Whitech It is not only a funny movie, but it allows a great amount of joy for anyone who watches it.

Rio Hayward All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Staci Frederick Blistering performances.

Delight Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

gamay9 Film producers continue to criticize the Veteran's Administration but only a scant few have come up short. I live in Wisconsin. We have a clinic in Appleton, which is outstanding. There are no wait times, the doctors, nurses, therapists and staff are all very professional. They offer classes for pain management and other issues, even though the veterans may have not had military-related health issues. I get a vision check-up annually and if I need new glasses, they are free, as is everything else except medications, which are nominal. If I need more acute care, I go to the oldest and best VA hospital in the country, in Milwaukee, by van, 100 miles away at no charge and the drivers are volunteers. We also have a VA hospital and long-term facility in Tomah, Wisconsin, which is splendid. It has a golf course, fishing pond and a gym that outdoes Vic Tanny, along with a basketball court with hardwood floors and glass backboards.Not all VA's are the same. They are independently operated and I'm lucky to be in a state with the best of the best. I'll take the cold weather v Phoenix.As for the film - who cares? It's beneath Rob Lowe's qualifications as an actor. I turned it off when the VA turned him down.

dschmeding I really liked the first "Stir of echoes" movie and after reading some bashing here I thought I'd also give the second a try because too much praise and bashing indicates that its most of the time way out of line... and once again I was right.The movie is wrapped around a more up to date story revolving around an Iraq Soldier having to deal with his wrong decisions leading to an Iraqi family's death and his coming home to face demons which soon turn out not to be those you expect. Of course the basic premise from here on is 100% the same as in the first movie. Man has dreams and hallucinations and tries to uncover what they are about. Where in the first part hypnotizing triggered the events here its the war trauma which fits the explanation of the soldier in the first movie (they even picked back up his "X-Ray eyes" line).I think the movie is decent for a sequel... all the bashing about the acting and effects and bad story are pretty much over the top. But I give you that its at times annoying to watch the same ideas from Part1 recycled in a different environment and that the ending really sucks bad. Where the first part gave some kind of resolution this one doesn't... its real disappointing to have such a clichéd "happy Hollywood ending" (considering the ghosts) and everything else being a mess of storytelling. You can see they went for a drama like the kid in Part1 having to deal with the voices for life but here it just falls apart and pretty much left me cold when the credits rolled.Anyway I have seen far worse... and what really makes me smile is that I now know why there are such harsh reactions on the movie. There is not much positive left on the American side of glory at the end and it seems that some of the guys here are too damn brainwashed to face that there is also another point of view possible than the anti-Arab U.S. propaganda that is all over the place. Come on guys... comparing this movie to anti-semitic propaganda and Jud Suss is a joke. With hundred percent of the Nazis Jud Suss image stuck to Muslims in dozens of U.S. Blockbusters in best "Der Stuermer" manner. Look at the imagery and compare to Jud Suss and maybe you realize how damn brainwashed you are that you can't even face a movie about the negative sides without complaining. Now that the Russians are not the bad guys, the Muslims are... and as soon as someone depicts holy America as bad its propaganda of course. Get a life and look in the mirror for a difference... and after all its just a movie. If you are angry about it it must have had some kind of impact... and thats much more than most of todays movies even come near to achieve. Time to face your demons!

das417 When coming across a direct to DVD sequel of a mainstream horror or sci fi movie movie, usually one cannot be blamed for staying away. The rental stores are full of such sequels that are abysmal due to poor acting, poor special effects, and most of all poor directing. One will both waste their time and their money trying to enjoy such nonsense.Imagine the surprise when Stir of Echoes: The Homecoming, yes a sequel to a mainstream horror movie, proves itself to be a surprisingly intelligent thriller. The Homecoming won't win any awards but it does hold its own and is able to give a convincing story.Captain Ted Cogan (Rob Lowe) holds himself responsible for the death of an Iraqi family during his tour of duty. Like many veterans, Ted only wants to return home to his family and forget the war so that he can go back to the life he once knew. The problem is that such memories never fade easily and home is never the same once you have been gone for so long. Ted's wife Molly (Marnie McPhail) and son Max (Ben Lewis) find that the husband and father they once knew is a different man.However, something else haunts Ted. A series of graphic images of those who died in Iraq, including strange visions of what appear to be the future, stalk Ted. While he believes it to be mere post traumatic stress disorder, it soon becomes clear that something else is going on and that Ted is facing a different kind of ghost then he expected. While his family falls apart around him, Ted realizes that if he is to keep his sanity then he needs to solve the mystery of what is happening.Much like the previous Stir of Echoes, a spirit demands vengeance and unless that vengeance is fulfilled then that spirit will take its anger out on whoever it can reach. The truth, however, is more horrific than even Ted could imagine and will force him to make the most difficult choice in his life. The ghost isn't one that followed him from Iraq. The truth is that the ghost wants vengeance against Max for a crime he committed......Stir of Echoes Homecoming doesn't rely on gore to push the horror that Ted is experiencing. Instead it uses dialog and mood setting to give the feeling of Ted's isolation and confusion. Not the best movie but it is a good sequel that shows the original idea of Stir of Echoes is still interesting.7/10

dogs0ldiers678 This movie was exceptionally well done for a Sci-Fi original movie, and in my opinion a very controversial one as well, considering the fact it deals with the current war in Iraq.To begin with a man named Ted Cogan (rob lowe) and other soldiers kill a van full of people in Iraq creating a huge conflict, thus sending Ted and his men back home. When he arrives back to his house he starts seeing visions of the victims that were killed in the van. Finally, when all his buttons have been pushed Ted decides to try and find out why this is happening to him and what all the symbolic occurrences taking place really mean.Now, here's the part that I found rather controversial, upsetting and at the same time sickening. I am myself an American, but during the part when Ted's son and two other of his friends kill what they believe to be an Iraqi citizen in the country side I felt ashamed to call myself American. Although people may think that this doesn't happen, it does. Maybe what bothered me about this scene the most was the brutality behind the murder. The beating, the dousing of alcohol, the setting him on fire, the locking him in a dumpster to burn so he can't get out, all of this seemed to be so hostile that I felt completely repulsed. And then there's the part of the mother, Molly. She confides in her husband that although this was horrible, she doesn't want her son to be charged with this crime and she asks her husband how they can cover it up.All and all, the movie itself was good and entertaining, it was just the last fifteen minutes or so that bothered me. People may agree with me, or may not agree with me, either way it doesn't affect me. I just wanted to voice my opinion about what I found to be a rather disturbing sequence of events in the movie I just watched.