Recently in Cinematic Category

Watched 'Ring' this weekend. The original Japanese version, complete with the wooden acting and the creepy kid. A very mixed bag - good in some ways, less good in others, and probably undeserving of the plaudits heaped upon it.

So let's start with the disappointing bits.

It wasn't a horror movie. Now I realise that I'm saying this from a cultural background where horror movies involve running away from masked supernatural villains, as the blood drips down the walls. None of that from this movie. Nothing horrific at all. Nothing to give you nightmares.

The acting wasn't great, especially from the main protagonist, who I spent most of the film wanting to slap. Or wanting someone to slap her. But nobody did.

The script was a bit piecemeal, with characters being introduced first, and explained later. An example of this would be pretty much everything to do with the protagonist's ex-husband. He arrived, he acted like an ex-husband, but for all we knew he could have been her therapist.

On to the good. What is it if it's not horror? It's a supernatural suspense thriller, and a damn good one at that. There is a genuine feeling throughout that anything could happen, and when it does, it doesn't disappoint. The back story is woven in to the main story effectively, so that it feels like it makes sense (even though it is all clearly nonsense), and apart from a few lines here and there, it's pretty consistent.

The cinematography is great. There is a consistent feel throughout, that reminded me of 1970s thrillers.

Not what I was expecting, but I enjoyed it all the more for that.