The Grudge is a remake of a Japanese movie by the same name (albeit in Japanese) and you know what? They should have left well enough alone. This one of those films that I refer to as a “payday” project. The payday here is for Sam Raimi . He basically throws his name on it because he has a loyal following, knowing full well that it is a subpar film – oh and it was a chance to get his brother, Ted Raimi an acting gig – very weak. I think that Sarah Michelle Gellar probably really thought it would be a good showcase for her talents – but she should have passed. This film does more to hurt her rep than build it.

It is typical horror schlock – nothing new – nothing original – nothing remotely interesting. It was predictible from the outset… we are talking down to the actions of every last character. There was never a moment that turned in a surprise… okay, maybe there was a surprise in the end – I’ll never know because I turned it off long before then.

RATING 4 out of 10

While we are on the subject of bad remakes – okay, this one isn’t a remake, but a sequel… and yes, a bad one. Ghost in the Shell was a masterpiece of anime… Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence is a “shell” of its predecessor. Visually, it is cool as hell. It stretches the limits of anime and blends them with CGI… but as far as an interesting story – feel free to check your brain at the door. Watch it for the visuals… in fact, turn the sound off cause that is a retread of the first one… ignore the story and look at all the pretty pictures.

RATING 6 out of 10