The Grudge

Links
The Grudge
(US 2004)
—Overview
—Round Table Discussion
—Trailers, Photos
—About this Film pdf

Ju-On: The Grudge
(Japan 2003)
—Overview
—Trailers, Photos
—About this Film
—Spiritual Connections

Japanese horror has arrived in America, and we may not be ready for it!

The Grudge, directed by Takashi Shimizu, is a haunted house movie at its core. The film stars Sarah Michelle Gellar as a highly unfortunate American social worker who, with her boyfriend, is studying in Japan. She is given a case at a home where she finds more than she bargained for. The owners of the house appear to be missing. It takes only a moment for the house to begin its haunting.

The film’s essential premise is that when someone dies in an extreme rage, a curse born at the place of death grows and spreads to anyone who encounters that place. We as viewers see different characters as they encounter this house, and we also see the gruesome consequences. The plot is not linear, with time bouncing back and forth, and sometimes characters are introduced that have only been spoken of earlier in the film. Yet, the plot is not the essential factor in this film . . . that would be the fear!

Japanese horror films tend to be built around an atmosphere of fear and terror that is unrelenting, and that atmosphere takes precedence over the plot or characters of the film. This is one of the reasons that Japanese horror has been so effective in recent years, and also so distant from American horror.

A quick look at recent American horror films will show the contrast. When Americans produce a new Jason Vorhees movie, the focus is on a few grisly deaths, and the immoral exploits of the teens that will soon meet those grisly deaths. The “scares� come from occasional loud noises or dark settings where the killer lurks. The deaths and violence in these films are rarely as frightening as the tension leading up to the scare. What some recent Japanese directors have done is to take that sense of dread and anticipation, and set the entire film in that sort of atmosphere. The Grudge is a perfect example. Each scene is structured around a death (which isn’t much of a spoiler, I hope) and everywhere the character goes is “fair game� for the ghosts with a grudge. Although this is a haunted house film, this is also a film that wants nothing more than to haunt its viewers. Once characters have encountered this curse, nowhere is safe for them.

Some reviewers have critiqued the weak plot links that string together these episodes, or the inconsistencies with how some of the ghosts make their kills. Some reviewers will take issue with the performances of the actors. Yet the viewers themselves have spoken, as the film has scored heavily at the box office already. As noted above, maybe America isn’t ready for this kind of horror, but viewers have now opened the door for more like it to come.

The Ring was another film that had its roots in Japanese horror, a remake of an original Japanese film. That film was a hit as well, but it was essentially an American film that had its roots in a Japanese film. The Grudge, on the other hand, is brought to us by the very same director who made the original version of this film and its sequels in Japan. Americans are just now getting the full force of Japanese horror, which I’ve described as “effective.�

What does it mean for a horror film to be effective? And why has The Grudge drawn so many to it in just one weekend? One of the reasons people are drawn to horror is -ironically- the safety it provides! As humans, we need safety, or a certain sense of it. However, most people also like to be thrilled from time to time. Horror movies provide the thrills, but always in an environment that promises safety. The movie theater or the living room are places where we feel safe. And one of the reasons that The Grudge is an effective horror movie is that viewers are plunged into a hopeless and terrifying environment, but afterwards are able to come together and laugh about it.

[There is another sort of horror entirely, which exists apart from this sort of film, such as a film that explores the horrors of war or drug addiction. Those are films we aren’t able to shake off and smile about. That sort of horror exists on a different level than The Grudge, however.]

In the truest sense of the horror genre, The Grudge works magically. America will need to adjust to this new brand of horror where dread and anticipation are not the means to an end, but are in fact the end in and of itself.

Links
The Grudge
(US 2004)
—Overview
—Round Table Discussion
—Trailers, Photos
—About this Film pdf

Ju-On: The Grudge
(Japan 2003)
—Overview
—Trailers, Photos
—About this Film
—Spiritual Connections

Team America: World Police

Links
—Overview
—Roundtable Discussion
—Trailers, Photos
—About this Film

Team America is a movie that will undoubtedly elicit a reaction from its viewers. What that reaction may be comes down to the individual . . . but it is doubtful that one could come out of the film without some strong opinions. This is the intent of the filmmakers, I believe, as it seems Trey Parker and Matt Stone were attempting to skewer just about everyone possible in this film!

Team America follows the misadventures of a group of elite soldiers, who are also marionettes, that are attempting to end the threat of terrorism across the globe. The strengths of this movie, more so than the promised political jabs at all possible sides, lie mostly in the film’s original music. Trey Parker not only directed this film, he also wrote it, provided many of the characters’ voices, and wrote some of the funniest original music ever heard in a film.

Parker and Stone, who are the brains behind the South Park television show, have shown their gifts for writing musical comedy before. They made the unique choice of turning their South Park television show into a feature length musical in 1999. Yes, a musical. The result was a funnier-than-it-should-have-been film, which even brought Parker a nomination for the best original song, “Blame Canada,� at the Academy awards.

Team America features a number of hilarious original songs that bring humor to the film on a whole different level than puppets that swear, kill, fist fight, and even . . . fornicate. The song writing shows that Parker has gifts for comedy beyond the lowball humor that he sometimes seems to shoot for. He has an acute awareness of how to make a film, and an obvious awareness of how to make daring satire.

As we are introduced to the main character, Gary Johnston, he is acting in a Broadway play called Lease: The Musical. In this great parody of the musical Rent, Johnston (Parker) sings an original song about the entire world having AIDS. Parker sends up Broadway musicals grandly in this hilarious track.

Later, as Johnston ponders his new relationship with Lisa, a teammate, the song the audience is treated to revolves entirely around how bad a film Pearl Harbor was, and gives us a chorus something along the lines of, “Pearl Harbor sucked . . . but just a little bit more than I love you.� Parker even seems to acknowledge the ridiculousness of his own film in this scene: as the camera follows Gary across the country on his little battery-powered motorcycle, the camera runs right into the puppet, knocking it onto the ground.

By far the most self-aware and classic song to be found in the film is the song about the storytelling device known as the “montage.� Sending up basically every action movie ever made, Gary trains to rescue his teammates in an onscreen montage. The music scoring this scene describes the techniques and purposes of the montage even as it is happening. “Even Rocky had a montage!� As Gary appears to become stronger and more prepared for the mission, the song is describing how each shot should show just a little bit of improvement. Brilliant!

Almost every original song found in this film is sidesplitting, and it shows us just how much potential Trey Parker and Matt Stone have in the realm of satire and parody. If they continue in this self-aware, no-holds-barred style, maybe they will realize some of their potential in films that focus more deeply on real-world issues -as did their short about fear in Michael Moore’s Bowling for Columbine- than the easier comedy fare they so often provide us.

Links
—Overview
—Roundtable Discussion
—Trailers, Photos
—About this Film

The Ring

LINKS
Overview -click here
Trailers, Photos -click here
About this Film -click here
Spiritual Connections -click here

The Ring is a good scary movie. It isn't a great film. It isn't a run of the mill horror-fest, either! First of all, let's look at the basic concept of this movie so that we can evaluate it. The Ring has one of the worst, most contrived concepts of all time. But, because the original version of The Ring was a cult hit in Japan…the American version was born! The concept: There is a tape, and when you watch it…you die! There isn't much to do with this concept is there? Well, director Gore Verbinski does his best to take this material to levels of creepiness that we shouldn't possibly be able to imagine. The film totally blows away its own lame concept and does show itself to be at least the most competent thriller since Signs in August.

The Ring begins with two Catholic School-looking girls talking about urban legends in their room on a dark and stormy night. The introductory scene introduces us to the "killer tape" in a fun, self-aware way, and this scene was just as refreshing as the introductory scene of Scream was in its day. Yet, the early death of an innocent girl is just the beginning, because this death is just too mysterious to go unsolved.

Enter Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts), the aunt of the recently deceased. Rachel is a reporter, and when she promises to investigate the death, she quickly stumbles upon the "death tape" legend. And, before we know it, she is watching the tape! (Hint: Rachel…don't watch the tape!!!) The most chilling part of the movie is that we, the audience, watch the death tape along with Rachel. The footage is dirty, frightening, and mysterious. And, now that both Rachel and we have watched the tape…we have only seven days to solve the mystery, or we die!

Verbinski was wise to structure this film like a mystery. Rachel and her ambiguous friend Noah (Martin Henderson) both end up seeing the film and they must both work to solve the dilemma. On the mystery level, this film is both fresh and engaging. Because the audience has seen the killer tape, we are just as curious as the protagonists. However, the film does kind of falter on the horror front, as we in the audience really aren't compelled to fear for our lives, and really, not for the lives of the characters either. When the mystery is close to being unravelled…when the last day of Rachel's life unraveled…she appears calm, cool, and rational. We really don't see too much of a sense of panic or dread in her demeanor. That is troublesome, but it does little to really kill one's interest in the mystery as a whole.

Another wise choice for the director was not to wrap everything up neatly at the end. There is the obligatory twist ending that we movie goers seem to crave these days, and this twist ending need not be discussed here in this review! But we are left with some questions, which are fun to talk about on the way out of the movie. The open pieces in the plot aren't holes, but uncomfortable (even creepy) possibilities for the future of this death tape.

What sets this apart from the average thriller or mystery is simply that we have seen the tape! We want to solve the mystery, because the tape really is mysterious. What do those images mean? Who are those people? Did we just see what we think we did?

Yet, what keeps this film from horror greatness, à la Jaws or the Sixth Sense, is its lack of a deep human element. We aren't made to feel like we love Rachel or her son. It is valiant that she puts her life on the line again and again. Yet, the movie doesn't quite touch on any of our deepest fears. Most of us did not leave the theater deeply attached to the plight of Rachel. And, really, how many of us would leave the theater worried that we might actually find the killer tape? Not many. Great horror has us checking our backseats for weeks. Great horror etches itself on our brains. Great horror preys on our deepest human fears. And, at my core…I'm just not afraid of VHS tapes!

LINKS
Overview -click here
Trailers, Photos -click here
About this Film -click here
Spiritual Connections -click here

Shaun of the Dead

LINKS
—Overview
—Trailers, Photos
—About this Film
—Spiritual Connections

If ever a movie could claim to be one of a kind, this would be it. If anyone can think of another zombie romantic comedy, or zom rom com, please let me know! Shaun of the Dead does what every good spoof should do, and yet it is more than a spoof. A spoof makes good-natured fun of its source material. Airplane was an amazing spoof of a non-amazing movie, Airport. Shaun of the Dead is a spoof of the zombie genre on one level, but it is also its own unique zombie film that turns conventions on their head.

The film centers on Shaun, a 29-year-old clearly in the midst of his quarter-life crisis. He cares deeply for his roommate Ed, but Ed is a total loser in the eyes of the business world. He also loves his girlfriend, Liz, but can’t seem to rise to the challenge of actually supporting her . . . or even taking her to a restaurant that is NOT the Winchester?Shaun and Ed’s pub of choice. So, before any of the carnage begins, Ed finds himself very dumped by Liz.

The rest of the film is simply the story of Shaun and Liz’s reconciliation . . . oh, yeah, and zombie Armageddon happens in the midst of all of this. Could ever a tagline for a film be as perfect as this: “A romantic comedy. With Zombies.� ? The tagline lets you know that you are going to need to go into this film looking to have fun, and it also delivers exactly what it describes!

Great care and thought went into the making of this film. Clearly Edgar Wright, the film’s writer and director, has great respect for the zombie genre. He also has an eye for telling a story through the camera. One scene that demonstrates the care put into the filming involves a long tracking shot. Shaun leaves his flat, walks across the street, hands change to a beggar, enters a shop, buys his morning drink, and pays the shop owner. This is all captured in one long, complicated take. But then Wright then one-ups himself in the story’s next morning, by reproducing the shot, only this time the world has simply been overrun by zombies, with Shaun entirely oblivious to the fact. He passes the same beggar, with whom he never makes eye contact to notice his now-undead state. He opens the same refrigerator case to get the same drink out, only this time he slips, on what we can only assume to be blood, and never even looks down. Shaun makes it all the way back home without even once noticing the dozens of zombies roaming the streets! The scene was hard to film, no question, but so effective in giving us a glimpse into Shaun’s character, as well as giving us a glimpse into the kind of humor we should expect for the rest of the film.

As noted above, the film also takes the staple requirements of the zombie genre and turns them on their heads. What a great method of storytelling! Many zombie movies have a tough-thinking hero who leads a small band of survivors to (apparent) safety. In Shaun, that hero exists, but is only rising to the occasion in order to impress and win back his girlfriend! All zombie movies of note have a very bleak, inevitable feel to them. Humanity is basically doomed, and the zombies simply can’t be stopped. Shaun is able to lead us into this deep and dreadful feeling even amidst the laughs. Several characters that the viewer has come to care about are “turned� or eaten, and Shaun always manages to find the balance between the mandatory zombie-feasting, and the lightning wit.

This is a film that will be remembered for its wit. Wit, according to Merriam Webster, can be defined this way: “the ability to relate seemingly disparate things so as to illuminate or amuse.� What Shaun of the Dead does is to relate a real guy’s love life and family issues to a zombie-Armageddon storyline in a way that amuses . . . uproariously so!

LINKS
—Overview
—Trailers, Photos
—About this Film
—Spiritual Connections