ombudsgirl

I was extremely disappointed by this, and for the first time, I avoided all reviews and advertisements so I could see the movie as it was meant to be seen. But seriously, don't bother. If you loved the first one, watch the first one again.

The first "Ring" had an air of unsettled, skin-crawling creepiness about it, not to mention a strong sense of urgency that made it fun to watch and anticipate. The sequel ditched all that, or recycled it, or put it in the freezer and thawed it only partially. There's a similar "jigsaw puzzle" element to it, but not nearly as mysterious as the first, so you just don't care as much. Rachel (Naomi Watts) basically just keeps missing the point throughout the movie so the plot can be spread thinner than a crepe. So there I was, watching this movie, waiting for something to happen, in the meantime, all that water is really making me have to pee, but I'm holding out hope for something to actually occur.

I have never seen a show that combined comedy and drama in such an intelligent and well-balanced way. On top of the heartfelt writing, the cast is perfect, the characters beautifully flawed (especially Tommy Gavin), but completely sympathetic. I come from a family of hockey-playing firefighters and can appreciate the familiarity. I have never laughed *and* cried so hard watching a show.

My only hope is that it gets the exposure it deserves and lives long enough to become a revered classic drama. And do not let John Wells anywhere near "Rescue Me". I'll personally come and bite him.

And, to fill the 10-line requirement, my personal favorite things about "Rescue Me": the episode when Engine 99 "measured" themselves, Lou, Probie's liaisons, the girl whose name Tommy couldn't remember, Sheila talking about horses, Uncle Teddy, Franco taking Keela shopping, Reilly talking about make-out techniques, and the heartbreaking, *gut-wrenching* season finale.

I know, it's not rare to see really small movies with developed, interesting characters and a great storyline in theaters, but I wish some of them didn't slip through the Hollywood cracks so easily. This movie is so great, and I can't even pick a specific reason why. While not Oscar-worthy, I just liked all of it: the characters, the performances, the photography, the editing, the story, everything. Not to mention that it's thought-provoking, which is more than I can say for the majority of movies with wide releases. Movies like this are perfect examples for why independent movies need to paid more respect than they are.