Glitches and Ghoulies and Ghosts, Oh My!

The movie: Pulse, based on the Japanese horror movie Kairo, directed by Jim Sonzero.
Reccomendation: Me.
Reason: I have a special fondness for horror movies that are remakes of Asian horror movies. They're either awesome (The Ring) or they're terrible (Dark Water) but they never fail to be entertaining.

The first movie of the year is Pulse, though there were several attempts at other selections. However, my roommate got bored and picked it up at the video store. Bless his little heart. Pulse was an interesting case of misleading advertising. I approached the movie from the angle of 'another Asian Horror movie with freaky ghosts and technology'. That's how it was marketed, at least in all the promos I saw. Instead, it became a spectral apocalypse, brought about by the technology we rely on every day. (This is not a spoiler of any real magnitude-the apocalypse happens round about the second act.)

Kristen Bell carried the movie fairly capably. She was a little bland, but more than made up for many of the supporting cast. In particular, she played several key scenes very well, with a sort of subtle sense of realism in her portrayal. She was slightly more vulnerable than most Final Girls, a little less sure of herself. It was refreshing. Male lead Ian Somerhalder was very pretty. He played the part he was supposed to play. It wasn't a performance that will lead to any accolades, but he was solid. The supporting cast was so-so, each of them having a few brief shining moments, but overall they were forgettable.

The effects were fairly standard for a movie that follows this vein. Jittery camerawork, psuedo-electronic interference and a lot of heavy makeup made the ghosts both like and unlike anything most western audiences have seen before. I was quite intrigued by the background sound, however, and particularily impressed by the frequent subtle use of modem and computer noises instead of music. The story was interesting, taking the idea of 'ghost in the machine' and playing about with it.

Overall, due to an interesting plot, decent acting, interesting effects and a few very cool little touches, I'd definitely rewatch Pulse and I wouldn't mind having it on my shelves. File it under Spooky.

-1/365 done, 364/365 to go.