Unless I am mistaken, the bottle of cleaner that Cara’s mom used had the word “Pine” on it implying a Pine-Sol-type cleaner.
Good question on the Stuttering John thing. Maybe he got fed up with the teasing one day and killed the kid who was doing it and he told Cole…hey, it’s a thought!
When we rented it the tape said that it had a special bonus feature at the end showing “rules” and “clues.” But we forgot about it and turned it off during the credits and returned it. Maybe someone could rent it and watch that part and report back? (I, as always, have late fees at every video rental place on earth so I won’t be doing it!
“You don’t have insurance? Well, just have a seat and someone will be with you after you die.” --Yes, another quality sig custom created by Wally!
EB I can’t remember anything from the ‘Rules and Clues’ that has not been posted in this thread. The color red, Bruce’s non-interaction with the rest of the cast, a bit of explanation on the breath. Again, can’t remember much that was not posted here. Interesting shots of the director / producer / etc. taking pride in how they kept the continuity of the film together.
If the teacher did kill the kid, wouldn’t Cole have known about that too? Seems like it would be a bit more important to bring up in class, no?
I always thought the reason that he didn’t see the wounds was because, for the most part, they were in his back. (if you remember from the shooting scene-the bullet hole in front was quite small, the exist wound was large however) In several scenes-while walking around and such-he seems to hold his hand over where the bullet wound was, as if it was bothering him as well.
Also, as to the reason why we never saw the wound, his back is never really shown until the last scene. He is shot from a side perspective, and a frontal one, but never in a way that will let you see his back. That combined with the fact that he’s wearing a long coat in most of the scenes would disguise the wound.
In other words, I believe that they were visible(though we never saw them) and that he never saw them because of the “seeing what you want to see” bit.
Profanity is the crutch of the inarticulate mother-fucker.
I’m with rhythmdvl … I avoid any description of the movie beforehand. Anything beyond “psychological drama” could easily have spoiled this one. I did hear an audio clip of it on National Public Radio, but all it revealed was Cole saying, “I see dead people” and the Dr. talking to him a little.
One of the things I enjoyed about The Crying Game was not knowing there was a “big surprise” in it at all. I got lucky there. I just saw High Fidelity. I enjoyed it. I was expecting a cyberpunk thriller for some reason…
Just saw the movie this weekend as well and it was awesome. I, like Rythmdvl, try to stay away from any description of these types of movies and even consciously try not to figure it out and just concentrate on the movie, so it wasn’t spoiled.
Good point about the Stuttering thing. My only guess was that the spirits who had been hanging in the school had seen him and relayed this to the boy.
Just make yourself comfy while I shoot nuclear particles into your heart.
(Courtesy of Wally)
I saw it last week on DVD (the only way to go), and watched the interviews, the deleted scenes with director commentary, and the Rules and Clues.
One of the (writers?) was describing one scene, and he was certain it would give away the twist to everyone. He was very surprised that no one picked up on it. It was:
When Cole was in the hospital and revealed his secret to Malcolm, he was saying (paraphrasing from memory): “I see dead people…they don’t know they’re dead…they don’t see other dead people…” etc. The whole time, the camera is focused on Malcolm. The writer was certain that people would get the significance, but I sure didn’t.
The deleted scenes (based on my M&Ms-induced foggy memory):
an extended ending; the director said this was the cut he hated to make the most, but felt it was redundant: there was an additional minute or so after Malcolm said goodbye where the camera pans to the video playing on the TV, with Malcolm (at the reception) saying how much he loved his wife.
about a 2 minute scene with Malcolm watching Cole play with his soldiers outside (just before meeting the little leaguers); Cole had names for all the soldiers, and when Malcolm asked Cole about two who were “dead” (under a little blanket), Cole gave involved stories about how they died and who they left behind. The scene showed a little boy who had way too much knowledge about “pretend” soldiers. The director felt the message of the scene would be lost on the viewers.
3 and 4) While Malcolm and Cole were walking, Cole says he has to go do something and breaks off; Malcolm follows and observes. Cole meets an old man (they’ve met before; the old man is confused, dazed, troubled, and looking for his wife, who is dead), and is invited inside. There, Cole (acting on instructions from the old man’s dead wife) finds his wife’s old diaries, and gives them to the man. A later scene (only about 15 seconds) shows Malcolm happening by the old man’s place, and seeing the man at peace and being sociable.
Director’s commentary and material of this sort definitely make getting a DVD worthwhile. For those with the sound system to support it, there’s nothing short of a $7 ticket that’s like it.
The deleted scenes you mention are in an online script I read of the film. They cut out very little. We watched it last night (we had seen it last summer in the theatre). I was just as mesmorized with the film, but for different reasons this time around. I watched closely for holes and saw none. I think someone mentioned Anna’s breath at the end. At first, we can see her breath because Malcolm is upset. As he realizes his situation and comes to terms with it, she warms up. It makes sense to me. I love that movie so much.
I never hate myself in the morning. I sleep till noon.
–Sig line courtesy of Wally
There are some spots that could be seen as plot holes, but if you look at it a certain way, it isn’t such a problem.
(Cole comes home and Malcolm and Cole’s mother are sitting in the room together. It looks as though they’ve been talking, but clearly they couldn’t have. Wouldn’t Malcolm have noticed something screwy, as they sat there? Also, the couple of scenes with Malcolm and his wife were plausible, but how could he have not noticed day after day, hour after hour, that she didn’t see him?)
The way I justify this is, you know how things can be screwy and incongruous sometimes in your dreams, yet you go along as though everything makes perfect sense? That’s what it was like for Malcolm. Looking at it in this way, the jumps from scene to scene weren’t like other movies, where passage of time is implied. This was literally how Malcolm’s perception of the world jumped.
Anyway, that line of thinking helped make it work for me even better.
“We are here for this – to make mistakes and to correct ourselves, to withstand the blows and to hand them out.” Primo Levi
I rented it this weekend, and it was terrific!! I didn’t catch the ‘red’ items, but it’s an interesting idea.
I * should’ve gotten * the clue when Cole finally tells Malcolm that ‘he sees dead people * all of the time’ * when Cole is in the hospital, but I didn’t.
I also assumed that Cole knew the teacher’s nickname the same way he knew all the rest of the history of the school, it had to do with someone dead telling him.
But, I did get the feeling that it was Malcolm’s case, and that he just hadn’t followed up on it yet. Though, a case could be made that it wasn’t, in watching the movie the second time around, it was the look on Cole’s face, when he says,’ I’m going to be seeing you again, aren’t I?’ I don’t think you’d say that if you really had already met someone.
I can’t believe that kid didn’t get an Oscar, he was absolutely incredible.
Judy
“Um, according to who? Nothing more than a high brow troll, though occasionally the bi polar personality swung in a constructive direction on innocuous topics.” Omniscient
I just saw the movie about two weeks ago, and loved it. I never guessed the ending, and my jaw dropped when I realized it at the end. I don’t feel bad, because many critics (including Roger Ebert) could not figure it out either.
BTW, Cole’s teacher’s name is Stuttering Stanley. I only remember because Cole yells it at the top of his lungs, “Suttering Stanley! Stuttering Stanley!”
And yes, Haley Joel Osment did an outstanding job.
The dead man on the tape was speaking Spanish. I’m pretty sure he was saying “Ya quiero morir,” which means, “I want to die already.” Like, enough is enough. Malcolm (Willis) mentions this in the movie.
He says, “No quiero morir.” I don’t want to die. Malcolm tells this to Cole in the church scene where Cole is on the upper balcnoy and Malcolm is down below.
I think Cole knows all along that Malcolm is dead – that’s why he says "You can’t help me" and he’s so frightened when the doctor comes to his house – he’s scared it’s going to be another angry ghost that will hurt him. But after time goes on, it’s just as logical that Cole believes that a ghost is the only one who can help him deal with ghosts – then he says, “You’re the only one who can help me.”
Catrandom, who was happy to be completely stunned by the ending
Well, I had left the t.v. on while cleaning a couple days before the Oscars when a guy, giving his picks for awards, says “Sixth Sense is great. The kid sees dead people and Bruce Willis dies–oh, come on! If you haven’t seen the movie by now you don’t deserve to be suprised!”
So, I knew ahead of time but I completely forgot once I got wrapped up in the story. Of course, about 10-15 minutes 'til the end, my husband says, “Isn’t there a plot twist or something?” I could have killed him!
We rented it on video only because the video store was out of the DVD. However, we do intend to buy it on DVD in the next few weeks.
BTW, I didn’t really think that Stuttering Stanley killed anyone, I was just being silly.
My husband explained the parts of the movie that were a little weird (like Malcolm sitting and apparently talking with Cole’s mom) by saying that maybe all we see of Malcolm’s life is all he sees also. Meaning: The reason he feels like he’s been ignoring his wife and not spending time with her is that he hasn’t. Since he is dead, it is like he only “exists” when he is with Cole or doing something relating to him (listening to the tape) He doesn’t wake up in bed every morning, eat breakfast and go out. He just floats from moment to moment. That’s how he was sitting in Cole’s living room. He “arrived” just before Cole came home so Cole’s mom never knew anything–she was just sitting there waiting for him to come home.
Or maybe not. But that does explain some things.
“You don’t have insurance? Well, just have a seat and someone will be with you after you die.” --Yes, another quality sig custom created by Wally!
I had heard somewhere in the press that Bruce Willis’s character died in the course of the movie. I didn’t expect it to be at the beginning. But when I saw him gutshot, it got me thinking. I sat and watched that movie looking for the scene that would indicate that he was alive: At no point did we see anyone respond to his presence but the kid, Cole. The scene where we see Cole’s mother and the doctor sitting as if they were just talking is a red herring–an illusion. That one threw me, but I was able to go back in my mind and see that they never spoke in that scene.
The scene dead-in-the-middle of the movie where the kid explains that the dead “don’t know they’re dead” did seem to me the director (the writer?) telling the audience what was going on with the doctor.
I watched the second half with the assumption that Willis’s character was dead. The movie is fascinating when you get that he’s dead, he doesn’t know, and he thinks the kid is crazy; and even as you watch him come to see that the kid’s visions are real, you see that he acts like a ghost himself.
Wild stuff.
Party per bend sinister wavy bendy sinister wavy vert & or, & sable, in fess point a demi-pellet ensorcelled rayonny or inverted & bendwise sinister issuant from the party, in sinister base a roundel bendy sinister wavy vert & or.
Or something… Oh, just go here.
The bait-and-switch of the plot is brilliant by the screenwriters. When I saw it initially in the theater, I guessed that the big secret of the plot was going to be that Cole was the reincarnation of the guy who shot Willis at the beginning and then killed himself. I think that’s what they wanted you to believe.
“We are here for this – to make mistakes and to correct ourselves, to withstand the blows and to hand them out.” Primo Levi
Excellent entertainment - with a lot of spooky details. For example, Cole’s mother notices glints of light in every single photograph of Cole - even as a baby. Where these dead people?
Someone mentioned the surprise in the Crying Game. I went to that film with another couple. My friend’s wife left to go the bathroom and missed the “surprise”. When she got back, she asked whether she had missed anything. The whole section broke out laughing.
When I saw the movie, all I knew about it was the catchphrase, “I see dead people.” But that was enough of a clue for me to figure out the ending about 30 minutes in. I would have liked to have been surprised at the end, but it was still a fascinating movie. All the clues are there, and if you don’t figure it out, it’s worth going back and watching again to see what you didn’t catch the first time.
Someone suggested that the boy is the reincarnationg of the man who kills Malcolm then himself (Vincent), but that isn’t possible, since the movie picks up the following fall (after Malcolm dies), meaning Cole was born well before the incident.
On the DVD (I took a gamble and bought it ‘cold’, without having seen the movie prior), in the bonus materials, M. Night Shyamalan (writer and director) mentions that the second night of the movie did more than the first, and the second weekend was only about a 2% drop off from the first weekend. I guess this is unheard of. Strong word of mouth business. I’m impressed.
(drifting slightly OT here)
Also, Haley Joel Osment was great. He auditioned for Anakin in Star Wars, but wasn’t even called back. Too bad. Of course, considering that Star Wars was digitized and F/X’d and edited to death, it really isn’t too late to make a casting change. <grin>
I saw it on Friday. It was great. One comment, though. Malcolm arrived late at the restaurant on what would have been his anniversary. How did he know she was going to be there if they never spoke?
BTW, I agree that Osmond was excellent. Much better than the child that played Anakin on PM.
