December 25, 2008.

As scary as "Shutter" and "Ringu".

Rating: 5
I'm not a big fan of Asian horror films, but I think I'm starting to grow on them. Recently, I watched "Shutter," "Ringu," and now "Gin Gwai" a.k.a. "The Eye." This is a truly scary experience. The scariest moments are only a few, but they're quite effective (try getting on an elevator after watching this film). The actors are pretty good, and the music is intense. And the ending is quite disturbing, so you've been warned.

I haven't seen the American remake with Jessica Alba, and I'm sure I won't ever see that one.

December 12, 2008.

The Eye - Original Movie On Par With Remake.

Rating: 3
The Eye is one of many Asian horror movies that has been remade and imported into the US. While the vast majority of Asian remakes have come from Japan, this one is from Hong Kong and features Cantonese and Mandarin speaking. The paranormal story line is based upon the common used idea in horror movies that transplanted body parts can transfer abilities and problems from the donor to the recipient. The effects are somewhat along the lines of The Sixth Sense, but there is a horror mystery element in that the reason for the phenomena must be solved.

When the heroine's eye surgery (cornea transplant) has her seeing ghosts, she must seek the help of a newfound friend to unlock the mystery.

The movie mainly consists of her experiencing various close encounters after her surgery till she finally figures out there's a connection there. She spends the last part of the film trying to find out who her donor was and why she's seeing strange things.

The original movie is more effective and less effective than the remake in several key ways. The original seems slightly less suspenseful, yet the remake didn't have as many effective chills. The original had more lighthearted elements (like when the girl's friend hits on the doctor) but also seemed to create less tension as a result. And also, the original did one thing that was much better than the remake. In the original the heroine is a blind woman who plays in an orchestra for the blind, while the remake has her portrayed as the lead violinist in a professional orchestra, which is much harder to swallow.

Overall, I was very surprised with my conclusion. Watching the original actually made the remake look better. Jessica Alba is much better as an actress and her performance deserved a lot more credit. The general backlash against Asian horror remakes has hurt the remade version. But if you really give it a chance, it is just as good and probably slightly better than the original.

As far as acting is concerned, the cast is good overall but Alba does a much better job in her version.

The special effects are somehow lower tech yet more effective in the original. While the remake relies heavily on CG, the original has more spooky moments that are made more real with the use of shadows and nice close-up shooting.

Conclusion

Having seen the original after the remake, I have to feel that I may have been too harsh on the remake. Despite some cool moments and a more believable back story, the original is not executed nearly as well. It's still worth watching, but if you have to pick one pick the remake.

Enjoy!!!

December 05, 2008.

Horror In Art Form.

Rating: 5
I love being scared. I started watching horror movies as far back as 4 years old. I even made it a point to rent every horror movie at both of my local video stores. And if a movie gave me nightmares for 2 days, I wanted to find one that would make it 3. It could've been anything. Later on I'd realise I was exposed not only from the standard American horror legends like Romero to Raimi, but also Bava and Argento from Italy and of course Hitchcock.

While that was a good long run, I became desensitised at a fairly early age by slasher and/or gore films. Only few films would leave lasting impressions on my psyche. Then I came across asian horror. Japanese staples like Ringu and Ju On were instantly in a different league. The off kilter timing and sincerity in telling a story wouldn't just scare the fairly jaded horror movie fan in me, it would shake every fibre of my being. The paranoia I felt after seeing movies like Begotten or Silence of the Lambs or even the last scene in Blair Witch could not compare to the atmosphere built by the aforementioned movies. With Asia restoring my faith in the genre, I branched out even further. And this is where The Eye comes in.

The Eye is the scariest movie I've ever seen in my life. Short of spoilers, that's the best description I can give. For what it is, it's the perfect movie in it's genre. It literally immerses you into the atmosphere and spits you out without a moment's notice. I personally felt like a deer in headlights each time, stronger than the last. And when it's all over, life itself can feel like a nightmare. At least for a while. I no longer love being scared. I am simply terrified.

Watch this movie at 2 in the morning alone with the lights off.

December 27, 2008.

Good movie!!!.

Rating: 5
This movie is awesome. I suggest you watch this one BEFORE you see the american version!!!

I like the plot line, and i actually jumped in a few scenes. This movie is good enough that i will watch it more than once.....hmm, i think ill go watch it now...

December 07, 2008.

I think I'll close my Eye to this from now on!.

Rating: 1
I saw this original version with an open mind figuring that since we just remade it here in America "It must be pretty good right? WRONG?!! This movie lacks in any real purpose or plot in that this movie is slow paced and boring much of the time and lacks in any thing even closely resembling a plot! And I particularly hate the ending where the main character Mun both faces a circumstance similar to the girl who's cornea she got donated went through! That being that before the young girl commited suicide she tried to warn everyone in the village about a fire naturally though since everyone believed her to be cursed and ostracized her for it no one would listen until it was too late! Well anyway we experience an "Eye" numbing flash between the past and present as Mun tries to warn a bunch of people on a traffic jammed bridge about a possible explosion and of course no one would listen! and as if that wasn't bad enough cinders from the explosion burn her eyes to the point of giong blind again! How stupid and corny is that?!! To say nothing of being something of a Final Destination RIP-OFF! I just hope that the recent remake with sexy Jessica Alba is much better but I'm not counting on it!