Brad Anderson is such an unconventional genre director that the categorization itself feels somewhat off (he started his career writing and directing romantic comedies, after all); that's not to say he hasn't brought a reputable eye to horror, with the mind-twisting "Machinist" and especially "Session 9" (one of the best horror sleepers of the past decade). Refreshingly (and somewhat predictably), Anderson uses the "Masters of Horror" format to tell a tale as intimately character-based as his previous works, while keeping the emphasis on a sense of unease as opposed to excessive gore. 'Sounds Like' is the story of Larry Pearce (Chris Bauer--"8MM"), a call monitor at a software company who develops super-sensitive hearing following the loss of his son; his wallow in grief is punctuated by an escalating madness that culminates in murder and, finally, silence. While the film is technically well done, with superb sound-effects editing (I particularly liked the small-arms fire of a sudden downpour against a windshield), I found myself intrigued yet detached from Larry and his predicament--aside from an early monologue and a few flashbacks, the characters aren't given enough background detail. Despite this, Anderson creates several great setpieces (including an ironic twist to Larry's refuge in a public library, and a scene where he bashes the ticking and buzzing appliances in his home with Nicholsonian grandeur), and certainly shows his knack for telling an offbeat tale. While 'Sounds Like' could have been better, it's still worth a look.