WHITE NOISE
Michael Keaton gives “White Noise” his best shot, but it’s not enough to save this movie about the dead trying to communicate with the living through audio and video signals. This newest wrinkle in the world of the paranormal is called EVP - Electronic Voice Phenomenon. Apparently, at least according to the film’s epilogue, this is the latest supernatural rage. Instead of exploring the phenomenon as a bona fide field of study, the filmmakers- director Geoffrey Cox and writer Niall Johnson - get on the horror bandwagon and attempt to go for the jugular. What starts out as a decent film with a mournful Keaton trying deal with his grief over the untimely death of his wife turns on a dime and descends into the mundane trappings of a mystical thriller. There’s the rub. It tries to be too many things without succeeding at any one of them. After the set up, I wanted to escape from the continuous staccato sounds of broken radio signals. Each blip had the effect of a Chinese water torture. All I wanted to do was tell every character in the movie to turn off their damned radios and TVs.
The plot: Johnathan Rivers’(Keaton) wife(Chandra West) is killed tragically. He cries. We want to. The first twenty minutes would have made a great short on grief.
After the funeral, a stranger(Ian McNeice) approaches Rivers with proof that his wife is trying to contact him from beyond the grave. Her voice can be heard calling her husband’s name between the radio waves emanating from his makeshift electronic lab. Her wailing wire talk becomes an omen of ill things to come. Rivers becomes a believer. His obsession with other distress signals the world beyond lead him down the garden path to evil spirits dominate the airwaves of the dead so they can unleash their evil onto the world. They eventually make their presence known and ‘White Noise” turns into ghost hunt for the physical manifestations of evil incarnate - seen as swirling dervishes. Despite a few - very few - hair raising moments, especially with Deborah Kara Unger as a research assistant turned victim - all I could think about throughout most of “White Noise” was Glen Campbell singing “Wichita Lineman.” Had this gem been added to the soundtrack, it could have added a touch of levity to the movie’s plodding seriousness.
Copyright 2005
Some of Michael Keaton’s best
“Night Shift” (1982) - This one directed by Ron Howard put Keaton on the map. Henry
Winkler works the graveyard shift (no pun intended) at a morgue. Keaton plays
the manic assistant who gets a hair brained scheme to recruit ladies of the
night into a corporate entity. His business acumen improves the women’s lot
much to the displeasure of the local pimps. With Shelly Long before Cheers
and Shannen Doherty before
“Beetlejuice” (1988) - Mike’s the title character in this zany offering from writer director Tim Burton. Housebound ghosts, Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin, want to rid their house of its obnoxious new owners who have taken over after their deaths. They find a book of the dead with a chant that brings Beetlegeuse to their aid. He wreaks havoc as only Keaton could. His over the top performance brings the movie to life with unstoppable laughs. A very Goth Winona Ryder is the only one who can channel the ghosts’ images. With Jeffrey Jones, Katherine O’Hara, Dick Cavett, and the darling of the slice of life Depression era films, Sylvia Sidney.
“Clean and Sober” (1988) - Not a great movie but Keaton proved his acting chops in this soaper about an alchy trying to get his life back on track. I think this gave him street cred to play the brooding Bruce Wayne aka “Batman” a year later
“Batman” (1989) - Director Tim Burton brings Keaton back into his fold to play the famed crime fighter. Who would’ve thunk it! Ditto for “Batman Returns” (1992). Keaton is great and goes head to head with Jack Nicholson as the Joker in this one and Danny De Vito as the Penguin and Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman in the latter.
“Pacific Heights” (1990) - Keaton is the tenant from hell who wreaks havoc on his landlords - Mathew Modine and Melanie Griffith.