Welcome everybody to the Polarize Podcast, a podcast about polarizing movies, polarizing
in the sense of Rotten Tomatoes scores. Sometimes critics love it and audience hate it or vice
versa. Those are the movies that we talk about on this pod. And today we are talking about
because of spooky season. We are talking about The Ring, the American version of it, the
Gore Verbinski directed 2002. Get ready, get ready for some spooky stuff. Spooky naughty.
The scores for this are 71 critics, 48% audience. Kind of interesting. It is not going to just
be me, Brandon, talking this throughout this time. Thank God. I would like to just get
right into it and I'm going to introduce my co-host. We also refer to him as the forever
cast Mr. James Lindsay. How the hell are you? Hello, I am back in the Polarize Kingdom.
I invited myself right on back in for another great episode in the theme of spooky season.
How are you? How the hell are you, Brandon? Not doing great, by the way. I am doing fine.
I'm doing fine. I'm pretty, yeah, pretty jazzed to talk about this movie because I have a
lot to say about it. So overall, I'm doing fine. You know, fall is really setting in
and I'm feeling it. You know, it's getting cooler outside, you know, and biving more
in soups. I'm more soups lately, you know. You're a big French onion guy. I am a huge
French guy. Enormous French. Oh, we've I think we've talked to Blake. Yeah, probably on the
spot. Yeah, I can't remember which episode it was, but we got really in the soup. It's
not really necessarily spooky season. It's more like soupy season. Yeah, you can say
that. Wow. Wow, James. That was good. I like that. You're a soupy guy. You're saucy. You're
saucy. What's going on? Oh, what's going on with me? Oh, I guess I've I've got myself
a little espresso here. It's espresso season for me. Oh, it's a Saturday night. I'm getting
crazy by having espresso at nighttime. Yeah, that's crazy. I'm rebelling. I'm rebelling.
Rebelling is how you look at it. Okay. What are you rebelling against exactly? The rules
Brandon. The rules say no caffeine when the sun's going down. What are you doing? I didn't
know that that was a rule. I guess maybe an implied rule, but I didn't know that was a
rule. Okay. Well, God, what a rule breaker. I need something to rebel against right now.
And that's how that's how I'm doing. That's how I'm doing it. It's trick or treat season.
It's naughty season. I got to find my small ways. Wow. Yeah, you are being a little rapscallion.
Yeah, you're not naughty Nellie over there. We're gonna have to call the police on you.
Good luck with that. Maybe I'll put a little trick or a little tree in my trick, which
is the espresso and some ice cream or something. Maybe not. Maybe not today. But next week
live on air. It's happening for the for the auditor audio medium. I'll be doing a cooking
show. Yeah. Do they have any pod? They probably do. They have probably have podcasts that
are like cooking shows and they just guide you through. I wonder your ears. Okay. Now
you hear that sizzling. Ooh, okay. So that's what that is. Oh my god. I have no idea. That
would be something that I'm going to check out after this because yeah, I off the rip.
You're like, well podcast and cooking. I don't know if they would go together, but now this
idea of ASMR being tied into it. Yeah, it's pretty. I mean, maybe you do the soup cast.
Ah, yes. That that'll chestnut. I've been talking about that for years. Just trying
to get that that soup soup cast platform. Yes, it's polarized polarizing movies is the first
step, but the final final form. Yeah, it's your your fully evolved soup soup soup king.
The soup game. Yeah. So I'm the soup king. Let that be known. Put that down on the record.
I go by many names and soup king is not one of them. Mr. Soupy or we do polarizing soups.
I think clam clam chowder is the polarizing soup on this on this podcast because I am
a fan, which you are not. I am not. I am a fan of the Manhattan variety, but I am not
a fan of the New England variety. Yeah, because I don't think cream or milk and shellfish
go together. It's not something I feel like are two things that work well together. Yeah,
I just I had logic goes out the window when it just goes in my mouth because it tastes
so good when you get a good one. I would get this one man. I would write that down. Logic
goes out the window when I get this in my mouth. Yeah, the clam chowder. Whoa. As Sean
Connery might say, a clam chowder. Oh, yeah, that and yeah, but you get like some extra
like scoop of seafood right on top. I've gone to places that do that. So good. Big like
so there's just so much extra like crab and and stuff on top. It's like really kid. OK,
I'm not going to convince you. I'm not going to convince you. I'm just crab. I do. And
lobster. I do like it a bit. It's the it's the it's the clams and the oysters that I'm
not a fan of. OK, so I do prefer like a raw oyster over like a baked oyster. OK, can't
say I've had many, but I enjoy a raw oyster. Love a fucking like big thing clams, though,
with garlic and butter. Oh, yeah. I mean, I'm I'm I'm a plant. Yeah. Oh, some crusty
bread. Dip it into some. Yeah, the butter sauce. Oh, it's good. That's good stuff. But
you know what? This is not soup cast. This is polarized. And we're talking about movies
trying to launch it for you, man. I'm trying to help you. We'll get a launch one day. I
love I love the help. I love the help. But speaking of help to help us talk about this
movie, we have now a guest that's really kind of rising in the appearance numbers, I would
say. He was just recently on an episode and we're glad to have him back. Welcome, Chip.
Hey, Chip, how's it going? Good, fellas. Thanks for having me. By the way, fellow soupster
as well as caffeine enthusiast over here. So I'm loving the direction of this. We need
to have a spin off series where we talk about either or. You guys hot liquids in general.
Yeah, yeah. Hot or not, you know. Right. Hello out of here, Gazpacho. That's that's a that's
a that is a polarizing suit. That is a polarizing suit. Yeah, for sure. That's what you love.
Normal humans hate it. Yeah. Because I mean, Gazpacho just like not like cold noodle ramen
is yeah, I don't know. It's a it's a unique thing. But I get it. Like especially because
Gazpacho I think is Spanish. So when it's hot, really hot outside, you know, having
a cold soup is nice, just like having cold noodles when it's hot outside. Oh, it's just
not a common practice. Korean Korean cold noodles. I forget the Korean name, but the
Korean cold noodles with some mustard and the radish and oh my God, that's just so
good. And like in the metal bowl or stays nice and cool and the crushed up ice. It's
just it hits so well. Noodles are really good. Just cold noodles in general when it's on
it. It's good stuff. Is that the thing for me to the limit of my knowledge on cold soups?
Maybe there should maybe there's there's got to be more out there. There's got to be more
cold soups. Let us know out there. Hit us up and polarize the pot at gmail.com. Cold
soups. Love to hear about lukewarm just ramen straight out of the pack and just eat it dry.
Well, I don't know what category that is. But that's polarizing, I'd say. But that's
like maybe you're not the only person that I would do that though. That is a that is
a I don't know. I would see at school a lot of people doing that and coming up with creative
ways of eating ramen. It's like chips. Right. Just like you. Just like other chips like
you. Yeah. Yeah. You're the authority on chips. Yeah, that's fair. I'm experienced by default.
Right. Speaking of experience, let's talk about the experience with this movie. Or Jimmy
Hendrix either or we can get put a pin in that and get back to the Jimmy Hendrix experience
as well. Is there other bands that have experience in the name? Oh, there's gotta be right. There's
gotta be. Oh, it's OK. We get back to my original question experiences with this movie, be it
the Japanese original or this one in particular. I had never seen the remake or the original.
This was totally new for me. You never seen this movie? I have not. No. Really? Oh, I
have. Wow. Missed out. Wow. You missed out. I've seen it when you were 14 years old. 13,
14. I'm surprised you've seen scary because I know you're a big scary movie three fan.
We've seen that movie a bunch of times and to know that you know the parody so well. I
never seen the original tape. I mean, and the reason being is if you look at the box
office success of this movie, I mean, my God, this was a huge hit. This was a cultural phenomenon.
Same with 8 Mile, which I just seen recently for this podcast as well. And I'd seen scary
movie three a lot as well. And I knew all those references, but I just had never ever
gone back to the original. It's funny. It is funny how that works. I mean, yeah, fundamentally,
the concept is easy to understand. And yeah, I don't know. Not having seen the movie. You
get it, you know, especially because a lot of this movie holds from other movies, the
original as well. But like Poltergeist, for example, has a you know, it's a huge influence
on this. I don't know. James, you've seen Poltergeist. I don't have you seen that movie?
I've not seen Poltergeist. Oh, you haven't. Okay. But that's another one where like, I
know the references as well, like the they're here sort of shit like I know on the television
and I've and I've seen probably a Treehouse of Horror that's used it or something, which
I was watching a couple of those the other day. And that was fun. The Shining one of
Treehouse of Horror is is a classic. Top tier. He doesn't have beer or TV. So he goes crazy.
It's like no beer, no TV, make Homer go crazy. And he keeps he's like, no beer, no TV, make
Homer and then he pauses and Marge is like, go crazy. He's like, don't mind if I do. Oh,
that is great. Yeah, this is like a parody or a great way into this kind of stuff. And
especially like older scary movies that were I wasn't allowed to see at a certain time
and maybe was too baby to even want to. But I will say for my to get into my experience
with this movie, at least at first was it was a great way in for someone for like a
I don't know, I was probably 13 or so. Somebody who hadn't really seen very many spooky movies.
And it was PG 13. And it was like a great baby's first horror movie where there's not
a lot of violence or anything. It's a lot more about just the idea of it. That's effective
at getting into your your mind at that age. And yeah, the marketing campaign, we just
watched the trailer, I feel like was and reading up on a little bit, they would pass around
like the tape at all the screenings and stuff and have put the tape on like people seats
and shit. So like, that word of mouth, I think was very effective at getting in people's
minds. And yeah, like, I think they would run the tape, there was a period of time for
like a month or so they would just run the tape and not tell anybody what it is. And
just have that tape be the piece of like the kind of a Cloverfield thing, I guess I remember
when that was coming like that marketing was interesting about like, just putting something
in your mind of a spooky thing that's out there, maybe Blair Witch as well. But yeah,
this movie was like the most successful horror movie until damn it was the one that it's
the original or like not the original Tim Curry, but the 2017 new it I think is like
the new most successful horror movie. But this one really like, yeah, like 200 something
million dollars or something like that. And this one did. Yeah, yeah. And it was like
the most successful horror movie at the at the time until this most recent it it or it's
aeration. But I think for me, that was something that I could handle. And it made me just scared
enough. But also, yeah, like for somebody who did watch a lot of TV, it was it was getting
at that a little bit of just like, oh, something could just pop out of it and, and get you.
But did you have anything? Any sort of history with this movie chip? I assume you'd seen
it before. Yeah, so I was here. Who's and I like, it's very hit or miss, right. So I'm
big on the paranormal stuff. I love like the supernatural trailers. Really gory stuff.
I don't really care for it's almost like, I mean, it's more like a comedy film than
it is a horror film. But I remember watching this movie at a pretty young age. And I remember
exactly what you're saying. There'd be commercials that would run for when the movie was coming
out. And it would just be like that static. It would just pop on, right? You almost felt
like your TV was going bad. And that they've run that marketing campaign. I remember seeing
it is a I think it was about 1415 when I saw it. And it was one of the first films that
was really like jump scare. Right? I was like, Oh, this is like, good, I could watch this.
And just remember being like terrified of that little girl, right? It's one of those
things where you just like it's an image you can't get out of your brain. And I think they
mentioned it movie. It's like it's burned inside of you, right? And they kind of hammer
on that when they're going through it. And then I watched it again in college. We did
like a for the month of October, we watched a para movie every night for the entirety
that I think it's back from our drug TV did like a Halloween days of horror or something.
So there's a different them and watching it again a little bit older, kind of still had
that same feeling watching it last night. It was nice because I hadn't seen it maybe
15 years or so. And being real brought up and the jumpscare still there. Like even though
you're expecting it, it still gets you. I think that's good. I like the film in that
regard. You know, it understands the test of time a little bit.
I think it's a very effective idea. And I had for someone hadn't seen like their original
Japanese version, I can see why a studio would want somewhat of like, I don't know, like
a safe bet, but it's been like tried and proven in a different for a different audience. And
I think it was maybe a book or some short story before that. And to have a know like
some version of reaction to see the Japanese version, which I'm I'd imagine people might
even would prefer that version even more. As well, a lot of people out there to take
it over and for American audiences isn't probably wasn't the first time and definitely
not the last because I know there's other movies, not even just horror movies that are
given that same treatment, like, let the right one in and then they didn't let me in and
both are great movies, but they are very similar. And it's interesting to see someone just be
like, Oh, that's good idea. Let's we want to do that as well. Like another round the
Mads Mikkelsen movie, I think Leo's come doing a version of that too. And I think, yeah,
it probably behoove me to go back and check out the original but watching this just last
night at nighttime and everything, it definitely had those moments that hit as a child. We're
still there. There was some other stuff that I had forgotten, as well as the visual look
of the movie that we definitely should get into as well. That was like, very of its time.
Naturally, so but I know Brandon, you said you had a lot to say about this movie. So
I don't know if there's anything that you wanted to you want to start with.
Yeah, what I what I would want to start with is what, you know, and what we're talking
about is it is a really interesting time in film where the access to like foreign movies
is not as readily available as it is today. So I feel like that movies like this happen
more often around this time where I could imagine a lot of people haven't seen the original
rain when it came out. And this allowed American audiences to get to experience what the you
know what this movie, you know, the original movie is about and, you know, bring into a
broader audience, which I just ultimately find really interesting because it's we just
come in such a long way from that where, you know, you brought up what is it last round?
What is it? No, what's it called? Another round. Another round. Just great movie. Great movie.
Amazing movie. Everybody go see it. But yeah, now that getting remade as like an, you know,
the American remake of it, I don't know, seems kind of weird in this day and age because
why not just go watch the original? It's like going to be on Netflix or wherever it is,
maybe. And to see it remade like in an American studio system in an American way. Yeah, now
just seems kind of passe and weird. So soon after, too, it seemed like the movie had become
popular in a worldwide sense. So it's like, yeah, I mean, how much better can you really
do? I guess it's American Hollywood and all that stuff. But it also like it's very successful
for what it is. And you're right after you're immediately jumping onto it, which I think
was yeah. And I think the sixth sense was kind of a big deal right before this movie.
And I guess that was something they were seeking is kind of like a thriller, slow burn kind
of element of sort of movie that they really push the marketing for and everything. But
in the found footage, I'm sure before that, there is a found footage element to this,
at least like a found video tape, you know, like it's not the structure of the movie isn't
that that way. But I don't know, just finding finding the tape sort of thing and watching
it has an element to that, too. It's like of the found footage. But yeah, I think that's
a great point about the adaptation and the process thereof, because that has always fascinated
me through the whole history of film and everything. And what we find important as a culture can
be represented a lot of times through how we what we choose to adapt. And yeah, jumping
onto something that you know is successful seems like unfortunately, like too safe of
a bet sometimes where it's like, oh, why don't you just do something? Do something different?
Yeah, absolutely. You know, not that I do like this movie, but yeah, that other movie
already exists. And then they did The Grudge, which I know was, I feel like wouldn't have
existed without this one, too, which was given the same treatment. I haven't seen either
of those movies, but this was a big deal at the time. So it's cool to know that, like,
yeah, even if you hadn't seen it, Brandon, like you knew of it for sure.
Absolutely. Yeah, it was part of the cultural zeitgeist and it was in scary movies or scary
movie three. And yeah, something you just brought up that I would love to start getting
into is the cultural differences making defining what the. Like which like culture defining
what the differences in those, I guess, is how I would describe it of like the direction
of the movie or what it's trying to say or how much it gets into certain themes and those
differences, because it's always I don't know. I generally have a I would say that the American
version of a foreign film ends up like. Softening the edges and making it just more palatable
and more populist. And it ends up losing the like biting like interesting focus or or yeah,
like the. It takes the idea and stands off a lot of what makes the original more interesting.
The only exception. No, continue. Go for it. No, I was just not like this is just an exception.
And I think your rule is widely. Yeah, this would be the exception to that rule you place,
which I think is the majority of it. But a movie with love is Girl, the Dragon Tattoo
just came to my mind where that's like the opposite. But, you know, the majority of it
is exactly what you say, I think, too. Or it's like they take the budget and make it
bigger, but not necessarily the quality better all the time. Absolutely. Yeah, which has
its benefits, because I mean, a thing that I will say that. Is makes this movie, I guess
it's better is because of its budget, the special effects are better because I've seen
a lot of clips of the original one, even though I haven't fully seen the movie and it's night
and day difference between the special effects, you know, between the Japanese and the American.
And and to the girl with the dragon tattoo point is like that movie is really successful
because David Fincher is making it. And this in my mind isn't successful because Gore Verbinski
is making it. And this is the guy who is. Coming on the scene as a populist director,
I mean, the guy made what is it? Mouse hunt, you know, goes on after this, the next movie
after this is I do like that. But you know, he's he's already starting to be in this pocket,
which he then, you know, defines his career as being. You know, the Pirates of the Caribbean
guy, bigger movies and utilizing special effects well. And yeah, I would say this movie is
a little bit stronger and it's special effects, but it stands off a lot of what now I understand
makes the original so much more interesting. You know, I think it is it is in a way made
for mainstream audiences. It is a horror movie that is marketed and made for. Kids my age
at that time, like PG-13, like I was very much that that demographic at that time, and
I think it hit me perfectly. And looking at it now, those things just become more clear
where it's just it's so it's just mystical at that time. And in your mind, the movie
and your I don't know. I feel like my imagination would just run wild on top of everything that
I'm seeing in the movie. I'm just picturing all this other stuff inside my mind when I'm
going to sleep at night of the girl like crying, climbing up my bed or some shit like that.
You know, you just you extrapolate all the information and add so much more to it than
that's actually there. And that's and those are some of the best horror movies as well.
Yeah, agree. I think part of that is is the the cinematography of that and as well as
the score of the film are very like minimal. Right. So there's not a ton of bumpy action,
right? There's not a lot of long leads. You're kind of focused in on what's going on. It's
very subtle. It's very I want I want to say losing the word here. I'm thinking like very
quick shots of what's going on. But it's it's done in such a way to where it allows you
to focus on whatever the scene is at hand and really absorb it. Right. And I think that's
part of what you're talking about is when you're going to sleep. Now you're thinking
about that one scene. Right. Or, you know, whether it's the centipede or something popping
out of you or the nosebleed or whatever it may be, you are so drawn into what's going
on in that one moment that you kind of replay it. And then, of course, the music is not
overbearing in it. Right. It's just very subtle. It kind of lures you in. You're really focused
on it. Doesn't take away from the action. I think a lot of that is what makes you continue
to replay it over and over in your head when you're 13, 14 years old. Right. I love the
idea of a countdown as well. And as far as simplifying things that could get too complicated
with some of the rules of the tape and all the little signifiers of what what happened
happened like, you know, there's going to be these little vignettes and visions or whatever
in each of the days. And as something big happens, it'll jump cut to Saturday. This
many days left. And that structurally in a horror movie can just really help it out to
simplify the and hone what you should be focused on and not to not get too bogged down with
the rules, which that was another thing I kind of forgot about was the lore of everything
with with the tape and everything. And I mean, I had I knew there was the well and the ring
was looking up and everything, but I forgot exactly how everything went down. And that's
revealed near near the end of course. But her wanting to seek that information and find
the answers and know that she was she has watched the tape and she has her own ticking
clock for herself is something that not even necessarily in horror movies, but in in other
movies as well as having that amount of time that you know is left can help you as an audience
member kind of pace it out in your mind about where things are headed and how much time
you have left and like drag me to hell is a more is a much darker, campier, you know,
version of that or and there's plenty of other ones, but it's it I like I like that our final
destination isn't my favorite stuff, but it's it's some of it can be good where it's just,
you know, circumstance and time is your enemy rather than a monster that's always lurking
around the corner and or whatever. And you just know in seven days that it's coming,
which yeah, and so this one Yeah, I mean, at the beginning, if we want to roll through
it a little bit is a is like, it's just such a stereotypical kind of and I say it and it
really is because kind of opening because scream essentially does this with the phone
call and there's a phone call on this and everything too, where it's been kind of dunked
on and kind of made fun of of like what oh, like, to, you know, high schoolers like high
school girls like hanging out at a at a house, maybe it's just drew Barrymore and scream
or something where they're by themselves and they get a phone call. It's like, scream is
already making fun of scary movies with that and to know that this movie starts that way
to just kind of made me chuckle a little bit this time having seen more and seen me parodies
of it. That's where like, I'm, I'm not a kid watching a scary movie for the first time.
And so I got that for it's like, Oh, no, they're all by themselves. Oh, it's so scary to phone
call. But now I'm like, Oh, I've seen seen this one scene seen 1000 times. But I like
the the story that she tells right off the bat. I like that it's two separate characters
that aren't our main ones and that, you know, you check in with the other character that
still lives later on in the in the story and everything. It's it's a nice way in for a
movie that doesn't have a lot of the grotesque stuff with someone getting killed right there
in front of you. And this is like at least a sample of that like Jaws or something where
you can at least get someone getting off by the shark before you can have a lot of the
tension and dread leading to the when the next attack is going to be. I thought yeah,
I thought this was overall pretty effective. What did you guys think of the opening?
I love that formula, right? Like here's two high school girls at home alone and they're
having a good time. They're goofing off, right? And then all of a sudden, you know, they almost
feel guilty like they shouldn't be doing what they're doing. And now somebody's calling
them. Oh my God. You know what's happening? Oh, you want to drink espresso? It's nighttime.
I don't know. Exactly. Yeah. You know, just completely bucking the norm. But it's something
you see in like, I don't know, 90% of scary movies, especially at that time. Right. And
I love, I love that they follow that formula. And then the way they kind of build off of
that is still following the formula up until a certain point. Right. So then they go to
the funeral, which I love. They mock that funeral and in scary movie. Right. I think
that's so funny. I was just remembering when you were, you were talking about scary movie.
I was like, Oh yeah, the funeral. But they go into that and then the story really takes
a turn. Right. No, now we find out that the protagonist is a reporter. He's going to go
on her own journey to try to figure things out. So then it deviates a little bit from
the standard cookie cutter type film. But what it's done at that point is it's lured
you in and you're like, okay, it's following the normal path. Oh, there's a twist. Okay.
Now, now I'm a little bit more interested. Sure. I think it's effective to start off
the movie with teenagers who are, would be, have a predilection to, you know, watching
something they shouldn't. So that, that makes sense to me. And I like that. And it does
well to like them explaining the rules of it. I think that's like a, that's a natural
conversation that, you know, two high schoolers having a sleepover would be like, Oh, have
you heard about this thing? And then explain to us the audience, these rules. It's just
the dialogue during that is just so poopy doopy snoopy where they're talking about like,
you know, how TV waves are destroying our brain and getting into all of these conspiracies
and whatnot. And it's like so unnecessary to have a lot of that stuff in this where
they're, you know, speaking to the things that people were talking about at the time
and making it so contemporary and the dialogue and feeling the need to be like teens are
so up on these issues about how electronics are affecting them and whatnot. But yeah,
I nonetheless, like it's the movie does well to have, I think, kids or teenagers explain
the plot of it, because I think if adults were explaining it, they would just put so
much more into it and be like trying to figure it out or would be so like not believing it
and so on and so forth. So and also to James, your point is like, there are movies that
set up tropes that you still can watch today. And it's effective and great, you know, but
this one does seem dated now. And maybe it's just a casualty of how popular it is. But
I would argue it's, it's kind of because of like, two high school girls and school girl
outfits, you know, like being caddy to each other, like all of that stuff just hasn't
really aged. And that's what I would say is like, it's not so much that trope, but it's
I find it in the dialogue.
Well, technology definitely aged that too, right? So like, nowadays, you can never get
along, never get away with that, because nobody would have a tape player to ever even watch
it, right? So that is definitely going to be the case in that. But you're absolutely
right. I mean, if you think about kids that age now, they're probably not doing that.
They're probably, you know, they're not sitting around, they're not watching TV, not telling
a ghost story. I don't know. I mean, I'm not a kid of that age. But yeah, I mean, the median
has changed for sure. Because like a great example of an updated version of this would
be Talk to Me, where it shows how like social media is involved in this thing into this.
Like what you would consider watching a video tape being haunted for seven days, whatever
that concept would be the idea of urban legends, for example. It does it incredibly well. A
lot of it, I think the effectiveness of Talk to Me in comparison to this is it's not really
focused on, it's not really focused on like, critiquing it, it just simply is just showing
it like somebody going through the horror of that experience, and just really gets right
into how the gravity of the situation, which I mean, does as well. But to transition out
at the beginning of it, I kind of wanted a little bit more of her Amber Tamblyn's connection
to the family, because that ends up kind of being a big part of why the sun is so disturbed.
And then also to why Naomi Watts is so invested in this. I know that her mother, once they
go to the funeral, explains it. But that's also kind of a weird conversation as well,
because she's so like combative against Naomi Watts, but then wants her to learn more from
her friends about it. And then I made the joke when we were watching it, but also to
all of these kids are like 26 years old, and they're supposed to be in high school. Like
it's just very apparent that like, these people are in high school. Are you fucking kidding
me? Like they all look like they're like, what are they? They're smoking cigarettes.
To go back to what you said, some of what you said earlier, it's like, it does seem
like the more obvious choice to make it develop into a story about like an ensemble of high
schoolers that are peer pressuring, peer pressuring each other at school to watch this tape. And
it is like, it is beholden, it must be to the original story about a mother and her
son, because I'd imagine that's what the Japanese story is about. And I met and I would think
that I just wanted to do that again. And I know there's, I've seen the ring too, way
back when, and I don't remember a lot of it. Rings, I'm sure deals a lot more, the new
one probably does a lot more with like social media and the internet and whatnot. Because
you see a little bit of what the internet looks like in this movie at the time. But
it is surprising to me, like you don't get that scene of like people at a party sitting
around watching this movie, you hear about it, but that seems like such an obvious, effective
way to use this movie about a video tape that can pass around at a high school and everything
that happens before this actual movie does seem like its own thing. And I'm surprised
they haven't tried to harvest that for anything. And maybe there's some version out there of
that. But I must say that is like a different way, different way into this movie. Yeah,
I mean, that's a fair one. It's just not, I like what you're saying with talk to me.
You brought up talk to me. Was the peer pressure of that of like, oh, we're all doing it. And
just to see, you know, and how that can ravage like a group, like a plague or something,
like what does a Brian Cox says or like their, the sadness becomes infect, infects everybody,
whatever he fucking says, which is like an interesting, an interesting idea. Well, because
it's just kind of blown over, you know, it's like, and you don't have to spend too much
time on it. But like, that is an interesting idea to have like, trauma and sadness of someone
like, then rather it be a ghost. It's yeah, this curse video tape that's represented like
a symbol of, of that, that's getting spread to people can get definitely too hokey once
you get into the rules. But yeah, I just, that was my point about like, it's not, it's
not an ensemble thing. It's goes into the mother and son and their connection to the
first victim. And I do like, this is the other avenue they went down and they could have
done with a high schooler, but I always questioned the means of a high schooler to try to discover
all this stuff. But to have her, that's her profession. Her job is to be investigative
journalist and to seek out these sources. And she's got her, the father of her child
that's helping her and everything too. And how she goes about getting all those things
is held up pretty well to me. That was one of my favorite parts of the movie is just
watching her fall, fall elite and stuff like the mystery.
I think the ensemble thing, just real quickly, the thing that really stuck out to me and
maybe I missed it. And if I did, I'm sorry, but they really could have taken the time
to explain because the child has such a strong connection with Anna, the other girl, right?
I think it was Samara. Samara. Well, well, Samara. No, his, his, oh, I'm sorry. Yes.
The girl that dies in the beginning. Her cousin, cousin. Yeah. So he has such a strong
connection. He saw the films like, how does he then get the strong connection with Samara?
Did he see the film too? We don't know. I don't think. Right.
Yeah. Why is the sun so connected in this way is a great question that doesn't have
to be fully answered, but that is an origin of a lot of the things going wrong in the
movie is the sun being very troubled by the, by the ring. So how does he, where's that
connection formed? Is that what you're saying? Right. Yeah. And he was a parent, apparently
very close to his cousin, you know, in the beginning of the movie, he's talking about
it. So maybe he got the film through her classmates. They watched it. Maybe he was hanging out
with her or something. I don't know, but we don't never really get any kind of backstory
on that. And I think it's great point to your point James, like it very well could have
been solved by having, I don't know, a five minutes fiend of he got it from the party
and then watched it. You know? Yeah. I mean, you guys have brought up my biggest
contentions with this movie and why overall spoiler alert, I just don't think this movie's
all that successful, at least in capturing my understanding, what I understand to be
what is so compelling about the original, which is this idea of a modern woman being
a single mother and then struggling with that because she's working a job. And then also
too, she has a child out of wedlock, which is a modern thing as well. And then having
a passing on her, her, it's almost like a guilt in her frustrations with the father
not being in the picture onto the child. And then on top of that, the child is unique,
right? Which is the connection that he has with Samara is both of them are just very
unique children that have a lot of issues that the parents don't know how to deal with.
And I would love for this movie to focus so much more on setting up how she's working
too much. She's choosing to work too much because she's so afraid of her child because
she just doesn't feel like she's capable of raising somebody that needs so much help and
needs so much attention. And then on top of that being so frustrated with the father not
stepping up and not being in the picture and all of that. And this movie doesn't show like
it's missing stuff where it needs more of her and the child and really trying to hone
in on the connection between, you know, Naomi Watts's character being very similar to Samara's
mother where, you know, she, I think they say it just explicitly in the movie of like,
I didn't want you and now that I have you, you're like causing all of my pain and being
such a huge issue in my life. And I'm so fucking mad at you that I want to kill you because
if you weren't here, then maybe my life would be better. And then wrestling with all of
that guilt and trying to reconcile with that. But this movie doesn't do that. And it just
goes on very quickly into the investigative side of things, which also too I found to
be also ineffective because she's there's never seen where she's like, let me put a
tape recorder on a desk. Let me interview some people, you know, let me bring a camera
person along and start setting up like this being a story that I'm following. You just
almost not because of her job at all, just because of the murder of her custom. She just
goes on this journey to solve this problem. And there's never any of this, like, now you're
too wrapped up in the story. And now you're not paying attention to your son even more.
One thing I know this is skipping ahead, but it's to prove the point is I thought it was
so fucking nuts that after, you know, her coming to realize like loving your child unconditionally,
they go back home and the child is like by himself laying on a floor. There's not there's
at home alone, home alone, just laying down on the floor in the living room. And then
they come and pick them up. And it's it can you help me with this mystery? I'm going to
call you and get some details real quick from you. Absolutely. I will say she does use the
voice recorder and the mental health institution. That's all I'll say. But I do agree with a
lot a lot of what you're saying. But she there I was like, there is a voice recorder at one
part. That might be the only term. I mean, and the thing is, you see that light house.
Oh, my God. That was a big track. Yeah, the whole track that lady was like so over. What
I can't watch your movie with you. I'd rather be alone. Fine. Geez. Are you done yet? But
yeah, so to bring it back so now that she's on this journey of so she's seen the movie
now and then now she's trying to figure out how to cure herself. She meets that magician
that very he's doing his best. And then yeah, then she and she makes a copy of the tape
a big, big, silly, dumb, dumb mistake. Yeah, but then also a good thing, I think, right?
Because again, this is, you know, speaking to the end, but the whole thing is, is that
Samara is never going to stop. So you need to just get somebody else to watch the video,
which it really doesn't do well to use that rule of the video well where she is trying
like almost like she needs to find somebody that she feels like is she's going to be OK
with morally to pass on this this play, you know, there's the follows rule. Yeah. Which
is like just so much better done in that movie and is laid out in such a clear way at the
beginning. I mean, I agree. I love it follows. I think it's an incredible movie. Everybody
should go see it. I mean, did you guys get that aspect of the film of like you need to
have like show it to somebody else so that that actually wasn't fully clear. And I guess
that makes a little more sense of like, yeah, how the movie ended because home slice died.
But she was able to have an ellipsis to her story. And that definitely makes sense. And
for that rule to be the reason why of like, oh, I can prolong the inevitable inevitable
in a way. But some of those some of those rules and the and the lore and everything,
while I don't need it to be completely clear, there is it's cool to see a movie like it
follows where you're able to lay it down so clearly and have it be that much more effective
because it is so clear and simple and to the point that like you realize there's either
there's like no escaping it because it is the it is so cut and dry of like, yeah, he's
boom, like that's all that's all you need to know seven days or or pass it along to
somebody else. But if that is the case, like, yeah, so home slice dies, it goes to her,
right? Well, boring man. Or it potentially goes on to his lover who we just glances up,
that's kind of like a small. Yeah, there's a small detail that the girl is obviously
younger than Naomi Watts, but they both went to the same college. So there's this connection
where what? Just doing this. Oh, yeah, I'm like spinning out of connection. I apologize.
So I didn't hear the original question you asked him. Oh, no worries. I'm reconnected
now. I'm sorry. No worries. No, we're just talking about a James had asked. So because
of this whole passing along rule, then who would be next in line after home slices teams
described, which is telling about how James feels about that actor in that character.
You know, which we were talking about when we were watching it as I agree with you, there's
just such a boring milk toast. Yeah, just it's that actor is not giving more. He's just
giving exactly what is like bare minimum, just a bare minimum requirement of what's
you know, what's needed. He's like shows up and shows his lines, I guess. Yeah, I want
it more like the guy like Lucy Goosey and off the cuff sort of sort of shit. And he
was just very seem safe choices every single time.
Crazy to me that he just showed up at the house right right right at the exact time
that that guy killed himself. He just there. Right. That didn't track for me. I was like,
how did he get there in that timing? What was he doing at that moment? But that's really
like the only heroic thing he does in the movie. Right. And it's like a fleeting moment.
And you're absolutely right. I mean, for as vested as he's going himself to try to be
really doesn't do much in the movie. Other than maybe one. It's all it's all move the
plot along. Doesn't she leather bullshit of like finding files? Yeah. I mean, the most
emotional he gets is when he's having a conversation with the son in the car. And he right. It's
pretty blunt about it. He's like, yeah, I just I am scared of being a dad. I didn't
necessarily want it. I still don't know if I want it and all of that, which even then
he just delivers it with just a monotone delivery. Yeah, I'm not sure if I want to be your dad.
Yeah, sure. And what that needs is him. OK, so he I'm sure is directed because this is
how it should be, is he should feel uncomfortable with that kid because the kid. Probably knows
because he's like kind of like telepathic almost, but. From his perspective, the kid
doesn't know that he's his dad, and so he should be nervous about a intimate one on
one interaction with the kid. And he just delivers it with just a. Yeah, this is exactly
how I feel. And then all right, well, on to the next. And it's really does the movie know.
Yeah, no favors by the climactic moment of the movie is his death. And you need I don't
know. It would be better to care more about him in a way. Or at least have some sort of
feeling positive or negative. I think part of what you're getting at, Brandon, is is
a thing that I I've thought about as I'm watching that movie and we're talking about like scenes
that could have been scenes that didn't need to be there is a big theme of this movie.
The scene with him talking to his child, it just it doesn't serve any point to the movie,
right? It's you know, here's here's wasted screen time and then we go to like Barry ride
over, right? It's a big deal. He's going to an island. But like what an unnecessary scene
where you got the horse, obviously like that was big. A big like what the heck's happening
like from a movie perspective, but it's not necessary. You know, you can talk about the
horses, you can talk about them having the farm, which we can get to. But that particular
scene doesn't need to happen. And that leaves so much more room for filling in like these
very pivotal plot points that we've been talking about. You're right. And it doesn't contribute
anything. It doesn't supply anything than a scare. And I but I saw it's effective at
that for me. I don't know. As a kid, I always thought that was one of the spookiest parts
and the whole connection with the horses and whatever. But it really you're absolutely
right. Like they could have spent that time doing more meaningful things is purely there
for another scare. Just plopped and on the way over another scary thing to happen. But
and I like the girls like, Daddy, my horse. And it's like, did she not name the horse
that you like? Daddy, it's Jezebel, not Jezebel. It's like, I wouldn't if my dog was running
like, no, daddy, my dog. You'd be like, no, it's Poncho. I don't know. It seems like a
fun dog name. Yeah. Well, Poncho is a good dog. That's a cool name. I like. That's another
podcast topic. Cool dog names. Cool dog names. Cool dog names. Cool dog names. What are you
talking about? Spike, we're going to get those are pretty cool. But let's make the tier list.
I. I. OK, here's my here's my joke is this movie shares a lot of similarities to a view
to a kill because it spends way too much time on horses that you don't need to do. It doesn't
really help a whole lot at all. My God, a Chris Jones was in this movie somewhere. I'd
be quite all right with that. As one of the horses, you don't even need to.
Yeah, right. Yeah, no, she turned. She she turned from a horse into a human. It's the
Lord. John Miller shows up or whatever her name is. Jessica Parker. That was another
three names, Sarah. Yeah. Oh, I always make that makes all the horse jokes, right? Yeah.
No, then you get to the island and a horse to be seen. Right. And the father has given
up on that after the traumatic experiences with the family went through. Right. Still
made the point when we were watching it, we had to race horses on an island just saying
weird move. I guess. I mean, why? Because I like trans, I guess, transferring him on
the ferry. You see, you saw how that worked out. Is that your point? Because otherwise,
I don't know, you get all the fucking you just they just need to graze and, you know,
good air out there on the island. They just run around all free, you know, working on
the sea, so working on those fences. He's like, I got to get this fence all done before
I kill myself. Yeah. Oh, for what reason? I got so much to do today. And then all of
a sudden now I've got more on my plate. Whatever he says. He's he had to spend some time contract,
like constructing that whole device to send him into the afterlife with the tape and the
electricity all at the same time. I wanted to break that down a little bit. All right.
So I got the TV here to connect to this protector. And then this one goes around my neck. You
know what? Fuck off. I love that. I mean, yeah, it was actually one of my favorite scenes
in the movie. God, I love it. Yeah. Brian comes in with the what was that call like just
to like hook? Hey, it's just a hook. Yeah, it's a hey, it's called. Yeah, dude. I just
was like, shove it in the hay and you can carry the bail. Hey, that was a scary image
of him like just in a house stuck with him in that in that hook and just I don't know.
His face is scary to me. Oh, like succession. I was like so scared of him that whole show.
He's so very straightforward, very discerning element in his voice. Right. You know, everything
he says like on the edge of your seat. Yeah, yeah. Definitely. Yeah. He was a breath of
fresh air for me because Naomi Watts is fine. But yeah, a lot of the lot of this movie was
lacking more interesting characters, you know, people that were cookie and secrets had things
going on because, yeah, I feel like this movie was kind of sparse with that stuff because
it's a lot of just her going through the whole procedure of and then also to the doctor was
kind of fun. The doctor was a little back and forth with the patient. It looks good.
Yeah. What was up with him? What was the necessary element of adding him there? The kid. So this
is the son. Yeah, they're like mentally challenged. Yeah. Oh, right. Right. Right. This to me is
like pulls from the original movie because in the original movie, what happens is is
the mother has psychic abilities that people find out about and then essentially like cast
around. Right. And the whole island that they're on, everybody there is affected by not only
the daughter having these like supernatural abilities, but also the mother as well. So
everybody on the island in the original movie has kind of some like thing, you know, they've
been affected by the supernatural powers of the daughter and mother. OK. But the origin,
I mean, I don't need to know and whatever, but like that, yeah, the origin origin of
it all you want to be curious about and maybe permanently curious and never fully answered.
But yeah, I guess just it comes from the girl. It's is all this movie leaves you with is
she just came with this darkness that was affecting the mom and that drove everyone
crazy. Yeah, which I think who made the tape, whatever. Well, so the daughter, the daughter
made the tape and not to say that the movie does explaining this well, but she was really
the French New Wave at the time. Yeah, she was super in French New Wave.
The latter is later leans against and it falls over as the mom falls off the cliff, you know.
Yeah, just a little girl smoking cigarettes and talking about drinking wine and listening to
French New Wave. Yeah, she pulls the hair out of her mouth. What's up is.
That was the fucking grossest part of that fucking hair glob out of Mami Wads mouth, like
the most. So the thing with the movie is, and again, I don't think the movie does well to
explain this is her Samara's powers are to imprint her psychology on two things, which is
why when she's getting interviewed in the asylum, they show the like X-ray X-rays.
He made those happen. Yeah. Her like psychic ability imprinted on them.
And so that's how she then is able to make a movie in which you can like pick the fly off
of, which I thought was really cool. I like that scene, too. I like that scene a lot.
I like that. That's how.
Randall, I got a question.
Which one eh, which one is the maybe strange then movie is is?
Why does there seem to be a horror film coming out called the needy ladder, like?
A ladder was a man save.
You know, it's a ladder.
such an unnecessary part of it. And then her reaction to like,
Oh my God, I walked under the ladder. You know,
like we are to do bad things are going to happen to you.
It could have been fine. She just walked under,
didn't have to have the guy telling her didn't have to have the cut to the movie
that we just watch. It was like, wait, no, it's good.
I didn't go anywhere. That's you. Which could be spooky. It's like, Oh wow.
And then there's no one around working either. Oh no, there's this guy that's
working. Like it's more mysterious if there is a random fucking ladder to
nowhere and you just walk under it and you leave it there. You're like, Oh,
there was that. Yeah, I completely.
And I just wanted a black hat to run by and her to break a mirror and have to
spill some soul all in one scene, all in one shot. Just, Oh, oh, so
Oh God, oh, I'm here. That's what scary movie would do.
That's what scary movie would do. Yeah.
Isn't it so silly?
It's like, Hey, you messed up me putting up this mirror in a very high place
with my pet cat.
Would you like some salt on your tater salad?
I have a reason for everything.
It's yeah, it's really silly and kind of confounding that she's already been like.
Blighted with the curse and then you get double cursed.
Yeah, we knew that bad things are going to happen.
Our more bad things going to happen to her because she walked on her.
It's like, why?
I mean, the really the only reason it's there is because in the videos,
it is to communicate that there's a ladder in one of the videos.
And it's also to communicate that the girl Samara was living in that loft in the
barn. And so she had to get up there with a ladder.
You don't need to spend it on like superstition shit.
Like it's so pointless.
Like, please.
That's where the lore is a little too self important.
Yeah.
You were going to say.
I was just saying, can we take a quick second?
I know we're getting pretty far into this movie right now.
No, I feel like a little appreciate.
Oh, no, I thought you want to take a break.
Oh, you want to take a second to talk about something?
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
Let's take a quick break to appreciate the little boy in his little suit.
Oh, yes. Oh, yeah.
The little gentleman part of that movie.
Yes. Yes.
You know, he's three little gentlemen's choir.
He's a fine young man.
I feel like he needs a little shout out.
Yeah, dude, the way they shot like the the him at the funeral
next to the banister for the stairs going up was usually they made it look like
he was the exact height of that, you know, the rail for the stairs.
So and then he just realized how well fit that suit is for that little gentleman.
The costume department just took his size perfectly
and made him a perfect little tiny suit for him that he's going to grow out of
in a couple of months. But for this day and moment in time,
for this funeral scene at this movie, like he is dressed perfectly.
He reads the little gentleman's quarter, little sophisticated quarterly,
which while we were watching together last night, we were trying to come up with
headlines.
I think Brandon's was like, are dinosaurs still cool?
What juice box is best?
You know, but.
Either butter jelly crust on or off.
Just the hard hitting questions for a little gentleman quarterly.
Are cooties still a thing?
You know what, though, it is.
This just came to me as we talked about the little gentleman is
it doesn't make sense for him to be so well dressed because.
Don't poke holes in the fun.
Continue, no, but the mother is not is struggling to be a mother.
I was thinking the same thing just now.
So realistically, the suit should have been like too big for him.
Yeah. Or he didn't wear a suit at all anymore.
I don't know, like normal clothes like it just it doesn't make sense
that he has just a perfectly tailored suit and a pico, a fucking dope pico later, too.
Yeah. Oh, my God. Yeah, absolutely.
But all that. It's it's Samara's Samara's
providing him some some ability to go into some suit stores
and put some guy under a spell with his mind and size him for suits for free.
For free.
He just he's like that that one reality show we watch
where kids have to go out on their own and go get stuff.
It's just him leaving the apartment by himself.
He goes to the suit store.
He's like, I would like one suit, please.
Samara's like whispering in the suit.
Maybe you're like, I better make him the suit.
I wanted more like crank calling, like some some prank calls from
that's probably just too much of a scary movie, three thing or something.
But I just wanted her to be like, hey, it's there's four days left.
Do you think you're really going to solve that mystery?
I don't think so.
And by the way, if you keep watching that tape, I'm going to cut
I'm going to move the day up a little closer.
So you better stop watching that thing.
That's my to give it back.
One thing that I would love to see, I just got reminded
because my my Internet was lagging a little bit
and your face was kind of moving around, but like the.
Oh, my God, my curse stuff.
And how do you look fine now?
Yeah, let's take selfies first.
Like, what was what?
What was the point of that?
You know, in all the photos, yeah, the I forget the guy's name, but for,
you know, X love or whatever.
What's the point of the blurred photos?
If we're not going to get any kind of history, why?
Is it just like a preview as to like what they're going to look like when they're dead?
I don't know. Yeah, no, that's no, no, I think.
I think kind of. I mean, yeah.
I'm ultimately the movie doesn't do well to explain what that means,
especially to because when there is a moment to kind of explain it or something,
like when he goes to when the I can't remember the dad,
not dad, but the guy's name goes to like buy something.
And then the woman behind the counter is like, you're going to die soon.
Whoa. Hey, OK.
Jesus, I sell cigarettes daily and I tell that to anybody who asks
for a pack of cigarettes at my convenience store. Or.
Probably so. And every single person that buys these cigarettes here,
I told them they're going to fucking die and they never come back.
Yes. You know, no, we'll be customers.
Yeah, I mean.
It is interesting to think about in the time period between seeing the video
and you dying that you have this curse on you,
and that's how it visualizes itself is through video or photos.
Because that's kind of how it starts as well.
So it's it's somewhat interesting in when you zoom out enough
and give the movie way more credit than it kind of deserves.
But yeah, you're right.
It's like there's no explanation why people's faces are blurred.
It's just a spooky effects.
Definitely that there are other things that do have
this sort of logic that they are made sure to follow up on,
like at the end of like, wait a minute, how long would it take to die in a well?
Oh, seven days.
Oh, it's seven days.
Oh, it makes perfect sense.
They're waterlogged for seven days.
That's what happened to the girl at the beginning.
She looked like she had been in a well for seven days.
And so they like and like whatever.
There might be some centipedes down in the well.
And those centipedes are going to there might be some flies that are
that are around there.
But there might be a ladder that you have to climb up into your bar.
Like most of those things do kind of have a little element of truth.
But that camera thing is just kind of, yeah, that's more just a signifier
of the curse, I guess.
But I think it's pretty effective, but there's no and there's nothing attached.
Well, there are all those other things they make sure so much to
let you know that they do mean something.
So I think it's fair to question.
When something doesn't have a meaning.
Besides, yeah, just the.
I had like this movie at this time, having the analog
of tape in that element of it, it does kind of come at the perfect time.
Because, yeah, like you're trying to imagine this movie now.
And I probably will watch rings at some some point.
Now that this is fresh in my mind, it's it's cool to think about how the technology
is perfect for this kind of scary sort of thing.
But also how it can have a hard time aging as well, which I hinted at earlier.
But the visual look of this movie, I thought was the most difficult thing
for me to get past in terms of how it ages, because I get that you want to make
it look like you're in a well, but at what cost?
Like it just looks like you're in a well, the whole movie here.
And, you know, just a moldy, you know,
just a moldy, stanky, danky well.
And it's just this green, blue, green, mostly green filter that
looks OK at times and other times
absolutely just does not fit when you're in an office setting, trying to go over
like, you know, white.
There's a lot of white in those scenes.
And to look at white paper and just see so clearly
how green that white paper looks and then cuts back to her face and back and forth.
And it's like, wow, everything is
just upsetting to look at when it doesn't need to be.
And yeah, it just doesn't hold up as well as I would have hoped.
Yeah, absolutely.
I mean, Gore Verbinski himself said that the reason he did that
is for mood and for tone.
But I would argue that it doesn't really help it.
Like if I could easily imagine this movie without having the such a prevailing
green and bluish hue on every scene being equally as effective and not
like not really taking away at all of like me feeling the sense of dread
or the sense of like
sickness, you know. Yeah.
And the original movie, the Japanese one, did not have that at all.
It's unnecessary.
And I mean, I could see for going to the island, switching
into that a little bit or something and then have contrasting
being at closer to the place creates more of that effect.
Like you could have some fun with it, but to just blanket the whole movie
and color correct it in that way was was a drag.
But I don't know. I feel like kind of we've we've kind of touched
on a lot of the big stuff and I'm trying to go through because I really didn't
take notes. It's fun to watch in a party party group setting with you
with you boys last night.
And I was just kind of in the moment, didn't really feel the need
to write anything down.
But as far as like best scares for I think it is like, yeah, the the fly
and the horse, you know, the the effects as well, unfortunately,
don't hold up completely.
And I knew that was going to be the case.
But, you know, like crawling out of the TV at the end and getting
and getting dude was was OK.
But I like more or less, yeah, like the implication of like the fly
and the surprise of the centipede and those things that just let you know
something so looming and adds that sense of dread
where it's not so hamfisted as maybe a ladder or whatever.
But there needed to be those kind of things throughout the investigative part
like the horse or something, because I feel like there just wouldn't be enough.
And then, yeah, I guess Brian Cox kind of MVP in a way.
Yeah, I was going to say that's my what I was scared most of,
because it was crazy that she essentially breaks into his house
and then decides to watch stuff on the TV in his house.
And then, yeah, him appearing behind was absurd.
I was scared, scared the most at that point, definitely, because this is like,
yeah, this guy could do something.
And I really felt, yeah, because it's weird
how it also works against itself.
The idea of like when you know when you're going to get attacked and killed,
because then.
Before that, you're not going to you're not in trouble.
It's not until the seventh day that you're in trouble.
So, yeah, it's Brian Cox being in the picture that really was scary.
So, yeah, that's what made me think of like drag me to hell.
And like they do that same sort of switch where like, oh, I did this thing
that absolved the curse and now I'm good.
And then to have them pull the rug out from underneath you at the end.
I don't know. I thought it was a little cheap to just have her be fine
and have that ellipsis with the son who also watched the tape.
That was a little frustrating for me this time around.
I I wanted I don't know.
I don't know, not necessarily for the movie to be
just completely mean spirited towards this protagonist, main character and everything,
but to have a dude's death be the climax and the big moment was.
I don't know. I wanted a little bit more, I guess.
And anytime it was aggressively PG 13.
And I at the at the time, I was OK with it.
But this time, I think there was a part for
somebody who doesn't require a lot of gruesome elements, just wanted maybe
a little bit, a little bit more punch in the guts with some of those
some of those moments.
But would you say that same chip, probably the Brian Cox moment?
Yeah, I mean, that's huge.
That's a huge moment.
And what I would kind of resonate
and reiterate what you're saying, the very end with the boyfriend
dying and her being absolved and not having any issue with her.
And then the two of them watching the video and pressing play
and they're going to go into the world.
It's like a pop out. It's such a cheap moment. Right.
And I don't need to I don't need a ton of resolution.
Right. You don't.
I don't need to know what's going to happen next.
Not agree. And maybe some of those equals,
maybe some of the sequels are going to fill that out, whatever.
But.
He going through and being like, I'm going to find out what your history is.
And then now he doesn't die.
To me, it's up because like she said, she's going to kill everybody.
Right. She's going to do this.
I'm OK with her sparing the life of the boy because I think she's sparing
the life of the boy because she relates to him and knows that like, hey,
he's living just like you said, Brandon is living a life with Aaron,
who's probably not taking very good care of them.
I mean, it's evident that he's not.
But maybe he goes and gets adopted by somebody else and continues.
You know, the young soul.
Right. Yeah.
I mean, it's the way that they end that movie is like go through
this really pivotal moment.
You break in the guy's house.
You think he's going to kill her and then all of a sudden he's killing himself
in like the craziest contract in ever, which is awesome.
I love that scene.
And then.
Nothing, almost nothing like.
A huge let down now, the her coming back out on the TV.
And after they seem to be fine, really cool.
I'd like that they continue the lore.
I like that they were like, not over yet.
Not over yet.
But it just, I mean, it's such a soft ending.
It really is.
Yeah, and falling down that well, even I mean, no injuries there and
and holding the skeleton is enough to provide a flashback in her mind.
But that could have been done in an even more intense sort of way as well.
And not to get too into what ideas could be,
but what happens at the bottom of that well could have been more creatively spooky
and grotesque in its own way or something to how she communes with that
that skeleton, you know.
Yeah, I, I really hate the last 15, 20 minutes of this movie
because I would have loved this movie to have ended after she got out of the well
because in my mind, most interesting part about this movie is her.
Holding Samara is her reconciling with motherhood and reconciling with like.
If I like this, Samara just needed love.
I like that. And now and now I'm going to break this cycle,
the cycle of the video. Yeah.
And I am now going to love my child no matter what.
It took me a while to get there.
It didn't naturally come to me.
But now holding her and that's so much of what that moment was to is the is
the is the like seeing how this is what could be if I don't change.
Right. And then to have this like epilogue and then have it so.
Like a franchise minded of like we got to, you know, set it up for the next movie.
I mean, I've talked to Ignatian about how I fucking hate that shit
where you lost a better movie because you needed to set up another movie.
Like, yes, make the good movie because there's there's no rules
that the second movie couldn't be honestly the same fucking thing.
Maybe it's with a dad and his daughter or or just some, you know, different combinations.
But to just be a direction.
No, it doesn't.
It's just all your all you have to do is just have the the conceit of the rules of the tape.
It that's it. It doesn't need to all be connected.
It doesn't need to move on because it also just doesn't fucking make any sense
that there is this moment of the daughter with skin turning into the skeleton
and going through that emotional process of it all to then very quickly after being like,
no, she's still here and she's still going to get you.
It's like what it was the plan of all of that.
And you want to have your cake and eat it, too, because if you are going to do that,
then have her actually have the fucking thing follow through and kill Naomi Watts.
Like if you are going to have that that back and forth of like, oh, actually, she never sleeps
and she shouldn't have done that like, OK, fucking follow through.
Don't have your cake and eat it, too, where it's like we're going to set up for the next one.
And we're also going to show this little fucking epilogue of like, oh, the and it still is out there
to this day sort of thing like you could.
You're so right, Brandon, with that, the ending like I would have been happier
with that as well, because there was such a resolution to something ending on love
and acceptance and all that stuff of and how that can transcend to her son,
which is already convoluted because they want to make him like Damien from the Omen,
which I think they get more into that and ring to is like a little bit more of like
the Omen or something. But like, yeah, you're so right.
They just want to have their cake and eat it, too.
They wanted to have a last kill.
They wanted the monsters still be alive and they want to Naomi and the son to both be alive as well,
because they took this property from somebody else.
They knew it was going to be successful.
They pumped a bunch into marketing and they knew that they were going to event,
which they did.
I remember seeing the sequel in theaters as because I was pretty hyped for it.
And I remember openly laughing with my buddy at the time, my buddy Demetri at the time,
at this part where like these deer from the woods descend upon their car and start like
snarling and kicking the shit out of the car and puncturing the tires.
And we just started cracking up laughing because it's so silly.
But no one else in the theater was.
But we thought it was really funny.
But that's a great point, Brandon.
Yeah, to that point, James, I imagine when the horse gets loose,
that at one point of it running around, it does like there's this famous clip of the shaggy dog
where the shaggy dog like escapes out of the room and then it's clearly a guy in a suit
and he punches the person standing in front of the.
Oh, you froze for a second.
Oh, sorry.
How funny would it be if the horse escaped at that at one point, it just like
somebody that's trying to corral it.
It just.
Swear up.
But there's no reason why the absentee fathered guy.
Couldn't have died before.
Yeah.
The the West.
There's really no there's no.
Exactly.
Exactly. The reason for it, like he's been entrenched in all of this stuff with the
the curse and all of that.
There is no reason why you couldn't have shown him accidentally watching the video
as he was searching for the history of it and then dies.
And then the climax.
It would have made so much more sense because like you also leave the move.
It's so weird where like the.
The move, it's so weird where like five minutes before the movie is telling you,
oh, this dad's going to he's going to turn around.
You know what?
He might actually be a good dad.
You just fucking kill him.
They just want they're forcing you to try to care about him and you don't.
You just don't.
I think that's what that's all that.
Like you said, that scene is pointless.
The only point for that scene I could see is like we're going to kill him.
So we should probably make you care a little bit more about him because we
haven't thus far.
Yeah, which is killing before the weld and the reconciliation makes way more
sense to when she's down there, right?
I mean, significantly more sense, right?
He's finally like everybody around me is dying and I can't handle this anymore.
And then because he goes and reconciled with her and it's over and it's over
and just ends and it's just done.
Right.
There's no need.
Again, that's why I say it's so soft.
Or have Naomi Watts channel the energy of the mother and more of a more defined
strong way so that she can enact that hatred towards the sun, have the sun be
the main character, have him be the protagonist in a way like, I don't know,
or at least have show more of that darkness through Naomi Watts.
I don't know why you have to be so precious about these characters in what
might be a franchise movie for horror.
Let's get a horror movie.
And yeah, they made they made a copy of the tape.
Just fucking do a little pan over to the copy of the tape, right?
I think in the movie, if you wanted to fucking have an ellipsis, like who cares
about these characters, like just show that copy of the tape and let you know,
you know, you have to do that.
Just like I like, or I like the idea if you want to do another, like there's
another fucking tape who cares.
A punch up I would give is that after the well, she goes to pick her son up off
the ground by himself, have him like his nose is bleeding or like allude to the
fact that he now is going to become Samara, you know, to some degree.
And then you just end the movie right there.
Like just leave it at that.
Just go, oh shit, maybe it's still going on.
You know, she like walks into his room and like, hey, honey, dinner's ready.
And he's like editing a video tape.
He's like, oh, I got final cut.
Don't worry about it.
I'm just, it's a sample.
It was a demo.
I'm just like, oh, I'm going to do this.
I'm just trying it out.
Don't worry.
That's how you make a franchise film.
You make him the next Samara.
Yeah.
That's why I just like, you lay up, you lay up, kill, kill them both and then
put them in the foster system.
It's fucked up and sad and dark.
It's a horror movie and then have him get adopted by the grace.
Jones.
And then you get his backstory finally.
So now you get run time to tell his backstory of how he became that way.
Yeah.
Perfect.
It's a win-win.
Maybe we just, maybe we just make that movie now.
The it's, it's more like a pre I'm surprised they haven't done the
prequel of the making of the tape and the girl and the well and the mom and everything.
And like, and it's, it's what's interesting about that tape and everything.
Like when I was a kid, I always thought like, oh, this was some weird thing that was made
in the 1800s and they somehow found a way to channel it into a tape because everything
looks so old time, not that video, but they found a way to like through dark magic,
create images from that time.
Cause everything looks like it's in the fucking from the crucible or something.
And then it's like, you,
when the black plague was a thing.
And Brian Cox was like, oh yeah, I remember that. Yeah. It's like, well,
it looks like when cameras were first invented, these home videos.
Yeah.
She was, yeah, it's a French new wave. She was just watching a lot of
John Luke, Goddard, whatever.
Well, um, yeah, I mean, I, I feel like we've definitely
expressed our, our opinions about it. And I would like to
hear a little bit from the audiences and critics as well.
Before we take a break, is there anything else that you guys wanted
to say that we missed?
Cause I don't have any notes.
I think there was that line that was really funny where the ladies trying to explain it to her and
yes, yes.
I text that earlier.
That's gorgeous.
Brian and I were laughing at it too. It was like, no offense, ma'am, but
what the hell does that even mean?
It was like an extended period of like time where she's like, it didn't explain to it.
It's not that difficult. And she's like, speak English.
Yeah. I mean, I took notes. I mean, yeah, overall I feel good about it.
Cool. All right. We'll take a quick break and we'll be right back.
We are back to the polarized podcast.
What an app.
What a guest chip.
Thanks again, brother.
Let's move on to some critics thoughts.
We're going to start with some critics thoughts.
You like this movie. They gave it a 71%.
The audience gave it a 48%.
Let's hear from some of those top critics on Rotten Tomatoes.
Keith Phipps, AV club.
Give it a B plus says here.
Gorr Verbinski creates an air of dread that begins with the first scene and never lets up.
Subtly incorporating elements from the current wave of Japanese horror films along the way.
There's a Japanese horror film wave at this time.
David Edelstein Slate.
The filmmakers have wisely stayed close to the original's mood, which is somber and flat with
quick near subliminal inserts and a soundtrack full of watery grave groans and murmurs.
Richard Schickel Time Magazine says it's an edgy watchable film, but one that makes you feel more
squeamish than screamish.
All right, Richard Schickel.
Yeah, you dog.
You dog.
Let's take a look over at Mark Denning at Empire Magazine.
Gave it a four out of five.
As a concept, it's flawed.
As a remake, it's good.
As modern horror, it's a firecracker.
What the hell?
And we'll finish with Nev Pierce from BBC.com.
Gorr Verbinski creates beautifully composed pictures of unpleasantness throughout moments
that sneak around the memory for days after viewing.
Hmm.
Let's yeah, they were the critics.
This is a critically favored movie, which is not something I would have thought.
Now we'll move on to some audience one star reviews.
We'll start with some letterbox from Hanhania.
One star.
Watch this with a TikTok brained motherfucker who made me put it in two times speed and
it was still boring.
Nicole gave it one star.
I watched five horror movies today, two of which being straight to Netflix films with
less than a shoestring budget.
And this is inarguably the worst of the heap.
This has every single terrible, awful, no good horror cliche that you could fit into
a single feature film.
And the color grading manages to make this film more blue than even Twilight.
This is literally just a very expensively made creepy pasta.
Fun fact, the well the girl crawls out of is on my school's campus.
So sometimes a group of us would just sit around it while eating lunch and doing work.
And I think that's pretty cool.
Whoa, that is a fun fact.
Crazy to think that there's a well on a school campus.
Yeah, that's on a school campus.
Yeah.
Like, oh.
Like, hey, that's that's the that's the ring well over there.
Watched by M.
She gave it a one star.
This wasn't even a little bit scary.
Naomi Watts, I'm free on Thursday night, though.
Whoa, Jesus.
Hey, shoot your shot.
Hey, whoa.
Madeline Isabella gave it a one star.
It misses the point of the original so utterly that I don't even know why they
bothered making it.
There's a whole bunch of hokey and artless CG tacked onto a script that strips away
all the subtext and nuance of the original in favor of tacky mother's gone bad and
mental illness is scary bullshit.
I hate everything about this, especially how the first quarter
tricked me into thinking this would be OK.
Yeah, there's there's some hate.
We'll do maybe one or two more.
Let's see from Dennis.
One star.
Upon rewatch, this is very bad.
The child's performance is abhorrent.
The twist that Noah is his dad is also awful and randomly dropped.
I agree.
So many scenes that could be disturbing like the horse on the boat are ruined by
comically bad editing and awkward performances.
Some of the imagery is cool, but it's just ripped from the original.
So no credit there.
Rest of the movie is so boring to look at.
I saw this in a theater with the ring themed drag show beforehand, which
included a three animated Samara dancing to what?
It was more enjoyable than that.
What?
That does sound fun.
Dan, that's as fun as.
Oh, what else?
What else?
Pussy works on multiple levels.
Yeah, it does.
That's pretty good.
OK, one more from Sam Fox.
I really wanted to come back to this and like it.
So many people who I respect swear by this movie and maybe even and some even claim
it's better than the original.
But I honestly do not understand how they can think that this film feels so stilted
like every piece is just jammed together and forced into working order.
And the parts of the movie that people reference feel so cheesy and out of place,
even within the context of the film itself.
On top of that, I think this movie is poorly acted.
Naomi Watts seems bored.
And uncommitted Brian Cox is a standout for me, but that almost made everything worse
because it took me back to reality for a bit.
The most compelling parts of the film are either directly almost one for one taken
from the original or feel like loose ideas that they had to work really hard to justify.
See the horror scene, which felt so out of place.
I thought I was losing my mind.
I really don't love being a hater, but I really do believe the only reason this movie
maintains any semblance of positive grace in society is nostalgia.
It's not to say there's nothing good in this film, but it just doesn't feel like
it all fits together in a way that actually works or holds up to objective scrutiny.
Nostalgia is a great reason to love something.
And I just wish people would accept that rather than try to argue this film's merits
by tearing down the original.
I appreciate this film for bringing J-horror into mainstream American culture,
but I don't think it's worth revisiting beyond that.
Very well.
Nostalgia is worth it, okay?
You've got to appreciate nostalgia.
Okay.
All right.
I think recognizing it is enough.
And whether you appreciate it or not, sometimes to me is so subconscious that
I have nostalgia is something that I have no control over in that it makes me bias in a way
if The Lost World Jurassic Park was up on the stand, I would have to abstain as a juror
because I have deep-seated bias inside of me that I like.
I have too many memories.
It's like my childhood.
I can't.
I was just...
That was a VHS tape that was there for me in times when I needed to throw on something
and watch some dinosaurs because I was signed up to Little Gentlemen's Quarterly and I was
going through the phase of like, I don't know, are dinosaurs cool still or not?
And it was a tough time for me.
So yeah, you just got to abstain as a juror on some of these rankings of the movie
that we just watched.
And I would say, yeah, it's just surprising just for the last little bit about the
polarization of it all.
It is, yeah, again, surprising that critics came out for this movie,
at least representative on Rotten Tomatoes.
And when I think of this movie as such like a, I don't know,
passed around sort of hit amongst people getting their first DVD players and stuff
and picking this one up or telling each other about it.
And as far as a movie that you wouldn't have to be an adult to see, it's not R-rated.
You can go with your friends after school.
And I think that has a lot going for it as well.
Or I thought it would for the audience.
And yeah, I guess it was just surprising that the critics came out for it more.
But yeah, and then if you guys have anything else to say about that in terms of the
those reviews or the polarization or anything, otherwise, I'd love to hear your final thoughts, Chip.
Yeah, I mean, I think when it comes to the critics, generally it seems like the critics
love bad movies and they hate the movies.
That's just kind of how it fits.
Or at least, you know, whatever the audience loves, critics generally are not going to like.
But no, for me, so my take on the movies, it checks all the boxes for me.
So from a suspenseful or horror type movie, you know, it runs through the gambit of,
OK, let's set the stage, let's do the cheesy overtones or undertones of,
you know, something's going on, we got to figure out what it is, we don't know what it is.
And then we're going to throw in, you know, the high school teenagers and then the one person
who's loosely affiliated with it is going to be the main character and all that.
And they go through it and solve it.
And I really like that.
I like the suspense of the movie, I like the little jump scare parts of it.
All of that really works for me in terms of this movie.
There is quite a bit in the movie that is unnecessarily added in.
A lot of stuff that we don't need to know about, it's wasted film, it is wasted storyline
where we could have gotten a lot more and maybe even better story to it.
That being said, overall, like I like the movie, I don't want to give it too bad of a rating, but
I think I'm going to have to go with.
I wanted to say 69, so it'd be funny, but I think 65 overall would be my rating for this.
All right.
Very nice.
Go ahead, Brandon.
All right.
Yeah, so I didn't really care for this movie.
I think a lot of my issues with it is that it's unfocused, it meanders a lot, it isn't as scary
as I want it to be.
And then ultimately, some of the most effective horror movies to me, I leave watching it and
still am freaked out by the maybe I'm going to get cursed or maybe something bad is going to happen
to me. And it's weird now seeing this because it's so, in my mind, ineffective in a lot of ways of
making the curse scary that I don't feel any sense of like I'm in danger because I'm not going to
watch the movie.
I'm it's and so it's not like it's going to come after me, but I've spoke my piece to the movie
but I spoke my piece to it's like this film would be 10 times better if it really was more laser
focused on the relationship between Naomi Watts and the sun and really hunkered down on that and
went through generational trauma could be at play that could have easily been dug in more and
expounded upon.
And then, yeah, just also the idea of recently we watched
Eraserhead and a little bit of that came up for me in this is like that idea of being, you know,
Eraserhead is like the tape that you would find.
What the fuck is this?
What the hell?
I'm cursed now.
But then, but that idea is really fascinating in a modern world where we all, you know,
work a lot and there's so many things in society that are taking our attention away from things
that we would it would behoove us to spend more time, you know, fostering and getting better at
loving and being more attentive and all of that stuff.
And this movie couldn't give a shit about any of that.
It posits some of it.
Sure.
But the follow through on it is pretty horrendous.
And then, like I said before, the ending of this really drives me nuts because of my overall
philosophy on movies and media where creating franchises out of things with that kind of intent
is flawed.
I don't think you should do that.
I think at least.
Yeah, no, I just don't think I'm trying.
I was trying to think of like maybe situations where that doesn't make more sense, but
fundamentally, like.
No.
You shouldn't.
It shouldn't be like that where you're like, well, I'm not going to get into everything
because, you know, we'll just wait.
It'll come up in the second one.
All of that really drives me nuts.
And that is essentially what the last 20 minutes of this is.
Just setting up like, oh, get ready because it's going to happen again.
And so really do not care for that.
What am I going to give this a score of?
I'm going to go 35 percent.
35.
I like that number.
I don't know why.
It's just one of those.
You know how you just like like numbers.
Yeah, 27 is my favorite number.
Combined, combined, we have a hundred here.
So.
Ah.
OK.
Well, you guys team up and make that.
Bring prequel.
I'll be the girl.
OK, OK, the little gentleman.
Be a little German.
OK, Chip, you can be Naomi Watts.
Or she's not around at that time, but you know, there'll be flash forwards and.
I'll be Amber Jamlin.
I'll be the horse.
Got it.
Nice.
Cool.
Yeah, very cool.
Yeah, this is one where going into it, I was excited to revisit it.
Because it was, like I said, one of those big time first scary movies for me.
That was very effective.
And the way that I remembered it is like how you remembered.
Yeah, almost like how you remember a dream.
Can't quite explain it.
You can't quite re-experience it, but it just hit you at that time so well.
So watching it again now, because it is just a physical thing that I can revisit.
And it just yeah, movies stay the same.
But I guess I have changed because it just and time has gone gone by as well in terms
of real time and movie time, where things like the visual aesthetic of this movie was
like not I was not able to go past that at all because it was that way throughout the
whole movie.
And that was that was rough and that was something that did not hold up well.
And there were just other glaring things that did not hold up well that we've talked about
a lot in this podcast.
Overall, I felt like it was entertaining enough where I wasn't ever like, oh, I just want
to like turn this off.
I think it definitely has moments and it'll kind of pick you back up again in ways like
the horse, which I think is unnecessary, but also effective.
To me, for some reason, it's just being a spooky thing or the fly or those little bits
that would visit her in her moments of investigating things.
But as a whole, it doesn't really fully come together.
It just works still for me, I guess, just barely as like an above slightly above average
sort of way of like working me through this premise that I think is a pretty strong premise.
And it makes me want to go like I've probably wanted to do when I first watch this movie
is go back and watch the original, which I just haven't.
But I think the premise is solid and the execution leaves more to be desired at this point in
time.
And it just doesn't hold up as much as I wanted it to, unfortunately.
And yeah, thinking I didn't really did not remember that's how it ended.
And that was a really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really,
really frustrating thing for me to have so much build up and have that moment of a resolution
with her holding the skeleton and showing her love and putting her to rest, her spirit
to rest or something like that and immediately take that back.
It can work if you're going to actually take it back and follow through with something
even darker.
But it goes falls somewhere right in the middle, which, yeah, it was very frustrating this
time around.
But yeah, I'll maintain that it was entertaining enough to warrant a slightly above average
score and put it right in like the fresh area for me on Rotten Tomatoes, which is 62%.
I'll do a 62% and kind of close there with Chip.
And yeah, maybe there is a little bit of nostalgia for me that I'm not fully aware of.
But we're going through, yeah, going through the motions of this movie because I'd seen
it enough growing up that it was still worth it for me to watch.
And I could see where it would hold up for some people still today and why that concept
was revisited in another way with Rings.
And I'm just curious to see how that plays out.
So I might check that one out, too.
But for now, I'll leave that there and probably won't be a super rewatchable one.
But it's a concept that I think was worthy of getting a movie made of it, even though
it's a remake.
And yeah, overall, glad I watched it with you with you guys last night.
Before we say goodbye, I was wondering if you guys want to play a little game.
Yeah, let's do it.
Yeah, that sounds great.
We're going to play the Rinker game.
I guess I should come up with a better name for it.
Better name for it, but it's the Rinker game where I will be giving you guys lists on
ranker.com where the movie The Ring is present on.
And I will be asking one of you to tell me where do you think the ring lies on this list?
And then it will be up to the other one to decide if it is that rank that the person
gave or if it is higher or lower.
So what's there?
Is there a parameter?
Like how long does the list go?
Each one is different.
So I will let you know like this one is and this will go.
Do you want to go first or second chip on guessing?
Yeah, let's go.
Why not?
Yeah, baby.
Let's do it.
I have everything to lose here.
You know, so out of this list is the best movies of 2002.
There are 152 movies on this list.
I want you to tell me where the ring lies on the list of 152 best movies 2002.
Number one being the best.
Number 152 being the worst.
With no information regarding like what other films were out at the time, right?
I'm not, I don't get any kind of like what if you can guess number one,
I'll give you another point or two.
No, I'm so bad.
I'm so bad.
I can barely remember what I did last week.
I'm going to go with I'm actually going to kind of high here.
The number 28 stands out to me.
Okay.
I'm going to say lower.
You think it's lower than 28.
Meaning better.
You would be right, Brandon.
It is number 11.
Wow.
Oh, 11.
We know.
No, I meant it was going to be lower.
I was saying worse.
I should have.
Yeah, that's clear.
So you meant it was going to be higher and the yeah, I need to clarify that.
Huh?
So I meant it would be lower than what you said.
So it'd be a worse movie.
Right.
Okay, so Chip does get the point then because it is 11.
Wow.
And I guess that makes sense.
I should have said higher because it was such a successful movie.
Would anyone like to guess what number one was?
I don't want to go through.
Oh my God.
Can you give us some hints?
It is the second one in the trilogy.
Lord of the Rings.
Correct.
Two Towers is number one for 2002 on this list.
But we'll give Chip that point
and we'll move on first one to three.
We'll say let's let's do another one here.
Let's go with.
Oh, I like this list.
Pretty good horror movies that make everyday activities terrifying.
So there are 15 movies on this list and the activity for the ring is watching movies.
So Brandon on the list of 15 activities from movies.
You say number five.
All right.
Number five.
Now, Chip, do you think that's better or worse?
I'll say we'll do better or worse.
That'll make it clear than five.
I think I think it's going to be.
I think it's going to be if we're going on a ranking system,
I think that it's going to be scarier.
So like higher than five or lower or better.
Right.
I think it'll be one through four.
I think that'll be the best terminology.
All right.
So you think it might be like, yeah, rather than five, you'll think it'd be one through four.
Well, you would be correct because it is number three.
Oh, man.
In pretty good horror movies, I make everyday activities terrifying.
Now, does anyone want to guess what I do?
I don't think you guys will get it.
I'll just tell you it's showering, which you would think, hey, maybe psycho.
No, psycho arachnophobia.
Well, weird.
It's so weird.
Yeah.
We're just driving behind a semi-tracker trailer with a bunch of logs on it.
Frank.
Frank. Oh, well, we have just dual number five for driving
because you're scared of that big truck that's chasing you.
Mother is number eight for having guests over.
Oh, funny.
It follows as 10 for sex.
Let's see.
Yeah.
There's some scary movies out here.
I've not heard of recorders.
A funny side.
Right.
All right.
So we got another point for chip.
So we're going to three.
Here we go.
Let's see if if Brandon can pull it out here.
Clean sweep here.
Oh, I don't know.
Let's go with.
Non R rated horror movies as scary as anything with Gore.
Another list of 15.
So, Chip, where do you think the ring ranks for non R rated horror movies
as scary as anything with Gore?
Like Boar is like any bloody movies or.
Just pretty much like the scariest PG-13 movie kind of is what this list is getting.
Maybe kind of is what this list is getting.
I'm going to say.
Three.
I'm going to give Brandon a good out here, but I'm missing three.
Three.
OK.
What do you think, Brandon?
Is it better or worse than three out of 15?
Is it one or two or is it four through 15?
Worse.
So four through 15.
You would be incorrect.
It's number two.
What?
Number one is insidious.
Oh, wow.
Number three, the grudge.
Number four, poltergeist.
Number five, it.
Number six, the sixth sense appropriately.
Chip clean house.
Triple hat trick in the bag.
Anything you want to say to your fans?
Because you're kind of a.
I think everybody's believing in me.
You know, it's been really fun.
You know, I couldn't do without them, and it really helps me wake up in the morning and.
You know, much like intelligent, I try to wake up in the morning and just this excellence, but.
Sometimes it's hard and I can only do with my fans, so thank you.
But thanks to two of you, especially for having me on and really had a good time last night until I fell asleep watching the movie.
It's a good time and I hope to someday be a guest on your show again and talk about something maybe scarier perhaps or otherwise.
So I think the two of you seriously.
We appreciate you, man.
It's our absolute pleasure and taking taking time out of your day to talk about the ring with a couple couple fellas like us means the world, because it's yeah, it makes us just happy, happy campers to be able to go over the history of movies in a way.
And this one, I don't know, is representative of the history of movies in my own life because it hit me at a time and to revisit it makes you come to terms with the movie and yourself a little bit.
And then you're able to kind of, yeah, reminisce and bond with with your best buddy.
So I don't know. It's always always fun for me.
And it's been fun going through, yeah, more scary movies as well, because it's been more recent venture of ours.
So thank you for for joining us on that.
And man, first fun times.
Brandini, shall we announce our next our next step?
Let us go. Yeah, it is a fantasy action horror movie from 2003.
Just next year, they're doing it again with Underworld with Kate Beckinsale, vampires like and zoos scary.
Let me read the premise here.
Under the cover of night, vampires engage in an age old battle with their sworn enemies, the Likens, a clan of violent werewolves.
Celine Kate Beckinsale, a vampire orphaned in the wake of a bloody lichen attack, works for the vampire clan as a trained killer.
When the Likens take a mysterious interest in Michael Corvin, Scott Speedman, an exceptional mortal doctor, Celine struggles to save him from Lucian.
Michael Sheen, a ruthless like and leader, help them on ending the vampire bloodline.
And the score from the critics is 31 percent.
Score from the audience is 79 percent.
Very polarizing. Welcome to the polarized universe there.
Underworld can't wait to have you.
And it's been a true pledge having you there, Chipper risky.
And as a forever guest, I must say, Brandi, what a goddamn amazing host you are, my friend.
Oh, stop you.
Oh, I'm just a guest.
You are just a guest here.
No, I'm just a freaking guest.
If you'd like to watch us live or on twitch.tv slash polarized pod when we decide to record, we stream it live.
Hope you join us for that sometime.
Send us a line at polarized the pod at gmail dot com.
Rate, review, subscribe on wherever you're listening to this, especially Apple Podcasts.
That would be.
Yes, please.
Choice.
We love you all and we'll see you next time.
Bye.
Hello.