Baseshment
I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.
DubyaHan
The movie is wildly uneven but lively and timely - in its own surreal way
Logan Dodd
There is definitely an excellent idea hidden in the background of the film. Unfortunately, it's difficult to find it.
Bob
This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.
IMDBer100575
This is another I watched per reviews here on IMDb. I believe this is the first time I've watched a movie from the Philippines and I am quite impressed, overall.The acting in this movie seems very well done, but I will put in my standard disclaimer about movies spoken in a foreign tongue to me: I do not speak Tagalog so therefore, my critique of the acting in this movie is based on body language and facial expressions. Everybody did a fine job, even the Ella Guervara, the actress who portrayed the little girl, Lara. As far as actors, I'd say the star was Iza Calzado. I don't imagine it's too easy getting in the mindset of an abused woman.The atmosphere in this movie is incredible. The tension, drama, suspense, and action were all set up quite well. The music was on cue with the mood the director tried to set up for the audience. The lighting was just right for each scene. Nothing seemed out of place in this movie.When I watched this movie, I felt upset and angry. There were a few scare moments but mostly because of "noise tactics", which I consider the low-blow of horror cinema. A couple of scenes did frighten me though, such as when Bert was about to beat Anna over the head with a police baton. In all though, this movie made me upset at the ineptitude of my fellow man. It is very disappointing for me to see that we, as a species, can 1) hurt each other so much and 2) allow others to hurt ourselves or the people we know.If you happen to see this title at your local Blockbuster or, more likely, at your mom-and-pop video store (do they have such stores in smaller cities, or is it just in major cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco?), go ahead and pick it up. You might want to logoff of your game of World of Warcraft and pay close attention. This movie was well done and deserves the attention.
maxim3
Let's evaluate this for a second. I'm a non-Filipino and I am a huge fan of world cinema. Even though I would agree that some of the most talented performers are residing or undiscovered in the Philippines, the cinema usually leaves something to be desired - no offense. With the recent wave of Japanese horror rip offs, it is no surprise that the RP has followed suite. This is not a bad thing - in fact it is a breath of fresh air to see the recent wave of Filipino thrillers straying from the style that most other countries abandoned in the 60's. I do however think that the Philippines is not the place for this genre. Their cinema still requires that all actors be of model quality looks. For me, this takes away from the story. What so many other countries lack, that Japan offers is believable characters (looks and acting), a haunting score, a respect for the audience, drama first, and most importantly the sound scape - which I found missing in this film (an uncanny coincidence is that Sigaw won a big award for it's sound - case and point). On to the film: There are always certain elements that Filipinos include in their movies that no others can relate to. This is fine, but make it reasonable for us foreigners to relate or understand. Things like, how come everyone is beautiful and looks mestizo - explain, I've been to the Philippines and have never seen that. If they are so good looking, yet dirt poor, they would be in show business - not struggling in a crappy, haunted loft - hey you guys set this up - not me.The thing that kills me is, the story was 'good', not great, but they have taken the obvious parts of the Japanese Juon Trilogy and poorly executed it in this film - leaving out any of the rich folklore in the Philippines. If you borrow a story, at least pout an original spin on it. Another bothersome factor **spoiler** is when the ghost follows the couple everywhere short of the toilet - tip - you don't have to use every single shot you filmed. In any case, I feel that this film is a huge achievement in Filipino cinema, pushing it one step closer to international recognition - but they still have a long way to go before it can be taken seriously. I am rating this while putting aside most of my international comparison. This film does not deserve a 1 and does not deserve a 10 - so for the benefits to Filipino Cinema I rate it at 7. Good job Lam - I am eager to see where you go next. Although I stress that an American remake is a bad idea capital BAD.
KMeister1
I sat down and watched this movie at first not expecting much. I've seen a few Philippine films before and considered them about on par with American TV movies due to their low budget. "Sigaw" shows the viewer that an impressive movie can be made when a quality script, quality director and quality actors get together."Sigaw" is the story of about a young man who moves into an apartment building and can't find peace because of the constant noise create by the domestic problems of his neighbors down the hall. The neighbor wife and daughter are being routinely terrorized and victimized by her jealous husband. The husband and wife engage in the same argument word for word every evening--literally! The new tenant begins to hear strange noises and see strange sights in the dark hallway and eventually in his apartment. He tells his girlfriend, who at first doesn't believe him and insists that he just move out, but she later discovers, much to her dismay, that there's something very strange going on at her boyfriend's place and that they both have been swept into a terrifying situation in which there is no apparent escape.Sigaw reminded me of two other Asian scary gems--"Ringu" (later remade as "The Ring") and "The Eye." It's an excellent film that shouldn't be missed. One note: It is a foreign film, so there are subtitles, but much of the movie best scenes are, in fact unspoken.I highly recommend it.
miron1-3
Just when horror movies were becoming predictable, SIGAW and its director Yam Laranas came along to deliver the biggest scare of all.And it's a scare that's not achieved with special effects and thick makeup and even thicker music -- but by going to the core of what really scares us.That noise we can't explain. That thing that doesn't look right. That person who is there but should not be there. Something that seems to be following you. Sigaw is genuinely, deeply creepy.I don't know if Hollywood would see they've got a gem of a film here. Sigaw has its peculiar sense of timing. It certainly doesn't conform to a Hollywood formula of one scare per ten minutes. There is a long scene where the director keeps you in a state of simple nervous expectancy. And then are there are non stop scares where you're hardly allowed to breath. But that's exactly why fans of horror will need and want this one. It's a shot in the arm for the genre.