Rating: 
Summary: Spooky creepy and nightmare inducing!
Review: Whew...I hope I'm still alive in 7 days, and if you've seen this movie, you'll know what I mean. Don't worry, that didn't spoil anything. But I must say this is a VERY spooky film! Most of the spookiness comes from psychological horror, the kind that creeps around in your head and doesn't let you sleep afterwards. I much prefer this to the boo-jump-from-behind-the-door-with-a-chainsaw kind of horror flick. In fact, in regards to horror films, I would place this up there with Mulholland Drive and The Others (another great film with another Australian lead actress) as the best horror films of this new century.Our heroine this time is Naomi Watts, who was simply fabulous in David Lynch' Mulholland Drive. She is in practically EVERY scene in The Ring, and not only is she beautiful to behold, but she gives another astounding performance. She's the real deal, in other words. The Ring, which is a re-make of a Japanese film that spawned several sequels and even a TV show, is about an urban legend of a videotape that kills you after you've seen it. Don't worry - I didn't give anything away because you learn this about 4 minutes into the film, anyhow. Suffice it to say that some folks watch the tape and die, and Naomi Watts, a relative of one of the victims, decides to investigate for herself to try to understand the mystery behind the tape. That's all you really need to know to enjoy the film. True, the film doesn't always make sense (hey, it's a Japanese remake and it's a horror film, what did you expect?) but it absolutely drips with suspense and style. Scene after scene is photographed in a really haunting way, and while the film contains very few BOO moments, the entire atmosphere of the film is extremely unsettling, which makes those moments much more frightening! Very good stuff. A few words - a lot of horror films nowadays have a twist ending. So does this one - don't walk out of the theater too soon or you'll miss it! Secondly, I've spoken to a few folks who noticed the boom microphone during their viewing (that's the mic that captures sound). You should NEVER see this during a movie, even though it's printed on the film the theater receives, because the projectionist, if he isn't asleep, is supposed to properly frame and track the film to block it out. Ever wonder when you're watching a widescreen film if there's more film above and below the frame that you're not seeing? Now you know. :) As for The Ring, great horror flick! Very scary! Five stars!
Rating: 
Summary: Great Americanized remake of the Japanese horror
Review: I watched the original Japanese "Ring" (aka "Ringu," as per the Japanese phonetic) two years ago. It was a very freaky film, to say the least. So when I learned that a remake of the film was being released here in the States, I had to see it. I was curious to know if the American filmmakers were going to improve upon the original, or totally screw it up by "Americanizing" it. Well, I'm glad to say that they mostly succeeded. After the opening sequence which was a virtual carbon copy of the Japanese original, the movie improved upon the original in many ways. There were some plot changes, but most had to do with Americanizing the characters, their relations, and their background. The writers did a great job of only Americanizing the setting while keeping the core plot elements and themes intact. (Personally, I really enjoyed the Seattle apartment complex which Naomi Watt's character lives in because the buildings looked decidedly more Japanese than American. :D ) Furthermore, there were some additional scenes and freaky stuff that I don't remember seeing in the Japanese original. Those new stuff and the Hollywood production value did a good job of improving the movie. The acting was pretty good too. Definitely more compelling than the Japanese version. Unfortunately, I was let down by the climactic ending of the movie. Naturally, I will not spoil the movie for you by going into details. But let me just say that I found the Japanese ending to be ten times more freaky (and memorable!) than the American one. (This is about the only reason why I'm giving the movie a 4-star rating. If I could give it a 4-1/2, I would.) In terms of the plot, the endings are practically the same, but how the scene was executed was different. I feel that the Japanese ending was more tightly directed and more freaky as a result, compared to the slightly self-indulgent "ooh, isn't this scary" American rendition of the same scene. But apparently, I felt that way only because I had watched the original. There were plenty of girls screaming and guys yelling [...] in the theater, and my cousin (who had not watched the Japanese original) was very freaked out too. I was definitely among the minority. All in all, I think "The Ring" is a great remake of the Japanese original. Even though I personally feel that they somewhat botched the ending (probably only because I'm comparing it to the Japanese original, which most people probably haven't even heard of anyways), the American version successfully brings the feel of the Japanese occult and horror to the American moviegoers. It definitely ain't your usual hack-and-slash cheese-and-sleaze gore-horror flick. It's a great, great movie for the Halloween season, and I expect it to enjoy a long, happy life at the box office. Oh, as a side note, while watching David Letterman the other night, I learned that Naomi Watts (the leading actress) went to the same high school with Nicole Kidman in Australia. Maybe that's why Naomi has same facial expression things going on as Nicole. I thought it was very interesting. I wonder if I'm the only one who saw that. :)
Rating:
Summary: Sacry, scary well done movie
Review: I don't write synopses of the plot or list the cast and crew - all that's done elsewhere. I do like to write my opinion of the movie though. This one is a good scary movie. It has all the ingredients - threatening sets, a plot well-done enough to keep the interest and keep me guessing, a weird kid and a troubled mother. The movie starts quickly - setting up the plot right at the start and letting us know what it's all about. It's about a videotape and, if you watch the videotape you'll die in exactly seven days. Exactly seven days. To the minute. It moves right along from there to show us the heroes and villains (perhaps) and keeps its taut pace throughout. I don't recall one draggy moment in the film and I do recall the gorgeous redhead clinging tightly to my arm for a good one third of the movie. There's enough blood to satisfy the 'thud and blunder' mob and enough suspense to keep Hitchcock fans happy. Even the ending - in which I find fault with many Hollywood movies - is nicely done. Good one to go see at the movie theater, rather than wait for video. The big screen and the soundtrack add a lot. Well done Dreamworks.
Rating:
Summary: The most terrifying movie ever made!
Review: Having seen hundreds of scary movies, I like to consider myself a bit of a horror buff. Okay a junkie. But I have never seen a movie like the ring. This film had me scream (something I never do in a horror movie), shake, and it even scared me to the point of tears. I held my girlfriend's hand, seemingly to make her feel better, when in actuallity I was scared out of my mind. Just when you think you're safe, the movie turns and a new fear is born. This movie scared me more than I ever have been before, and I'm not sure I'd ever want to see it again... I still haven't been able to sleep after two days. There are images that I know I will never be able to shake after seeing this film. Happy viewing.
Rating: 
Summary: Will do well at Blockbuster...
Review: Not a Bad film overall... Loosely based on a Japanese story (part of a trilogy) which when made into a movie was the biggest Japanese money maker to date. This film has some holes, but overall is a good script. For people looking for horror flick- complete with gratuitous violence...look elsewhere. This is a mystery/ghost story with an urban myth premise. The acting is basically believable, but I suspect that there are some key scenes that may have ended up on the editing room floor because they wanted to make way for a few special effects that will titialate the American audience. However, some key questions still remain. Warning: there is potential for a REALLY BAD sequel here... All in all an entertaining, but would not be surprised if its stay in the theaters is not a particularly long one.
Rating:
Summary: Ring-A-Ding
Review: I know there will be some misguided souls who stumble into a showing of THE RING believing that it's either a film of Richard Wagner's famous operatic cycle, or has something to do with Hobbits. Needless to say, they will be in for a surprise.
Gore Verbinski's THE RING, based on an extremely popular Japanese film and novel, is a creepy and disturbing thriller that may do for VCRs what JAWS did for the ocean. After watching a recent sneak preview, I couldn't help but imagine people all across the nation going home and throwing out their videocassettes and players, in fear that they might accidentally watch the tape that's at the center of this movie.
The fast-paced suspense film begins in Seattle with an urban legend-type set up: two high school girls - Katie and Becca - are alone in Katie's home at night. Conversation turns to a videotape that has a horrifying effect. Moments after you watch it, the phone rings, and a voice tells you, "Seven days." And exactly a week later, you die. Katie reveals to her friend that she watched that tape at a cabin in the woods, seven days before.
In a brilliantly edited sequence that is sure to make you drop your popcorn, Katie meets her fate, and we learn that the tale of the tape is no mere kids' story.
Katie's aunt, a newspaper reporter named Rachel (Naomi Watts), is asked by her sister Ruth (Lindsay Frost) to investigate the death, and she soon finds herself drawn into a world that's as dark and claustrophobic as the grave. Pulled in with her are former boyfriend Noah (Martin Henderson), and their son Aidan (David Dorfman).
We see the tape in question early on, and at first it appears to be just a random series of weird images - a ring of light that looks like a solar eclipse, dead horses floating in water, a woman leaping from a cliff, a fly buzzing, a stone wall that encloses a well - playing out like a home movie made by David Lynch and Luis Buñuel after they've dropped acid together. As the film progresses, however, we learn that the eerie black-and-white vignettes are clues to who made the tape and why.
I'd hate to give away too much, so I'll just say that the answer takes Noah and Rachel to an island where a horse breeder (marvelously played by Brian Cox, the original and best Hannibal Lecter) seems to be hiding a secret that's by turns sad, and horrifying.
The acting in THE RING is fabulous throughout, with the actors stretching well beyond the caricatures all-too-often found in horror films and creating realistic, intriguing people. I've met and interviewed Naomi, and yes, she really is that beautiful and charming in person, and here she proves once again that she's an outstanding actress. Martin Henderson, another actor from Down Under, is perfect as a videographer turned reluctant action hero, and young David Dorfman and Daveigh Chase are scary-good. Amber Tamblyn (daughter of multitalented actor/singer/dancer Russ Tamblyn) and the engaging Rachael Bella do a wonderful job of starting the movie off with a scream, Lindsay Frost shines in a small but important role, and Jane Alexander (an actor's actor) is fun to watch as a doctor who knows more than she wants to. The direction is crisp, stylish, and sure-handed (hard to believe that this is the same guy who helmed MOUSE TRAP and THE MEXICAN). Even the lighting and sound are beautifully worked out; those elements make a sequence with a horse on a ferry especially chilling. Hans Zimmer's soundtrack hits all the right notes, and the screenplay is smart, original, and pulls no punches. It's worth noting that unlike most modern horror films, you won't see people terrorized with knives or other conventional weapons, and there's very little actual gore. What you do see, however, as well as what's implied, may give you the worst case of the creeps you've ever had.
I'm sure that some purists who've seen the original Japanese film (which spawned sequels and a TV series) will pick apart this version, but, for my money, this is one case where the remake of a foreign film can stand on its own merits.
If you love being scared, grab a hold of Verbinski's THE RING and hang on for the ride of your life.
Rating:
Summary: What other horror movies long to be...
Review: Let me say first, that this is a film that really plays mind games with you, which to me is one of the most effective and impressive things about it. For example, in the opening scene you'll feel you're going to be terribly disappointed, as you're about to see another cheesy teen horror flick. A couple of teenage girls alone in the house, each trying to scare the other, certainly leading up to an over-the-top and invariably unsatisfying scare, right? No, not right. This movie catches you off guard and starts out with a bang, and continues that terror for not only the next 2 hours, but long after the movie is over! These little tricks continue throughout the film, often letting your expectations do the work of terrifying you. Many of the scares are sort of left to your imagination, but that's not to say that you won't see plenty of horrible, disturbing stuff! I consider myself a fan of horror movies, but I had fallen under the impression that none could truly terrify me. The Ring changes all of that! There's something brilliant in the way the disturbing and horrific images were designed and filmed. The cinematography, sound editing, and all other aspects of the medium play an important role in making you *feel* the terror rather than just seeing a bunch of gory pictures. In fact this movie has very little gore! Even the black and white video with all its abstract images managed to send chills up my spine. Furthermore, Naomi Watts, who plays the lead character, gave an *amazing* performance! This woman can do horror. Not to mention a particular scene with her pulling an object attatched to a very long cord out of her throat, which was truly an excruciating thing to behold. She helped keep the whole story real, which surely helped to create that penetrating fear, as even though the idea behind the story may seem a bit silly and unrealistic, you still almost feel that it could happen. I still find myself jumping when I see a TV screen with static. I can't say enough about this movie. A friend of mine saw a special screening of it and told me it surpassed any horror movie he's ever seen, but I thought he was exaggerating, until I saw it for myself... The Ring will surely go down as one of the classics of horror, and even of filmmaking in general.
Rating:
Summary: Well executed film that'll keep you glued to the screen
Review: The Ring follows the exploits of Rachel Keller, a newspaper reporter who decides to investigate her niece's mysterious death at the insistence of her sister. In the process she stumbles upon a rumor about a videotape filled with nightmarish images, in which anyone who saw it will die seven days later. Not the gullible sort, Rachel attributes the information to just another urban legend, until she comes into possession of the said video. Wanting to get to the bottom of this, she finally watches the tape. Now, with only a week's worth of time, Rachel must find a way to solve the mystery before she becomes the next victim.
With a cast as small as this one, Naomi Watts is definitely in a position to make or break the film playing the lead role. Fortunately, she does not disappoint and delivers a rather impressive performance. Her portrayal of Rachel is intense, but measured. Her character is in a race against the clock, but does not loose her cool as she objectively sieves through each clue. David Dorfman is equally good as the son Aidan, a child with maturity beyond his years; he often has to take care of himself because of his mother's focus on her career. His calmed and silent exterior often speaks louder than words, which only adds to the creepy atmosphere of the movie. There is a lot to like about the acting in The Ring, not to mention a small but solid supporting role from Brian Cox. My only concern is that the relationship between Rachel and Aidan was not explored fully, which hurts the overall believability of Rachel's desperation in trying to save her and her son. Misdirection is the name of the game here, and director Verbinski plays it masterfully. You know that a scary moment is coming up, the tension is mounting, you want to look away or cover your eyes but you are afraid of missing the good parts. This is what makes The Ring such an enjoyable experience, just when you think that this is it, he pulls you back in and continues to keep you at the edge of your seat. Verbinski also make good use of the colors, a bit drab at times, the mix of gray, blue and black really accentuates the sense of dread and the ominous feeling. The Ring is definitely not your normal by-the-book horror movie, it plays very well and has the ability to grab hold of you and refuses to let go until the credits roll. I see it as one of those films that leaves you with a good first impression, but ultimately when you think about it you will find the plot rather shallow and illogical. Unlike The Sixth Sense and The Exorcist, which are grounded in realities, The Ring just does not have the same impact after you leave the theater, it lacks the ability to give you the same chills days and even weeks later. Despite all that, I would still recommend The Ring to anyone that is looking for a frightfully good time, just don't expect anything revolutionary to the genre.
Rating:
Summary: "The Asians Are Coming!"
Review: *
Poor Hollywood.... They're having such difficulty coming up with unique (let alone "good") movie ideas... so they have to look OUTSIDE of the country to make up for that deficit in creativity. Lately they've been looking to Asian countries for something original. Slated for remake are two Korean comedies, "My Sassy Girl" and "My Wife Is A Gangster," and a few years ago we brought the big lizard "Gojira" ("Godzilla") to America's crown jewel, the "Big Apple." Now slated for theatrical release later in 2002: "The Ring" -- based on the original Japanese horror sensation, "Lingu," which, when it was originally released in 1998, was Japan's highest grossing horror/suspense film of all time. It's no great mystery why American movie makers would take such an interest in this particular movie for a remake. The original Japanese film is dark, eerie and, though not particularly scary, is intense and engaging. Slow paced at times, and yet there's never a dull moment -- you'll not want to leave your seat. The story revolves around a news reporter who learns about an obscure video tape with a gruesome reputation: Anyone who views its brief and incomprehensible contents is guaranteed to die within seven days. Once dismissed as an urban legend circulating among the high school set, the reporter confirms the actual existence of the tape and unwittingly views it herself. She soon comes to the realization that the rumors about the tape's deadly effects are also true, and with the assistance of her ex-husband (who occasionally has flashes of random psychic images) tries to determine the tape's sinister origins and to see if they can figure out how to break the curse before their remaining week of life reaches its deadline -- literally. I am pleased to hear that the American version remains faithful to the original Japanese version. Even so, I am personally a bit hesitant about wanting to see it in it's westernized reworked presentation. But don't let MY uncertainty dissuade you any. If you have NOT had the privilege of seeing the Japanese original, then, by all means, see this "made for western audiences" version. If it is true that the U.S. version closely follows the Japanese version, then it is well worth your time to go see it! Enjoy! * * *
Rating:
Summary: Scary as hell
Review: Even though I've seen the original Japanese version, I was still thoroughly creeped out by it. This remake was excellent, and you don't have to have seen the original to like it, even though it's 85% a scene-for-scene remake, right down to the kitchen design of the first victim of the tape that we see. "The Ring" works as a psychological horror movie, and doesn't resort to needless CGI effects. In fact, my only complaint of the movie was that even the few CGI effects it used (i.e. showing body decomposing) was unnecessary. The movie, the premise, and the acting itself was enough. The ending might throw some people off, especially those who're used to Hollywood endings, but don't let that bother you. Go see this movie, and bring someone with you 'cause you'll be scared out of your wits.
|
