This film is a documentary about the 1999 National Spelling Bee. It follows 8 kids from regional contests to the Nat'l finals. Sounds like a terrible bore, right? That's what I said when someone recommended it. Then someone else recommended it. So I gave it a shot.

Gripping from the git-go.

The amazing thing is how many of the kids are 1st generation Americans; English is a second language for their parents. It's about competition, obsession, and very much about the American dream. Seven of the kids are sweet and charming; one is completely obnoxious (you'll immediately know who), but I wouldn't be surprised if he has a neurological disorder (maybe a Tourette's variant).

Well worth the rental fee.

I finally had the opportunity to watch Ju-On: The Grudge 2. For those of you not familiar with this series, it's a Japanese horror franchise that is considered one of the scariest films to date. The series started off with two direct-to-video movies (just titled Ju-On) which was then followed up by a theatrical release, Ju-On: The Grudge.

As with a lot of Japanese shows, the creators sort of reinvent the story as they go along. Even though the direct-to-video and movies have the same themes, the stories are completely different. The basic premise of the story is that a man murders his wife and child then suddenly dies in the street days later. The house is bought by a new couple and each in turn dies mysteriously. The reason? Ju-On of course! The spirits of the wife and child are so angry and rage filled that they want revenge for their deaths and that includes the innocent people who had nothing to do with their murders.

Ju-On has always had an interesting way of presenting itself to the audience. It's non-linear in its editing (ala Pulp Fiction) by following one character for a bit, they disappear, move on to the next character, repeat. All characters are connected, sometimes by close ties, other times by threads. One of the fun things about Ju-On is seeing how the characters know each other, no matter how trivial.

The Grudge 2 picks up after the events of the first movie. A television show is doing a special on the house where the murders occurred. After the shoot, everyone goes their seperate ways... and start being haunted by Ju-On. People die and disappear... all the same night. It is the job of the director of the show and the celebrity actresses guest hosting the show (dubbed "the horror queen") to figure out what is happening because, for one reason or another, they were not killed nor did they disappear like everyone else.

Not quite as scary as its predecessor, The Grudge 2 still packs some pretty good scares into its 90 minutes. With a good story and good cast, anyone who has seen the original will enjoy this one. If you've never seen this series it's definitely worth checking out. Just watch it with the lights off.

And see it before the Americanized remake comes out.

woohoo, my books finally came in. THE TOMB, LEGACIES, AND CONSPIRACIES. of course i didnt get the revised version of the tomb like i asked but oh well. i figure the original's the best to have. so hopefully soon i will be half way caught up with all you buffs out there. :p have a goodngiht cuz i know i prob wont be gettin much sleep tonight----j

Hello all!

I'm a newb here, so I'm not sure if Abe's language has been discussed before or not. But I've been dying to know more about his style of talking. What exactly does "Nu" mean? I've been trying to figure out ever since I started reading Jack, and even now, after Midnight Mass, I'm still floundering. I take it to mean a combo of 'what, where, huh, duh...'? Also, the funny grammar, and usage of 'should'...I should think these are all Yiddishms?

Anyone else see this movie yet? I caught it in the theater and said then that Tim Robbins deserves an oscar, and he got it.

Anyway, I am just curious if anyone has read the book and how it compares to the movie. If the book is better than the movie, I would be really interested in reading it.

Some of the names in Crisscross weren't little references/homages to/from certain people you (FPW) know, were they? You know, Hutch and Barry and whatnot?

Or is this just wishful thinking? After all, no more coincidences...

Great book, by the way, as usual.

SPOILER BELOW...
















Loved the little reference to "coincidence" in the news bulletin at the end. What a fantastic finish to things in this novel...and yet the overall plot that has been developing since Conspiracies is more ominous than ever.

Thanks a lot!!

Does anyone have the Gauntlet edition of Hosts number 323? It's the only one in the RJ series I don't have with the same number. My copy is #115. Would be willing to trade.

Saw the latest Potter this weekend and loved it. A notable change in rhythm and texture from the previous two (different director) and a darker tone. The cast is holding up well, I think; especially Emma Watson who's turning into a real charmer. Her Hermione damn near steals the show.

I am confused as to the book Freak show. if you follow FPW's chronological order he says to read this book. And now for the question, does he mean the whole book or just the intro which he wrote?

Any help would be great.
Brian

It's easier for a movie to cast its spell in a theatre than at home, even on a large home screen. I had trouble with the first half of Big Fish -- it seemed unfocused and directionless. I stopped it at the 45-min mark and went and had dinner. After dinner, since I'd allready committed that much time to it, I decided to stick with it.

So glad I did. This is a warm, wise, sweet film that appears on the surface to be about family relationships, but is really about the power of stories and myth. I will confess to being a tad verklempt at the end when the son carries his father down to the river.

See this one.