The Skeleton Key - Is it being overhyped? — Page 2

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#26

re: The Skeleton Key - Is it being overhyped?

Posted: 8/14/05 at 5:57am

Not that this is a spoiler, but the only freaky thing in the movie is what happened to the children.
It was not scary, and although there was some wonderful performances, Gena Rowlands and Peter Saarsgard need to research their accents a bit more and realise that people there do not pronounce it "New Orlins", but "Nawlens".
To be honest, I would have liked it a lot more had I seen it on cable or something.

I am so tired of these films advertising themselves as scary, when they turn out to be nothing but psychological thrillers. Well, at least the twist wasn't that she was already dead, or that she had D.I.D. Even if the twist wasn't THAt impressive...

Can't wait for "The Exorcism of Emily Rose". Hopefully, that will beat out all other scary films that were released in 2005.

"Do you know what pledge time is, Andrew"? said the PBS Executive. "Yes", Lloyd Webber replied. "My 50th birthday special must be one program that gets done a lot." "No", mused the man from PBS heedlessy. "Not so much. Our Stephen Sondheim Carnegie Hall concert. That's a big one." Spoons, forks and knives seemed suddenly to suspend their motion in horror, all around the table.

#27

re: The Skeleton Key - Is it being overhyped?

Posted: 8/14/05 at 8:51am

typically movies released the second week in august thru late october are stinkers. that's one of the dumping grounds for bad movies. the other being late january thru late april, typically.

there have been some exceptions but they are few and far between.

XING
PED

#28

re: The Skeleton Key - Is it being overhyped?

Posted: 8/14/05 at 1:44pm

I saw it and I'm not a fan of movies, dont know why but hate almost everything and I loved every second of this movie... Not overly scary but just perfect... Cant wait to see it again. The first good movie ive seen in a long time.

#29

re: The Skeleton Key - Is it being overhyped?

Posted: 8/14/05 at 5:33pm

'Skeletton Key' did not win the box office this weekend, 'Four Brothers' did. So all that marketing for 'Key' didn't necessarily translate to ticket sales.

#30

re: The Skeleton Key - Is it being overhyped?

Posted: 8/15/05 at 2:16am

Gah! I keep writing posts and they get cleared when I try to send them. Guess I better copy them before I click...

Anyway, I saw it. Not the biggest twist, but I liked it.

*SPOILER!!!!!!*
It pissed me off how Kate called the cops, but.. they never came. And when they would have come, how would they have explained that away?
The creepiest part was when I realized that the kids were then hung and burned. Eesh.

Updated On: 8/15/05 at 02:16 AM

#31

re: The Skeleton Key - Is it being overhyped?

Posted: 8/15/05 at 1:04pm

Saw it last night, very interesting though, I just saw it b/c I was meeting friends at the mall who already got tickets for it including mine, I hadn't even heard of it! Guess I'm starting to live on a rock...

So I had no clue there was a twist and enjoyed it. I mean, while I had a feeling about who else was bad and not to be trusted, etc. I didn't see the whole thing ending up like it did.

Justice and perhaps others, can you define scary for me? b/c psychological thrillers, or anything well "psychological" is the only thing that would scare me, anything else I laugh at b/c it doesn't seem real--but the scariest movie I ever saw was one about an abusive relationship and at the end the boyfriend killed the girlfriend. THAT'S scary, so things like the Ring, this, most "horror" movies don't scare me--so what is scary?

"If there was a Mount Rushmore for Broadway scores, "West Side Story" would be front and center. It snaps, it crackles it pops! It surges with a roar, its energy and sheer life undiminished by the years" - NYPost reviewer Elisabeth Vincentelli

#32

re: The Skeleton Key - Is it being overhyped?

Posted: 8/15/05 at 1:34pm

A little bit of a threadjack, but the Japanese obsession with water and long-haired ghosts is... well... It's not just a ring thing because all Japanese female ghosts supposedly look like that. Water also has something to do with death in that culture, but I'm not quite sure what.

So the reason why all the American remakes of Japanese films are becoming predictable and not-very-scary is probably because we just don't come from that culture. Plenty of elements are 'lost in translation,' so to say, including the cultural background of the story.

End threadjack. Now I'll contribute to the discussion at hand!

I like psychological thrillers, but I really don't have any interest in this movie. However, I'm getting vaguely curious about this 'twist' everyone is talking about. Was it really that impossible to guess? There are always hints to a twist in the context of a movie--well, obviously, because otherwise, the twist would make no sense. I just don't see...

Well, whatever.

Anyone want to PM me with a spoiler? I'm never going to see it, anyway.

"Oh, good. After all, I can rub my stomach and pat my head at the same time, and I can do it with my eyes closed while whistling 'The Entertainer.' That's rhythm for you." ~ Snaps, proving that White Boys CAN have rhythm

#33

re: The Skeleton Key - Is it being overhyped?

Posted: 8/15/05 at 1:39pm

*SPOILER AGAIN*
I laughed out loud when the old lady got flipped over the balcony. Come on, it just looked funny.

PMing you LariTheLoud.

#34

re: The Skeleton Key - Is it being overhyped?

Posted: 8/15/05 at 1:44pm

Totally overhyped. I saw it with my mom and a couple friends last night. and my mom guessed it from the beginning. The twist wasn't as big as they made it out to be.

#35

re: The Skeleton Key - Is it being overhyped?

Posted: 8/15/05 at 1:54pm

Thanks for that, Act0r721!

Yeah, it sounds like it's kinda overhyped. I feel like I might have seen a twist like that somewhere before. Maybe in a book or something...

#36

re: The Skeleton Key - Is it being overhyped?

Posted: 8/15/05 at 2:18pm

*SPOILER*

the other thing I thought was hysterical(I always find funny things in these movies) was this line which my friends and I kept repeating: "I Do believe you broke mah legs!" LOL!

#37

re: The Skeleton Key - Is it being overhyped?

Posted: 8/15/05 at 2:55pm

You're face is overhyped, Dirty Rotten Scoundrel! I need to talk to you...

I didn't realize the movie was getting that much hype to be qualified as overhyped.

LaritheLord, thanks for saying that stuff about Asian horror.

#38

re: The Skeleton Key - Is it being overhyped?

Posted: 8/15/05 at 4:28pm

Wicked...
Here are a few movies I found to be scary (some have even sent chills down my spine)
Blair Witch Project
The Sixth Sense
The Sentinel (I only saw one seen and it scared the crap out of me)
Amytiville 2: The Possession
Dominique (I was very young when I saw this - all I remember was the hanging woman)
Mostly ghost stories,
But I also love slasher films like the Scream trilogies, Halloween saga, etc.

I despise psychological thrillers more like Gothika or The Cell - the ones that try to outdo Silence of the Lamb - yet, they all have the same premise...and they need to hurry before the victim gets killed...Although CopyCat was one of my fave's of those.

Must I also say that Summer of Sam had a creepy element to it in some scenes. Like, thinking that he was going to kill one of the leads....

#39

re: The Skeleton Key - Is it being overhyped?

Posted: 8/15/05 at 5:07pm

Broadway86- Oh yeah yeah! Well- um...ps. It's not impossile to guess, muahahaha.

#40

re: The Skeleton Key - Is it being overhyped?

Posted: 8/15/05 at 5:19pm

I (heart) DRS.

#41

re: The Skeleton Key - Is it being overhyped?

Posted: 8/15/05 at 6:30pm

Hmm...k, interesting. Tried to watch Blair witch, got way too dizzy after 5 min...looove the Sixth sense but that's one I honestly don't even understand being scary..I mean like the ring though I myself find what happens funny, I understand people being scared...but I dunno, it was an intelligent movie, but I didn't find much scary in it.

Haven't seen most of the others except like Scream which I totally view as a comedy, not horror.

Ahh, but you did give one decent example-Silence of the lambs. I suppose I'll call that scary-not nightmarish, jump in my seat scary, but something I find as well-done and mainly realistic enough for me to call it slightly scary.

#42

re: The Skeleton Key - Is it being overhyped?

Posted: 8/25/05 at 5:48pm

i'm such a movie geek, and a rarely see a movie I don't really like, but I absolutely loved this movie, probably because of all the new jersey references, but i thought it was really cool, i wasn't surprised though by the ending, but it didn't ruin the experience for me, plus there were some REALLY good performances in there...

#43

re: The Skeleton Key - Is it being overhyped?

Posted: 8/25/05 at 6:13pm

Skeleton Key is one of the movies I've enjoyed the most so far this year.

"The gods who nurse this universe think little of mortals' cares. They sit in crowds on exclusive clouds and laugh at our love affairs. I might have had a real romance if they'd given me a chance. I loved him, but he didn't love me. I wanted him, but he didn't want me. Then the gods had a spree and indulged in another whim. Now he loves me, but I don't love him." - Cole Porter

#44

Over hyped? The tests were awful

Posted: 8/25/05 at 9:09pm

What overhyped? I thought test screenings were dreadful - across the USA? The grosses are dismal...? Did I miss something?

#45

Over hyped? The tests were awful

Posted: 8/25/05 at 9:14pm

The first review of it on AICN was positive, but there wasn't a lot of buzz around it even after Kate Hudson's pregnancy delayed the filming and Rowland's accident halted things during production. The grosses are actually pretty decent. It's already made back it's budget and more.

#46

Over hyped? The tests were awful

Posted: 8/25/05 at 9:45pm

Okay the answer to the question is yes...but i saw it because of all the buzz about it...so i guess it worked on me.

SPOILERS

This movie was indeed one of the worse scary movies I have ever seen. The twist was okay but they needed more substance to back it up...they put the twist on you and don't go back and you just sit there for ten minutes and finally say, that was stupid, or thats what i did. I didn't get the children thing until this thread, that is how unsupportive this movie is...they need to go back and trace the lives of two people so we know who was possessed and who wasnt...I don't know if i sat down and saw the movie again, i would track it...but i am not going to see it again. so my point is, I wish they would kinda do a summation of events when the twist happens like in sixth sense. and i DID guess the ending...so it wasn't like i didn't see it coming or didn't understand. I also guessed the murderer was in the room in SAW, i can just think like these weird people who make these weird movies.
threadjacking-
saw red eye tonight- this deserved all the hype that skeleton key had plus its own. Truly phenomenal! go see a real scary movie by the master.
Thanks

kisses

"Hold up your head. Never be afraid to shine. Viva la difference in my body and my mind. All out with loneliness Such a waste of time. Come in from the outside" ~ Taboo

#47

Over hyped? The tests were awful

Posted: 8/26/05 at 10:11am

"This movie was indeed one of the worse scary movies I have ever seen. The twist was okay but they needed more substance to back it up...they put the twist on you and don't go back and you just sit there for ten minutes and finally say, that was stupid, or thats what i did. I didn't get the children thing until this thread, that is how unsupportive this movie is...they need to go back and trace the lives of two people so we know who was possessed and who wasnt...I don't know if i sat down and saw the movie again, i would track it...but i am not going to see it again. so my point is, I wish they would kinda do a summation of events when the twist happens like in sixth sense."

I liked that the movie didn't spoonfed things to the audience. It all fits together pretty brilliantly if you think about it. The ending was very unsettling I thought. It's the kind of movie that scares you with ideas and the unknown and how if you believe in something or let yourself be scared or affected by something, then it is, in a sense, real, or at least real in how it affects you, like most things in life.

To me the movie was great. It was well written, the performances were all terrific, and it was directed with skill.

#48

Over hyped? The tests were awful

Posted: 8/26/05 at 3:34pm

I saw the movie about two weeks ago and DID NOT think it is worth seeing. Here's a review that I posted on another message board:
"Ok, this is kind of random, but I went to the movies tonight and saw The Skeleton Key and just wanted to share my thoughts, so here we go. It wasn't my idea to see it, but I went anyway. I've really been disappointed by the "horror" movies I've seen this year, but I tried to keep an open mind. I decided throughout the movie to compare it to The Grudge, which is probably one of the worst movies I've ever seen. It was better than that, but still not worth seeing, in my opinion. I don't want to sound like one of those "they don't make movies like they used to" people, but seriously, I'm waiting for something more original or something that's actually scary. Playing a loud sound when some random person pops up out of nowhere so that the audience will jump and then forget about it 2 minutes later and then repeating the same tactic a few more times throughout the movie doesn't make it scary. And, haha, the funny thing is that during these moments that were supposed to be intense and scary, the audience was laughing! I kind of knew something was wrong when I was trying hard to not burst out laughing when an old woman was falling down the stairs (I decided to turn and laugh quietly to not look like a bad person, although half the theater was laughing). Probably the only thing I really liked about the movie was Peter Sarsgaard, because for some reason he really reminded me of Colin Firth and I love Colin! Oh, and the major shocking twist was pathetic because it didn't make sense...I think the writers just wanted to "wow" the audience and make them think the movie is actually interesting and worth seeing...we didn't fall for it! Sorry for this long rant about The Skeleton Key, but I just wanted to post it somewhere! My suggestion, rent a good Hitchcock film. Anyone else see this movie and have any thoughts about it?"

#49

Over hyped? The tests were awful

Posted: 8/26/05 at 6:47pm

Personally, I did not think this movie was all that bad. Movies are made to entertain and I can't say I was lulled or bored by anything in this movie. So, in all technical aspects.. it did it's job brilliantly. As for the twist, maybe it needed more detail and background...but it was eerie and made perfect sense. My philosophy is, if you didn't think it made sense...then you didn't get it. Sorry this is so long, but I don't know where most of us get off nitpicking about small details. All movies are worth seeing, at least once...even the truly awful ones. This movie was not one of those.

"Applause begets applause in the theatre, as laughter begets laughter and tears beget tears." CLAYTON HAMILTON, "Theory of the Theatre" "I think theater ought to be theatrical ... you know, shuffling the pack in different ways so that it's -- there's always some kind of ambush involved in the experience. You're being ambushed by an unexpected word, or by an elephant falling out of the cupboard, whatever it is." TOM STOPPARD

#50

Over hyped? The tests were awful

Posted: 8/26/05 at 8:58pm

Yeah, films are made to entertain us, but personally I am usually entertained by films that are original. A lot of the romantic comedies and "horror" films that have been made recently are not very clever or original. Take a look at Hitchc'ock films or even horror films made in the 70's and 80's. To me, those are the ones that are actually scary and entertaining to watch because they have good dialogue, good performances, good twists (some of them). I took a film class in high school where we watched Psycho and during the shower scene my teacher said something about how Hitchc'ock made it suspenseful (when "mother" is coming into the bathroom) instead of just having a jumpy moment to scare the audience because the audience would just forget about the jumpy moment a minute later. Instead, the audience would feel frightened from the suspense every time they watch the film, even though they know what's going to happen. I just don't understand how people can say that this is a great film...sure, it's not the worst one ever made or even the worst one made this year (look up to my other post, where I stated that I've also seen The Grudge...eh...) but it certainly does not deserve special recognition. Really, who's going to remember this film in five years?

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