|
|
|
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.
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."
Now, my first issue with this is that if a case is ruled self-defense, there shouldn't BE a "sentence" after that judgment. In the movie, the spouse in question was a cop, but that shouldn't affect the situation after the ruling. Especially when Janssen's character was apparently in prison for an extended period of time (supposedly during the trial) and seems to have been attacked while incarcerated--any "sentence" following the ruling should have been reduced to time served.
Maybe I've watched too many crime shows.
The title comes from the limit of her house arrest monitor: her ankle bracelet will allow her to move within a 100-foot radius of the base unit. During the first few minutes of the movie, it's shown that the alarm starts beeping if she goes to the foyer of her house, or to the basement. But she has three minutes after the alarm starts before the police are alerted. She is sentenced to a year of house arrest, her neighbors are giving her the cold shoulder, and the local market delivers. With that, the "realistic" elements of the movie have been set up. (Of course, a plot hole: The standard residential floor is at most 8 feet high, with a central position in the house, the base unit shouldn't be more than 30 feet above the basement. Probably less.)
There aren't many characters with acting to critique. Janssen, as the star, is also the best of the actors; when questioned about bruises by her dead husband's former partner, she manages a convincing blend of battered housewife and New Yorker tough girl in her responses to him.
As the cop, Bobby Cannavale does not do an impressive job. He starts the movie barking angry, stakes out Janssen's house, demands to know who really killed her husband when he suspects someone is still beating on her, then immediately turns on her with accusations of insanity when she reveals her husband is haunting the house. Sure, it can be blamed on the writing, but even his delivery of the schizophrenic turns is unconvincing.
Ed Westwick is the young man delivering groceries and befriending Jannsen. He doesn't get a lot of screen time, but he is charming and believable.
It can be inferred from a conversation Janssen and Westwick have that the house was empty for about two years, maybe a little more; yet after the first ghostly encounter, there is suddenly a cat hanging out with Janssen's character--before she is visited by her sister, before she is visited by anyone other than the cop. Did one of the neighbors who won't even talk to her take the cat in, then bring it by? Did she take it in off the street, somehow well-fed and healthy?
(And since I'm watching this on television: Why can we show an obvious sex scene, but not say "shit"?)
Anything further might venture into spoiler territory. The movie isn't bad overall, containing more good actors than bad, and being comparatively good for the budget. Horror movies tend to require a suspension of disbelief anyway, so it's worth checking out if you're a fan of Janssen or Westwick, or the genre in general, despite the plot holes.
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
[ Click here to read more ]
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
[ Click here to read more ]
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
[ Click here to read more ]
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
[ Click here to read more ]
I went to see New Moon Thanksgiving afternoon, and watched with an eye to writing a review. I kept in mind criticisms of the first Twilight movie--both my own and those I read on the internet--and watched for similar problems with this second movie.
By the time I left the theater, which was more crowded than I would have expected for a holiday matinee, I was scouring my fresh memory for things to keep the review from glowing like an angel
[ Click here to read more ]
Amber Branson's Blogs
77 Vote(s)
0 Comment(s)
1 Post(s)
|
|
|
Amber Branson
Add Comments
Read More
