Product Description

Often referred to as one of the scariest films ever made PULSE tells the story of a group of young friends rocked by the sudden suicide of one of their own and his subsequent ghostly reappearance in grainy computer and video images. Is he trying to contact them from beyond the grave or is there something more sinister afoot? The mysterious floppy disk they find in the dead man's apartment may provide a clue but instead launches a program that seems to present odd ethereal transmissions of people engaged in solitary activities in their apartments. But there is something not quite right in the appearance and behavior of these lonely souls. Soon there are more strange deaths and disappearances within the group terrifying rooms sealed in red tape and the appearance of more ghosts as the city of Tokyo - and the world - is slowly drained of life.System Requirements:Running Time: 119 MInFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: HORROR Rating: NR UPC: 876964000055 Manufacturer No: 10005

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14598 in DVD
• Brand: MAGNOLIA HOME ENTERTAINMENT
• Released on: 2006-02-21
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Subtitled, NTSC
• Original language: Japanese
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds
• Running time: 118 minutes

Amazon.com
A simplistic way to describe this creepy, atmospheric entry into the J-horror genre would be to call it Ringu (and its Americanized cousin, The Ring) with computers and the Internet standing in for telephones and videotape. Pulse certainly has the right credentials of psychological drama and existential technique to make it a standout of the scary style that has made this variety of Asian film so popular worldwide. The mysterious ambiance is heightened by several intersecting stories that outwardly have little connection and add up to a real head-scratcher of an ending. Director Kiyoshi Kurosawa brings a consistently enigmatic touch to the disturbing plot threads. One of them concerns a young man who starts seeing strange onscreen images that appear to be ghosts trapped in his new computer. Being somewhat technologically illiterate he enlists a woman at the local university to help him interpret the bizarre visual messages he receives. The vibe becomes increasingly more unsettling, especially as his modem starts connecting itself to the Internet for communication from beings that seem to be trapped, unable to do anything but mumble chilling pleas for help. Startling suicides, shadowy smudges of human forms that appear on walls, rooms sealed with red masking tape that are opened to reveal unseen terrors, and deserted backstreets of a noir-tinged Tokyo are just some of the thematic images that make Pulse such a spooky, unanswerable entry into the world of first-rate J-horror classics. --Ted Fry

Customer Reviews

A Twist On Apocaliptic Tales.
Many films have attempted the end of days. Zombie films such as Dawn Of The Dead, 28 Days Later, 12 Monkeys to name a few. All of them have their own story but never had their own Feel. Get Ready for PULSE. A J-horror film to it's own completely that will leave you thinking about the film long after a viewing.

To keep this short and without going into ruining the story for you. This is not like any Asian Horror film you've seen before. It's not for those looking for a gore fest but, those that like artistic films with a message may enjoy this much. It's not so easy to understand but in Japanese culture films don't spoon feed the story to the viewer. This way you get to take away from it what you feel and still (hopefully) understand the story. It's not so hard and you don't have to look far to see the undertone of this film is that we are all living in a world where we are all seperate. There is no sense of community and we are living like ghosts. If you aren't, then you're one of the few who isn't paralized by consumerism and (more importantly) internet. We've never been so connected yet so separate.

I think it's perfect for anyone planning on comparing the American release or who's in the mood for something deep and atmospheric. If you're into Teen horror flix or the famous blood soaked asian shock flix this is not for you. This is unto itself and will pull those viewers with a though process deep inside only to turn you out full of thoughts and urging for a second viewing.

Only dissapointment is the distribution company was so cheap that they FORCE you to watch their previews. If you try to skip them you can't get into the menu. Although the previews were interesting they had nothing to do with the film in any relation and this company will not get another purchase from me unless they had something I definately wanted. The price for the DVD is so high... you should be able to have a working menu if you find the way around those previews. Making the menu not work if you pass around the previews is only an annoyance and is a total shame on the Production company and the studios. I hope the stingy hollywood studios don't catch on to the process because I would honestly stop buying DVDs that perform like this.

Feature presentation 4 STARS
DVD EXTRAS 2 STARS (a little thin/Ok for Asian film)
SUBS -FAILED A LITTLE DELAY! COME ON! $20 DVD!
DVD Transfer 5 STARS Feature Presentation looks great
DVD Production -FAILED (forced previews dud menu if bypassed)

Magnolia DVD Production is the worst of all Asian turn outs. Check companies like TARTAN for QUALITY Films THIS IS NOT WORTH 20$ BUT MAYBE $9.99 IF YOU CAN BUY THE INTERNATIONAL OFFICAL RELEASE MAGNOLIA DOESN'T DESERVE $20 FOR THIS TRANSFER.

Art cinema with blood.
Kairo (Kiyoshi Kurosawa, 2001)

While Kiyoshi Kurosawa is no relation to the great Akira Kurosawa, he does seem to be Japan's most likely director, at the present time, to fill the master's shoes. Kairo is another stunning set piece in his arsenal, a worthy successor to Kurosawa's previous films and a fine work in its own right.

Kurosawa's trademark impressionist style haunts this tale of the ghosts in the machine. It follows, alternately, two characters-- Michi (Casshern's Kumiko Aso), a worker at a greenhouse, and Kawashima (Haruhiko Kato), a University student, as they live through an apocalypse about which few people know anything except that it involves people disappearing (or committing suicide) and red duct tape. It seems to be connected to a website called The Forbidden Room, which keeps appearing mysteriously on Kawashima's computer.

Kairo is to Japanese horror film what Akira is to anime; it has become exceptionally well-known in a very short amount of time, but it's probably not the best film for beginners to start off with. While the storyline is linear, it's told in such a piecemeal fashion, leaving a good deal to the viewer's imagination, that those new to the particularly Japanese style of making horror films might find it a bit hard to follow. (This is generally true of Kurosawa's films; his Silence of the Lambs homage, Cure, follows the same general path. Hideo Nakata's best film, Chaos, is another example.) It would be better for the Japanese horror neophyte to start off with Nakata's justly-famous Ring and Dark Water to get a taste of the wonderful atmosphere of Japanese horror before diving into the wonderful world of Kurosawa; that said, his films are a must for any horror film aficionado looking for the cutting edge of the medium. Once you've gotten into the spirit of Japanese horro, get to know Kiyoshi Kurosawa's work. You won't regret it. ****

Sublimely transcendent psycho-socio commentary in disguise
Anyone who has had friendhips fade away and into the past, tried to "stay connected" through the internet; or re-connect, will understand "Pulse". Anyone who has watched a real world friend disappear into the virtual world of MySpace, blogs, internet gaming and the like will understand. Anyone trying to hold on to the past will understand. Anyone who has ever had to let go will understand. All of us who have ever lived haunted by ghosts will understand.

Anyone looking for a slasher flick or even "The 6th Sense" will not understand.