Halcyon Realms - Freedom Project/Otomo/anime

Just watched the movie the eye . I must say its quite a commendable effort for a Singapore/HK joint effort although i'm not too sure how much local talent was actually involved in the production. The movie kicked off with some pretty interesting Braille symbols that told us of what was to be expected in the movie ahead, but those hands running behind that fabric effect wasn't too original ( remember the Beast within, or Videodrome ) or scary. I personally though it was sorta sensual ! Ha ! But that's just for me. Mostly I felt the editing and sfx was pretty well done, although as the story progressed it got more and more cliche and sorta languished to a slow and predictable end. However the Malaysia actress had a really laudable performance, with really believable acting.

Gatchaman told me about the lift scene and it really did built up to quite a scare but my mind immediately switched off as that old man's missing face was revealed. Once again i'm convinced that in the face scares just don't work for me, as would sadako climbing out of that tv wouldn't. There is one notable point that I would like to point out though - much of the show's better scares and mood was attributed to its somewhat eerie sfx and music that build up slowly and carried the audience's attention as it flowed and ebbed. Unfortunately, the sfx and music wasn't quite original at all - if you are a fan of Kenji Kawai's music - they were mostly lifted from the Ring soundtrack with its screechy distorted sounds and pounding bassbeats. Take one listen to the Ring soundtrack and you will immediately recognize the unmistakable similarity in the music and sfx. One segment near the end of the show was so strikingly similar I wondered if they credited kenji Kawai for the music.