La porte de l'au-delà

I happened upon this little gem as I was channel surfing. An excellent story line with some commonality with other stories but still unique in its own way. The characters were well done, as were the special effects. Additionally, the special effects weren't the star of the show - the story was. The special effects were used sparingly and effectively, supporting and extending the story line.

The dank, grey ambience of Vancouver in the rainy season (think "Millennium") matched the circumstances of the lead character's life at the time (a failing business and a recently deceased mother) beautifully. Danson's honest portrayal of a troubled man with a newly discovered and troubling "gift" (his clairvoyance) were very, very well done. I have to admit that I never cared much for Danson's breadth of emotion, but this series converted me. Sorry, Ted and thanks, Ted!

Well done! A coup for all!

"Living With The Dead" is an excellent and very compelling film. I am not a huge fan of horror films and I hated "The Sixth Sense" for some odd reason, anyway when I first saw this film advertised on CBS I promised myself that I would resist at all costs and watch "Taxi Driver" on DVD instead, but then this made for television film started and to my surprise I was totally involved with the story and felt a connection to the character of James (I don't see dead people, if that's what you're thinking). I sat there by the tv totally mesmerised by this spectacular story. The story, directing, dialoge, acting, and suspence are all top-notch. I really loved the performances in this mini-series, I thought every actor played his/her part perfectly, but there are two people that I was really impressed with, when I saw the previews I didn't expect much out of Queen Latifa because I never really considered her to be an "actress", but she was just excellent in this film, gave me a newfound respect for what she does. The other performance I was surprised by was given by Ted Danson. You see I have always thought of Danson as a comedic genius because of his work from "Cheers" and most recently "Becker", but I have never thought of him as a dramatic actor so I didn't expect much from him either, but once again I was taken by surprise as this man really became the character and played the part perfectly. He was extraordinary in this movie.

Bottomline: It's a really great film that I hope to see again sometime.

Final-Grade: 8/10

I have just finished watching the first part of Living With the Dead. I would ordinarily never even think of writing a review until I had finished watching a movie until the credits stop rolling. Yet this film is the exception to the rule. Not since Lonesome Dove has there been a multi-part television endeavor that I actually have been excited about seeing the finish. Until now. Ted Danson gives one of the best performances of his career. Portraying the guilt ridden Catholic and stodgy bibliophile forced into facing things he doesn't want to face in a very believable and empathetic way. The rest of the cast is equal quality.

Stephen Gyllenhaal's direction is deft and workmanlike. Throw in Jeffery Jur's top notch and sufficiently creepy Cinematography and you got yourself a very worthwhile movie, made for television or not.

I have now waited a week to see the finish. I stand by my previously conclusions. While the story itself is unexceptional, the dialogue is good. Whether or not the story is true or the movie is like the book is immaterial to the quality and enjoyment for me. I watched it on CBS and even though it was interrupted with an unseemly amount of commercials and my advice is watch it uninterrupted if you can, I still enjoyed it. All-in-all, a very worthwhile movie to watch. I give it 8 stars out of 10.

James Van Praagh (Ted Danson) is a weird man who sees and communicates with dead people since he was a child. After the death of his mother Regina Van Praagh (Diane Ladd), he resolves the murder of an old man, and Detective Karen Condrin (Mary Steenburgen) gets close to him. He starts investigating what happened to a dead boy, who insists to try to communicate with him. Later, James and Karen realize that many boys have been murdered and buried in an isolated forest for seven years. There are a few suspects and many mystery to be resolved. This thriller is excellent, having a very tight screenplay. The characters are well-developed, the cast has excellent names, including Queen Latifah and Jack Palance and the direction is good. The plot has drama, thriller, crime and suspense and hooks the attention of the viewer until the last scene. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): `Falando Com os Mortos' (`Talking With the Dead')

I've accidentally found this movie on the Hallmark channel as there's no better choice on HBO and other movie channels that night. Without knowing anything about this movie I started watching it, and thinking that it might be just another horror movie. I must admit that I was kinda disappointed while I saw Ted Danson appeared on the movie cos I never really like Cheers and neither do I interested on any of his movie at all. But now, I must say Thank God I didn't switch to other channel which I almost did that night. This is an excellent movie with great actors, the performance of Ted Danson, Queen Latifah and Jack Palance impressed me a lot, and other actors were amazing in their roles too. I was stupid to ignore Ted Danson's movie in the past, he is really a great actor that acted with his heart and soul. This is not just a horror movie but a movie about forgiveness , understanding and most of all - LOVE!

I love this movie very much, so much so that I watched the repeat again the next morning.