The Ring – Boy, this sucker had me slouched down in the theatre chair and afraid to hold my popcorn. I figured the next scene would have me spilling it all over the floor.

It’s easy to see why this film is still packing them in at the box-office after bigger budget movies have come and gone.

My new favorite actress Naomi Watts gets to show a different side as the reporter who seeks the reasons behind her niece’s sudden death. Hearing rumors of a mysterious videotape, whose viewers die within a week of them watching it, she travels to the mountain lodge and discovers the tape (this is probably the biggest coincidence in the film, and you have to allow it for the rest of the film to hold up, but I think they could have come up with a more logical way of getting the tape in her hands).

If you’ve seen any of the trailers for the film, you’ve already seen some of the disturbing images that appear on the tape. Watching it, along with the movies characters, you immediately think of BLAIR WITCH or just about any college film project shown on PBS or cable access.

Based on a Japanese novel and film, The Ring does make some changes, but remains one of the creepiest films that I’ve seen in quite a while. I can only imagine how seeing this on video or DVD at some later point would only add to the chills of the films ending.

Recommended.

I have since seen the original Japanese film and have to commend the American filmmakers for retaining so much of the original. I can certainly understand why some changes were made, especially hesitating to give the ex-husband psychic powers. If the Japanese crew had had the financing of the U.S. version, I can't imagine them doing better than they did. In some ways the ending of the Japanese film was even creepier than the American, since it implies the reporter would be willing to sacrifice another to save her son.

Die Another Day – Pierce Brosnan again does a good job as the second best James Bond I this long-running series of films. (You all know who #1 is!) Halle Berry does a very nice job at more than looking great, as Jinx an American agent and more than a match for Bond all around.

If you can ignore the horrible Madonna theme song (one of the worst Bond opening tunes) , as well as her cameo as a fencing dominatrix…I mean, instructor, the movie is a lot of fun. Not a great Bond film, but certainly better than some other entries in the series. Just don’t go in expecting anything but the usual.

They - If THE RING was scary than this feature by director Robert Harmon (who directed the very creepy THE HITCHER with Rutger Hauer in ’86) goes up several levels into terrifying! Wow!

I know that the film was pretty predictable, as the plot reveals that certain children who suffered from ‘night terrors’ had actually been marked for later capture by creatures from another dimension (which is more implied than explained clearly) when they are in early adulthood. Still the suspense and scares continue to mount until the final scenes where one frightening image follows another.

Given its use of dreams and ‘nightmares’ it is easy to see why it appealed to Wes Craven enough to put his name on the movie as distributor. You really expect to see Freddy Krueger pop up at the end of the film.

I love scary movies!!