Rating: 
Summary: superb.
Review: For years and years I've been waiting for a film that scared me so much I wanted to sleep with the lights on. I've found it.
to put it simply, 'the ring' is a masterpiece.
I feel proud to show this film to friends, the exclusive directors film at the end answers many questions such as 'why was shelter mountain closed when they went back?'. this feature was almost as surreal as the actual tape.
If I ever see any freaky long haired little girls on a tv screen, I'm running.
Go buy this video.
dont watch it alone though.
Rating: 
Summary: 7 Days Later....
Review: Let me start by saying that I did not see the 1998 Japanese cult horror flick, RINGU, from which this film was re-made. That's a different film from a different country: get over it. This movie is very scary, extremely well-crafted, but ultimately something of a mess. It was also my distinct impression that this is a film most effective on the big screen (I did not see it in the theaters).For those of you who saw the abysmal FEARDOTCOM, this movie is really the same idea right down to the creepy little dead girl who can't seem to stay dead; instead of a website that kills you in a week, it's a videotape. Can you make that adjustment, people? However, THE RING is a much better film, although amusingly enough, fails ultimately for the same reasons. The best part about THE RING is its dynamic cinematography, brooding atmosphere, and unsettling mood. It is superbly shot: The movie looks and feels like you're viewing it through an aquarium after midnight. It is always raining in this mis-en-scene, and that coupled with its smoky, steely, lonely backdrops made me realize, once again, how strangely influential the Brad Pitt classic, SE7EN, has been on these types of films. Another major plus: the attractive, straight-from-the-outback leads do solid work. Naomi Watts is lovely, and screams better than any horror heroine I've seen in quite some time. The excellent character actors Brian Cox and Jane Alexander also turn up here, breathing some more life into all this creepiness. THE RING does extremely well with fractured, nightmarish dreamscapes, bold startling images that burn themselves on your retina. In this way, THE RING references the little known but actually pretty scary Robert Downey, Jr.-Annette Bening supernatural caper, IN DREAMS, and the visual artist Joel Peter Witkin, who inspired all those NINE INCH NAILS videos. The movie is genuinely frightening without resorting to much violence or gore. It maintains its tension throughout, and in this way is similar to both SIGNS and the MOTHMAN PROPHECIES, both of which are better films. It also has an unexplainably deadpan little boy who looks prophetic and miserable, babbles precocious nonsense, and in this way references THE SIXTH SENSE. The movie also begins with an unsettling, un-ironic prologue that gives you really no idea where this movie is headed. This prologue doesn't even apologize for imitating SCREAM. There are some truly stunning sequences: the escaped horse on the ferry, the ghostly searching of that lighthouse in the abandoned farmhouse, poor Naomi trapped in that well, but ultimately this horror-mystery-art film goes nowhere. It is scary, fun to watch, builds momentum, but makes no sense at the end, so in this way pays tribute to the most talked about cult horror-mystery film of late, DONNIE DARKO. I was truly disappointed, ultimately. THE RING was doing so well for me, but one false ending later it had left too many unanswered questions (i.e. for those of you who have seen this: how DID ole Anna Morgan conceive her devil child?), loose ends (what's the source of creepy little boy's psychic link to creepy little girl?), and some terrible TERRIBLE plot holes, which makes everything you've just seen lose credibility. So instead of a glossy horror-mystery-art film, you'll realize all you've been watching all along is a BAD MTV VIDEO. One further note: the DVD isn't exactly jam-packed with extras. It's structured well, looks great naturally, and has a clever set-up for the deleted scenes. But, like the film, could have tried harder to do more.
Rating: 
Summary: Dumb
Review: This has to be one of the worst movies I ever wasted time watching. Then I watched RINGU just as dumb. Did people forget how to make a good scary movie?
Rating:
Summary: Some Things Are Just Not Meant To Be...
Review: Firstly, I wish to refute the claim that many are making that "The Ring" is not a horror film; horror doesn't necessarily mean dripping gore and vampires. "The Ring" is a story about supernatural evil, therefore, it IS a horror film, done very much in the style of the "psycological thriller." I'm a horror fan, no question; books, film, even video games. I've even managed to publish a few of my own horror short stories. Therefore, I'm rather jaded, but "The Ring" did frighten me. However, this doesn't mean that it will scare everyone, but, then, just because it doesn't scare you doesn't mean that the film is inherintly unfrightening. Horror is a bit like comedy, either it works for you, (by making you laugh, or scaring you, depending on which genre we are talking about,) or it doesn't. It varies from person to person, simple as that. What scares me might not scare you and vice versa. Perhaps what I thought was greatest about "The Ring" was that it seemed to strike a perfect balance between coherence and ambiguity, as well as onscreen and offscreen visuals. Going too far either way can completely ruin a horror film. For example, "The Blair Witch Project" lauded for making one "use his/her imagination," was FAR too vague. You have to show the viewer SOMETHING, just not necessarily everything. The ending, (which, admittedly, dragged a bit,) explains enough but also leaves the viewer with a little bit to discuss and ponder. I loved that, while watching the film in the theater, I, at first, thought that it would that certain cliched ending that we've seen a million times, but that it then went off in another direction. I'll say this much, as for my own interpretations, without giving the end away: As for Samora's origins, the phrase which pops up in the film, "some things just aren't meant to be," I feel, is most telling. Samora's mother REALLY wanted a child, but, since God wouldn't give her one... This film was vastly underrated by the jaded, out-of-touch critics.
Rating: 
Summary: Do not adjust your picture
Review: A worthy if limited remake of the Japanese horror cult item "Ringu" (now also available on DVD from DreamWorks; it's worth checking out), "The Ring" is like a cross between a rebus puzzle and a murder mystery. The clues in the film are all esoteric and visual, and even though they're explained for us in considerable detail there's still enough left open to keep the audience squirming -- the movie not only gives you a jolt when you're watching it, but stays in your head for days afterwards. That said, it's flawed -- but not in ways that make it unwatchable. Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts), journalist for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, is having kid trouble. Her son is uncommonly precocious and blunt for his age, and seems to have been greatly disturbed by something that he couldn't have known about: the untimely death of his cousin from a gruesome heart attack. The rumor mill among her friends seems to hint that she watched some kind of weird videotape "that kills you seven days later." Weirder things have happened, right? Smelling an urban legend in the offing, she follows a trail of clues to the mountain cabin where the girl stayed with some friends, and where they seem to have taped something that seemed to manifest in their TV by itself. It's a parade of gruesome, apparently unconnected images, and after it snaps off she gets a phone call ... telling her she has seven days to live. Worse, her picture comes out distorted whenever she takes a photo of herself. What's going on here? The movie assembles clues like a Nancy Drew mystery, but with the atmosphere and lurid sensibilities of a David Lynch movie. The two are an uneasy combination at times, but that doesn't stop the film from going for some really bold ideas: there's a moment where Rachel is analyzing the videotape with an industrial-strength VTR deck, and the scene works almost like an homage to Brian De Palma's "Blow Out," where we had another amateur investigator assembling what appear to be facts out of thin air. Without ruining anything I will say that she discovers the secrets of the tape, as well as a great deal more, although the way these elements play out might seem abortive to a lot of people. The movie ends very abruptly, on a note of existential "what now?" rather than the usual gallery of dead bodies -- which is, I guess, pretty refreshing from the usual sort of thing, but it's still frustrating all the same. (Apparently some deleted material involving a child killer was supposed to furnish a more definitive ending for the film, but I can see how it would simply be seen as a contrivance.) Most of the film's appeal lies in its audacity and visuals; the acting is either flat or merely serviceable, although Daveigh Chase is exceptionally creepy as Samara (even though you almost never see her face during the whole movie). Director Gore (!) Verbinski shoots in ominous greens and blues, saturating the film and rendering everyday objects menacing, and his vision of Seattle is like a wet hell. The movie, interestingly enough, may work best for those who haven't seen the original and therefore don't have an existing standard to hold it to -- they'll either find it a real original or a total mess. Still, if they don't freak out in the last few minutes, then they're probably not breathing too good themselves.
Rating:
Summary: *gulp* tv turns on at 3 am!?
Review: ok some folks, may not have liked the movie, when it first came out, some others may have, me? Scared the heck out of me (it also scared all the grown men in the theater when I saw it, they were screaming like little kids!) You see to me the best thing to do in making a movie is leaving it to the viewers own mind as how the person is killed, or made insane. This movie scared me for several days, then on top of all that my mother programed the vcr and cable wrong one day, so that the cable turned on one night at 3 am!! (ok if you have seen the movie you know what i am thinking!!) I laughed about it later in the daylight, but that night, It terrified me....
Rating:
Summary: The Ring
Review: Or that other movie with the word "RING" in the title. A remake of RINGU, Gore Verbinski's THE RING is a sometimes suspensful if not always succesful thriller starring Naomi Watts, Martin Henderson and David Dorfman. Let me start by saying that this is a love-it for its scares or hate-it for its lack of scares film. And there lies the problem, for average cinema-goer, it's a fairly intense scare-fest, but for the hardened horror buff, it's quite lame. Being part of the latter, I was more impressed with the style more than the substance. One could attribute the relative lack of scares to director Verbinski's inexperience in this genre (His previous efforts have both been offbeat comedies MOUSEHUNT and THE MEXICAN). Whereas if it had been directed by someone with a steadier hand, like Paul Verhoven or Roman Polanski, events would have been much different. Not to say that the film is bad, it's actually rather good, in terms of supense and creepy music it ranks up there with the really great thrillers, but the hackneyed plot lets the movie down, and the ending is good, if not great.
Rating:
Summary: The Shocks Keep It Interesting...
Review: First of all, let's go over what's right with this movie. The scary parts are actually scary. You do jump. This is the first movie I've seen in a long time that has actually scared me. The first time I saw it in the theater, I was on the edge of my seat and felt jittery when the movie got tense. That's a good thing. What's wrong with the movie? To start, the acting. Naomi Watts has got to be one of my least favorite actresses, and she's just not that convincing in this roll. Also, the omniscient little kid has been way overdone since Sixth Sense. He was totally unneeded, and a bad child actor at that. The realism needs some working on as well. Now, I know it's a horror movie and some facets of reality need to be suspended, but there are some things that are inexcusable. At one point, Rachel is running around furiously trying to get ready for a wake, and her son is calmly finishing up, tying his tie. This kid couldn't have been older than six, and he can tie a tie? I'm 21 and still have trouble with that. I also saw no point in doing anything with a relationship between Rachel and Noah. It was pointless and had nothing to do with the story. Maybe they should have spent less time with building up that the kid was theirs and more time explaining how in world Samara got her supernatural powers. And why a videotape? The bottom line, however, is that if you're a film student, you probably won't like this movie. If you're just looking for a few scares or something to watch to make your girlfriend cuddle up a little closer to you, this is it. Like I said, it was the first movie in a long time to actually spook me...
Rating:
Summary: My review
Review: A scary scary movie! Horror. Don't let young children see it. I had nightmares the following night. It's scary. But it's good! The parts where the girl climbs out the t.v. and it's so good of a mystery, a video tape that kills people. Scary, but good. And the effect where if you have a picture taken of you after you see the tape, your face is blurred. It's good. And all that errie music and stuff makes it even better.
Rating:
Summary: nine inch nails meets Bunuel
Review: Here is a horror films for adults and thinking teens, more psychologically threatening than relentlessly violent. Buy into it and you will be rewarded with at least one sleepless night. The film works a high-concept urban legend: A VHS cassette brings death to those unlucky enough to view its stream of bizarre images. The remake of Japan's "Ringu" stars Naomi Watts as a newspaper reporter caught up in the mystery of the tape "Ring" director Gore Verbinski channeled Bunuel and nine inch nails for his version of the video snuff film, creating a compelling film within a film. The fun continues on the "Ring" DVD, with a new Verbinski short that's accessed by clicking on the link "Don't watch this." (Verbinski knows his shorts -- he created the Budweiser frogs.) The 15-minute film unveils a few more clues about the sinister tape, including its last-known location. (Hint: Late fees most likely won't be collected.) Those who care will have fun slowing the blitz of images with their DVD remotes to reveal even more clues or red herrings. A handful of "Ring" outtakes get burned off along the way, not always gracefully. DreamWorks says Verbinski chose not to include the usual making-of extras in order to preserve the mystery of "The Ring." The DVD of the original has a trailer for the remake, and vice versa. Universal, as usual, slips in trailers for its current boxoffice fare on both discs. "The Ring" looks great, handling with equal aplomb the grim black-and-white and the visual relief of rich fall colors. Aspect ratio for the widescreen version is 1.85:1; full frame also is offered. The DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 audio tracks are oddly tame, biased toward the front channels.
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