Rating: 
Summary: Seven Days....
Review: Engulfed in dark, dreary images, filled with wet and foggy visuals, and a chilling tone, director Gore Verbinski
creates one of the moodiest, and most effective thrillers to invade our heads in a long time. He creates such an intriguing and cold-like world, that you can't help but feel the chill of the thrilling events unfolding before your very eyes. The story is chillingly and well conceived by screenwriter Ehren Krueger("Scream 3"), and really takes you for a ride. The film begins with a solid intro that at first seems like it could be the beginning of any recent teen horror films, but it quickly turns and you realize that this isn't anything like it. We learn the story in these first few minutes of a bizarre tape. A tape that is so horrible and mind blowing that it eventually causes your death. After you watch it, you get a strange call with a voice on the other end whispering "seven days", and in that week's time, your gone. We then meet Seattle reporter Rachel(played by the strong and breathtakingly gorgeous Naomi Watts), and her little son Aidan, wonderfully and engaginly portrayed by young David Dorfman. Asked by her sister to look into the cause of a family tragedy, Rachel discovers the shocking tape and quickly descends into a mission to find out what the tape is all about, who are the people in it, and why the people who watch it die seven days afterwards. Aiding her in her mission is her friend Noah, played by Martin Henderson. Veteran actor Brian Cox, who was the first Hannibal Lecter in 1986's "Manhunter", also appears in the film as a man who may or may not know some of the tape's secrets. As I have already mentioned, Verbinksi fills his film with striking visuals and images that stay with you long after the film ends. He knows how to make everything in a scene work, and play it for all it's worth. The guy knows his way around a scare and how to set the right mood and atmosphere. If this is how he does thrillers, then we can only be so lucky that he does more, as it would definitley make him a fantastic force of nature in the genre. Seattle, and the surrounding areas, is where the film takes place. I live a little ways away from the city, but the place is like a second home to me because I go there so much and have family who live there. Everyone knows about the rain Seattle gets, so seeing it as wet and depressing as it was in this movie was no real surprise. I do wonder if this really was just typical Seattle weather, or if some of the rain and wetness was created by Hollywood instead of mother nature. The actors here are all game and really give it their all. I was the most impressed with young Dorfman. I am not sure how old he is, but he was very appealing and had good screen presence. This kid was good. Watts, a vision of total beauty, tackles her role with strength and intelligence and makes it real. Cox has a rather short role, but he makes them memorable. Sometimes the small roles are like that. While it is obvious that some people don't like, or get, these types of movies(just read some of the negative reviews for that), I enjoy them because they don't just flash some kind of gore or eye candy with virtually no story or a single scene of suspense or chills like some horror films and certain thrillers. Some people don't want to think or get to involved in a story, and just want the good stuff like in slasher films. Unfortunatley, this film did get a backlash like that once it got so popular and successful, which was expected. Oh well. I am glad I wasn't swayed by those reviews and finally saw a film that I had thought would of been really good and boy was I not disappointed. I was engrossed from the beginning to end, and anyone looking for that kind of depth, intelligence, and artistry in your thrills, will no doubt not be disappointed like me. I just wished I hadn't waited so long to see the film that is definitley one of the best thrillers in years. This was a good one.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant, effectively creepy horror
Review: It's heartening that effective suspense and horror can still come out of Hollywood in this era of Scream, Scary Movie, and the remnants of moronic teen fair [Freddy vs Jason]. Not since Blair Witch and to a lesser extend, Jacob's Ladder has a movie like this creeped me out. Taking itself completely seriously, there are no moments of humour and that contributes to the crawling terror. In a gritty, almost monochrome colored setting, four teens die a week after watching a mysterious video tape. The tape falls into the hands of a reporter, one of the kids' Aunt, who is trying to find out why her niece died. She watches the tape as does her sensitive son and the boys estranged father. She is told by the mysterious phone call that she now has 7 days to live. The race is then on to solve the mystery of this tape, its origins and its demonic hold on the viewers. Slowly, like an onion, the movies' layers are stripped away with hallucinogenic imagery and strange revelations. The protagonists start their research on the NET, move to moldy public library sources, and ultimately to insane asylum records. Eventually, the drama reaches its conclusion with additional jumps and starts all the way through. Amazingly, this film got away with a PG-13 rating despite it's nightmarish imagery. Very effective, brilliantly creepy film. Recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: OK, but the original is better.
Review: When is hollywood going to have an original thought?? Do yourself a favour and rent out Ringu, the japanese version is so much better than this. Yes it does have subtitles but reading is good for your mind my friends. Naomi Watts did well in this as did young kiwi Martin Henderson. I did way prefer the japanese original though, far more creepy suspence.
Rating: 
Summary: Ho-hum
Review: "The Ring" is the latest in a string of new psychological horror movies, a trend probably started by "Scream" or "I Know What You Did Last Summer". It's a horror story wherein characters die one week after viewing a horrific video tape. An hour in, I was envying the characters. I'm a big horror fan (heck, my twenty-fifth birthday party had a "Legend of Boggy Creek" theme), but I simply could not buy into this premise - a killer video tape? I mean, give me killer dolls any day over that. What's next, murderous spatulas? Killer quiches? Honestly. Rent it for a laugh, nothing else. The only thing to fear about videos is late fees.
Rating: 
Summary: Overrated, Plotless Mess
Review: Where shall we begin? As a lifelong and avid fan of genre films, this has to be one of the most overrated and disappointing movies I have ever seen. I'm not a horror film elitist, all I ask for is a decent story and at least a few scares or squirms. To summarize: 1. Naomi Watts-superb actor, she can do (and has done) so much better than this (Mulholland Dr., anyone?).
2. Plot & story-where are they? So full of holes you could drain pasta with it (do any screenwriters actually work in Hollywood any longer? or have they all given up and left the writing duties to the mailroom staff?). This is VERY puerile stuff here, adults beware. 3. Scare factor: on a scale of 1-10, ZERO. 0 suspense, 0 surprises, 0 credibility, and especially, 0 horror. This film simply is not scary, not at all, never for a moment. 4. Mama always told me: never put anything down unless you can come up with a better solution. SO--here are some recommendations for smart, interesting, intelligent, well-written and especially FRIGHTENING genre/horror films: *The Devil's Backbone (Guillermo Del Toro): now THIS is scary! *Don't Look Now (Nicolas Roeg): the most haunting, beautifully-shot (in Venice) and erotic horror film ever made. Just try to forget this one. *The Hills Have Eyes (Wes Craven): visionary and still shocking. *The Haunting (Robert Wise--the original, not the ridiculous modern remake): the best and most frightening ghost story EVER, period. *The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Tobe Hooper): unrelenting, claustrophobic, sweat-inducing and repulsive. This is an iconic and endlessly-imitated masterpiece, right up there with George Romero's "Night of the Living Dead." The recent remake (if not compared directly to the original) is NOT BAD, actually....
*The Mothman Prophecies (Mark Pellington): YUP, believe it or not, this is a tight, though confusing (you absolutely must read the book by John Keel prior to seeing this film) and above all VERY frightening and unsettling bit of business. Highly recommended for those looking for something different and a bit.....off. *Repulsion (Roman Polanski): The granddaddy....if this one doesn't disturb you on a very deep and lasting level, I would worry. "Rosemary's Baby," also Polanski, is another winner and timeless classic. Actually, ANYTHING Polanski is better than most of what's out there. My humble opinion: check out the movies listed above and avoid "The Ring"--annoying, unnecessarily oblique, and just plain dumb-dumb. Avoid.
Rating:
Summary: It stinks
Review: The ending just killed the movie..just killed it. And I don't care about some stupid sprit comming out of some television. Utter nonsense.
Rating: 
Summary: This is one of the creepiest things I have ever seen!
Review: I have seen this many times and each time it creeps me out. There is not really any blood or gore (except for the horse), but this movie doesn't need it. It is scary enough with just the story and the psychological stuff. And the first time you see it, it really is a mystery, and the pieces fit together really well. The acting is great, especially the kid's acting. And I found the storyline to be rather solid. I recommend you watch this if you haven't already.
Rating:
Summary: Psychological Horror
Review: For those who like their horror with spurting blood and ear-piercing screams, "The Ring" will disappoint since its disturbing eeriness stems more from psychological tension and creepy images. That's not to say it doesn't have its gory moments, though. Naomi Watts plays Rachel, a reporter, who sets out to decipher why her teenage niece died unexpectedly. When she hears rumors of a deadly videotape, she tracks it down and watches it alone in a cabin. The tape itself is not frightening - not at first; it's a surreal collage of striking, bizarre images. But immediately after seeing it, Rachel receives a phone call that sets everything in motion. The pacing is superb as no scene, no moment is wasted. Director Verbinski makes sure that the viewer must pay attention to every word, and this intense demand on the viewer increases the tension. The videotape itself evolves as the film does, making its initial strangeness transform into real horror. As Rachel discovers the meaning of each image, the suspense mounts, especially when her friend Noah (Martin Henderson) and her small son Aidan (David Dorfman) become involved. Watts does an admirable job keeping her character grounded and real, and that goes a long way in upping the stakes for the viewer. Little David Dorfman plays her adorable but creepy son Aidan with just the right amount of wide-eyed expression and deadpan delivery. Just wait until the next time you slip a VHS tape into a player, or flick on the television. You will immediately be taken back to this film with a small jolt. This chilling film relies heavily on atmosphere and anticipation to evoke its horror. Watch it at night in a darkened room for maximum creepiness. Viewers with overactive imaginations will be freaked out, and shouldn't watch it alone. Skip this, however, if you don't find cinematic mind games creepy enough. Although most people won't find "The Ring" heart-palpitating terrifying, they will come away from its viewing with its disturbing eeriness under their skin.
Rating:
Summary: An Unsettling RING
Review: A reworking of a highly popular Japanese film from 1998, THE RING is a disquieting and unsettling mix of psychological and supernatural horror elements with just a whif of Satanic imagery behind it. Avoiding the quick and easy way out via cheap shocks, director Gore Verbinski and screenwriter Ehren Kruger fashion one of the finest and most chilling horror films of recent times. Naomi Watts stars as a Seattle newspaper reporter looking into the deaths of four of her closest friends, all of whom died after watching a videotape at an isolation mountain inn. She watches the tape for herself, and sees random, disconnected, and nightmarish images, bookended by a mysterious ring pattern. A phone call comes, filling her with dread as the mysterious caller intones "Seven days." As a result, she and her boyfriend (Martin Henderson) have to do some quick investigating before it's too late. The mystery leads to an isolated island in the Puget Sound, and a family with a very strange past. In the tradition of THE SIXTH SENSE, THE RING offers mysterious and nightmarish images and no quick-fix solutions to the story's mysteries. Horror films that leave things up to the audiences's imaginations are far more effective and disturbing than those that just resort to cheap blood-and-gore shocks. There are some solid shocks, but none that are so explicit that the film's 'PG-13' rating is compromised in any way. But it is those racing cloud images, the Satanic looking tree at the top of the hill, and the ring image itself that stay within the mind long after the movie is over. Just on those counts, THE RING is one of the best films of 2002.
Rating:
Summary: great ghost story...
Review: I'm not going to tell you the plot if you haven't seen it because that's half the fun. This movie is basically everything a ghost story should be. It's got creepy scares, it's got suspence, and it's got a mystery. It also has a few other things going for it. The way it's put together almost cries for a cult following from the get go. It also has a story that will make it fun for repeat viewings. If you scare more when watching a movie alone... I say go for it when you first see this one. It's a fun movie and definately worth having around the house for a scary movie night.
|
