from Universal Pictures and Gold Circle Films comes the suspense thriller that explores this very-real, other-worldly communication--White Noise. Tapping into our deepest fears and most profound longings, White Noise forces us to re-examine the world in which we live and, in the process, question our most basic notions about life and death. Michael Keaton plays successful architect Jonathan Rivers, whose peaceful existence is shattered by the unexplained disappearance and death of his wife, Anna (Chandra West). Jonathan is eventually contacted by a man (Ian McNeice), who claims to be receiving messages from Anna through EVP. At first skeptical, Jonathan then becomes convinced of the messages' validity, and is soon obsessed with trying to contact her on his own. His further explorations into EVP and the accompanying supernatural messages unwittingly open a door to another world, allowing something uninvited into his life. White Noise is directed by veteran television helmer Geoffrey Sax, written by Niall Johnson (The Big Swap), and produced by Paul Brooks (executive producer of My Big Fat Greek Wedding) and Shawn Williamson (House of the Dead). -- © Universal Pictures [More]

Starring: Michael Keaton, Deborah Kara Unger, Chandra West, Ian McNeice

Starring: Michael Keaton, Deborah Kara Unger, Chandra West, Ian McNeice, Nicholas Elia, Sarah Strange, Mike Dopud, Mitchell Kosterman, Keegan Connor Tracy, Miranda Frigon, April Telek, Aaron Douglas

Director: Geoffrey Sax

Director: Geoffrey Sax
Screenwriter: Niall Johnson
Producer: Paul Brooks, Shawn Williamson
Studio: Universal Pictures

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Reviews for White Noise

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
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The soundtrack and crackling static, contorting into mysterious moans, create a chilling mood, but the characters are so thin.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
04/01/06
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Through it all Keaton furrows his brow with impressive intensity. But his efforts are hampered by a script which requires him to do the exact opposite of what any right-minded individual would do in his circumstances.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
05/10/05
Neil Smith
Neil Smith
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

In short, watching actual white noise would be preferable to sitting through White Noise. Avoid like your life depended on it.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
01/15/05
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

I was pleased nonetheless with convincing acting, well spread tension and suspense, and a great concept.

Full Review Source: Cinema Crazed | comment Comment
04/29/09
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Cinema Crazed

A messy cheesecake of supernatural horror without scaring the pants off its audience, nor making any real sense.

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
10/18/08
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile

Something evil this way comes without much nerve-jangling fanfare (most of the screams came from the soundtrack rather than the audience) or conviction (portal schmortal).

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
08/07/08
Mark Halverson
Mark Halverson
Sacramento News & Review

Is the movie scary? Only if this is your first scary movie.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
07/23/07
Rob Gonsalves
Rob Gonsalves
eFilmCritic.com

The paranormal phenomenon surely has its millions of converts, but White Noise is so silly, it just may turn many into non-believers.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
03/01/07
Doris Toumarkine
Doris Toumarkine
Film Journal International

Though I'm well disposed toward elliptical spook stories that depend on the audience's imagination for their jolts and effects, it takes art as well as craft to put them across, and Geoffrey Sax's direction of a Niall Johnson script has neither.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
02/28/07
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader

White noise is intended to help you fall asleep. White Noise would never let you do that, though. It's far too interested in a cacophony of cheap scares.

Full Review Source: Associated Press | comment Comment
02/26/07
Christy Lemire
Christy Lemire
Associated Press

Some of its filmic devices seem a little hokey for a movie that is apparently trying to persuade us that EVP is a real phenomenon.

Full Review Source: Christianity Today | comment Comment
11/17/06
Peter T. Chattaway
Peter T. Chattaway
Christianity Today

White Noise is little more than an old-fashioned ghost story with a newfangled twist.

Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
10/06/06
Nathan Rabin
Nathan Rabin
AV Club

The only problem is that there's just not that much of a reason to sit up and check out what all of the noise is about.

Full Review Source: Dread Central | comment Comment
07/06/06
Uncle Creepy
Uncle Creepy
Dread Central

A dopey, totally disposable grade B thriller.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Rick Kisonak
Rick Kisonak
Film Threat

...quickly devolves into ludicrous plotting and cheap shock effects.

Full Review Source: All Movie Guide | comment Comment
08/04/05
Josh Ralske
Josh Ralske
All Movie Guide

White Noise is a lifeless affair that strives to take our money while aggravating and annoying us, a niche already filled by the Rainforest Café.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
06/28/05
Uri Lessing
Uri Lessing
eFilmCritic.com

An effective ad campaign for a colossal mess.

Full Review Source: FromTheBalcony | comment Comment
06/16/05
Bill Clark
Bill Clark
FromTheBalcony

Scenes went unenlightened, plot points left unanswered, cheap thrills went unimproved.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
05/17/05
David Cornelius
David Cornelius
eFilmCritic.com

It's a typical case of the kind of movie which gets launched these days on the strength of a one-sentence pitch. Having got all dressed up, it finds that it has absolutely nowhere to go.

Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment Comment
05/13/05
Sandra Hall
Sandra Hall
Sydney Morning Herald

'Mejor hay que esperar hasta que salga en DVD. Por lo menos los extras deben traer algo más interesante'

Full Review Source: Moviola | comment Comment
04/04/05
Jorge Avila Andrade
Jorge Avila Andrade
Moviola
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
all

Latest News for White Noise

May 02, 2006: "White Noise 2" Set Visit: Hanging With Nathan Fillion, PLUS The First "White Noise 2" Set Photos!
Our "White Noise 2" set coverage wraps up with not one, but many delights: a sit down with Nathan Fillion, plus the first ever photos from the spooky set to grace the... More...

April 27, 2006: "White Noise 2" Set Visit: Shawn Williamson On Horror Remakes, "Dungeon Siege," and...Canadian Horror?
RT's "White Noise 2" set coverage, Part Three: producer Shawn Williamson, whose 50+ credits include "Slither," "White Noise," and many of Uwe... More...

April 26, 2006: "White Noise 2" Set Visit: Patrick Lussier Promises Twists, Talks Horror
Our "White Noise 2" set coverage continues with RT's conversation with director Patrick Lussier, as the horror editor-director talks about working with Wes Craven and... More...

March 14, 2006: Nathan Fillion Talks "White Noise" Sequel
Sci Fi Wire talked to "Serenity" star Nathan Fillion about his upcoming thriller, "White Noise 2: The Light," which has just started filming in Vancouver. More...

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