I spent ages trying to think of a good title for this thread and then gave up cos I need to start working (bugger). They would've been dead funny too, involving puns to do with Ring a Ring a Roses and Ring My Bell and stuff.
Anyway, I quite fancy the film "Ring". Has anyone seen it, or the Japanese original? Is it any good? Does it build up nicely fo the first hour before degenerating something incomprehsible? (I'm thinking of Event Horizon or this weeks Bec & Cawl). I suspect this might be the case, but am willing to put myself through it again.
Any thoughts?
yes i have seen both.
the orginal as good.very dark and the sort of thing to watch on a late night in winter alone.for full effect. the hollywood version not quite so sharp but that may be because i had seen the first.
not really scarry.but not to bad for a night out with the one who always wears a short skirt from the office.enough to keep you edgy,but not terrified.
its ok.worth the ticket price anyway.unless you live in central london that is.
The original Japanese version's excellent, the sequel's not great though. Apparently the prequel's not up to much either.
J-Bo-1
The sequel wasn't quite as good as the first one, but it does have some great moments, and certainly pisses all over most of what counts as a ghost thriller on this side of the world.
If you're after that sort of stuff, you also must see The Eye, by the same guys who directed Bangkok Dangerous - a really creepy ghost story, with an absolutely stunning final 20 minutes.
I saw a preview of the US remake last week. It's perfectly fine, better in some ways than the Japanese original (plot a lot less shonky, characters not handily suddenly developing psychic powers to see events in flashback etc), worse in some other predictable ways.
Saw a TV trailer for it last night which, absolutely criminally, shows a vita part of the MAJOR MAJOR scare scene in the film. (Ir you've seen the japanese film, yes, you know exactly what scene I'm talking about...)
Even the US version poster is a bit of a spoiler, I think.
Ring, the original, is a brilliant and suble horror film and it scared the bejesus out of me.
Ring 2 is kind of mad and rubbish, Ring 0, the prequal is different (different director and writer) and okish.
Looking forward to see the US film as it's has quite decent reviews
Link: Stuff I wrote on the Japanese series... spoilers a
the eye
that was thriller.local singapore based production house with HK/japanese money that one.
if you the chance. put that on your list of things to watch when its out on video at the local store.
its made on a low budget with plently of moody angles and lighting.good stuff that one.
"Sadako!"
Gordo, you mean the only scary bit in the film, you know, the bit where you-know-who appears on the BLANK and... ?
Now that bit actually was creepy...
JK.
I'm just going to paste JamieB's reply here, as it's almost word for word what I was going to put...
"The original Japanese version's excellent, the sequel's not great though. Apparently the prequels not up to much either."
I will add that most of the fans I know who have seen the re-make think it's a turd.
P.S. I'd have called this thread "Ring Piece".
I thought Ring (the original) was almost great, but the video I had was really poor quality. I did recommend it to a mate straight away, who thankfully took it off my hands.
Was this just my copy, or is the picture quality like that on the original print (and the subtitles were white on white all to often too)?
Ermm, did you get a phone call after you watched it A.J.?
Ha ha ha... is your mate still alive or did he manage to pass it on in time?
I saw the US remake a couple of monts ago and it scaredt the living daylights out of me.
Its funny because i just heard this story from a friend.
There is this comic book right, and its really strange, beacuse it almost like reading someones nightmare. All the images dont seem to make sense.
Then ater you have read it the phone rings and a voice on the other ends says .....
"In 7 days time the sequel to crusade begins".
Then 7 days later your subscription gets cancelled...
Caught Ring 0 on cable over the weekend - as someone else mentioned, it's okayish. There are a couple of great creepy moments, but there's not enough material to sustain the film, and it's a bit too obvious in places (especially the 'twist' ending).
Also, the first one worked because it was very sparing with the shock elements, making them more effective, while Ring 0 does rather ram them down your throat towards the end.
Definitely the weakest of the three.
Uhuhuhuh. Uhuhuhuh. Ring. Uhuhuhuh. Yeah....
As a huge fan of the original trilogy and many other Japanese/Chinese films I am only going to see the American version under extreme duress. I can't for one minute imagine a whole cinema screaming and yelling like little girls. Another sad Blair Witch type let down coming up I feel. As for The Eye, not really scary, but good, gripping stuff. Shame about the saddos who walked out because it was subtitled.
**Shame about the saddos who walked out because it was subtitled.**
That is why I don't go to the Odeon or a Warner Village.
What a snob I am. I'm ashamed of myself.
Crouching Tiger is the only subbed film I recall any of the multiplexes near me even showing any time in living history.
Hence I tend to rely on the ICA for my doses of subtitled culture, though the rasping of chins being scratched can get a bit distracting...
When I saw Ring 2 there there were only three people in the cinema, which enhanced teh creepiness somewhat (same for Perfect Blue IIRC).