Horror Movies You Should Not Watch: The Ring

If there is a horror movie to define the early 2000s, this is it.  The Ring is boring, with no pacing, no suspense, and worst of all, no scares.  This is a movie you would not want to take a date to.

Rachel (Watts) is a journalist that analyzes a video tape that possibly killed four teenagers, including her niece.  There is a myth that after a person watches the tape, they will brutally die a week later.  If that myth is true, Rachel will have to hurry in order to save her life and her son's life, too.

This is a hard film to sympathize for, this being rated PG-13, any adult viewer and even teen viewer will walk start out having low expectations.  This being adapted by the novel by Kôji Suzuki, the screenplay is also terrible and must disappoint Suzuki greatly.  Most of it consists of over-analyzing small talk, that bares little relevance and confuses the viewer even more.  There may only be one key plot point throughout each conversation that's important, but besides that, the screenplay is no where near special.

The cast is terrible, the only big name being Watts' after making Mulholland Drive.  When the cast gets serious, it sounds more funny than over-the-top.  To learn how to make over-the-top yelling fantastic, it would be nice to show the cast Network.  The child and young adult actors give sub-par performances, too, showing no promise for a future in any way.  Being made on a 48 million dollar budget, they could have picked up better actors.

What else is there to say?  This film is for lack of a better word, lame.  There is no promise of this movie having a legacy besides "that movie with the deadly tape."  This is a horror film you should skip.  The Ring receives a 1.5/4.

Musicals I Like: Singin' in the Rain

Voted by the American Film Institute as the greatest musical of all time, and as the 5th best film of all time, Singin' in the Rain is a classic film co-directed and starring Gene Kelly, with exuberant choreography and songs in which most were beautifully remade.  It covers a topic I have a vast interest in - a story of the difficult transition from silent to "talkies" films.  The film is romantic, entertaining, colorful, and comedic, all at the same time.

Set in 1927, Don Lockwood (Kelly) is a celebrated silent film star who got to where he is with his longtime friend Cosmo (Donald O'Connor).  Don has recently finished a film with his other silent co-star Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen), and the premiere is absolutely successful.  However, set to be released soon is the first American talking film the Jazz Singer, and as the public loves it, the demand for more talkies becomes rampant.  While working on a new silent project again, this news breaks to Lockwood and the project now changes into a musical.

However, the crew finds out that Lamont cannot sing with her voice and even the help of an acting coach, she hardly improves.  Kathy Selden (Debbie Reynolds) is an up-and-coming actress who, in contrast, has a beautiful singing voice and the studio decides to dub Lamont's voice in place of Selden's.  As Don falls in love for her, will she get the big break she deserves, or will Kathy hide behind the curtain of Lamont?

To say the least, you will not be disappointed by this film.  Whatever hype you hear from one is legitimate - you will be blown away.  It isn't a revolutionary pioneer of any sort like Citizen Kane, but you will be satisfied the whole way through.

What steals the show, though, are not the performances, but the musical numbers.  Everything from the catchy "Good Morning" and "Make 'em Laugh", to the romantic "Singin' in the Rain", you will be awed and even inspired.  Nothing is just quite like these songs.

There is nothing else to say now - I love this film.  It may not be perfect, but its imperfections are what make it feel perfect.  It may not be one of the greatest films ever, but it wasn't really meant to.  Singin' in the Rain, in my eyes, was a project made just to entertain audiences, and does a fantastic job of only doing that.  Undoubtably, Singin' in the Rain gets a 4/4.

Bridesmaids

Co-written by and starring Saturday Night Live's Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids is a redundant, unnecessarily long, adequate comedy.  The leads are pretty bland - the only character with personality being Wiig's and Melissa McCarthy's - and the story is, at heart, a women's Hangover.  It isn't abysmal, but there are many movies you can spend a few dollars on.

Annie (Wiig) is selected as a bridesmaid by her best friend Lillian (Maya Rudolph) as with several other bridesmaids as they go through a crazy life of matrimony.  As Annie is living a terrible life, she has to accept being Lillian's maid of honor.  Longing for love, she experiences these expensive traditions.  Despite everything, Annie shows how far you will go to express one's love for another.

This film feels so familiar to other romantic comedies or comedies in general, it feels like the same thing.  To put it into perspective, it feels like the Hangover's story, but the main characters being several clones of Tracy Lord portrayed by Katharine Hepburn in the Philadelphia Story.  The problem is, all of the supporting cast (besides McCarthy) are so ditzy.  It seems that their only purpose is to add several bridesmaids to stand next to Rudolph at her wedding.

I would not have a problem with the cast if any of them had a personality.  They all tell what feels like the same jokes, and the pacing is just agonizing.  But I forgive McCarthy for being the only one to make me laugh without feeling a bit stupid inside.  Sure, some of her jokes were ridiculously corny and possibly cliché, but there was just something funny about her taking several puppies in what is the most memorable scene.  McCarthy is the only actress who receives sympathy from me.

All in all, this film is just bad.  It is a perfect girls' night movie, but that's what it was marketed for, women who want to see a somewhat funny film on a Friday night.  For anyone else, just avoid this film.  Bridesmaids receives a 1/4.

American History X

This is not a happy film.  American History X is a depressing, brutal, realistic film with Edward Norton and Edward Furlong receiving top-billing.  Both give phenomenal performances and is arguably the best of Norton's career.  This is a film so controversial, it proves a lot.

This is the story of Derek Vinyard (Norton), a man who makes parole after serving three years in prison after performing acts of murder (which eventually becomes a hate crime) on two men who try to break into his father's truck.  Later on, viewers learn that he influenced his brother, Danny (Furlong), as a skinhead the leader of a neo-nazi, white-supremacist organization.

After learning his lesson throughout prison and clean as a whistle, Derek contacts the gang and their leader Cameron Alexander (Stacy Keach), telling him that he wants out.  While doing this, he tries to prevent Danny from going down the same path he did.

Despite having a typical name for a violent drama, this film is beyond that.  It left me surprised and shocked after seeing the ending.  It is more than controversial as well - showing how racism can destroy a family as a whole.  The performances by the family and teacher Dr. Sweeney (Avery Brooks) are out-of-this-world and I recommend some of Furlong's filmography, even if some of it is subpar.

American History X is a surpassing film among others, even if it isn't perfect.  The film is very graphic, and has a reason for its R rating; however, it should be shown to any developing teenager and older to show the consequences of racism and how unnecessary it is.  This film receives a 3.5/4.