Sounds Like
Sounds Like
| 17 November 2006 (USA)
Sounds Like Trailers

Deeply affected by a personal tragedy, an office drone comes to realize his sense of hearing has taken on extraordinary capabilities that could drive him insane.

Reviews
Diagonaldi Very well executed
BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment
Protraph Lack of good storyline.
Lucybespro It is a performances centric movie
trashgang There's nothing scary on Sounds Like and that's really the problem with season two. There's only one shot that will be loved by the geeks but overall this is more about situations. But I must say that the performance of Chris Bauer as the office drone with hearing problems was excellent. First he has very sensitive ears and notice every sound that could be noticed very hard and it annoys him. But not only that, his personal life is also one with problems having lost a child and his wife eager to get pregnant again. Slowly his sensitive ears lead him into madness and things go wrong towards the end. It wasn't really my thing, I had no problem with Brad Anderson's , the director, flick The Machinist (2004) a bit in the same way as this story where a man slowly is going berserk but here it took a bit too long for a short before things go awry. Again, it should be okay for a full feature but for Masters Of Horrors it doesn't fit in comparing with season one that set the tone...Gore 0/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 3/5 story 2/5 Comedy 0/5
Witchfinder General 666 Generally speaking, I am a great fan of the "Masters Of Horror" series, but I have to add that the episodes differ immensely in quality. The greatest episodes were contributed by Horror Masters Takashi Miike ("Imprint"), Dario Argento ("Jenifer", "Pelts"), John Carpenter ("Cigarette Burns") and Stuart Gordon ("The Black Cat") whereas others were mediocre, or, as "The V-Word" and "We All Scream For Ice Cream", plain bad. This episode "Sounds Like", which was delivered by Brad Anderson, director of "The Machinist", is not one of the greatest hours of MoH, but it is doubtlessly a more than decent episode. Chris Bauer plays Larry Pearce, a guy working in a call-center for computer problems, who was struck by fate with an extremely sensitive sense of hearing. The grief over the loss of his son has only increased his hearing, which makes him struggle with insanity... "Sounds Like" is original and innovative, but, as far as I am concerned, it just isn't terribly suspenseful. Bauer is an excellent actor, and ideal for superficially square characters with borderline personalities. It is doubtlessly Bauer's great performance which is the best aspect of the episode. Overall, "Sounds Like" is not really scary, but it is original and shouldn't be missed by "Masters of Horror" fans.
Kevlar01 I'm starting to notice a little trend in season 2 so far and that is with the theme of madness and alienation. In "Damned Thing" we had the madness embodied in a vengeful spirit representing mankind's greed and corruption, this demon descends upon a town and drives it's residents into a murderous frenzy. In "Family" we had an alienated man who's clearly gone insane by finding his connection with people is best made by killing them and implementing them as skeletons into his home unit.And now comes along "Sounds Like", another episode dealing with these two themes. The story follows a man who has lost all love and connection towards the world. He has grown distant from his wife, is awkward when talking to neighbors or co-workers, and spends most of his time in the garage where he blocks out all the sounds of the world with ear guards while doing odd jobs. What really makes this episode work so well is the truly horrific look of anguish on our protagonist's/antagonist's face every time he is bombarded by the noise around him.From the deafening grinding metal on metal as his wife knits to the ominous beep of the fire detector's dying battery in his house, Brad Anderson has created a truly torturing world for his lead character to endure. In this world is actually a very interesting message as well. That sometimes the quiet, serene sides of nature and the silence which can be found in everyday life is much more valuable than one may think. In surrounding ourselves with the hectic city environment of cell phones, road construction, and office politics; its a wonder more people haven't completely lost it in their mundane day to day existence. Of course having extra sensitive hearing and loosing ones son doesn't help with this all either. But "Sounds Like", although a stellar horror film on its own, is also a strangely intriguing character/societal study.As tensions build from the overwhelming noise and stress in this world, "Sounds Like" builds up to a disturbing and terrifying conclusion. Every single amplified sound effect is used extremely effectively to provide a more intimate approach for it's viewers. In watching "Sounds Like" its hard NOT to feel bad for the lead character in some ways. And its even harder not to feel like you're going a little mad from the noises in the film as well. They are overwhelming, annoying, unnerving, and intelligently used.Overall, an excellent episode. Brad Anderson has crafted an, at times, brilliant tale with this one. If Season 2 of Masters Of Horror has been disappointing for you so far, this installment should reassure you that good things are still to come. I'd say this one deserves a respectable 8 out of 10, and that rating will likely increase after the subsequent re-viewings it deserves.
preppy-3 Larry (Chris Bauer) has a job where he monitors the calls from people on the phone trying to help others with their computers. He also had his only child die recently and feels alienated from his wife. Then he realizes his hearing become super-sensitive--he can hear things from far away and eventually he can hear peoples thoughts. But sounds are also magnified to a deafening level...and Larry begins to go mad.Unsettling and a VERY unpleasant ending but this IS a horror film. The basic premise is not bad and you're never really quite sure if Larry is going mad or if his hearing has actually gotten better. It gets a little repetitious but good acting, directing and sound recording keep it going. Director Brad Anderson also dealt with reality and madness in his excellent movie "Session 8" a few years ago. A pretty good entry in the "Masters of Horror" series.
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