Take 4: Horror Overseas

Seems like American culture gets imported into (or exported out to, depending on what you're talking about) a lot of other countries, especially if specifically consider pop culture. But for some reason, Hollywood just can't seem to get enough of the genre of the Japanese horror movie...rewriting them, remaking them, and re-releasing them. This review pays tribute to four of those Japanese films, that originated some successful and not-so-successful horror films over here in the States.

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Dark Water (2002)

In the Beginning: In the midst of dealing with a difficult divorce and custody battle, Yoshimi and her daughter Ikuko move into a rundown apartment complex, hoping to add some stability into their lives. And yes, I just pretty much lifted this from my review of the American version.

The Plot Thickens: Within days of moving into their new place, Yoshimi's bedroom ceiling begins to develop a serious leak. There's also the mysterious red backpack that her daughter stumbled upon, which keeps returning no matter how many times it gets thrown away. Oh...and the slightly spooky image of a little girl that Yoshimi keeps thinking she is seeing...

Fear Factor: On a scale of 1 to 10, this gets about a 7. Pretty much every moment in the apartment complex elevator is accompanied by something somewhat freaky. And for some reason, ghosts are, like, ten times more frightening when 1) they are the ghost of a little kid and 2) their long hair covers their faces as they shuffle toward you.

Imports vs. Exports: As referenced above, Hollywood turned this into a horror film (same title) starring Jennifer Connelly. This is much scarier than the remake, though, focusing more on the slow spiral of terror that Yoshimi is going through, rather than on the question of her sanity. This made it more of a true horror film, in my mind, with the remake being a bit more dramatic. The daughter also had a smaller role in this version, with most (but not, by far, all) of the creepy goings-on happening to Yoshimi. The ex-husband (played by Dougray Scott in the remake) had a much smaller role in the original, as well.

Curt's Take: Worth Considering - Even though I chose the Japanese audio/English subtitiles option (although you do have the option to watch it dubbed in English), I enjoyed this much more than the remake, and was much more freaked out by it. I also appreciated how the original didn't just point out the answers to the different mysteries going on in the film with a huge flashing neon sign, unlike the original. It made you work a little for the solution. All in all, if you run across it at your local video store, and haven't seen the original yet, you may want to check it out. And even if you have the seen the original, it's still worth considering.

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Ringu 2 (1999)

In the Beginning: Well, depends on how you define "beginning," because a lot happened in Ringu, the first movie in this series. Reiko and her son Yoichi have gone into hiding after all the shenanigans that went down with the Evil Video Tape of Doom, and now the girlfriend of the professor who was helping out Reiko in the first film is trying to track them down to find out what exactly is going on.

The Plot Thickens: Mai, the girlfriend, finds Reiko and her son, only to discover that Yoichi has some strange powers and is acting an awful lot like Sadako (the evil little spirit girl from the first movie, not to be confused with SuDoku, a popular way to pass the time on airplanes).

Fear Factor: On a scale of 1 to 10, this gets about a 5. If you've seen either the original Ringu or any of the Americanized versions, you have more of the same types of scares, which is a little disappointing. More video tapes, more televisions, more weird history and flashbacks. Creepy? Yes, a little, but nothing earth-shattering. I did have an "Oh My God" moment when the creepy (and apparently death-inducing) montage of women combing their hair in mirrors and old abandoned stone wells in the forest started to appear on televisions without a VCR even being hooked up to them. Other than that, though...nothing terrifying.

Imports vs. Exports: It was a bit of a challenge watching this because it had been ages since I'd seen either Ringu or The Ring, and I couldn't keep straight what happened in one, but not the other, in order to best understand this sequel. Lots of differences between this and the Americanized sequel, though. The primary difference is the change in focus of the main character. In the American films, Naomi Watts plays Rachel (mother of Aidan), and is the main focus of both films in the series. However, in the Japanese version, the equivalent characters (Reiko and her son Yoichi) are relegated to secondary roles. The main character is instead Mai, who is seeking Reiko and her son. Other than that...don't remember enough about The Ring 2 to say what else is drastically different. Except that the Japanese original is better.

Curt's Take: Not a Priority - I think that because I was trying to remember all that went down in the original Ringu, it was hard to enjoy this one as much as I could have. Plus, there are some pretty abstract stretches to the movie, where I'm sure the characters are making logical decisions in their own little world, but where I'm just wondering what the heck is going on and why. If you sat through the original, give this sequel a shot. And if you have to choose between this or the American sequel, choose this. But other than that...eh...it was just okay.

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Ju-on: The Grudge (2003)

In the Beginning: Like the American remake, it's pretty hard to nail down the "beginning" of this film. Let's just say we witness a pretty brutal and cinematically disturbing attack in a Japanese home that ends up staining the lives of all who come into contact with it.

The Plot Thickens: The rest of the film follows the seemingly endless parade of victims who fall prey to the curse of the house. It's pretty simple actually, but also pretty interesting to see how all these different lives intersect with each other.

Fear Factor: On a scale of 1 to 10, this gets about an 8. Like the remake, you've got a couple of damn creepy ghosts...with the compounded problem that they don't seem confined to the place of their deaths. Ghosts are one thing...ghosts that follow you when you run out of the frickin' haunted house are another. Still, the remake scored a little higher on the "fear scale."

Imports vs. Exports: I enjoyed both of these, but the American remake actually did a bit better in my book. The original had a lot less focus than the remake, coming off as more of a series of slightly connected stories about the lives that intersect with this cursed home than a cohesive tale with a beginning, middle and end. The original also tips you off a bit stronger at the beginning about what is going on in the home, while the remake shrouds the history of the house in a lot more mystery, and makes the investigation into the home a part of the story (which the original doesn't pull off).

Curt's Take: Worth Considering - If you have to catch either this or the remake, I'd actually recommend the remake. While both have a disjointed storyline, the remake's plot elements hang together a little more tightly, there's a more engaging storyline, and it's just plain scarier. If you're a huge fan of the remake (as I was), I'd still recommend taking a look at the original, just to see the remake's origins

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Pulse (2001)

In the Beginning: A young girl goes to pick up a computer disk from a friend, who commits suicide while she's there. Elsewhere in Tokyo, an economics student who doesn't know much about computers, tries to connect his PC to the Internet, only to do so and find that 1) he keeps connecting to a website which just shows video of strange ghost-like people staring at him and 2) once he disconnects, the Internet starts randomly calling him.

The Plot Thickens: Their friends start disappearing one by one. If this was The Ring, you'd think they'd all have come in contact with that computer disk...but that's the creepy thing: the disappearances seem to be happening at random. Or are they? And what's up with the doors, windows and rooms that are appearing all over town, sealed with red masking tape?

Fear Factor: On a scale of 1 to 10, this gets about a 6. The beginning is pretty slow, with any creepiness arising only because you're wondering what is going on. When there's about 50 minutes left in the film, it reaches a sort of tipping point, and it gets pretty out there. It's like the first half is a mystery, and the second half gives you a peek behind the curtain that gives a glimpse at what is going on, and it's pretty off-putting. So what's scary here? Some ghosts, sure...but also the fact that you don't know what exactly is happening.

Imports vs. Exports: Can't really speak to this one...it's the only one of these four films where I haven't seen the remake. It stars the girl from Veronica Mars, that much I know, and there are computers and ghosts trying to "break through to our side" and lots of red masking tape. I've added the remake to my Netflix queue, so will let you know what I end up coming up with.

Curt's Take: Not a Priority - I was rather confused about a lot here. I mean, sure, I followed the surfact-level plot and all, but I think there was a lot going on at a more symbolic/metaphorical level that I'm pretty sure I missed. Why characters did certain things or came to certain conclusions, for example. And the "why is this going on" behind the "what is going on." Because of this, I definitely plan on seeing the remake, and hoping that it will answer some questions...because while I didn't get a lot of what was going on, I did get the sense that what WAS going on was probably pretty clever. I'm sure lots of you out there are more on-the-ball than I am and would probably get was happening here, but I'd recommend checking out the remake, only because it might be easier to follow.

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Next Time on Take 4: Although we're a good ways into Season Three right now, thought I'd take the time to look over Seasons One and Two of another remake...this time of a hit BBC comedy. Yes, it's time to visit The Office.

Take 4 TV: Battlestar Galactica Revisited

Battlestar Galactica: Seasons 2.0 and 2.5 (2006)

What's Going On: As I covered in the review of the first season of Battlestar Galactica, mankind created a bunch of robots called Cylons. A while back, the robots rebelled, and mankind drove them off, forging an uneasy truce. Well, over time, the Cylons (big, fierce, metal things) created a new kind of robot...still Cylon, but indistinguishable from humans (except for the fact that they only have a limited number of templated human "looks"). These new Cylons infiltrated human colonies, making way for an all-out strike, which drove the human survivors of the onslaught into space. The series follows a fleet of colonial ships, overseen by Galactica, a military Battlestar-class ship. In the series, they flee from Cylon raiders as they try to make their way to the mythical planet known as "Earth," which according to legend, will help save the human race. In these seasons, the crew faces figuring out how to deal with a pregnant Cylon, the discovery of another Battlestar...and the ever-present question of "Who is Real and Who is Robot?"

Familiar Faces: All your favorites from Season One, most notably Edward James Olmos (who plays Commander Adama) and Mary McDonnell (who plays President Laura Roslin). There's also a brief cameo by Lucy Lawless (aka Xena) as a news reporter who gets behind-the-scenes access to Galactica to do a report on the men and women who are in charge of protecting the fleet on a daily basis. Richard Hatch (who played Starbuck in the original series...as opposed to the winner of the first Survivor) also returns to play Tom Zarek, a freedom fighter who tries to undermine Roslin at every turn.

Three Things to Look Out For: 1) An interesting documentary-like film style, that makes you feel like you're witnessing the action as it takes place. 2) Coverage of topical issues, such as when a pro-choice President has to deal with whether or not to permit the termination of a pregnancy when a vital goal of the fleet is repopulation of the human race. 3) A good balance of on-ship, in-space, and on-planet action: it's not just a bunch of ships shooting lasers against a black background.

And the Winner Is...: (Major Season One Spoiler Ahead): In the category of Strangest Love Triangle, the winner is...Helo, Tyrol and Sharon. See, Tyrol and Sharon were an item on the Galactica, but unknown to either of them, she was a Cylon. Simultaneously, trapped back on the home planet of Caprica, Helo hooked up with another Cylon version of Sharon, who had the same memories as the one on Galactica (he didn't know that she was a second copy of Sharon...he thought she had come back to rescue him). This version of Sharon, however, got pregnant from Helo, and both returned to the Battlestar, where it was immediately recognized that Sharon was a Cylon agent. Now, there is major friction between Helo and Tyrol because both love Sharon (just different versions of her), but one of them is carrying the robot baby of Helo. Aaaaawkwaaaaaaard...

Random Trivia: The subplot set on Cylon-Occupied Caprica with Helo and Sharon was not originally planned; after being left of Caprica in the mini series, Helo was supposed to never be seen again: the audience would be left to assume that he died. Only after seeing the audience's reaction to Helo did the show producers decide to bring him back, and introduce another Sharon, and the Cylons' experiments in creating a Cylon/Human Hybrid, which eventually became an integral part of the Cylon "plan".

And I Quote: Starbuck: "I never wanted this kind of responsibility." Commander Adama: "The Cylons never asked us what we wanted. Welcome to the big leagues."

Curt's Take: Must See - Again, very glad my buddy Dave turned me on to Season One of this series. Like I said in the previous review, I'm not a huge sci-fi fan, but really got sucked into the character interaction, the story and the rest of the drama. It's not overly teched out, and almost has more of a "military drama" feel to it than a science fiction show. I loved the first season, and these next two seasons (Season 2.5 originally appeared online as "webisodes," but is vital to see before watching Season 3.0) didn't let me down either. I strongly recommend you check out the first season, and see if you don't get hooked, even if sci-fi isn't your thing.

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Next Time on Take 4: I still want to get more horror movies in, because I think I shortchanged Halloween a little bit. But next time, I will be changing things up. The last horror review I did featured both The Grudge and Dark Water. But did you know that both of us these were originally Japanese horror films? In my next review I'll be reviewing four horror flicks from the Far East that we here in the States felt could use an American twist, and were thus remade for English-speaking audiences.

Take 4: Halloween Review

In honor of Halloween, I decided to take the time to review some of the supposedly scarier movies that reside in my Netflix queue. Enjoy!

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Alone in the Dark (2005)

In the Beginning: Roughly 10,000 years ago, the Abkani tribe opened a doorway to a realm of evil and darkness...and then realizing this probably wasn't the best idea, closed it. The key that sealed it shut was divided into many parts and scattered to the ends of the earth. Fast forward to today, as these pieces begin to surface...

The Plot Thickens: An evil doctor begins to gather the Abkani artifacts with the help of a group of orphans he experimented on twenty years ago: unsuspecting "sleeper agents" who are ready to slip into killer-zombie-on-speed mode at socially awkward moments. The only thing keeping the evil doctor and his crack squad of killer orphans from unleashing evil and darkness onto the world? Christian Slater and Tara Reid. Now there's a team that just oozes "capable."

Fear Factor: On a scale of 1 to 10, Alone in the Dark gets about a 4. Your main baddies here, other than the aforementioned evil doctor, are "Xenos," strange alien creatures that look like a cross between a reptile and a dog with armor-plating. There seem to be a wide variety of Xenos, from the "galloping on four legs" type to the "I've got a tentacle with a mouth and pointy thing on the end, be careful I'm about to impale your head and eat your brain" type. Apparently electrical equipment goes haywire around them, but this power is disrupted by "elements 76 through 79 on the periodic table." Something, something, silver and gold. See, informational AND entertaining. Then there are the Xeno/human hybrids that don't know they have little Xenos living inside them...these are the orphans I mentioned earlier, experimented on at an early age by the evil doctor. Oh, yeah, Christian Slater was one of these orphans, but he got electrocuted as a kid and the "implant" never bonded completely. Overall, not really that scary...just a bit gory and confusing.

Familiar Faces: You've got three main ones you'll recognize, and I've already mentioned two. Christian Slater plays Edward Carnby, paranormal investigator. Tara Reid plays Aline Cedrac, museum curator and archaelogist. That bears repeating. Museum Curator. Archaelogist. Tara Reid. Okay, recovered yet? Finally, Steven Dorff plays Commander Richard Burke, head of Bureau 713, a branch of the government that investigates the unexplained.

Three Questions You May Find Yourself Asking: 1) I don't care how dangerous the situation is, why would you ever hand Tara Reid a loaded weapon? 2) If these creatures are weakened by daylight, why are you setting up outside their lair at 2am? 3) Did your military training include courses entitled "Let's Split Up: There is No Safety in Numbers" and "Why Walking Backwards Slowly is a Good Tactical Move"?

Random Trivia: According to the Internet Movie Database, the lengthy opening text crawl was added after numerous members of test audiences reported that they were confused by the plot. That was actually one of my thoughts as I watched it...that the "exposition explanation" at the beginning gave away a lot about the movie, and was probably inserted because the story was all over the place.

And I Quote: Cabbie: "You travel light." Edward Carnby: "I carry enough baggage for the both of us."

Curt's Take: Don't Bother - I had become initially interested in this movie because it was supposedly based on the computer game series of the same name. The only thing it really had in common with the game was the name "Edward Carnby": Slater's character's name and the name of a primary character in the computer game. To my disappointment, that's about where the similarities end. What could have been a classic horror story in the style of HP Lovecraft instead turns into a "science gone wrong" tale with plenty of plot loopholes and goofs. Three I picked up on: 1) A military commando checks for a pulse on the body of a fallen comrade...while wearing gloves. 2) A supposedly dead woman starts to get up as the rest of the cast leave the scene. She's not a zombie...the actress just moved a little too early (and the editors didn't catch it). 3) The group is standing on a sandy floor in an underground cavern, dodging a burrowing snakelike creature. They keep running across the sand, trying to keep it from appearing underfoot and biting them...when just several feet away is a large concrete block they could easily step on. Okay, so the last one isn't so much a "goof" as it is "stupidity," but you get the point. Apparently this movie won the "Worst Film of 2005" from the Stinkers Bad Movie Awards. I didn't think it was THAT bad...it was more "Eye-Rolling" Bad, not "Brains Leaking Out My Ears" Bad. In short, just don't waste your time seeing this.

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The Grudge (2004)

In the Beginning: Karen Davis is an exchange student just outside Tokyo, Japan. She works and studies at a health clinic that also provides "at home" care to families. Karen gets her first assignment, helping out a young married couple's mother, a mostly catatonic woman living with them who experiences bouts of dementia. Normally, a different health clinic worker takes care of her, but, strangely, she failed to turn up for work...

The Plot Thickens: Karen experiences some strange goings-on her first day on the job (to put it mildly), which leads her to look into the history of the house and the family that used to live there. The rest of the movie varies between following Karen's search for answers and flashbacks from the history of the house, which now haunts her every thought.

Fear Factor: On a scale of 1 to 10, The Grudge gets about a 9. And that's while watching it on my laptop on a plane. If I'd been in a dark room watching on an actual television, it may have gotten a 10. So what's so scary? There's an evil force at work, manifesting itself as several ghostly beings. VERY creepy ghostly beings, I might add. But its really not so much the spectres themselves that freak you out, but rather how they are unveiled on screen. There's a scene where one of the main characters is watching video from a security camera...very grainy black and white footage...and an image starts to form down the long hallway seen on the television monitor. The closer this black silhouette gets to the video camera filming it, lurching and moving unnaturally, the more the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I still get chills thinking about it. And on this topic of fear, there's an interesting special feature included on the DVD, "Under the Skin," that looks at the physiology behind fear responses, and the difference between watching a scary movie and being in the actual scary situation yourself. Pretty nifty.

Familiar Faces: The main one is Sarah Michelle Gellar, who plays Karen, but there were several other folks I didn't know were in this. Bill Pullman, for example, plays a prominent role in the back story of the house. Clea DuVall (from Carnivale) and William Mapother (who also plays Ethan, one of "The Others" from Lost), fill the roles of Jennifer and Matthew, the daughter-in-law and son of the woman Karen comes to watch over. Speaking of whom, the mother is played by Grace Zabriskie, who has had random roles here and there in movies and on television, including that of Laura Palmer's mother in the series Twin Peaks. Jason Behr of the TV series Roswell and Ted Raimi (brother of the director of The Grudge, Sam Raimi) also have small parts.

Three Questions You May Find Yourself Asking: 1) You're not Buffy anymore, so why are you checking out that noise upstairs? 2) Why'd I watch this right before going to bed? 3) How'd they make a sequel out of this?

Random Trivia: Before filming, the cast and crew went through a ceremony where they were blessed so nothing bad could happen to them during filming.

And I Quote: Opening Text: "When someone dies in the grip of a powerful rage... a curse is born. The curse gathers in that place of death. Those who encouter it will be consumed by its fury."

Curt's Take: Must See - Well, if you like good, old-fashioned scary movies, you should see this. In fact, this came damn close to getting a "Buy, Watch, Repeat" rating. Adapted from a Japanese horror film, and with elements similar to The Ring, I got chills at many points during this movie, and really want to watch it again with a group of friends who haven't seen it yet. In today's movies, where knife-weilding psychopaths are the rule, it's nice to see that a movie can be made about ghosts and other-worldly strangeness, and it can still scare the socks off an audience. Good times. One of the other things that makes The Grudge interesting is the number of layers to the story...it doesn't just follow Sarah Michelle Gellar around, but peels back the layers of the mystery surrounding the house she works in, one at a time. And the scares are great...something as simple as a phone or doorbell ringing, set up in the right manner, creates the perfect sense of foreboding. Check it out. I know I plan on seeing the sequel, now, while it's still in theaters!

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Dark Water (2005)

In the Beginning: In the midst of dealing with a difficult divorce and custody battle, Dahlia and her daughter Ceci move into a rundown apartment complex on Roosevelt Island in New York City, in an effort to add some stability into their lives.

The Plot Thickens: Within days of moving into their new place, the bedroom ceiling begins to develop a serious (and rather disgusting) leak. Almost simultaneously, Ceci acquires an imaginary friend that happens to share the same name as the little girl who used to live in the apartment above theirs...

Fear Factor: On a scale of 1 to 10, Dark Water gets about a 4. I had expected something a lot creepier, along the lines of The Grudge, but there were very few scary parts. Only one really gave me goosebumps, and I can't completely explain why...you know Ceci is in the bathroom taking a bath, but then you see a small girl in a bathrobe walk past Dahlia while she's in the kitchen. Just sent chills up my spine for some reason. Anyway, yeah...you've got a spirit again...or do you have a figment of a paranoid mom's imagination? A little hard to tell, actually, when everything is said and done.

Familiar Faces: One of my favorite actresses, Jennifer Connelly, plays Dahlia. You've also got Dougray Scott (currently with a role on Desperate Housewives) playing her ex-husband. Other familiar faces in more secondary roles include Tim Roth (of Reservoir Dogs, a great actor) as the lawyer that Dahlia hires, Pete Postlethwaite (of Amistad and Romeo + Juliet) as the building superintendent, John C. Reilly (of Boogie Nights and Chicago) as Mr. Murray, the building manager. and Camryn Manheim (of The Practice) as Ceci's schoolteacher.

Three Questions You May Find Yourself Asking: 1) How long before you avoid the creepy elevator, and just start taking the stairs? 2) Do you always let your six-year-old daughter make your real estate decisions for you? 3) Does renter's insurance cover all this?

Random Trivia: The heartbeat heard during Dahlia's migraines are from an ultrasound scan of the editor's wife, who got pregnant at the beginning of the shooting.

And I Quote: Mr. Murray: "The bathroom's pretty much self-explanatory."

Curt's Take: Not a Priority - It pains me to give Dark Water this rating, because I really wanted to like it, but I was hoping for something a little more spinechilling. The fact that the lead character of Dahlia is of questionable mental stability, although lending uncertainty to everything you are witnessing, does make things get a little old after the second or third dream sequence. Plus, you kind of figure out the "mystery" within the first fifteen minutes of the film. Not that solving it helps matters...the ending does bring a bit of a surprise. I kept waiting for that big scare, though, and it never really came. Or a big twist...such as one of the peripheral characters being much more nefarious than you at first were lead to believe. But no such luck. It's a good film if you're not looking to get frightened...great cast, good acting, decent writing...but failed as a horror movie for me.

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The Legend of Lucy Keyes (2006)

In the Beginning: Guy and Jeanne Cooley move to a sleepy New England town with their two daughters, leaving their city life behind. Guy has been brought there by a local businesswoman to help build and develop a wind-energy farm, while Jeanne hopes to relax and recover from the recent loss of a child in an automobile accident.

The Plot Thickens: The Cooley's meet resistance regarding the land that the windmills are to be built on, both from the townsfolk who see historical significance in the property, and supernatural forces that still roam the New England countryside.

Fear Factor: On a scale of 1 to 10, The Legend of Lucy Keyes gets about a 3. It was really more of a mystery than a horror film, and the ghosts definitely weren't high budget. Sometimes they looked like normal, non-ethereal people, sometimes they looked like your neighbors on Halloween. Meh.

Familiar Faces: Didn't think I was going to recognize anyone from this, but Guy Cooley was played by Justin Theroux, who also played Brenda's next-door neighbor and brief romantic partner in several episodes of Six Feet Under. Also, Jeanne Cooley is played by Julie Delpy, who I recognized from The Three Musketeers as well as from previews of An American Werewolf in Paris (because, surprise, I actually haven't seen it).

Three Questions You May Find Yourself Asking: 1) What's the connection between clam bellies and ghosts? 2) Why does this have the cinematic quality of an after-school special? 3) So...are windmills bad, or...something?

Random Trivia: Don't have much to go on here, but apparently the movie was filmed independently, in rural Massachusetts.

And I Quote: Samantha Porter: "It's just a silly old town legend...it's nothing we have to worry about."

Curt's Take: Don't Bother - This had been added to my rental list because of a "What an Under-Appreciated Film" comment I read on a movie blog somewhere. Have to say, I was pretty damn disappointed. From the get-go, it had the feel of a made-for-TV movie. When I selected "Play" from the DVD menu, it began the movie...but, strangely, played a 30-second clip of the film prior to the actual movie starting. And it was the most tense part of the film (which isn't saying much), as if the makers of the disc were saying "Okay...here's the big climatic scene that the movie you're about to see builds up to. Enjoy!" It just didn't work for me. You could tell from listening to the dialogue that the writer didn't really listen to how people actually speak. Very stilted. And not convinced the acting would have been better with a better script. It just fell short on several fronts...but I guess it was an interesting idea for a story. Just not a lot was done with it.

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Next Time on Take 4: Finally, I get to the Battlestar Galactica review. Honest.