Phone
by Ahn Byung-Ki
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DVD details
Actor: Choi Woo-jae, Eun Seo-woo, Ha Ji-won, Kim Yu-miDirector: Ahn Byung-Ki
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); Korean (Original Language)
Format: AC-3, Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Surround Sound, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 100 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-01-25
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Tartan Video
DVD Reviews of Phone
DVD Review: Okay, no cutesy 'Review Title' this time....
Summary: 4 Stars
~
Boy, the possibilities are almost endless with the number of catchy 'review headings' anyone can come up with -- both in favor of AND in disrespect to this movie. Based upon what I had read from others who had seen this film prior to its availability in DVD NTSC-1 encoding, I had originally planned to title my review as:
"The tele-'PHONE' is 'RING'-ing!"
-- or something to that effect, because one of the things most commonly heard about this movie was that it was basically another twist on Nakata Hideo's "RING" (which now seems to be becoming the new 'standard' by which ALL new Asian horror is to compared -- much like Sean Connery's "James Bond" being the "OO7" all subsequent assumers of the role are to be judged against, I suppose). I had to cancel the idea for such a title heading, however, once I had actually sat through the movie for the first time.
Without a doubt, there are a number of things reminiscent of "RING" -- most notably the 'vengeful spirit lashing out via some modern-day electronic device' (in this case, a cellular phone) and a female reporter associated with it intent on tracking the cursed technology back to its source (though not initially intended in this case, her actions instead being in response to a series of bizarre events; whereas the reporter in "RING" was investigating the legend of the 'cursed video' from the very beginning as part of her story).
A reporter named Ji-won, who exposes a ring of criminal activity of the worst kind, receives threatening calls from one of the perpetrators who got rounded up in the police sweep resulted from her expose. Though the harassing calls are coming from someone who makes it more than clear that she is being stalked, the reporter makes the unwise assumption that if she simply changes the number on her cell phone the angry party will eventually have to give up on trying to keep her in a state of fear and panic (she's led to believe that the danger is not real, and that the threats are only part of a psychological manipulation the criminal is playing). When she applies for the new number, only one particular number keeps appearing on the computer screen as being available. Time being precious as it is, she decides not to nit-pick over it and takes the number the computer glitch keeps coughing up.
Things then go from bad to worse, as she begins receiving a new set of calls on the new number. This has a very negative affect on little Yeong-Ju, the reporter's "niece," who happened to be the very first person to answer the phone when it rang on the new number. As a result of what she heard on the other end of the line, the little girl experiences psychological trauma and undergoes some very disturbed & disturbing behaviors, which often expresses itself as fits of rage -- especially whenever her father becomes intimate with his wife. Psychological examinations show nothing to be too concerned about, suggesting that it is just a passing phase -- but as Yeong-Ju's behavior becomes more destructive (both self-destructive as well as projected outward) and more violent, her "auntie" uses her investigative skills as a reporter to track down the history of the phone number she adopted in order to determine what sort of connection it may have for the strange effect upon the little girl's mind. The answers she finds are not pretty, as everything comes full circle.
One of the things which bothered me at first, but then grew on me favorably, was the number of "false climaxes." Typically most people become annoyed by this sort of manipulation, but once this movie reveals its final secrets, you should wind up appreciating the beauty and mastery in the way each layer was pulled back and each new revelation led to the moment of "orgasmic release," if you will.
Sure, there are those cliches which now come standard in your typical Asian ghost story fare. But, suffice it to say, although this movie is no "RING," it is also no "RING."
P.S. -
You'll just adore (in an uneasy sort of way) the little girl who plays Yeong-Ju. You'll really feel for her even as you're being totally freaked-&-creeped by her. Wedding bells for Yeong-Ju and Toshio are surely in the making :)
Description of Phone
Following hot on the heels of top-selling Asian chillers such as Ring, Dark Water and Ju-on comes a stylish and terrifying ghost story to top them all.An investigative reporter, Ji-won, has recently published a controversial article about sex scandals, and has since begun receiving a series of menacing phone calls. She changes her number and moves to a new house, but the calls keep coming. When a friend's young daughter innocently answers the ringing telephone, she begins to exhibit increasingly crazed behavior. As a series of horrifying deaths occur, Ji-won discovers the sinister secret that threatens them all.
DVD Extras
Audio Commentary
Interviews
Behind The Scenes
"Making Of" Featurette
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