PHONE - DVD review

In the past few years, Korean cinema has been on fire and I have been increasingly impressed by their latest offerings. Everything from screwball-style comedies like, "My Sassy Girl" and "My Wife is a Gangster" to the war epic, "Tae Guk Gi", and the very cool revenge thriller, "Oldboy." American studios have already optioned many of these films for remakes. Doubtless, they will not be as well-done.

Speaking of remakes, nothing has been hotter in Hollywood than remaking horror films. Be they cult classics like, "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "The Amityville Horror", or the current crop of Asian horror films that have been jumpstarted by "Ringu." These films rely on scares more psychological in nature with plots usually revolving around the unraveling of a deep mystery. This is a step back in the right direction for the horror genre, rather than the tiresome blood and guts that provide momentary shocks.

"Phone" deals with a different type of ring, the ring of a cell phone...an EVIL CELL PHONE! MUAHAHAHA! But, I digress. The film opens up with a bang as a woman enters an elevator and receives a call on her cell. Suddenly, the lights begin flickering on and off as the woman freaks out. Her fingers claw at the walls and we get a close-up of her nails breaking, leaving a small trail of blood. She's the first to die, but not the last.

Next, we meet Ji-won (Ji-won Ha), a reporter who finds her life in danger when her recent stories expose the identities of pedophiles. A mysterious man stalks her and makes threatening phone calls. Ji-won decides to move and change her cell number, ending in the digits "6644". When Yeong-Ju (Sea-woo Eun), the young daughter of a friend innocently answers Ji-won's cell, she begins screaming and spirals into a series of strange behaviors. As Ji-won's life gets weirder and weirder, she discovers that the previous owners of her new number all died in mysterious ways, one of them being our friend in the elevator. The answers come after a few twists and the ending builds a satisfying conclusion, if somewhat confusion due to its jumps from present to flashback.

"Phone" certainly follows in the footsteps of its predecessors, perhaps a little too well. Those familiar with movies like "Ringu" and "Ju-On" may find "Phone" quite derivative. Much like "Ringu", this film features a female reporter as its protagonist and a strange little girl with wild hair. The opening elevator sequence is similar to one in "Ju-On", although it is still very well done. Director, Byung-ki Ahn does a splendid job with the visuals in this film. The ending is bathed in a calm, yet creepy, blue tone. In one clever scene, the daughter is reading "Snow White" to her mother. As she reads the line, "I wish for a daughter as black as this frame," the mother falls asleep and we cut to black.

VIDEO:
The video is presented in anamorphic widescreen with an aspect ratio of 1:85.1. Being a recent film, the picture looks great without any specks or grain.

AUDIO:
The audio is presented in Korean with three different tracks. Two Dolby Digital tracks in 5.1 and 2.0 stereo. There is also a DTS 5.1 track. Each track comes in crisp and clear.

EXTRAS:
The extras include:

"Interviews"
Six different interviews with the director and the lead actors. The director's segment I found most interesting as he notes the various films such as "Psycho" and "The Haunted" that influenced the look of "Phone." He also admits that "Ringu" inspired the making of this film.

"The Making of Phone"
Broken up into three segments, "Making the Film", "Production Notes", and "Behind the Scenes." These are the standard on the set vignettes.

"Deleted Scenes"
Two deleted scenes which flesh out the characters of Yeong-Ju's parents.

"Scene Specific Commentary"
Features young actress, Sea-woo Eun, commentating on several of her scenes.

"Epilogue"
Brief comments from the actors on their last day of shooting.

There are also trailers for "Phone" and other Tartan releases.

FILM VALUE:
I have to admit, I'm not the biggest fan of horror. There are very few films in that genre that I like, but I was pleasantly surprised by "Phone." It's visually strong with a good story, but those looking for anything new will be disappointed.