Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
This is opening October 18th, I believe, and I haven’t seen the final cut. From what I hear, there’s no major difference between what I reviewed and what they’re showing to audiences this week.
Carlotte Blackwood is first up today, thrilled to have attended his first test screening. Is he equally thrilled about the film itself?
Harry,
Long time reader, first time scooper. Went to the Valley this evening and caught Dreamworks' THE RING. Now, I haven't seen the much ballyhooed original, so there wont be any comparisons to the original in this review. What I will say is that with the right marketing, Dreamworks has a hit. This film is original, trippy, cool, and most of all, actually scary. I do have some quibbles, but for the most part, this was a solid movie.
I just want to add that this was my first test screening (just moved to LA) and the experience was very cool. 5 minutes beofre showtime, Katzenberg, composer Hans Zimmer, producers Walter Parkes and Laurie McDonald, and director Gore Verbinski walked in, and it was really fucking cool. Katzenberg was smiling before the lights went down, and was downright jazzed immediately following the screening.
For those of you out there who dont know what the premise is, here it is in simplest terms (i dont want to spoil anything because there were so many cool parts). A bunch of kids somehow get their hands on a videotape that is made up of a bunch of weird images and trippy visuals. Immediately after viewing the tape, the phone rings, and a sketchy voice informs the person on the phone that they only have 7 more days to live. A reporter, the hot as hell Naomi Watts from Mulholland Drive, decides to investigate the story and mysterious deaths. Of course, she ends up viewing the tape, and so does her young son, and her kinda boyfried. . .you get the picture. People are going to see this tape and then have to figure out how to stay alive. And to top it all off, the always amazing Brian Cox has a small, but pivotal role. This guy is going to have to get some goddamm recognition one of these days.
this movie surprised me. I had heard about it a while back, and the idea sounded intriguing. I was a fan of diector Verbinski's debut effort, Mousehunt, and found his follow-up, the Mexican, to be a mixed bag. This is definitley his strongest work to date. Next up is the massive Jerry Bruckheimer produced Pirates of the Caribbean with Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, and Jeffrey Rush-an interesting follow up to THE RING to say the least.
the main star of the film is the amazing and inetense visual scenario that is on display all throughout the film. The cinematography, by Bojan Bajelli, is absolutley breathtaking. He uses saturated colors, desaturated colors, bleach-by-pass techniques, and all sorts of off-kilter color motifs to heighten every scene of THE RING. How the camera is set up and the framing within each shot is also impeccable. This is the type of movie that should be nominated for the BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY Academy Award. the filmmakers bring the audience into a completely surreal nightmare of a world that is thrououghly engrossing forthe whole time. I lien the way THE RING feels to being held in the tight grasp of a vice; the filmmakers clearly know how to manipulte the look of their film to elicit a very strange, atmospheric feeling all throughout the movie.
Oh, and did I forget to mention, that THE RING is actualy scary as well. There are a few typical shock moments, but all thoughout THE RING is this amazing sense of dread and foreboding (similar to Panic Room) that accompanies every shot in the movie. But there are a coulpe of realy doozies of fright that had the audience reeling.
A couple of issues though, and I will have to watch how I word this to avoid spoilers. who was responsible for making the tape in the first place? and how does Watts know that that is the tape when she is in the hotel lobby? I thought about the movie's plot points and plot turns after the film was over, and while I have a few questions and feel that the movie is a little too ambiguous, I still feel that the film works and that it holds up. Also, the opening starts too quickly and 5-7 minutes couldd be trimmed just to make it all the more leaner and intense.
And most of all, the ending FUCKING ruled. THE RING has been written (for better or for worse is your opinoin) by ehren Kreuger, who wrote the vastly underrated Arlington Road and the shitty Scream 3. giving credit where credit is due, Krueger, has crafted a truly intense thriller with some amazing chills, and an absolutley awesome ending. Just when I thought the movie was going to end with some typical hollywoo bullshit after a edgy and visceral first two-thrids, the movie pulls one last trick from up its sleeve and really starts to fuck with audience. I heard people talking after the movie and people seemed to feel that the movie was cool and different and scary, if a little confusing.
Rating wise, THE RING will probably get a hard PG-13. there is next to no cussing, no nudity, no guns, and no explosions. Just a lot of intensity, some hinted at gore (which really disturbed me, the more I think about it), and a nastly little ending.
In fact, had THE RING not eneded the way it did, I would have liked it a lot less.
Overall, THE RING was a solid thriller with some incredible scenes. Its just too bad that there arent any names that would guarantee a big opening. But maybe the fact that the film isnt populated with major stars could work to its benefit. Whatever the box office fate of THE RING is, its definitley the freakiest head-fuck of a movie in quite some time and definitley one of the better flicks I have seen this year. and this coming from a dude who generally couldnt give two shits about this particular genre.
This is Carlotte Blackwood heading back to base. . .
Alkaline Boy’s up next, and he seems a wee bit enthused by what he saw...
Hi this is Alkaline Boy. I saw the Ring last night and it rocked. Thought I'd send this in.
I just caught an early screening of the Ring last night and I was blown away. I never thought the director of The Mexican and the scribe to Reindeer Games could pull off something so creepy and pleasing. Of course, they had a great basis with which to work, being that the Japanese version of the Ring is one of their highest grossing and most well received movies.
The film begins with two Catholic schoolgirls talking about the detrimental effects of television and the positive aspects of young love. This anti-television theme skews the film a little, since it’s really supposed to be about scaring the shit out of you, not a social commentary. But the scares come soon enough, as we’re introduced to the myth of the Video Tape: the one that kills you seven days after you watch it. One of the girls saw the tape exactly one week ago…
We are then introduced to Rachel and her son Aidan. Rachel is played by Naomi Watts, who is absolutely gorgeous. Her character is a bit under-developed, but Watts brings anger, love, and fear to the role. She demonstrates the talent she had in Mulholland Drive. Rachel is a journalist, and she’s investigating the death of her niece, who was rumored to have watched the Video Tape seven days before she died. Rachel tracks down the tape and watches it. We are shown the entire video, a montage of eerie occurrences, maggots, and ladders. The tape frightens Rachel almost to tears, but the real kicker is the phone call she receives seconds after the tape ends. A rasping voice on the other line says, “Seven days.”
Now Rachel has a week to discover the mystery of the tape. If she doesn’t understand why and by whom it was made, she reasons, she will die just as her niece did. She enlists the help of Noah, a video-nerd and her ex-boyfriend, competently portrayed by Martin Henderson. Their odyssey leads them to a small island, dead horses, burning trees and The Ring.
The visuals in this movie are stunning. Verbinski positioned the camera and his actors perfectly to heighten the tension and draw out the creepiness. I especially love the image of the single tree on a hill. The sky behind it seems afire, and the tree is seconds away from feeling the heat. There are images in this movie that will you will stay up late thinking about.
Something the Ring accomplishes that other horror films don’t is that there is a concise, smart story. This isn’t a slasher film where Jason is cutting up campers just because he’s insane. There are calculations behind the acts of the supernatural killer. The person behind the videotape and the murders is doing everything for a reason, and by the end of the film, we understand.
We know why horses drown themselves. We know why a young girl is put into an insane institution. We know why a man decides to electrocute himself with fucking 100,000 watts of electricity, just to make sure he does it right. The story is tight and polished, and it’s no less frightening after we find out the truth.
This is not to say it’s perfect. It’s not. The dialogue is pretty piss poor. But guess what? It doesn’t matter. Because the Ring is supposed to be a scary fucking movie and it IS a scary fucking movie. It’s only PG-13, so don’t expect to see people gutted or big butcher knives. It’s psychologically frightening. We get inside Rachel’s head as her time ticks down. We’re waiting, like her, to see if she’ll see the Ring in seven days.
Every person she and Noah meets is disturbed in some way. They are tracking down the past, and the past out on those islands has some terrible secrets. Every twist and turn, every moment of the film, you’re scared at what’s going to pop around the corner. You know you’re at a good scary movie when less than five minutes in, twenty people scream simultaneously, another looks like she’s going to vomit, your girlfriend’s hand is clamped on your arm, and some dude yells in the back, “This is FUCKED up.”
Thanks.
Here’s a quick one from SHOCKMONSTER...
FYI - I'll be brief. Just saw a screening of The Ring at the Magnolia in Dallas last night. I've seen the original version and amazingly enough...I actually found the remake to be BETTER in some respects. The major plot points remain intact and I didn't have any problems with the changes that were made. It managed to wonderfully maintain the spirit(no pun intended)of the original. Sadly, I do think that this version is toned down somewhat from the earlier versions that were reviewed on your sight though. We only get to see 2 "victims" very briefly (one is extra nasty... shudder). I just hope all of Mr. Baker's work did not go to waste... I had heard that he had created some particularly nasty stuff for this picture and it looks like the suits pussed out on us... again... anyway, there's always the DVD right?Amazingly, I knew what was coming at the end and it still worked! It was a good experience and I was not disappointed ... this is coming from a fella who is strongly against the remaking of GOOD films.
Later! SHOCKMONSTER
... and a more detailed look from Whisper...
THE RING - REVIEW
Hey Moriarty,
The original Japanese film, RING, is a film I knew little to nothing of. I have never seen the movies or read the book it’s based on. The concept was completely fresh and new to me. The only thing I knew of the American re-make was the director, Gore Verbinski, and the lead actress, Naomi Watts. I had seen one of Verbinski’s other films, Mouse Hunt. I remember when it was released, I thought it was a clever, imaginative little PG-friendly film. I seem to recall it had some pretty nice CGI work here and there. As for Gore’s other film, The Mexican, I have never seen it nor do I know enough about it to form an opinion. So, based on what I DID know of Gore Verbinski is he knows how to tell a coherent story and was likely a better director than Paul Anderson (wouldn’t take much). In other words, I had no idea what to expect from him in the horror-genre. Then there was Naomi Watts. She was fabulous in Mulholland Drive. Her beauty was infectious and showed a degree or two of talent.
Fast Forward to tonight. I was lucky enough to behold a preview screening of THE RING. You have no idea what you are in for. This film is a bloody nightmare to watch. One of the most disturbing films I have ever seen. Is it perfect? Not by any stretch of the imagination, BUT it is still the best film I have seen in this genre since THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT. Where to start… I will do my best not to spoil anything big. This film works wonders on those who know very little about it. In fact, I suggest that unless you have either seen the original RING or read the book it’s based on, you should probably stop reading.
I have no idea which version of the film I saw tonight. I am guessing it was the complete version as it seemed very well edited and paced. I have heard rumors that the movie was cut back to PG-13. What I saw tonight seemed like it fit within the confines of that rating, but it sure is pushing itself toward R. This film is eerie… nightmarish… and ultimately disturbing. It begins simply enough, with two cute high school girls having a conversation in a bedroom. Until… one of them mentions a "tape that kills 7 days after you watch it" and the other girl is freaked. She thinks it may be the same tape that she saw approximately 7 days ago with some of her friends. She ultimately jokes about it and brushes it off… then 10:00 P.M. hits. The girl’s downstairs t-v is on. After turning it off multiple times, she walks back up stairs. Uh oh. I won’t say anything more, but she mysteriously has a heart attack. And so the film begins. I must admit, at this point in the film, I felt like it could have gone either way. Even FINAL DESTINATION had a cool opening (Too bad the rest of that film was repetitious and tedious). Luckily, THE RING only got better as things unfolded. Just when I thought the film was going to end, it tricked me in a way that I have never been tricked before. (SPOILER) The ending is truly disturbing. At first you are disappointed… and then… it takes you to a place you never expected… and wish you hadn’t gone, BUT in a classic OMEN kind of way.
There are a number of talents behind this film. First credit must go to Rick Baker for the incredibly subtle; however, effective make-up and f/x. He is at the top of his game here. Some of the coolest make up work of this kind since THE EXCORCIST. Then of course there is Hanz Zimmer. His score here is nothing special really, but where it works, it REALLY works. It compliments the visuals most of the time and is never over-done. Gore Verbinksi’s directing style is quite eerie here. He has definitely come into his own as a film-maker. The whole production is drenched in rich atmosphere. Which can be partially credited to the fact that THE RING was primarily shot in my home city, Seattle (which makes me a tiny bit biased) which is perfect location for an eerily paced tale such as this.
At last there are the very solid performances. Naomi Watts is perfectly cast as a Seattle Post Intelligence journalist mother. This isn’t a ground-breaking performance for her, but it is note-worthy. She keeps this film interesting. I honestly can’t imagine what this film could have been like with a lesser actress. I don’t even want to think about it. Then there is her son. This kid is good (its almost becoming cliché these days to have talented kids in these kinds of films). He owns the part, especially toward the end of the film. Then there is the little girl. (PARTIAL SPOILER) I won’t say anything, but you will know her when you see her. For what little screen time she has, she is freaky as hell, EXCORCIST style (Rick Baker can be credited for a lot of this). The rest of the performances are solid. Much better than what you would expect from an American horror film of this nature.
I will mention one more time… the ENDING. The last 10 minutes are brilliant. I can’t imagine anyone (except die hard fans of the original) being disappointed by it.
I loved this film. Everything about it is completely original to me. It is a much needed breath of fresh air for American audiences. This is one of the best films I have seen all year. Its up there with SIGNS and MINORITY REPORT. Only time will tell if it becomes a true classic of the genre. (I will bet dollars that it will)
Also, I should mention, the audience I saw it with tonight ADORED it. They came out feeling like they just got the biggest mind job since THE SIXTH SENSE. This is sure to make more money than ANY film coming out this Halloween. I will be right back in line to see it at least 3 more times come October 18th.
Whisper
Thanks, everybody. Sounds like overall, this film is working on the viewers and delivering some serious scares. Good news for Dreamworks, indeed...
"Moriarty" out.
