The Eye

Rating:
Summary: Eye see dead people
Review: In Oriental folklore, the eye is often a vehicle for the supernatural, and by proxy, horror. From the one-eyed ghoul hero of "Ge ge ge no Kitaro" to Sadako's eye peering from her dark hair in "Ringu," there is something inherently frightening about an eyeball. The Pang Brothers have taken this fearful organ and given us a rare glimpse of peering through someone else's eyes, seeing what they see, knowing what they know.

The story of "The Eye" ("Jian Gui") is fairly straight forward. Taking their cue from an actual event, lovely, blind violinist Wong Kar Mun has a corneal transplant, enabling her to see for the first time in her life. She has no frame of reference for what vision should be, and the shadowy figures haunting the corners of her world are no less real than the people she talks too. She doesn't even know what she looks like, and cannot recognize the face that looks back at her from the mirror. Slowly but surely, she learns that her new eyes are not like everyone else's. She has had a corneal transplant from a clairvoyant, one who could see ghosts and future events. She is a textbook Cassandra, searching for answers and someone who will believe her.

One of the main differences between Western and Asian horror films is the reliance on special effects to give a chill or a scream. Western films, with their larger budgets, tend to focus on visual shocks and well-crafted horrors, while Asian films tend to build atmosphere and tension through sheer craftsmanship. "The Eye' is an interesting blend of these two traditions, coming up with some first-class ghost effects while maintaining the feel of a low-budget creeper. The combination is perfect, with the effects supplementing the craftsmanship and storytelling. In fact, everything about this film works.

The DVD is excellent as well, with surround sound and featuring a fine "Making of..." documentary that highlights the factual stories that serve as the foundation of "The Eye," as well as interviews with the directors and key cast members.

Rating:
Summary: Asian Cinema Perfection.
Review: I cannot speak highly enough about
this movie. "The Eye" is Asian suspense
cinema at its finest.
In my opinion,
what makes this film so great
is the credibility factor. There
aren't any monsters or overly vengeful
assasins with the outright purpose
of scaring you to death. Also, the
subject matter isn't so far fetched
that you can't relate to the characters.

Elements of terror and suspense

work their way effectively
through every scene
but never too much. There isn't excessive
violence or gore, just essential
creepiness that maintains your interest.

This movie is a quiet thriller
that gradually draws you into the story
and before you know it
chills are running up and down the spine
and goose pimples began to hang around
just a little longer than usual.
The lead actress is excellent
and you find yourself loving her and wanting
to help her.

"The Eye" is a silent, creepy masterpiece.
Don't miss this one.
Buy, Rent, whatever.
You won't be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: Why did Stevie Wonder stay blind?
Review: Gee I don't know, I don't know, uh I don't know... OOHHHHH!! He didn't wanna end up like the poor girl in this flick! Untrue, but if I got blind, because of this movie, I would rather keep my own eyes, than use someone elses.

Well the movie is about a girl named Mun (Angelica Lee) who has been blind for a while, and now she has dreams of being a ordinary person, and having eyesite, and Dr Wah(Lawrence Chou) grants her wish, but it's not the rainbow-style dream come true she expected.

Is it because the streets of China aren't a plesent site, is it because crappy rap artist like 50 cent are even visible in china, Nope, it's cuz the eyeballs are loaded with infinite rounds of the sixth sence.

It's pretty freaky, and the use of music when spirits show up is excellent.(Now I can see what inspired Fatal Frame II to have this kinda feel)

This movie is a good movie, not all original, but good non-the-less. And it's pretty scary(Not scary enough for me to wet my pants like Fatal Frame 2(PS2) did) If you like horror this should be checked out.

Peace


Rating:
Summary: Not As Good As Billed
Review: I had constantly run into reviews, or short statements about this movie, while surfing the web for foreign films. Most blurbs and reviews gave it top billing.
Rather than buy it, I decided to rent it first. I must admit that it was a tremendous disappointment. Some scenes had the potential to be developed into the frightening aspects the film allegedly contained, but they did not. Often the sounds of the soundtrack were the only factors that made one expect something was developing, and then nothing.


Rating:
Summary: 5/5
Review: First of all, if you are looking for a crazy/all out/gore-packed/horror movie, step away from this one because you will not get any of that. However, if you are a fan of really creepy/under the skin/horror flicks, then you might be in for a little treat. The only thing that might set you back is the fact that this flick is almost like a combination of the Sixth Sense and Mothman Prophecies. Who ripped off who is not for me to say, or hey.. this just might be a coincidence. I cannot really tell, all I can say is that I lucked out and saw this flick before it was released.

The Eye is about a young blind girl named Mun who gets a cornea transplant which returns her sight that she has once lost. Shortly after she discovers that she is seeing a little bit more than she should, to be exact, she starts to see ghosts. Of course everyone is skeptical about what she tells them she sees because they all think that her eyes are just adjusting and that this is only a little glitch. However, Mun decides that she this is not something ordinary and that she has to solve this mystery that is haunting her on daily/nightly basis. She begins an investigation and tries to solve the puzzle of the death of her corneas' former owner who met her demise a long ago.

The film focuses roughly on getting under your skin, none of the in your face gorific elements are here to be seen. Only pure creepiness that is often too slow for an average movie goer. The first ten minutes of this movie is roughly what I am talking about. They are very creepy and it sets a great mood for the remainder of the movie. Although the people I went to see this flick with weren't too pleased with it, I think they'd still agree that this flick had a certain degree of creepiness to it that deserves to be mentioned, or seen

Rating:
Summary: Chilly stuff here!
Review: Including "The Eye," I can think of only a handful of ghost films that are actually scary. "The Changeling" comes to mind, as does "The Woman in Black" and "The Ring." Beyond those three--there might be one or two more--I'm having trouble coming up with further examples. Maybe "The Sixth Sense" counts for some people, but it ultimately fell short of the mark. There is something about Hollywood and ghosts that often doesn't work. Maybe Tinseltown's reliance on massive special effects and dumbed down scripts precludes them from grasping the subtle nuances necessary to achieve real chills. Having a guy wearing a hockey mask and carrying a machete jump out of a dark closet might elicit a jump or two, but it's a far cry from the feeling you get watching that ball bounce down the stairs in "The Changeling." Perhaps the fact that "The Eye" doesn't come from Hollywood accounts for its success. Whatever the case, this little film made by Oxide and Danny Pang is one heck of a rollercoaster ride. It's a deeply frightening movie that keeps the scares coming fast and furious, through both ghostly apparitions and sudden plot changes. No wonder Hollywood keeps buying up the rights to these Asian horror movies.

Mun (Angelica Lee) is an attractive young lady suffering from blindness. She's been blind since a very young age, but makes the most of a bad situation. Mun's disability does not hinder her life in significant ways; she plays a musical instrument with an all-blind symphony orchestra and gets along quite well with her grandmother and her beautiful if slightly icy airline stewardess sister. All of this is about to change, however, when an operation restores Mun's eyesight. What a wonderful, heartwarming story, right? Wrong. The nightmare begins as soon as the bandages come off. Mun starts seeing hazy figures that appear and disappear in the blink of an eye, and that's just for starters. As her vision improves she comes to the conclusion that she's seeing ghosts. She sees some in the hospital while she strikes up a friendship with a young cancer patient, she sees them in the hallway outside her room, and she sees them in her grandmother's apartment building. Mun also suffers from intense flashbacks of scenes she never witnessed herself, but it's the ghosts that reduce her to a shambling wreck. No one else notices these apparitions, let alone hears them like Mun does, and she begins to suffer from depression. Concerned that something about the operation didn't go well, Mun begins visiting a psychologist named Dr. Wah (Lawrence Chou) in an effort to get to the bottom of her affliction.

Wah initially expresses skepticism about Mun's claims, but in predictable movie fashion falls in love with the young lady. He agrees to help his charge uncover the mystery behind the sightings, not an easy task considering that the two must track down the person who donated the corneas for Mun's operation. Sure enough, the story behind the donation reeks of supernatural overtones. It turns out that Mun sports the corneas of a young psychic who lived in a small Thai village. None of the people in the hamlet liked the girl because her visions often foretold ominous events. Whenever a child passed away or a disaster unfolded, it would happen a few days after this girl talked about it. You would think after awhile the people would start listening to her, but such is not the case when superstition is involved. The other kids picked on this girl mercilessly, so much so that she decided to take her own life. Now Mun must figure out a way to purge the girl's gift and memory from her eyes. Is such a thing possible? It sure looks that way after Mun takes a stand in the girl's old bedroom. But things aren't as easy as they seem in "The Eye," and the viewer learns this after watching the massively disturbing conclusion. It would seem that accepting what life throws your way is sometimes better than trying to change it.

"The Eye" is a frightening film indeed. I think the movie scared me as much as it did because I kept putting myself in Mun's place. I can't even begin to imagine how utterly devastating it would be to regain your sight only to go through the things Mun witnesses. Remember, this is a person who has no memories of what the world looks like. The choice of Angelica Lee to play the lead character was a good one; she exudes a sort of innocence that is perfect for a person regaining their vision. That innocence soon turns to horror when the spirits turn up to torment her, and the various spirits Mun encounters are the best thing going for "The Eye." You just never know when they'll turn up. The most horrifying vision occurs when Mun practices her writing skills, with the floating spirit in the elevator pulling a close second. The filmmakers handle these scenes with great flair, allowing the camera plenty of time to capture the horror felt by Mun as the fear courses through her veins. An empty elevator never looked this ominous before!

The DVD comes with several extras, including trailers for "The Housekeeper," "Morvern Callar," and several from a series called "The Director's Label." A trailer for the film, a television spot, and an informative making of documentary flesh out the disc. Many of the behind the scenes featurettes on these discs bore me, but I liked the one here. It was neat to see how they pulled off the fiery finale. "The Eye" is yet another Asian horror film Hollywood plans on remaking sometime in the future. Let's hope against hope that they do this version justice.








Rating:
Summary: Close My Eye-A Complete Waste of Time
Review: Having rented the "Eye" late one night, I sat alone in my basement expecting to be scared, instead I was completely bored by this utter pretentious attempt at "new wave" horror. Riding the coattails of the average and overrated Jap film, "Ring", this attempts to be a follow up in some way but there is no connection whatsoever, except one of the ghosts was said to be in the "Ring". What wasn't outright stolen from American horror films, was badly imitated in a pointless and completely dull movie. I must say that there was not one scary moment in this film, not one! If you think then that it is a "horror film" then you are wrong, what the director does is sludge through one hour of the most inane dialogue while amateurish and incredulous actors walk around like boring idiots. Where did they get these people?

Most of these films would do better if there was some grasp of directorial and script effort but suffice it to say, this is a real stinker. Nearing the end, the film resorts to some cheap computer animation that is like watching a video game. Do not pay attention to the young teens who say this is the "best horror film" ever, rent something that has credibility, this is not it. I am angered that the Chinese get credit for an "intelligent horror film" when they only stole and re-hashed American/Hollywood genres. Check out the American version of the "Ring" or "Seconds" (1966) directed by John Frankenheimer, much more worthy efforts.

Rating:
Summary: A creepy horror film
Review: Mun, who has been blind since the age of 2, is given a corneal transplant. With her sight restored, she must re-learn to view the world. Along with the wonderous sights, she also begins to see mysterious shadows and ghosts. Unsure if what she sees is real or imagined, she decides to track down information about whose corneas she received hoping that this will hold the key to her odd visions.

This movie sent shivers up and down my spine from the beginning. A great story combined with expert direction by the Pang Brothers and effectively creepy music make quite an impresive horror film. Angelica Lee plays the part of Mun perfectly, as the blind woman who regains her sight. She cannot tell the difference between real people and ghosts, having never seen the distinction before, and Ms. Lee makes you feel sorry and frightened for her. This film also contains one of the more frightening and tension-laden scenes since the shower seen in "Psycho." (You'll think twice about entering an elevator by yourself again.)

The DVD aslso contains a good "Making Of" featurette. Overall, a great film to add to any horror collection.

Rating:
Summary: Creepy yet somehow touching
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of this movie. The beautiful young actress who plays the lead created such a likable character that I felt immersed in her character's plight and confusion. The atmosphere of the film was perfect -- not forceful but subtle. And the creep factor was definitely there! However, I found the movie also surprisingly touching. You feel that the character comes full circle but ends up with her eyes "opened" in an unexpected way. Very similar in theme to The Sixth Sense but, I felt, more satisfying somehow. I have to admit to some doubt when The Eye first started. I was a little thrown by the camera work, the shifting focus. I wasn't sure what to expect at that point. However, with one sweep of the hand, the opening credits began and I was immediately intrigued. A great film to watch while you're alone at night, to get a full appreciation for the creep-factor and the suspense. A scene I could watch over and over again (and have) is the elevator scene. Deliciously done! I may have second thoughts about being in an elevator again. lol

If you're looking for cheap startle scares, gruesome f/x, and other such horror aspects (we) Americans seem accustomed to, you may wish to look elsewhere. However, if you are the type who can appreciate a fine, subtle touch of atmosphere, suspense, character and situations then you may find The Eye very much to your liking. As a heads-up, the movie has English subtitles but does not have any English dubbed soundtrack. A plus in my book! Nothing could ruin a suspenseful movie faster than bad dubbing and, for me, there's no such thing as "good" dubbing. ;-)

Rating:
Summary: great movie
Review: Ever part of the move is good. If you can get past the subtitles you will love it.. definately worth buying