Log: week 11 / 2024

You never quite know what you're going to get with Takahisa Zeze, but going by the poster it should be no surprise that you need to gear up for a more sentimental film. At least, that's what you're getting in the latter half, the first part of Life Back Then is quite a bit darker. I would've preferred it if Zeze had kept it like that.

School can ruin quite a bit. I was forced to read Les Misérables in high school (in French) and I never really recovered from that. I don't care at all for the story and its characters, so the prospect of a 4+ hour film was a little disheartening. But hey, it's considered a true classic, and French classics have surprised me in the past. Not this one though.

My expectations of the new Wonka film were pretty low, but sometimes that can be helpful. I wasn't surprised that the musical elements didn't appeal to me and I'm doubtful that Chalamet can ever redeem himself, but the presentation and the lush styling certainly helped to soften the blow.

A Turkish arthouse drama with light crime elements. Kavur tried to make a moody, even somewhat polished film, but the attempt ended up being pretty poor. Apart from a somewhat decent (but repetitive) score, there isn't much that works here. But kudos for trying I guess.

Koen Mortier's fourth feature film is another stunner. It's not quite as out there as his first two films, but few directors manage to catch the gritty underbelly of society with so much flair and enthusiasm. Skunk is more of a straightforward drama, though not without touches of (the darkest of) dark comedy. The cinematography is fitting, the sound design is amazing and the captivating performance of Thibaud Dooms is exceptional. The brutal finale is the icing on the cake. Mortier didn't disappoint.

McCarey isn't the worst of the classic directors, but he's at his best when he sticks to silly cheese. Ruggles of Red Gap is exactly that, a simple comedy about a clash of cultures. It's not a great film by any measure, but at least it doesn't take itself too seriously, and it doesn't overstay its welcome.

A cute but somewhat limited fantasy film that gets a bit too family-friendly in the second half. It's just a basic romance with a fun fantasy touch, there are some funny ideas scattered throughout, but considering similar films that were released around that time it feels a tad too flimsy to stand out.

Dreary drama about three generations of uninteresting men trying to get a handle on their lives. It's not what you call a very subtle film and whatever drama there is, is handled with the grace of a sledgehammer. The final nail is the wooden performances, which make it even harder to sit through.

A generic horror that makes the best of its premise to add a little extra mood. It's dumb kids doing dumb things (played by dumb actors), so don't expect anything more going in, but thanks to its nighttime setting and abundance of fog, I found it to be relatively entertaining.

A stylish lesbian drama that turned quite a few heads in Hong Kong. Not because it is so outrageous (on the contrary), it's just that Hong Kong is pretty prudish when it comes to LGBTQ+ topics. The film felt more like a Taiwanese drama to me, sporting lovely cinematography, toned-down performances, and slow but deliberate pacing. There's nothing too novel or original here, but the execution is flawless and the film hits all the right notes.

A toothless sequel that once again delves into an origin story of conservative behavior. It seems to be a popular tale in US animation nowadays (with quite some potential), but to see it executed in the most bland and conservative way possible immediately undermines the very problems it tries to highlight.