Noise (2004)

Thanks for the memories!

Overrated

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

"You give off this vibe that you're on the edge, that you're not really here," Hank (Giancarlo Esposito) says to Joyce (Trish Goff) in "Noise", Tony Spiradakis' superb (and apparently last) film from 2004 which I only discovered recently on Amazon Video as a cheap non-HD rental. I promptly ordered the DVD after I'd seen about fifteen minutes, I was so smitten.I love character pieces, especially when the character is enigmatic and troubled, which Joyce definitely is, to put it lightly. You name the dysfunction, Joyce pretty much has it, mostly from a lifetime of being pushed around and abused by everyone from her ex (David Thornton) to complete strangers. Following the break from Thornton, she seems ready to flip a switch and turn a corner, but she keeps falling into the same traps.Namely, she moves into an apartment in a large old building in New York directly under Charlotte (Ally Sheedy, who is so right for this part it's sometimes painful to watch). Charlotte blasts music, stomps around at all hours of the night, has the Loudest Sex Imaginable and seems overall immune to any defense Joyce can peacefully offer. Now this might take its toll on a normal person, but for a woman as close to the edge of the cliff as Joyce is... well... it makes for a very suspenseful, taut, engaging storyline that really is only the tip of the film's iceberg.Trish Goff plays Joyce with a boiling repression that's wonderful to behold. Her performance reminded me a lot of Sandy McCloud's other NYC woman on the edge of sanity in Lizzie Borden's "Variety" and that's a high compliment, though "Noise" is a much better, more realized film because it offers us a compelling plot on the surface and then gives us so much emotional angst and complexity as icing on the cake.I think people have liked this movie for the wrong reasons, kind of how they cheered Travis Bickle on in "Taxi Driver". If you watch closely you'll notice at the end of the film how much Joyce has become like her nemesis... she's "totally put together" now as well. Or not.Lots of good performances here, especially Esposito and also check out John Slattery in the type of part he used to get a lot in New York pre-Mad Men. And Sheedy has never been more convincingly bat-sh*t crazy. But Trish Goff is the real find here --- she makes Joyce so empathic it's hard to not realize she's close to the nut-house herself.If you're looking for something similar, check out "The Upstairs Neighbor" (if you can find it).

Late Christmas eve (2006), flipping through the cable I stumbled upon this creepy film that totally captivated me. How is it that crappy so-called psychological thrillers like PACIFIC HEIGHTS that aren't half as intriguing as NOISE get proper film releases? OK, the film isn't great but it was a good thriller about having the neighbor from hell living in the above apartment. Ally Sheedy was perfect as the crazy neighbor. Trish Goth displays the emotionally abused downstairs tenant. The believability factor is a bit of a stretch but it works. The film looks like it was made on a shoestring budget but that also works in favor of the film. It's gritty, just like the town where the story takes place (NYC)...you'll think twice before ever moving into a cozy little apartment!This isn't Polanski or DePalma but it sure made an impact on me. Catch it on cable or go out and rent it...you won't be disappointed!

The film Noise was very enjoyable. I have a very low tolerance for noise so I found it fitting to rent a movie with this title. I'm also a fan of Ally Sheedy and when I saw her name on the credits I picked the movie up immediately. This movie really shows you how irritating noises from a neighbor can actually reduce you to "sheer craziness". I've been in the same situation many times, but the noise came from roommate who had no regard or respect for my privacy. I could identify with the character to a certain degree but the ending was not what I expected at all and will shock the first time viewer a great deal. Please go see this movie, invite your noisy neighbor if you have to. LOL

You'll love this film if you are looking for something different. This film defies the predictable and carries the viewer into a plot free to surprise us giving us a satisfying cerebral experience. Noise has the complexity, the nuance, the depth, of some of the best films I've seen. I highly recommend it to those looking for a change of pace from your typical Hollywood film. Trish Goff's performance was remarkable considering this was her first effort and she is literally in every scene. Ally Sheedy was fantastic as the antagonist.The script introduces us to idiosyncratic characters, dialogue with an ear for the vulgar and the literate. The pace of the editing were dead-on. The music and sound design were perfect.