Sad to learn that 'The Echo' is straight-to-video in the US and will never see its commercial release. I watched Sigaw on its original and domestic release and the plot was very original and overall, the movie was indeed scary!!! The hollywood remake is truly a pride for the Filipino movie industry and stars Jesse Bradford (a fave actor of Bring It On and Swimfan). I guess hollywood has gotten stale with the remake of Asian horror films, and sayang as they passed on with a very good one. The Echo will be available from Image Entertainment on November 10th, 2009 on both DVD and BluRay.
Trivia : Iza Calzado can have the pride to have a six-degree-separation thing with Madonna as one of the actors is Carlos Leon (former lover of Madge and is the father of Madonna's only daughter Lola).
Below is a DVD review for 'The Echo '--
The Echo (DVD review)
Bekah McKendry
Saturday, September 19, 2009
From the producers of THE RING and THE GRUDGE comes, one of this years most suspenseful and chilling films, THE ECHO. Seriously, I honestly approached this movie with some major skepticism as I do much of the wave of Asian/American remakes, but this one actually scared me in some scenes. THE ECHO is definitely worth a glance!
Max (Jesse Bradford) returns to his dead mom’s New York apartment after being released from prison. As Max settles in, the mysteries behind his mother’s strange behavior leading up to her death begin to unravel. Not only haunted by strange and grotesque apparitions, Max must also deal with the domestic violence going on next door, and neighbors who won’t help and want nothing to do with the ex-con.This remake of the Philippine film SIGSAW, draws heavy influence from its Asian original, largely in part because Yam Laranas sat in the director’s chair for both films. In his American incarnation, Yam masterfully builds tension and isolation in a crowded city before springing his trap on the audience. Yam is aided by a strong performance from the film’s lead, Jesse Bradford, who brings a human element to the role of Max.
I must also say I was again skeptical when I heard of Bradford’s lead in this horror film, as my only prior experience with him had been as a cheesy punk music-loving boyfriend in the cheerleader movie BRING IT ON (yeah, for some reason I have watched this movie multiple times on USA’s Saturday afternoon line up). However, Jesse avoids overstating his emotions, creating a character that won’t leave you cheering for the ghost after 20 minutes. It is this human element that also draws the audience further in, making the frights that much more frightening.The only downside I found was that the film relies heavily on a “look the other way” pre-9/11 New York mentality. Prior to 9-11, New York was filled to the brim with urban legends about people getting killed or beaten in the streets as New Yorkers just “looked the other way”.
However, as most New Yorkers will tell you, after 9-11 this attitude of ignorance was replaced by a “not in my town” mentality that know overwhelms much of New York’s street culture. Seriously, a few months ago I watched a cabbie hit a bike courier and start to drive away, until ten nearby pedestrians stood in front of his cab while another ten pulled him out and literally sat on him till the cops arrived. So the idea of neighbors listening to the husband next door beat the bloody hell out of his wife and child without so much of a phone seems a bit outdated. But, this very minor New York based anachronism aside, THE ECHO is still a great film with well formed characters and a great example of just how much we can still borrow and ultimately learn from Asian horror. >>
