Home Video Exclusives

[JohnIan101]

Past Tense - TR Part II


"The Ring Two"



The motion picture opened on March 18th, 2005 with a budget of $60,000,000 (estimated) and grossed over $76 million during its U.S. theatrical run. The film opened number one at the box office, the following week it dropped to number four.

The feature opened against "Constantine", "Robots" and "Million Dollar Baby".

This release originally came with a cardboard foil slipcover which mirrored the case's wraparound. It also came with a double sided, single sheet advertisement insert. Ads for "The Ring", "Ringu" (1998), "Collateral" (2004), "In Dreams" (1999), "What Lies Beneath", "The Haunting" (1999), "A.I.: Artificial Intelligence: Two-Disc Special Edition", "The Peacemaker" (1997), "Minority Report" (2002), "The Time Machine" (2002), "House Of Sand And Fog" (2003) and "The Contender" (2000) DVDs.

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There was one exclusive and it came from Wal-Mart, a bonus DVD.

Side packed in its own case.

The set sold for $19.49 on August 23rd, 2005.

Bonus DVD has a run time of 39:47 minutes.



"Creepiest Moments" - The Scariest Moments From... "The Ring Two", "Rings", "The Ring", "Ringu", "Ringu 2" (1999), "Ringu Ø" (2000) and "Rasen" (1998). What's missing is the scene from the first film, when Samara comes through the TV and attacks Noah (Martin Henderson).

"Ring Two: The Script" a featurette on writing the screenplay for both American films. "Imagination In Focus" short featurette on film director Hideo Nakata. "The Haunting Of The Ring Two" short featurette on bizarre occurrences which plagued the production - not bad, but somewhat fluffy.

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Rant.

Fallen angels into the street; it's an empty dance and so incomplete.

- Metropolis



For me, the scenes with Emily and Rachel were all too short and felt so disposable. It shouldn't be, that's a problem - among others.

One of things sorely missing from this sequel is atmosphere, that feeling that something is wrong and quite off. It's hard to put your finger on it, but it's missing here. That and weak pacing. Did I forget to mention bad CGIed deer?

Anyhow, the home video release is unrated with eighteen minutes more footage. Can't say if this is an improvement for simply filler.

That's up for you to decide.



I do appreciate the continuity with the same actors. So many sequels just ditch that effort. It's got that.

One of the big woes here is Wizard.

You have this larger than life character in "The Wizard Of Oz" (1939), The Great Oz. Then comes the reveal, not so, just an ordinary man. The stuff with Samara gets explained away, taking away her mystery. It's that unknown that's frightening; this little wraith is beyond your comprehension and you best not get on her sights.

It was kinda nice to see Sissy Spacek as Evelyn, Samara's birth mother.



The director of this was Hideo Nakata, the director of the original, "Ringu". On the surface this sounded like a great idea, but the final result is so-so.

While it may sound sacrilegious, I did NOT like "Ringu". I actual saw it on VHS from local video store. It was crap. Cheap scares with the screen going into negative on a still. WTF?

The only good part was Samara coming out of the TV. This was a bad Hollywood idea.

Back on topic. At the core this is a movie about possession, Samara wanting a body to inhabit in the real world - Aidan's. But why? She could have anyone who had seen the tape and passed it along. Along list of potentials. Whatever, movie logic, I guess.



I expected a meal and got a taters. I like taters, don't me wrong. But it's not a meal. And that picture above pretty much sums up the experience - a bad kid, all gloomy and pouty. Not the stuff the terrors and despair.

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This would've made a slightly better ending.

Pull a "Blazing Saddles" finale and go big. Have the cursed video turn up some place so unexpected.

Man, that would make such a bad ass, final episode of "The Teletubbies"; little kids worldwide freaking out. All of them like Becca forever afraid of their TVs.



Poor Laa-Laa.

Artist unknown; does that make it creepier?

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Back in 2009 I picked up "Ringu: Anthology Of Terror", a collection of the Japanese films; "Ringu", "Rasen", "Ringu 2" and "Ringu Ø" (with English subtitles). It doesn't have two later sequels, "Sadako 3D" (2012) and "Sadako 3D 2 (2013).

The set streeted on August 23rd, 2005. Sadly, zero extras.



It originally retailed for $59.99, I paid three buck from Wal-Mart part of their annual Halloween sale (which by the way has turned into crap these past few years). So?

This still remains among my pile of pending DVDs (titles which were blind buys, not part of library), I still have yet to watch some six years later. The best answer I can give, 'haven't gotten around to it'. It'll get done - eventually. Not the worst, I have a few from 2005 - I kid you not.

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Footnotes.

In the Spring of 2009, Paramount announced a sequel was coming. Wait for it... wait... "The Ring 3D". Mind blown? The screenplay was written by David Loucka. So what happened? I'm gonna say it fell into a well.

Got curious, did some lookin', the screenwriters for "Rings". It is Jacob Aaron Estes, Akiva Goldsman AND David Loucka. I wonder...

I did learn that one of the executive producers is Guillermo Del Toro. It gives me some hope.

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Easter Egg.

Special Features -> ">" (a.k.a. second Special Features screen) -> highlight 'return arrow' press right; highlight question mark - ENTER.

A short, time lapse video of how the make-up was applied to Kelly Stables who played Samara.

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Just Because.



Man, Naomi Watts looked pretty hot in those bootie shorts. They cling to the curves, very feminine. *nods*

Image compilation by DeadLamb.

Wait. One more thing...

This was brought up for a different movie, "The Invasion" (2007), the Nicole Kidman remake of "Invasion Of The Body Snatchers" (1956). In it Carol Bennell (Kidman) has an early scene set in the morning, walking into the kitchen in her pajamas. The outfit is not sheer, but feminine and you can clearly see her nipples poking out with a light bounce, bra free.

The discussion and to a degree an argument - why would she wear that in front of her child? This also applies to the above pix; Rachel being so comfortable, walking around in her underwear in front of Aiden.

I never saw it as an issue. Both moments were not sexualized. Just an adult woman wearing something comfortable. And in a bigger scope is a good thing for their kids. They'll look beyond physicality in their later girlfriends, maturity. Odd, yes I agree, but a big deal? Just making a mountain out of a mole hill.

And yeah, Aiden is weird with him setting out his mom's clothes for her to wear. I don't think that's a control issue as it is Rachel isn't that organized. Maybe they had some money problems and he took it upon himself to have his mom not be late to work by having her outfit ready to go. Still weird though.

There you go folks. The nightmare journey continues next week with two horror titans bashing heads and not taking names. Be back here on February 18th, 2016, bring your Weyland-Yutani mug.