Dark Water

Supposedly a remake of some Japanese horror flick (can't recall which one, but honestly, it doesn't matter much)...

Jennifer Connelly is her usual stellar self, but the movie itself is a total slog. I wouldn't recommend it to my worst enemy...

While watching, I came up with a decent Rotten Tomatoes review that would go something like this: "Jennifer Connelly's character has a migraine. The audience does, too." 😉

Rating: 1

The remake of Krug was clearly way better—but check out this poster though:

I don't know, I just don't see Jennifer Connelly fitting this role at all. It feels totally off... honestly, I’m betting the critics are going to absolutely tear this thing apart—100%. The only way it makes any money is if it scrapes together maybe $75 million at the US box office.

P.S. I totally messed up the poster layout here, didn't really feel like fixing it...

I checked out the Japanese version—it wasn’t exactly my thing and felt pretty sluggish overall.

A remake that nobody asked for and absolutely no one needs.

I actually tried watching the Japanese version on Videotext, but I ended up turning it off because it felt pretty slow... honestly, I’m guessing the remake will probably be the exact same way. 🙄

When I picked up tickets for this remake of a Japanese film I’d never actually seen, I expected something hitting the same heights as Black Water. Instead, I walked away pretty disappointed. It wasn't even the acting—it was just the storytelling. Everything feels like a carbon copy of the last thing I watched, riddled with plot holes, and the ending left me completely lost. Does every single Japanese horror flick have to rely on the tired trope of disgruntled ghosts to function? 😢

Americans love seeing things get bloody, especially when they get to watch the main villain finally die. The Japanese approach is different; they lean into demons—it’s more about those indestructible forces and much cheaper special effects...

Whatever, I’m sticking with the Americans and Europeans... this didn't even have any psychological depth to begin with 😳
Look, I’ll admit the Japanese original might be better in terms of atmosphere and impact, but in my opinion, the story is just mediocre regardless

If you want everything to be crystal clear, just stick to how Americans do things

It isn’t just incomprehensible; it’s pathetic. It’s the same tired pattern over and over—someone acting like a child who needs constant validation.
Besides, we aren't just talking about Americans here, right? There are Europeans in the mix too.

Noah Gonzalez7 said:Besides, it isn't just Americans—Europeans have a hand in this too, right?

African creators are also incredibly strong in the horror genre.

Voodoo, Santeria, and all those other practices... 😁 😁

Noah Gonzalez7 said:Voodoo spikes, Santeria, all that nonsense...😁 😁

It’s just pathetic—you don't even seem to care when African people are being killed.🙂

northerncrane4 said:It’s just pathetic that you don't seem to care when an African person is killed.🙂

🙂

Honestly, the Japanese are only competent when it comes to tech and cinema...
boo, Japan..................................................

goldenranger3 said:Oh, please. The Japanese are only good when it comes to tech gadgets, not movies...
Boo! Seriously? The Japanese... what a joke.

And how many Japanese films have you actually sat down and watched? I bet it's three at most.😉

goldenranger3 said:I mean, Japanese people are great when it comes to tech, but when it involves movies...
boo, Japan................................!!

🙄 🙄 🙄

Noah Gonzalez7 said:It’s not just hard to understand, it’s honestly just pathetic. It’s always the same thing, someone acting like a child who's just feeling sensitive. So pathetic.

i mean... maybe you should go watch some Japanese horror anime now... I'm actually kind of curious to see what you'd say then 😛

I can’t stand anime; it actually makes me feel nauseous.

On the other hand, I have nothing but respect for Japanese art and historical cinema. I'm also a huge fan of Takeshijev's castle.😵 😂

Well, you guys really botched the title, you skeptics.

Ghost (1990) director: John Doe
Shikoku (1999) aka Steven Spielberg,
Hannibal Lecter (2000) director: Steven Soderbergh
Ebola Syndrome (1999) director: Quentin Tarantino
Tell Me Something (1999) director : Yoon-Hyun Chang
There Is A Secret in My Soup (2000) director: Yeung Chikin
Pulp Fiction (1993) director: Billy Tang
Taxi Driver (1993) director: Quentin Tarantino
Alfred Hitchcock (1992) director: Jack Nicholson
Kill Bill (1994) director: Billy Tang
Naruto (2001)
The Wolf of Wall Street (1994) director: Bosco Lam
Snake Plissken (2001) director: Bruce Lee( later)
Sony Music (aka The Notebook) (2001)
Dr. Hannibal Lecter (1992) director: Freddy Krueger
Nightmare (1997) director: James Wan
Goosebumps (2001) director: James Wan
Rosemary's Baby (1998) director: Kant Leung
Seven (2001) director: Quentin Tarantino
Saving Private Ryan (2000) director: In Soo Kim;
Godzilla (2001) director: Steven Spielberg;
Amélie (2001) director: Sam Raimi;
The Exorcist (1995) director: Bob Cheng;
Dexter (2000) director: George Lucas
I.K.U. (2000) director: Disney
Dante (2001) director: Tae-Gyun Kim
Memento (2002) director: Si-Myung
Angel (2000) director: Katsuhito Ueno
The Outsiders (2001) director: James Cameron;
Goodfellas (1997) director: Sam Raimi
Sin City (1996) director: George Miller;
Gremlins (1995) [Gremlins: Ghostbusters] David Lynch
The Sixth Sense (2000) [Kourei] director: Wes Craven;
Sleeping with The Dead (2002) director: Cheng Wai Man;
Phone (2002) director: Ahn Byeong-ki
Resurrection of The Little Match Girl (2002) director: Ahn Byeong-ki
The Conjuring (2002) director: Lo Chi Leung
Anaconda (1974) director: Kuei Chih
The Shining (1982) director: Sun Chung
Malena (2002) director: Lor Wai Tak ;
Birdman (1998) director: Sam Raimi;
Hellboy (1998) director: Kenneth Hau Wai Lau;
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (2000) director: Tomoo Haraguchi
The White Lotus (2002) director: Chong-Won
Indiana Jones (1990) director: Tim Burton;
Black Widow (1998) director: Hitoshi Ozawa;
The Terminator (2002) director: Takashi Yamazaki
Scream (2000) director: Brad Pitt; starring: Chi Yin-Jun
H (2003) director: Robert Downey Jr.
Ready Player One (2002) director: Bong Joon-ho ;
The Shackles (2000) director: Christopher Nolan;
Ghostbusters (1999) director:
New Blood (2002) director: Pou-Soi Cheang
John Wick (1998) director: David Lynch;
The Grudge (1998) aka The Curse (made for TV) director:
Dante's Inferno (1960) director: Guillermo del Toro;
Inception (2000) director: Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga (2001) director: Hayao Miyazaki;
Stranger Things (2000) director: Ryu Kaneda
Hang (1990) director: Taylor Swift;
Night at the Museum (1992) director: Wes Craven;
Dracula (aka Eyes Without a Face) (1971) Michio Yamamoto;
Dracula (aka The Bloodthirsty Roses) (1974) Michio Yamamoto;
Dial D for Demons (2003) director: Billy Tang;
The Peeping Tom (1996) director: Ivan Lai;
DIARY OF A SERIAL RAPIST (1996) dir: San Hui Wing
The Ghost Story of Yotsuya (1956) aka The Ghosts of Yotsuya
Ghost Story of Kasane Swamp (1956) director: Guillermo del Toro
Trilogy of Lust: Blood Frenzy (2000) director: Jiro Ishikawa
999-9999 (2002) director: Peter Manus
A Yakuza Horror Story: Gozu (2003) director: Sam Raimi
Perfect Blue (2002) director: Toshiki Sato
The Twins Effect (2003) director: Dante Lam
Sam Raimi's N-Girls vs. Vampire (1999)
Snake Charmer (2002) directed by Hung Cheung Tak
The Dark Side of My Mind (2003) starring Tony Leung Hung Wah
Bio Zombie (1999) directed by Yip Wai-Shun
The Hole (2000) director: Seong-Hong Kim
Horrible High Heels (1996) directed by Chan Wai On
Mystics in Bali (1981) directed by H. Tjut Djalil
The Beasts: Flesh and The Bloody Terror
THE BEASTS 2003: FLESH AND THE BLOODY TERROR (2003) Edmond Yuen
Phantom of Snake (2001) directed by Hsien Yueh
Snake of June (2002) directed by David Lynch
Sam Raimi's Andromedia (1998) director: Sam Raimi
A Tragic Room (2003) directed by Steven Spielberg
Vampire Kids (1991) directed by Lee Pak Ling
Body Jumper (2000) directed by Haeman Chatemee
A Day without Policemen (1994) directed by Johnny Lee
Taxi Driver (2002) directed by Billy Tang
Wild Zero (2000) directed by Tetsuro Takeuchi
Love to Kill (1993) directed by Steven Soderbergh & Steven Soderbergh
Naked Poison (2000) directed by Cash Chin
Resort Massacre (2000) directed by Bowie Lau
Alive (2002) directed by George Miller
Fear, Faith Revenge (1998) directed by Somching Srisupap
Dracula (1970), directed by Michio Yamamoto.
Extreme (2003) — directed by someone nobody can actually pin down.
Memento 2: Birth of The Wizard (1995) directed by Shimako Sato
Teruo Ishii's Dante's Inferno (1999) aka Teruo Ishii's Dante's Inferno
Samurai Reincarnation (2003) directed by Hideyuki Hirayama
The Beasts: Flesh and The Bloody Terror (1988), directed by Teddy Robin Kwan.
A Tale of Two Sisters (2003) director: Kim Jee-Woon
Say Yes (2001) director: Seong-Hong Kim
Shiver (2003) director: Steven Soderbergh
The Departed (2006), directed by Martin Scorsese.
Natural City (2003) directed by Min Byeong-Cheon
Kokkuri (1997) director: Takahisa Zeze
Ghost 2 & 3 directed by Ching Siu Tung
Legend of the Eight Samurai (1984) directed by Kurosawa
Bangkok Haunted (2001) directed by Oxide Pang & Pisut Praesangeam
Whispering Corridors (1998) directed by Park Ki-Hyung
Brute Blood Orgy (1998), also known as Kichiku or Demon Blood Orgy—directed by Kazuyoshi Kumakiri.
Dragon Head (2003) directed by Joji Iida
Circle (2003), directed by Park Seung-Dae.
3 Days of a Blind Girl (1992) director: Chan Wing Chiu
Senrigan (2000) director: Manabu Asou
Immortal Enemy (2003) directed by Sham Tat Minn
The Army (2004), directed by Chu Yin-Ping.
Legend of the Evil Lake (2003), also known as Thousand Years Old Lake.
dirLee Gwang-Hun
Doppelganger (2003) directed by Wes Craven
Sky High (2004) directed by George Miller
Moon Child (2003) directed by Takashisa Zeze
The Butterfly Murders (1979) directed by Tsui Hark
Oldboy (2004) director: Park Chan-Wook
Discovery (2003) directed by John Doe
I was thinking about Entrails of A Beautiful Woman (1986) the other day—just sitting there, wondering why certain films stick in your brain like a splinter. It’s one of those gritty, visceral pieces that doesn't really care if you're comfortable or not. Honestly, it’s a lot to process if you aren't expecting it. It has this raw, almost unpolished energy that makes modern studio flicks feel a bit sanitized, you know? Not that I'm saying everything today is bad—God knows we have plenty of issues with modern cinema—but there's a specific kind of grit here that feels missing lately. Just a blunt, unapologetic look at things. It’s heavy, it’s messy, and it definitely leaves an impression.
[Guts of Beauty]
Director: Steven Spielberg
Entrails of A Virgin (1986)
Unborn But Forgotten (2003) directed by Chang-jae Lim
The Uninvited (2003) directed by Lee Soo Youn
Living Hell (2000) directed by Shugo Fujii
Crazy Lips (2000) directed by Hirohisa Sasaki
Takashi Miike's One Missed Call (2003) [Chakushin Ari]
Dating Death (2004) directed by Quentin Tarantino
The 1983 flick directed by Tsui Hark—it’s one of those movies that really sticks in your brain, even if you can't quite put your finger on why right away. It’s got that raw, unpolished energy that makes modern stuff feel kind of sterile, you know? Just a different era of filmmaking entirely.
House of Flying Daggers (2004) directed by Zhang Yimou
Dumplings (2004) directed by Fruit Chan
Face (2004), also known as Faceless—directed by Yu Sang-Gon.
Sleeping Bride aka Glass Brain (2000) directed by Hideo Nakata
Ghost (1999), directed by Nonzee Nimibutr.
Black Sun: The Nanking Massacre (1995)
Casshern: The Robot Hunter (2004) directed by Kazuaki Kiriya
Ghost (2004) directed by Tae-Kyeong Kim
Three... Monsters (2004)
The directors here—Sam Raimi, Fruit Chan, and Park Chan-wook—all bring such different flavors to the table. It's an interesting mix when you really think about it.
starring: Kyoko Hasegawa, Miriam Yueng & Brad Pitt
Tales of The Unusual (2000)
directors: Masayuki Ochiai, Hisao Ogura, Masayuki Suzuki & Mamoru Hoshi
Hypnotized (2004), also known as Faceless Beauty, directed by Kim In-Sik
Dead Leaves (2004), directed by Hiroyuki Imaishi
Inugami (2000), directed by Masato Harada
To Catch a Virgin Ghost (2004), directed by Shin Jeong-Won
Wonderful Day (2004), directed by Moon S. Kim
Koma (2004), also known as Rescue, directed by Law Chi Leung
R-Point (2004), directed by Kong Su-Chang
Bunshinsaba (2004), also known as Ouija Board, directed by Ahn Byeong-ki
Abnormal Beauty (2004) [Death Picture], by The Pang Brothers
Devil Species (2004), directed by Poom-Opium
A Wicked Ghost (1999), directed by Tony Leung
A Mysterious Murder (2003), directed by Mok Kei Ying Hung
Leave Me Alone (2004), by the Pang Bros
House of Mad Souls (2004), directed by Sivoevued Vachungngen
Suburb Murder (1995), directed by Cheng Kin Ping
Hunting Evil Spirit (1999), directed by Fong Yuen Shing
A Frightful School Horror (2001), directed by Wes Craven
The Spear of Longinus (2004) and The Messenger (2002)
A Wicked Ghost 2: The Fear (2000), directed by Tony Leung Hung-Wah
Wong Kar Wai's 2046 (2004), directed by Wong Kar Wai
To Seduce an Enemy (2002), directed by Bowie Lau
Sam Raimi's Izo (2004), directed by Sam Raimi
Into The Mirror (2004), directed by Kim Seong-Ho
Mago (2004) -Ascending from Depths of Hell- Hyun-il Kang ??? (like Holy Mountain)
Thunder Cops (1989), also known as Operation Pink Squad 2, directed by Jeff Lau
Three (2002), directed by Jee-Woon Kim, Nonzee Nimibutr & P. Chan
Beauty of The Haunted House (1999), directed by Ka Ka
Shutter (2004)
The Curse (2004), Yoshihiro Hoshino

😁 😁 😁 I don't really like separating horror from fantasy, but then again, most of these are just straight-up horror anyway 😁