marcus_stokes2000

(2013-05-15 22:58:46)

A Serpentine Labyrinth

*Stay SPOILERS* Sam (Ewan McGregor) is a young psychiatrist who tries to help a youngman, 20-year-old Henry Letham (Ryan Gosling) who tells him he's goingto kill himself the night of his 21st birthday, which is in three days.For Sam, it's the beginning of a surreal nightmare, which seems toinvolve also his girlfriend Lila (Naomi Watts), and seems to havesomething to do with a disastrous car accident on the Brooklyn Bridge.Without giving away the ending, this movie is really interesting andwell-thought out, in the tradition of 'Carnival Of Souls', 'Identity','Jacob's Ladder' and 'November' (even though probably even comparing'Stay' to those movies gives the plot twist away).The actors play their parts convincingly, the story manages to keep youguessing even while revealing part of the truth, the director knowsvery well what he's doing (which is paramount to movies of this genre)and the way the movie has been shot really creates a warped realityfeel.If you're a fan of this genre, don't miss it. If you want every singlelittle detail spelled out (people who support horrible movies like the'TCM', 'Dawn Of The Dead', 'The Hitcher', 'Black Christmas', 'Fog' and'HalloweeN' remakes) this is not for you, as it requires you to think.Stay: 9/10.

Sean Axmaker

(2013-05-15 07:57:32)

... for a film so affectingly steeped in loss, resignation and the ghosts of memory, the revelation... lacks emotional resonance.

Never really had one

(2013-05-13 03:16:26)

So Much Talent, Such a Disappointment

"I burned myself...practicing for hell." - Henry LethamFeeling guilty, I'll admit that I had very high expectations for multi-talented filmmaker Marc Forster's new psychological thriller. Why wouldn't anyone? It's directed by the guy who did 'Monster's Ball' (an Oscar winner) and 'Finding Neverland' (another Oscar winner), and it featured a talented cast from Academy Award Nominee Naomi Watts, the terribly underrated brilliant actor Ewan McGregor and Ryan Gosling - who in all respects is pretty solid for the most part. It had all this great stuff behind it...but it all went to absolute crap. 'Stay' promises to be innovative and enthralling but it turned into an absolute train wreck. I could speculate the reason they named it 'Stay' is for it to be a plea for the audience not to exit in droves.The story surrounds a deeply disturbed and possibly bi-polar young Bohemian in New York named Henry Letham (Ryan Gosling - The Notebook, Murder by the Numbers). After threatening to kill himself at midnight on Saturday, his caring psychiatrist Sam (Ewan McGregor - The Island, Trainspotting) becomes interested in his life-story and starts investigating him. The deeper Sam looks the more disturbing things come and it starts to appear that family members of Henry who have passed on are walking around almost like zombies. Sam tries to get to the middle of this with the help of his soon-to-be fiancée (played by Naomi Watts -21 Grams, Mulholland Drive). The film throws a bunch of weird events that don't make any godd*mn sense at us, but they never take the time to explain anything. It gets so tiresome after the film's first half-hour and it starts to become absolutely painful to watch. Watching 'Stay' is almost like being constipated. It doesn't get much more wearisome and disappointing than this.I have to give credit where credit is due and say the acting in the film is pretty good. Ewan McGregor is solid in all his scenes and Naomi Watts is a pleasure to watch for her mostly brief screen time. The actor who really steals the show however is Ryan Gosling. I was impressed with how good he played an emotional disturbed human being and he certainly was the main attraction of the tedious film they call 'Stay'. Marc Forster's direction is nothing like his elegance and grace in 'Finding Neverland' or even 'Monster's Ball', but instead flashy and pretentious. The script is an absolute mess and it makes me wonder if it was actually written by a monkey or any other member of the animal kingdom. The absolute worst part of the film is the ending (I won't reveal it to all of you wanting to see the movie, though). All I will tell you is that it definitely ranks into the Top 20 most disappointing and lackluster film endings of all time.In conclusion, 'Stay' isn't worth your money at the theaters or even in the videostore. If you still want to see it, wait for a Sunday afternoon when it's playing on HBO. 'Stay' is a film with a bunch of poor aspects except the great acting (especially from Gosling) which can't even begin to boost the overall crappiness of the movie. On a high note Bob Hoskins has a small role in the film, and on a low note so does Janeane Garofolo. Grade: D+ (screened at AMC Deer Valley 30, Phoenix, Arizona, 10/23/05)my ratings guide - A+ (absolutley flawless); A (a masterpiece, near-perfect); A- (excellent); B+ (great); B (very good); B- (good); C+ (a mixed bag); C (average); C- (disappointing); D+ (bad); D (very bad); D- (absolutley horrendous); F (not one redeeming quality in this hunk of Hollywood feces).

reaki

(2013-05-12 17:17:36)

The direction is worth seeing...

I just saw this movie and I think that it's one of the best movies I'veever seen. Although you can say that the script and the plot are notthe best ever, the twists are very good and manage to keep you uptightthrough the whole film. The direction is simply excellent (therefore Igive it a 10). The movie begins with an accident on a bridge, whichimmediately puts you in the mood to see something different, alwaysconcerning the directing aspect. Throughout the film, Marc Forster(although quite young in directing and this is his second movie I'veseen) managed to make unique transitions from one scene into another,the lighting was also very good and the result rewards every viewer.The images, the scenes, the whole atmosphere of the movie, the waycolors alter along with very good acting by the protagonists, make arare film that could compare to the strange way of filming by Tarantinoor Lynch. I recommend it strongly especially to those interested in thedirecting part of films.

Peter Rainer

(2013-04-23 05:48:37)

A great big blurry mess.

Anton Bitel

(2013-04-22 22:21:07)

The effect is something indescribably cinematic, as the inner mechanics of the mind's eye are vividly translated onto the big screen. Beautiful, haunting and ultimately transcendent...

rak1944-1

(2013-04-02 16:11:04)

Ambrose Bierce

There was a short story written by Ambrose Bierce called "An Occurrenceat Owl Creek Bridge". I think Rod Serling did a version of it on theoriginal Twilight Zone. If you read that story, and they watch "Stay"the movie will make a lot more sense. I don't generally care for EwanMcGregor (other than in "Moulin Rouge") but he was adequate. NaomiWatts is always professional and Ryan Gosling was better than expected.The direction and the overall atmosphere of the movie were very welldone. Not an Academy Award winner but a movie that you have to watchrather than absorb.It would be worthwhile to compare "Stay" with "Mulholland Drive" bothfor the ending twist as well as for the atmosphere. Repetition ofvarious items (the blue box in "Drive" and the multiple entering of theapartment in "Stay" as examples)are similar in both movies.

mags-21

(2013-04-02 03:48:00)

borrow ideas from The I Inside (2003), but not as good as.

Overall quality of this film is good, if I had never saw The I Inside(2003) before, I would have rated it 9/10.This film borrow ideas from The I Inside (2003), they both deal withillusion when someone suffers death, when the brain try to make areasonable conclusion of what happened by mixing the information pickedfrom reality, previous experience, emotions and wishes.From my point of view the plot of Stay is not as gripping as The IInside, the later one do a better job keeping you trying to figure outwhat on earth happened by keep the brain-made world convincing till thesecond half of the film. Stay just introduced turbulence of the fakeworld at the very start, which may be an approach to giving theaudiences sufficient time to guess and understand the real situation,but fails to interest astute audience like me.

Michael O'Keefe

(2013-03-19 15:53:32)

Patient/Doctor interaction.

Henry Letham(Ryan Gosling)is a talented young man with a seriousproblem with guilt. His psychiatrist(Janeane Garofalo)excuses herselfdue to illness and turns Henry over to a well respected Dr. SamFoster(Ewan McGregor), who puts himself in a position where he mustprevent his new patient from committing suicide. Foster's girlfriendLila(Naomi Watts)begins to fear the doctor's own mental capacity whiledealing with Henry. The patient is hearing voices and the psychiatristis now hallucinating. Which will actually 'crack' first? Have neverbeen a fan of McGregor and nothing here changes my mind. I foundGosling even less impressive. Now for Watts...very attractive and thebest acting of the cast that also features: Bob Hoskins, B.D. Wong(ofLAW and ORDER fame) and Elizabeth Reaser. My favorite scene is ofMcGregor chasing Gosling down a blue staircase. I really enjoyed thescene transitions throughout STAY.

(2013-03-19 05:47:21)

Vascilates between intriguing and dull.

potential spoiler within...sort ofthe earliest fictional work i know of that deals with the maleability of time immediately preceeding death is "an occurrence at owl creek bridge" by ambrose bierce. since then the idea has been explored, exhaustively, but few as delicately and piercingly as "stay". whereas the idea can often become a gimmick (i.e. m. night shyamalan), a plot twist to upheave the audience, "stay" is at core an emotionally driven examination of a mind's final grappling with elusive forgiveness. externally a bloodied body lying in the street...internally an elaborate and beautiful, if tragic, menagerie of imagined city landscapes and vulnerable characters. that the plot centers around an artist is all the more fitting, considering that the entirety of the movie is a creation of his dying brain. the success of this character is not simply a product of good writing. ryan gosling's henry letham is as nuanced a performance as i've seen, especially in the brilliant-though-damaged-artist role that tends to be overwrought by lesser actors. the contrast of letham's hurried, sputtering last words and the almost serene resolve of his fictionalized persona to shoot himself in the head on the brooklyn bridge are nothing short of poetic. ewan mcgregor and naomi watts are a complemantary, unobtrusive match to gosling, mcgregor's mildly humorous, though not distracting, american accent aside.the hagakure states that we should contemplate death daily. "stay" surfaced such ruminations overwhelmingly and yet quietly. how unfortunate, though, that our most poignant thoughts and fantasies may come to us only in the moments before we dissolve into darkness.

masoud

(2013-02-27 08:50:53)

a film that must be watched not just once but twice!!!

""Sam Foster(Ewan McGregor): If this is a dream, the whole world isinside it.""If you're looking for an amazing movie that's here:STAY It's a complexbut complete movie.I think that the best example for Near DeathExperience(NDE) is shown in this movie and it represents us theperspicacity of both director and writer. Every dialog and scene inSTAY is important and not only you must listen and watch it but alsoyou should memorize all the details such as backgroundsounds,visages,sentences,names and so on!Paying attention to what happens could help everyone enjoy the film.I believe there are some similarities between Orson Welles's TOUCH OFEVIL and STAY in the ways of cinematography. Ryan Gosling plays appreciable and is the best for his role.His glancemakes him and the movie so mysterious.The character of Henry Letham canshow us both innocence and guilty in his eyes.Guilty;that he thinksabout his personality that made him to say and write "forgive me" againand again.And innocence;that Dr.Sam Foster could find in Henrie'sconscience and wanna show to Henry. The golden globe nominee director Marc Forster has shown that couldmake such laudable films in different genres like FINDINGNEVERLAND,STRANGER THAN FICTION,MONSTER's BALL and KITE RUNNER. It wasthe first accompaniment between David Benioff and Marc Forster thatrepeated again in The Kite Runner. I say:what do you want of a completemovie;suspension,good directing,good playing,good music and.... STAYcould gather them all. It's not my best 'cause it is always SHAWSHANKREDEMPTION as a respectable one but i've watched STAY about 13times,ithink! and every time i've found something new.STAY keeps you in asuspension situation.STAY, a film that must be watched not just once but twice!

amie5961

(2013-02-26 20:59:35)

The movie is decent for those who truly understand it.

I watched this movie because my boyfriend brought it home. He said itis a terrible movie but also says there is no point and he doesn'tunderstand it. I just watched it for the first time and it was easy forme to understand. A person is basically coping with his death before hedies. For the person who said there is no real point to his dream...youmust be blind. Let's look at an obvious symbol.."Fogive me" ..that isthe entire point to him having the dream. He needs to know that hisparents forgive him for killing them in the car accident. Hence, hismother says "You didn't mean to hurt us" to Sam when he goes to herhouse in the dream. The same with his father.

(2013-02-26 03:06:43)

Less than impressed

This review is from: Stay (DVD) Movie arrived and I was less than impressed from the get go. It was rated as "in good condition" when I purchased it, but when I pulled it out of the shipping envelope, the case looked really old and damaged. The cardboard movie cover looked like it had water damage and was stuck to the plastic case. I had to spend 5 minutes getting it off, tearing it in the process, before I could even open the movie case. The disc was floating around inside when I finally got it open.

Felicia

(2013-02-25 18:04:44)

A thinking persons dream!

I loved this movie! It gave me so much to think about! From what was actually happening to why the characters were acting the way they did to why the background looked as it did. I wondered how all of these mysteries were pointing me to the final plot twist. This was the first movie I've been to where in the middle of the movie I was wondering who directed the movie. I usually go to movies mostly for entertainment value, but this one really got me thinking. It reminded me of Sixth Sense because after the movie, after you had the answer, you had to go back over the whole movie and think about it in a new light. Only Sixth Sense went back for you and showed you the clues so you could say "Aha!" But Stay leaves you to do that on your own. Furthermore there are so many images that don't really get explained leaving you to wonder and postulate about them for days. It makes me want to see the movie again and look for all the little things I may have missed. This was chock full. I truly enjoyed it!

Craig Larson

(2013-02-22 13:24:11)

_Stay_ Away

The real mystery in this movie is what attracted such an A-list groupof stars (Ewan Macgregor, Naomi Watts, Ryan Gosling, Bob Hoskins, etc.)to such a poorly-written and imagined screenplay. The whole thing playsout like an ultra-cheesy episode of _The Twilight Zone_, though atalmost 100 minutes, your patience is likely to run out long before theclimactic "reveal" that supposedly ties everything together. I say"supposedly" because I don't think it does tie anythingtogether--you're likely to have just as many, if not more, questions atthe end. I was suckered in by mysterious trailers that made this filmseem to be something intriguing and mysterious, and it is that, butpeople want answers. The whole thing seems to promise a final twistalong the lines of _The Sixth Sense_, but there's just nothing. It's avery self-consciously arty film (one critic I read called it a"look-what-I-learned-in film-school" film--good description), with atheme and story than might seem weighty to an eight-grader. If you'refamiliar with _Jacob's Ladder_ or _Carnival of Souls_ or AmbroseBierce's story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," then you've alreadyseen this story before, and you should save your money and your time. Ifound myself wishing I'd gone to see _Doom_ instead.

jdwgraton

(2013-02-22 01:20:18)

Fantastic movie, but not intended for the Dim Witted

Much in the way of Memento and the machinist this movie was aprovocative mind twister, excellent in the way it was presented and theimagery was outstanding. I went to the sneak preview and although a tadslow at times, loved every minute of it. Stay consumes you through it'splot twists and beautiful imagery. I felt as though I was watching themovie completely in and by myself even though I was in a crowdedtheater. The problem a lot of people will have with this movie is amajority of mainstream moviegoers won't understand what they just sawafter the movie is over because they can't comprehend the complexity ofit. For a solution we have to think back through the whole film, andthat's where it will lose a lot of it's viewers. I however loved it andthink the acting was outstanding. A+ recommend to everyone.

graveXrob

(2013-02-20 11:19:43)

Surprisingly great

I wasn't expecting much from this as it "slid under the radar" so tospeak, but what an amazing film.There are a few titles that come to mind that really capture truedream-like imagery. Not just showing cliché scenes unfolding with oddbehavior but really mimicking what our dream scenes look like (strange,blurry, beautiful, dark, scary, etc). Anyone who's seen EternalSunshine On A Spotless Mind knows what I'm talking about. STAY pulledthis off. The way scenes merge together in this movie is something tomarvel at.It's hard to talk about STAY & not give away spoilers. So all I'm goingto say is great casting. Everyone works together very well. Very niceoriginal plot (although spin endings are a dime a dozen now). It'sdefinitely one of those instant love or hate films. I think anyone whowants a quick-fix, mindless mission impossible 3 type flick should stayaway from STAY. But if you like thinking & interpreting depth youshould at the very least rent this film.

Marios Meimaris

(2013-02-19 21:53:59)

the unbearable lightness of dreaming

I guess the writing of the film is based on a bunch of different andself-sustaining ideas that eventually don't bind as well as the makersthought they would. Although a great atmosphere manages to make its wayto the viewer's eyes and thoughts in many scenes, when judged as awhole, "STAY" probably disappoints or just leaves you a feeling ofpointlessness towards the movie and the scenario is relativelyweak.What's good is that when you finally figure out what's going onyou get that feeling of wanting to explore a little more of the wholeidea of the film as it is a rather unusual one and/or a "oh my god iwas thinking about making a movie with a similar plot" type of movie.But when analyzing a little thorougher what just went on before youreyes the last one and a half hour you end up in a maze of goofs andstoryline dead-ends that don't have strong foundations. Overall it ispretty watchable.

Lorenzo_von_Matterhorn

(2013-02-16 15:04:26)

Stay

Henry Letham: I burned myself.Sam Foster: You burned yourself? Why? Henry Letham: Practicing for Hell.Standing in for a sick colleague, renowned New York psychiatrist SamFoster is confronted with disturbed art student Henry Letham. Seeminglyinspired by his idol, a painter infamous for committing suicide on his21th birthday, Henry announces he will shoot himself Saturday atmidnight--the moment he turns 21. Foster, once having saved hissuicidal girlfriend Lila, takes the threat seriously but fails tosimply have Henry taken into custody. Instead, while trying to trackhis patient down, Sam is gradually drawn into the world of Henry'sobsessions.From this point of the review, I can already tell you that this movieis not what it seems. Yes, there is a big, fat, juicy twist at the endbut for the sake of the spoilers, I will leave it to you to find itout. Marc Forster who also directed such films like Stranger thanFiction, The Kite Runner and Finding Neverland is at the helm of thisfilm working a David Benioff screenplay. Stay is one of those bizarre,weird, oddball kind of film so from the get-go you have to payattention and look closely. This is not a story where everything hasgot to be spoon fed to you, you have to guess and guess and piece allthe clues and puzzle pieces and trust me, you will have a hard timedoing the task. I had to re-watch this again to fully understand theconcept and with every passing scene, the scenario gets even weirderand more bizarre than the previous scene so you really have got to payreal good attention.Once you reach the ending the big, fat, juicy twist at hand and yourealize: "Wow, that was really good but I think I've seen that beforethough". That's what exactly I felt when the supposed shocking endingwasn't really that shocking to me, it was a so-so twist, nothing new tooffer to the table. The acting, quite okay, though this ain't EwanMcGregor and Naomi Watts' defining moment in Hollywood. They were justaverage to my taste but Ryan Gosling on the other hand, was prettyamazing as always. He nailed the role and I think he's the best thingin the movie.

(2013-02-16 04:49:20)

I don't know much about art, but I do know what I like...

and I liked, no loved, this movie. Although starting slowly, I was eventually drawn in until I became immersed in the film. The visuals are stunning and I was awed by the morphing cut scenes. I enjoyed the surreal atmosphere and was somehow stimulated by Gosling's dour performance. Did anyone else notice that his character's name is an anagram of Hamlet? Anyway, I'm buying the DVD because I want it for my permanent collection.