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DVD covers for Chakushin Ari and One Missed Call
In Japan, the film was Chakushin Ari. It was remade in the U.S. as One Missed Call. As usual, the remake did not fully live up to the original -- the acting is lacking, and it was "enhanced" with additional computer-generated scares, such as people with corpse faces and centipedes with personal space issues.
The ringtone is different--not entirely surprising, considering it even changed between the Japanese film series and the Japanese TV series based on the first film--and I think I prefer the Japanese version.
Much was kept the same, however.
(Warning: Some spoilers for both films)
The deaths are approximately the same, as are some of the events surrounding them. Falling onto a train from an overhead bridge, impalement, death-during-televised-exorci sm...
Additionally, the themes of child abuse are set up almost identically, with the main character attending a psychology lesson regarding the theme, the highlights of which are echoed in the events of the ghostly killings.
The main character's history is also similar in the remake as in the original, as is the resolution of the mystery, although the ultimate end of the movie is different in an unfortunate way.
(End spoilers?)
It is unfortunate that the actors could not support the potential the story had, almost all giving rather flat performances.
The premise remains interesting, though, and on visual and conceptual levels it's good for a thrill.
With Halloween coming and no money in my budget right now to visit the theater for one of the new release horror films, I decided to give my local video store some business and rent a DVD.
After a trip all the way around, I returned to the "A"s and picked up one of the After Dark Horrorfest 4 movies. Most of this round of films seem to be slashers, but one looked to be more psychological: Lake Mungo.
"Sixteen-year-old ALICE PALMER drowns while swimming in the local dam. When her body is recovered and a verdict of accidental death returned, her grieving family buries her. The family then experiences a series of strange and inexplicable events centered in and around their home. Profoundly unsettled, the Palmers seek the help of psychic and parapsychologist, RAY KEMENY. Ray discovers that Alice led a secret, double life. A series of clues lead the family to Lake Mungo where Alice's secret past emerges." - from the IMDB page.
This is not a standard horror flick. In fact, it only barely touches the horror genre with a few elements that allow it to be classified as a ghost story. Mostly, it is a faux docudrama about dealing with the loss of a child. There are a couple of disturbing moments, one near the beginning and another near the end, but neither is likely to cause you to jump and scream (unless you're really, really wimpy, in which case you shouldn't be watching horror movies anyway. Go watch a RomCom and be quiet).
The movie is presented in the style of a documentary, and adheres strictly to the format. It is very well done and more believable than either The Blair Witch Project or Paranormal Activity. Unfortunately, the verisimilitude means that the movie overall lacks spice and excitement. 89 minutes in length, it seemed to go on for a long time.
A remake is scheduled for next year, with the documentary style removed. However, the announcement was made in November 2008, and no further information beyond the writer of the remake seems to be available.
Standby for resumption of review.
Ah, "SyFy" channel. The home of all the bad movies you could possibly want.
From the guide description: "Famke Janssen stars in this haunted-house tale about a woman who is sentenced to house arrest after she killed her abusive spouse in self-defense
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It has been a while since I saw the movie, but I finished the novel just yesterday.
I have to say it's one of the best adaptations I've seen. Only a few scenes were cut, and those would not have significantly contributed to the forward motion of the film. Some of the dialogue was word-for-word from the book and even the actors seemed chosen to match the descriptions the author gave
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Rated R for violence, language, and some brief nudity and suggestions of sexual content.
When a prank goes wrong, a group of sorority sisters spend their senior year with a deadly secret. The night of their graduation, their secret comes back to haunt them
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Basic summary: According to the Mayan calendar, the world (as we know it) will end in 2012. The movie follows the attempts of a writer and his family to survive the apocalypse.
2012 was not Oscar material, but it's definitely an adrenaline-pumper. I hate to sound like a poster, but it's edge-of-your-seat action with some of the most beautiful explosions I've seen in a while
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Beginning in March, I will be posting at least one movie review a week. We're going to start with that and work our way up, hopefully.
I rented Paranormal Activity on Blu-Ray and watched the alternate ending. It is similar to the theatrical ending, but it slightly more twisted and allows a different interpretation of the entire film. It ties the story up better, which would have been, of course, no good for a theatrical release of a horror film.
Does evil lie within, or without?
Tonight I am going to see Sherlock Holmes and Avatar.
In the meantime, I would like to introduce you to what is probably my favorite movie of all time
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