“The Ring” Directed by Gore Verbinski
DreamWorks SKG 3.5 Paws
While “The Ring” may have started with foreign
roots, the American remake of the Japanese thriller will likely
generate its own success in the States, putting an end to the
recent slew of mass-produced cheap thrillers scaring movie patrons
away from the box office.
Based on a series of highly successful films from Japan and a
novel with the same title, “The Ring” works for all
audiences because it plays on fear of the unknown. Its plot is
amazingly simple to understand and works on enough levels to let
everyone appreciate the film.
The bizarre, imported tale unfolds as Naomi Watts
(“Mulholland Drive”) investigates the deaths of four
teenagers who each view a mysterious video tape exactly seven days
before they’re found dead.
As a newspaper reporter, Watts’ quest to find the origin
of the tape becomes even more personal when she and her son view
the twisted video, thus beginning the countdown of their own.
Director Gore Verbinski’s choice of Watts was excellent as
she once again made an unusual film seem incredibly real and
convincing.
The icing on the cake, however, is the film’s
un-commercialized “˜indie’ feel, despite its backing by
big-budget producers from DreamWorks. Amid the movie’s
natural tones, scenes are intercut with images, some too quickly to
decipher, all meant to disorient and intrigue the viewer to solve
the mystery before it’s too late.
-CJ YuÂ
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“Abandon” Directed by Stephen Gaghan
Paramount Pictures/Spyglass Entertainment 1.5
Paws
If Katie Holmes ever decides to leave “Dawson’s
Creek” to pursue her acting career in a bigger pond, she
should learn to test the waters thoroughly before jumping in.
In “Abandon,” Holmes plays an over-achieving
graduate student, Katie, in her last semester of college at a
prestigious university. Bothered by memories of her ex-boyfriend
Embry Larkin (Charlie Hunnam), a student who has been missing for
several years, Katie becomes depressed and stresses even more over
completing her thesis.
When Detective Handler (Benjamin Bratt) gets assigned to
Embry’s missing person case, Katie transfers her longing for
Embry towards a new love interest, the detective, who at the same
time is struggling with his own problems with alcoholism and mutual
feelings towards Katie.Â
Confused?
With a plot as scattered as the one found here, it’s hard
to believe that the writer and director of the movie, Stephen
Gaghan, was the same mastermind who created the
“Traffic,” screenplay for which he received an Academy
Award and Golden Globe.
Running a little more than ninety minutes, the predictable
conclusion to “Abandon” can only be described as an
ending that comes about sixty minutes too late, when half the
audience has already figured out what’s been going on.
The film’s few redeeming qualities include the
performances by Katie Holmes and Charlie Hunnam, both talented
actors who just have to find better material to work with next
time.
“Abandon” ultimately does not make the emotional
connection with audiences that is needed for a psychological
thriller to work. As a result, moviegoers are more likely to
“Abandon” this film rather than rush to see it in the
theatres.
-CJ Yu