The Orphanage - Reviews and Reaction Thread

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by owa

I didn't notice any white specks but the next time I watch it, I'll check the timecodes you listed.


Not sure on 1. On 2, I thought it was because the

[Show spoiler]ghosts were turning him against her. They told him about being adopted, that he was going to die, etc. so that he ended up being angry with her b/c he had been lied to. Still though, that doesn't quite seem right based on what happened in the rest of the movie and at the end.

. Good catch on 3. I hadn't thought of that but yeah, that doesn't seem to make any sense.

[Show spoiler]It definitely made the scene a lot more dramatic though so that's probably why they did it. But yeah, being trapped down there, the mask would have been the first thing to go

.

ANSWER to #3.

[Show spoiler]Did you see the broken handrail on the stairs. They emphasized that camera shot. I believe he fell and died on impact.

[scatcher]

Originally Posted by DavePS3

I'm peed off! No release in Canada on this one. Apparently we're Communist or something. Damn. HMV says they'll import it but they'll charge up the butt for it.

I found the same thing, so I just ordered it from Amazon.com. Combined it with Black Hawk Down, and the price came in around $25 each including shipping.

[Grisle]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

ANSWER to #3.

[Show spoiler]Did you see the broken handrail on the stairs. They emphasized that camera shot. I believe he fell and died on impact.

Response:

That wasn't what was in question.

[Show spoiler]He was trapped in the basement for awhile and he died sometime later. Once you realize you're stuck and you're in trouble you would have taken the mask off. I agree that it helped with the dramatic effect, but keeping the mask on is not something someone would do when they're trapped and scared.

[jkwest]

Originally Posted by ClaytonMG

Oh thank you!!! I was going nuts trying to figure out what was going on! I figured it's just New Line and their DNR causing a weird effect on my TV since I only have a handful of titles from them and that would explain why I haven't seen it on other titles. But as long as someone else is seeing what I am seeing I feel much better.

Hey ClaytonMG.....I have the 50A3000 and I was soooo irritated with the reddish tint in the black areas!!!

It was almost like the black was glowing!!

You're not alone, my friend...

[ClaytonMG]

Originally Posted by jkwest

Hey ClaytonMG.....I have the 50A3000 and I was soooo irritated with the reddish tint in the black areas!!!

It was almost like the black was glowing!!

You're not alone, my friend...

Oh that makes me feel better! I tested Golden Compass and it didn't suffer the same fate as this one. So what I am assuming happened is that the red is just something that was there on film (probably not story wise as another member thinks it is) and due to their Digital Noise Reduction, it clumped the red together when it got rid of the grain. Leaving this unnatural solid red mass where black is supposed to be.

But as for the question 3:

[Show spoiler]Is it possible that when he was down there, he may have actually been playing with Tomas? Maybe that's why the mask was on. Or maybe he went a little crazy being stuck in the basement.

[alphapyro]

****SPOILER ALERT****

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

ANSWER to #3.

[Show spoiler]Did you see the broken handrail on the stairs. They emphasized that camera shot. I believe he fell and died on impact.

[Show spoiler]I agree with this response. He had been playing down there for a long time prior to the accident in regards to the writings and such. It could have been that the last time he took off down there he fell through that railing and cracked his noggin on the ground and died. Notice he was laying face first into the ground.

This movie is a fantastic buy, I've watched it multiple times now. Its a very creepy ghost story. The plot twist reminds me of the irony portrayed in a lot of Tales from the Crypt episodes without all the crazy humor and cheese.

I've adjusted brightness settings a bit to see about the red fuzzies in the dark areas and I have to make the TV pretty dark for it to go away... so not sure whats up there?

[jkwest]

Here's my take on #3:

[Show spoiler]don't you guys remember when the mom was listening to the wall?! She heard him banging against the door trying to get it open...I think he must have slipped, because you hear the "bang!!bang!!.....crash!!!" and then nothing...he was doing that with the mask on..it was only that same evening of the police searching for him. He died from the fall on the same day he disappeared. You can also suggest that when he brought Tomas back from the sea cave and then Tomas showed him his "house" that he found the mask and put it on for the party...Simon was then possessed by Tomas.
Tomas was upset from the mother slapping Simon and mistreating him, just like Tomas used to get from the other kids...causing him to push her and slam her hands in the door. I believe Tomas was in charge of Simon at that time...remember his weird breathing? I think those actions had nothing to do with Simon..Tomas/Simon then went to the basement to sulk...

does that make sense to anyone else?

[ClaytonMG]

Originally Posted by alphapyro

I've adjusted brightness settings a bit to see about the red fuzzies in the dark areas and I have to make the TV pretty dark for it to go away... so not sure whats up there?

Yeah I had to turn mine down about 6 notches to get rid of it.

But jkwest is right about the whole question 3 thing. I just thought the mask was in question.

[Marine Mike]

10/10 PQ

10/10 AQ

7/10 MQ (Movie Quality) - It seemed like I've seen this type of movie too many times before.

[lgans316]

I second your opinion. NL has finally done an exemplary job on the AV department after Shoot Em Up.

[Man-Is-Obsolete]

My entire post contains potential spoilers so....you've been warned.

The thing I liked about this movie is that

[Show spoiler]almost everything can be explained with or without the presence of ghosts

. It is like a reverse-twisted Peter Pan if you believe and open your eyes you will see the world and believe the world Simon believes, however, if you don't believe in ghosts or fairy tales, like Carlos and the female detective, you

[Show spoiler]can explain everything as the kid finding and doing these things on his own.

I mean think about it, if you wanted to be cynical

[Show spoiler]you can explain almost everything that happens to the kid discovering and doing these things. Even the final puzzle could have been established much earlier in the movie as a way for the mom to find Tomas's "house"

.

People should watch the making of feturette as it explains this somewhat further and is quite interesting.

[AlienHeadBoy]

I loved the Orphanage, one of the best films I've seen in a while, and truly the best spanish film I've ever seen. I hope that no one skips this amazing film just because of the subtitles.

[MATTYBLU2]

my wife and I just watched this movie last night and thought it was great. had a great plot and a great twist at the end. It also had some scenes that made us so we think it did the job well. i thought since it was spanish with subtitles i would not like it as much, but we both loved it. great movie

[davcole]

Actually ORPHANAGE and PANS LABYRINTH have been 2 of the better films i've caught the past few years.

[tiger roach]

Just watched this one over the weekend. It is a keeper.

IMO it is not the equal of Pan's Labyrinth, and it does have some "Poltergeist" deja vu, but a very good movie nonetheless.

The ending is sad, sad, sad.

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by jkwest

Here's my take on #3:

[Show spoiler]don't you guys remember when the mom was listening to the wall?! She heard him banging against the door trying to get it open...I think he must have slipped, because you hear the "bang!!bang!!.....crash!!!" and then nothing...he was doing that with the mask on..it was only that same evening of the police searching for him. He died from the fall on the same day he disappeared. You can also suggest that when he brought Tomas back from the sea cave and then Tomas showed him his "house" that he found the mask and put it on for the party...Simon was then possessed by Tomas.
Tomas was upset from the mother slapping Simon and mistreating him, just like Tomas used to get from the other kids...causing him to push her and slam her hands in the door. I believe Tomas was in charge of Simon at that time...remember his weird breathing? I think those actions had nothing to do with Simon..Tomas/Simon then went to the basement to sulk...

does that make sense to anyone else?

I agree.... that's exactly what I got from it.....

Great film by the way.