Director
Takashi Shimizu / Edison
Chen /
Amber Tamblyn
/
Takako Fuji
The country? Tokyo, Japan. The location? The famous Toho Studios
(Godzilla!). The movie? Ghost House Pictures’ THE GRUDGE 2 (which
is slated to hit the big screen on October 13 2006)! We’re on day 43 of the
63- day shoot of director Takashi Shimizu’s 6th go- around in Grudge- land
(Yup, he directed all 6 of the Ju-On/Grudge movies).
To be honest, I wasn’t initially pumped for the sequel, but after everything I’ve
learned on this visit, consider me jazzed up. Let me share the love!
Synopsis:
Young and
rebellious Aubrey (Amber Tamblyn of the now defunct TV show ” Joan of
Arcadia”) hits Tokyo in search
of her missing older sister Karen (Sarah Michelle Gellar from the original).
Once there, she teams up with hot-shot journalist Eson (Infernal Affairs’ Edison
Chen in his US debut), who himself has been investigating “The Grudge”
phenomenon for a while. They both try to decipher the source of the
“evil” as lots of uber frightening “grudge-ing” ensues
Trust me…Kayoko is still very pissed off in this sequel!
What I learned:
As opposed
to its predecessor, THE GRUDGE 2 will NOT be a remake of JU- ON: THE GRUDGE 2.
It’s an original Chapter.
The film’s driving forces are its 4 mysteries:
1) What happened in evil spirit
Kayako’s (Takako Fuji) troubled childhood? 2) How is the Grudge truly transmitted? (I have a feeling they’ll take us by
surprise with this one) 3) What really happened to hottie Karen? 4) Can you and
how do you stop The Grudge?
The film’s structure will keep to the other
films’ nature, non- linear with
many individual storylines that connect in the end.
Look out for a scene where hung- up photographs of Kayoko will
become animated. How? I won’t tell.
Like the original remake, this sequel will be rated PG-13 for its theatrical
release (bummer).
Sarah Michelle Gellar will be shooting her role at the end of
the shoot. She only has a couple of days on this show (I think it was 5 days…don’t quote me
on that).
We will get a new Toshio on this round!
Another child actor is playing Toshio in this film as Yuya
Ozeki (who played the role in all of the Grudge movies has gotten too big for
the role)
This sequel has the same production designer as the original (Iwao Saito), but a
new and well respected cinematographer (Katsumi Yanagishima). Hideo Yamamoto wasn’t available.
The spooky house from the original will make another
appearance but this time decrepit (it burned down in the first one)
Look out for a scene where Kayako leaps out of a mirror (with the glass turned into
water). The visual effect will be done practically, not CGI (yippee!).
The film is written by screenwriter Stephen Susco who also
wrote the original American version of ” The Grudge and the upcoming PULSE remake.
Amber Tamblyn is the daughter of actor Russ Tamblyn of
” Twin
Peaks” fame (He played Laura Palmer’s kooky shrink Doctor Jakoby)
The cute and smart Amber Tamblyn (Aubrey)
THE SET:
We saw three sets today. The
first one was a replica of Karen’s tiny yet posh apartment (that we saw
in the original).
Great pad! Very cozy…I’d live there! The second was Edison’s humble abode.
When I say humble, I mean: messy, packed (nice dark room) and ” old school” (the man needs to update
his electronics, his stereo was like 15 years old).
Last but not least, we got to see the house in the country where the supernaturally
neurotic Kayako was
born (which will be in the film via flashbacks). Think a barn/old shack- like feel, mixed
in with a Japanese vibe. I half expected Jesus Christ to pop out of a corner with a glass of
wine
while on that set.
Vancouver, Canada native Edison Chen plays Eson!
THE SCENE:
We were supposed
to see a murder scene but it didn’t happen. What we did see was Aubrey and Eson in his apartment. They’re talking on the couch, he gets up to make some
tea, he comes back with that fine tea, she’s asleep, he leaves the premises,
giving her the space to get that shut-eye.
When she wakes up, she sees that
Eson’s not there, so she goes to look for him in dark and spooky places. And
then…see the film to find out! ARROW NOTE: Amber Tamblyn is very photogenic
and I loved how after every take, she’d get more and more emotional, hence
credible! Loved watching her process!
Arrow fav, Arielle Kebbel was not on set, but she’s in the
film playing Allison. Let’s hope a bikini is involved! Yum!
CONCLUSION:
Being on a set
is always a treat, but this one had a special aura to it. I mean, the film is a
big production, but its Japanese crew was relentless in getting the work
done, therefore making it feel different than the usual Hollywood shoot. It
reminded me of the high octane energy that you find on low- budget movies. No
dicking around and killing time eating bagels on this show! They were on!
As for visiting
Tokyo, Japan…well…wow…a great experience! It was Vancouver meets Manhattan meets Blade Runner. A very clean city (how do they do
it?) with lots of people wearing mouth protective masks (kinda creepy). LOVED IT! I’d like to thank Unit Publicist Cid Swank for her efforts on set,
SONY for making this visit happen (Ian! You the man!) and all of the other journalists
for making my Japan stay a groovy one!
THE GRUDGE 2 HAUNTS THEATRES
ON OCTOBER 13, 2006!
VISIT
THE GRUDGE 2 OFFICIAL SITE HERE
RANDOM PICS OF ME IN
JAPAN
Arrow at peace in Temple? Maybe…
Talk about timing, the Cherry trees were in bloom when I was there!
What happens in Japan stays in Japan!
The TOHO Studios emblem, yup…it’s Godzilla!
SAKE! CHEERS TO ALL!