The original version of The Eye was a solid ghost picture, steeped in local culture and grounded in reality. It wasn't a classic, but it was effective, cycling through familiar rounds of slowly building tension followed by inevitable release. The overall atmosphere was gloomy, with only the faintest glimmer of hope. The new version of The Eye is a patchwork quilt that doesn't hold together with the same degree of focus (apologies in advance: it's difficult to avoid ocular references). There are suggestions of ambition, of a desire to infuse the heroine with greater control of her own destiny, but in the end the new version is neither better nor worse than the original -- just different.

Blind since the age of five, concert violinist Sydney Wells (Jessica Alba) undergoes a double cornea transplant and immediately begins seeing things she ought not. Her concerns are quickly waved away as normal, both by her eye surgeon and by Dr. Paul Faulkner (Alessandro Nivola), a specialist in helping cornea transplant patients adjust to their new vision. As Dr. Paul explains, Sydney has to teach her brain how to interpret all the images associated with things she has only heard, smelled, or tasted before.

The directing team of David Moreau and Xavier Palud handle the early scenes with a restrained flourish, making it clear with a montage the practical challenges Sydney faces in navigating through her "new world." A blurry party scene, in which Sydney "meets" her friends and co-workers for the first time, their faces bobbing up in a well-intentioned but confusing melange, also scores points in setting up Sydney's point of view.

Jessica Alba's latest, The Eye, is about a blind woman who has an eye transplant that enables her to see into the supernatural world. It's a remake of twin brothers' Oxide Pang Chung and Danny Pang's 2002 Hong Kong horror film Gin Gwai. The new film was directed by David Moreau and Xavier Palud, with re-shoots (uh-oh) by Patrick Lussier. It was written by Sebastian Gutierrez, who scripted Gothika and Snakes on a Plane (uh-oh again). The trailer is up online over at Yahoo Movies, and you've probably got some questions. Will this one be any better than the average crappy horror flick? Are we talking more The Ring or more The Grudge 2? If Jessica Alba were really blind, could she learn to love a monster like me? Maybe you should take your pretty little eyes over there and check out that trailer, Mogambo!

The trailer feels like more of a long teaser. There is no dialogue, just some pulsing music, and quick flashes telling the story in images. It's nicely done but not mind-blowing. A few moments stood out, like the floating feet and the nice little jump at the end. I also like the bit where she appears to be painfully squeezing fluid out of her eye. It reminded me of trying to put in my contact lenses while hung over. The Eye co-stars Alessandro Nivola (Junebug) and the always delightful Parker Posey. I saw Posey for a half second in the trailer, and no Nivola, but I guess when you've got one of the most beautiful women in the world in your movie, you want to put her front and center. Cinematical visited the set of The Eye back in April, and if you'd like to read a discussion with Miss Alba regarding the film, you can find it here. The Eye is due in theaters on February 1st, 2008.

Lionsgate recently invited Cinematical out to the set of The Eye, a new supernatural thriller starring Jessica Alba, Alessandro Nivola, and Parker Posey, and directed by David Moreau and Xavier Palud. They were shooting in downtown Los Angeles and ironically, the weather was completely sunny and beautiful all weekend but they had to make it look like a nasty gray downpour was happening. Come Monday morning, it was completely gray and rainy for real throughout Los Angeles, just the way the filmmakers would have wanted it. The sheer amount of work involved just to make it look like it is raining when it's not (they don't just crank the knob on a hose) is pretty impressive, and it makes you realize how much work has to go into something so simple.

We watched them coordinate massive amounts of water, corral extras, block actors and meticulously plan out camera shots. There was a massive amount of work going into this, because it's the first time we see Allison (Alba) in the film. Besides the pouring rain, she has to juggle a violin, her bag, a cane, an umbrella, and pull it off like someone who has been doing it for years. Oh yeah, and she's also blind. All of this information in a single shot helps not only establish the look and feel of the film, but it tells you loads about Alba's character without a single line of dialogue.

The Eye is a remake of the Chinese film Gin Gwai, directed by the Pang Brothers, about a young woman who has been blind for most of her life, then has a corneal transplant that restores her vision. However, she has difficulty dealing with the transition, and begins to hallucinate. Her new vision not only allows her to see what we see, but she can peep into the 'spirit realms' as well. She sets out to discover the mystery behind her vision, and to learn more about the donor of her corneas. The original is more about the mystery of it all than about spooky ghosts and ghouls flying around, and hopefully this remake will stay true to that. We're all starting to feel a bit burnt out on the Japanese horror remakes.

The ferocious French import known as both Ils and Them has no interest in slowing down or wandering around. It offers only the barest hints of character development and it doesn't have time to bother with subplots, red herrings or extraneous characters. It's just a stripped-to-the-bone stalker thriller in which two unfortunate souls spend one hellacious night trying to evade something extraordinarily murderous. (Or maybe someone, but I don't want to spoil the flick for you.)

The flicks opens with a fairly conventional stinger: a teenage girl and her mother run afoul of something deadly after suffering a nasty car accident. From there we meet a sweet-natured young teacher who's just about to head off and spend the weekend with her boyfriend in a rather isolated (and massive) house. And once the lights go out for the night, the action is just getting started.