I had seen the first one a couple of years ago and found it ok, then I came across the sequel so decided to watch them both. The second one wasn't up to all that much either in my estimation. Just as with the first, there were a few good moments, a nice feeling of dread most of the way through, and some interesting, if thematically empty visuals (some of which owed a debt to Hideo Nakata's Ring 1 and 2), but overall closer to forgettable than memorable. The reason I wanted to briefly write about the sequel is one moment that has been stuck in my head.
The moment comes in the early stages. The main character is an established horror film actress who is playing a role. She has a crash, afterwards she is wandering around the hospital, comes across a room, something happens, and then we hear 'cut', and see it was a scene being recorded. Somewhere prior the sequence shifted from reality of the film's plot to the acting within the film's plot, but you don't realise until the cut moment. It was well done in itself but the reason I can't forget it is that it reminded me of a very similar and sublimely executed trick in David Lynch's wonderful final film Inland Empire (see my list of great films over 170 minutes). A moment in which a shocking event occurs, and just when we think we understand what we are seeing, the camera pans back with a groan in the soundtrack to reveal the recording film camera, then we hear the director and crew. It's hard to get across effectively in text but it is the standout moment of the absurdly and ingeniously incomprehensible experience. It's also one of my all time favourite film moments.
When I first saw it, it made me really think about the ability of film to engross you and lull you into a false sense of security, and then pull the rug from under you.. the power to make real look false and vice versa, making you question everything you see. Lynch really is the king of this - Without cheese there would be no Inland Empire.
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