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Message |
    
Frank (Frank)
Username: Frank
Registered: 09-2008
Posted From: 79.187.206.46
| | Posted on Friday, October 10, 2008 - 02:25 pm: | |
Bought this today. The American version. Is it any good. I loved the American remake of the original...the first part I mean. Scared the crap out of me...but that might be because the dead girl reminds me of an old girlfriend. |
Zed (Gary_mc)
Username: Gary_mc
Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 213.219.8.243
| | Posted on Friday, October 10, 2008 - 02:29 pm: | |
I actually enjoyed the US remake of the original, but found the "sequel" poor.
Rent the Japanese ones instead - the second one is the best so far. |
Frank (Frank)
Username: Frank
Registered: 09-2008
Posted From: 79.187.206.46
| | Posted on Friday, October 10, 2008 - 02:32 pm: | |
Will do, skipper.
And oh, I watched John Rambo yesterday, and I must admit that eveything you originally said about the movie was spot on. I was shocked. BUT, don't watch the interview with him and the former soap star Mathew Marsden. It ruins everything with their philosphical slant on what is still one of a series of great if not ludicrous action films.
But the final scene is moving and funnily enough, heart warming. Strange, considering the brutality of the film. |
Hubert (Hubert)
Username: Hubert
Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 78.22.236.227
| | Posted on Friday, October 10, 2008 - 03:04 pm: | |
"I actually enjoyed the US remake of the original, but found the "sequel" poor.
Rent the Japanese ones instead - the second one is the best so far."
I agree. The US remake of the first one has that magnificent moment where the teacher discovers Kayako is madly in love with him - which explains her being killed by her jealous husband.
The second remake is seriously flawed. For one thing, American actresses should never try to out-'leg' leggy Japanese schoolgirls  |
Frank (Frank)
Username: Frank
Registered: 09-2008
Posted From: 79.187.206.46
| | Posted on Saturday, October 11, 2008 - 12:29 pm: | |
Hubert - I didn't think it was too bad. To be perfectly honest I enjoyed it. And yes, trying to out-leg leggy Japanese schoolgirls isn't a wise thing to attempt.
I once tried to out-leg a huge Alsatian. I was delivering local newspapers. Don't fucking recommend it. Those bastards never received a paper for the duration of my employment. |
Huw (Huw)
Username: Huw
Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 218.168.216.88
| | Posted on Saturday, October 11, 2008 - 01:19 pm: | |
I wasn't so keen on the US versions, although the first one certainly has its moments. The four Japanese ones are all worth seeing, I think. Each film contains some really creepy, unsettling scenes:the 'jaw-dropping' scene, the attic/closet scene, the multiple ghost scene, the scene in the inn, the schoolgirl scene, the banging on the walls scene, the cats... |
Hubert (Hubert)
Username: Hubert
Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 78.22.236.227
| | Posted on Saturday, October 11, 2008 - 01:19 pm: | |
Was it in the first remake that a victim turns round, only to reveal that her jaw is missing? A very strong moment, that. The scene in the cellar where the young boy is hiding (second remake) is equally strong. But surely nothing compares to that dark shape in the corridor filmed by a security camera (in the original Ju-on)! |
Weber_gregston (Weber_gregston)
Username: Weber_gregston
Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 83.98.9.4
| | Posted on Saturday, October 11, 2008 - 01:36 pm: | |
The lift with the boy's face at the window on every floor...
I think that was Ju-On |
Hubert (Hubert)
Username: Hubert
Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 78.22.236.227
| | Posted on Saturday, October 11, 2008 - 05:13 pm: | |
Yep, it was. I think what I like most in the whole series is the sense of time itself being warped, especially in the first Japanese instalment. The episodes - "Izumi", "Kayako" and so forth - hang together, but they're not presented in any linear fashion, the chronology is mixed up.
What I'd like to see in the third episode is someone who shows compassion instead of fright. He would declare his love to Kayako, embrace her, and thus break the chain and annihilate the curse. Just can idea. |
Hubert (Hubert)
Username: Hubert
Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 78.22.236.227
| | Posted on Saturday, October 11, 2008 - 05:16 pm: | |
AN idea |
Huw (Huw)
Username: Huw
Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 218.168.190.64
| | Posted on Sunday, October 12, 2008 - 05:08 am: | |
I loved that aspect of the Juon films too, Hubert. They were quite dreamlike.
I feel the urge to watch the whole lot again, actually. It's been a few years. |
Lincoln_brown (Lincoln_brown)
Username: Lincoln_brown
Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 58.165.11.223
| | Posted on Sunday, October 12, 2008 - 07:31 am: | |
What is the history of the 'Juon' series? The episodes that Hubert refers to are prequels, to the 2 films, made for tv? |
Huw (Huw)
Username: Huw
Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 218.168.183.174
| | Posted on Sunday, October 12, 2008 - 08:28 am: | |
The first two were made in or around 2000, and are starker and less polished than the last two theatrical films. These first two Juon films are sometimes known as Juon: The Curse and Juon: The Curse 2 (the Japanese words 'ju-on' mean 'curse'). The running time for the first film is about 70 minutes (if I remember correctly), while the second is 76 minutes. However, the first half hour or so of the second film is identical to the last 30-40 minutes of the first film, so there's a lot of overlap in them. If they'd put together the original content of both films, they would make one average-length movie. I believe one or perhaps both had some kind of brief theatrical run, but usually they are thought of as 'straight-to-video' films, or 'video-side' as they're sometimes called in Japan.
The theatrical films came later, in (or around) 2003-2004, and are longer at 92 and 95 minutes respectively. They are often referred to as Juon: The Grudge and Juon: The Grudge 2, and while there is, strictly speaking, no overlap between them, things from the first two films pop up here and there, and some of the characters (Kayako, etc.) are still there, of course.
Shimizu's US remakes appeared in 2004 and 2006, and take some elements from both the early 'video-side' films and the theatrical versions. For example, the 'jawless Kanna' scene in The Grudge was taken from the very first Juon film, whereas the security videotape and much else was taken form the theatrical film of 2003. It's all a bit complicated... |
Lincoln_brown (Lincoln_brown)
Username: Lincoln_brown
Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 58.165.11.223
| | Posted on Sunday, October 12, 2008 - 08:49 am: | |
Thanks Huw. Clears up some confusion. Are 'Juon: The Curse' and 'Juon: The Curse 2' readily available on DVD? |
Hubert (Hubert)
Username: Hubert
Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 78.22.236.227
| | Posted on Sunday, October 12, 2008 - 09:25 am: | |
"I feel the urge to watch the whole lot again, actually. It's been a few years."
Watched the first one again after a long time. It's much better than I remember and as powerful as ever. Tonight: The Grudge 2! |
Huw (Huw)
Username: Huw
Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 218.168.183.174
| | Posted on Sunday, October 12, 2008 - 09:27 am: | |
I don't think so, Lincoln. I got my copies way back in 2002 or 2003, and haven't heard of them being released outside of Japan, which is a shame, as they contain many effective scenes. They used to pop up on Ebay now and then, but I couldn't find any when I looked just now. I think they should release them along with the theatrical films, as special edition DVDs, or perhaps as a box set. |
Lincoln_brown (Lincoln_brown)
Username: Lincoln_brown
Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 58.165.11.223
| | Posted on Sunday, October 12, 2008 - 11:20 am: | |
Huw, I've found 'Juon: The Curse' (as a torrent) - is it worth downloading and watching if I can't find part 2? |
Huw (Huw)
Username: Huw
Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 218.168.198.149
| | Posted on Sunday, October 12, 2008 - 12:34 pm: | |
If you liked any of the theatrical films (Japanese or US remakes) you'll probably enjoy it. You'll be able to see where some of the stuff in those films came from. It's definitely the stronger of the first two films, although the second one does have a couple of good scenes. |
Lincoln_brown (Lincoln_brown)
Username: Lincoln_brown
Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 58.165.11.223
| | Posted on Sunday, October 12, 2008 - 12:49 pm: | |
Thanks Huw. Loved the theatrical (Japanese) films, so I'll give it a shot.
We're about to sit down and watch 'The Strangers' (US version) and 'The Eye' (Original version) - will download 'Juon: The Curse' and check it out this week. |
Huw (Huw)
Username: Huw
Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 218.168.198.149
| | Posted on Sunday, October 12, 2008 - 01:03 pm: | |
Hope you like it, Lincoln. I expect you will, if you liked the other Juon films. There are some good scenes in it. I think you'll like The Eye too - let us know what you think of it. |