Is it possible for a remake to be better than the original? It's usually not the case, but there are exceptions... Like 2002's The Ring. This film and the original, Ringu (1998), are horror movies with pros and cons of their own. However, I feel the remake is an improvement on the Japanese version. The tone, characters and story are far more pronounced and effective. In The Ring, we feel a sense of dread throughout, established with the grim, de-saturated cinematography. The characters are far more believable, as the direction and acting commits to their personalities. The story is better structured, as it feels like a supernatural mystery unfolding. With Ringu, the film tries to have these things, but can't realize it's potential. The atmosphere is held back, making you forget you're watching a horror movie until the very end. The characters are believable when they're introduced, but the film forgets their personalities to focus on the plot, which ma...

This has absolutely sweet fuck all to do with movies, but it is right up our alley here in The Basement. And seriously, who doesn't want to watch people get freaked out by a ghost in an elevator. Or at least get freaked out by what they THINK is a ghost in an elevator. The video comes by way of the Brazilian variety show Programa Silvio Santos and starts with a person walking into an elevator. Suddenly the elevator stops, the lights go off and, without the passenger knowing, a girl looking like the creepy chick from The Ring crawls in via a side panel. When the lights come back on, either she screams or the passenger screams, and a few emotional scars are created. Gotta admit, I laughed a lot. Totally makes sense that this thing is going viral. We'll be back with some movie news shortly.