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Reviews
Ringu (1998)
Slow and Somewhat Lacking in Atmosphere
When watching this movie, I had the unfortunate plight of seeing the remake before the original. I tried to not let this influence my viewing of this one, but it was impossible. Despite being the shorter film, "Ringu" goes past slow-burn territory and just goes into "lagging" territory. This was my first J-Horror movie (so I am probably not as used to the style), but I found it hard to get into it. The characters are moderately developed, but not enough to be fully invested in them. Plus, the son (who the mom is trying to protect) is barely in the movie at all. The whole motivation of the mother is to protect this child, yet we hardly see him, except two or three times. Another problem I had was the plot progression. Rather than having twists and turns along the way, there is one or two pieces of information, given about the tape in the first hour. I will admit that the cut-scene which reveals Sadako's powers was very interesting, as well as the scenes where Ryuji finds out about her past through his psychic powers (a sub-plot that was not in the remake). However, once the plot starts revealing itself, there is very little of the movie left; I wish it had the same aura of mystery throughout. It feels like there are just scenes of people talking and than they remembered that they were supposed to reveal who Sadako was and what her purpose was. The tape itself is also lacking in the creepy imagery; there are only three or four scenes on it and the film almost never reveals what they mean, except with the mirror, the man with the bag over his head (on second thought, it doesn't even mention his purpose) and of course, the ring itself. What I did like however, was (I'm not sure if I missed this in the remake) that when Asawaka looked upwards towards the well and discovered that this was the ring shape in the video. It also did a better job in explaining that the copy of the tape was the reason that she didn't die and the reason Ryuji did. My favorite part of the film was the music; I thought that was the creepiest part of the movie and blew the remake's out of the water. I just wish there were scary parts in the movie, which accompanied those scenes. An exception was the infamous television scene, which was executed very well, although (as I was reminded in other comments), the black and white flash just felt weird and not as terrifying. I know that I am new to the culture and I did watch the remake first, so this could have made me enjoy this one less. However, I still think that I would have had problems with the pacing, but I won't know for sure. I would advise people to watch this one first (since it is the original) and see if that makes you enjoy it more as a standalone movie. Unfortunately, I was not able to.
The Descent (2005)
Somewhat Marred by Pacing
I went into this movie knowing that there were going to be cave creatures (because of the trailer). However, what I didn't know was that they show up about halfway through the movie. The scenes where the creatures attack are effective, but there is such a long trip (no pun intended) to get there. I don't have a problem with movies that have a slower pace, but this one didn't need it as much as others. It wasn't as if it was long for the purpose of telling a story, but it was long just because it took them a long time to climb. My joke was that the first half of the movie is just them breathing, but its actually somewhat true. If there was more background about the characters, their relationship and the tragedy we see at the beginning, it would make us care more about them. However, there is only a brief scene at the beginning showing what happened. Before the cave crawlers show up, there is a lot of silence, breathing and squeezing through holes. After they show up, its a constant frenzy, although it does have an added element of tension that was hinted at in the first half. I feel like if the movie had maintained a balance of tension, story and background about the characters, it would have been better off. For what it is, it definitely does have some parts that are somewhat emotionally resonant and some parts that are very disturbing, but there is not enough story for how long this movie was.
South Park: Kenny Dies (2001)
A Beautiful and Touching Episode
South Park is known for its funny and wacky plots, but when it gets deep, it hits hard. This episode is a perfect example of that. The premise is simple, in that Kenny is dying (whaaat when does that happen). However, the the cruel twist is that he is dying of cancer and the boys have to deal with the prospect of losing their friend. It's surprisingly powerful and somewhat funny in a way that only South Park can be. In fact, if the Cartman subplot wasn't in this episode (your breaking my balls Chuck, your breaking my balls) than it would pretty much be a constant stream of sadness, despite already being that way, as it is. "Kenny Dies" is a great reminder that we really care about these four characters and it further reveals to us (as the best episodes do) that Stan, Kenny, Kyle and Cartman are just kids, trying to make their way in the world. Parker and Stone really remind us what it's like to be a kid, while forcing us to share in the tragedy that is plaguing these boys lives. There are some genuinely heartbreaking moments in this episode, such as Stan and Kyle discussing how they should react to Kenny's impending doom, Kyle showing Kenny a picture that Butters drew of them together on a rocketship, Cartman talking to Kenny alone, his iconic "Heat of the Moment" rendition and of course a scene near the very end, which actually brought a tear to my eye (trust me, you will know the one I'm talking about. All in all, this was very moving and to this day, it remains my favorite South Park episode, not because it's one I would want to watch over and over again, but because it has a beautiful message about love, loss and the need of friendship in tough situations.
South Park: The Return of Chef (2006)
A Tough One to Watch
This wasn't necessarily a bad episode, but it was very upsetting. Given Isaac Hayes' bee with "Trapped in the Closet, he quit and his character needed to be written out. Therefore, Matt and Trey decided to do it in the most unflattering way possible: making him be brainwashed by a society of pedophiles. That alone is screwed up, given the fact that some of his best friends are the four eight year old boys. But the worst part is the fact that the boys almost win him back, but he ultimately turns his back on them for the pedo society. It is true that this episode is very clever and respurceful; they use cut-up bits of Hayes' dialogue to make Chef sound weird and ultimately brainwashed. It's also clever that they use the allegory of a secret society overtaking Hayes, except without using Scientology. That being said, this one is truly bleak and heartbreaking, especially near the end. The sadness is almost unbearable when Stan tries to convince Chef to stay with them, saying "Chef...we love you." What follows is a sequence that rips your heart out, much like the mountain lion did to Chef's face. Again, I cannot say this is a bad episode, but I personally didn't like it because of how unapologetically brutal it was. Seeing Stan, Kenny, Kyle and Cartman's father figure, friend and mentor torn to pieces is a lot to bear, especially considering how sweet of a character he was. That being said, Kyle is abld to give a beautiful eulogy for Chef, insisting that "the good part of him is in everyone of us." This heartfelt scene elevates it and invites everyone to remember the good times. Although it's hard to not be frustrated over the unfairness of Chef's (and Isaac Hayes') death, it was probably something close to the best send-off that the South Park creators would want to give to them. RIP to a great singer/voice actor and a wonderful, heartfelt and funny character.