Log: week 13 / 2024
A pretty typical Melville. His films are quite dry and stoic, though never as forced or barren as Bresson's work. It's a shame the runtime is often a little too excessive because other than that, they're entertaining, rather stylish crime classics. Second Wind is a perfect example, and in that sense a pretty decent entry film into Melville's oeuvre. The performances are decent, the pacing is solid and the lack of a soundtrack actually plays in the film's favor. The crime elements feel quite realistic but are still stylized enough, it's just that the 150-minute runtime was a bit too much. A more compact film would've been better, but I've seen way worse noirs.Read all
I was never part of the scene, but I did love the music (and I still do, though I prefer the contemporary evolutions). It's no surprise we're seeing a film like this pop up now. The 90s are back in fashion and hardcore (house) is one of the most uniquely Dutch things there is. It's a shame this isn't more about the culture itself, instead, it's a crime film set within the gabber scene of the 90s. They could've done a better job incorporating the music, and the plot is extremely basic. If you have no affinity with the Dutch gabber scene of the 90s there isn't much here, for me, there was a tinge of nostalgia that kept me interested. But it wasn't enough to turn this into a great film.Read all
I wasn't familiar with the Paw Patrol franchise, but that's not an obstacle if you want to watch this film. The premise is simple enough and the movie is very much in line with other US animation films. It's anthropomorphic animals going on a grand adventure, nothing you haven't seen before. The animation and art style are pretty bland, the voice acting is downright terrible and the story is as predictable as can be. There's a little fun to be had with the tech designs, but that's the only thing that stood out in a positive way. It's a film for kids with very limited expectations and needs.Read all
A pretty decent drama from Haynes, though like most of his work, it's a bit too classical in nature to fully appeal to me. That doesn't mean it's not worth my time, on the contrary, it's just that I feel a few different choices along the way could've greatly improved the film, at least for me. It's interesting to see how Moore's character handles the two scandals in very different ways, which begs the question of how open-minded she truly is. The performances are solid, the presentation is polished, and the buildup of the drama is competent, but ultimately it felt a little stale and crusty. Not a bad film, just not entirely my cup of tea.Read all
One of those films where you can't help but wonder whether the documentary makers shouldn't have protected their subjects against themselves. The two protagonists are eccentric ladies, but they also seem a little too aware of the camera and I wouldn't vouch for their sanity. And so you're watching two women make an absolute nuisance of themselves. It's not my idea of a good time, I also don't see the point of building an entire doc around people like that. Instead of helping them, they're put on display, which I found neither funny, nor fascinating, nor enjoyable.Read all
An entertaining action film, that has the extra benefit of being pretty meta. Fans of Tak Sakaguchi will no doubt see how this film was built around him (not unlike JCVD), though it's not essential to appreciate what Yamaguchi is doing here. The brawler scenes are cool, the cinematography is slick and Sakaguchi oozes flair. There are some badass villains too, and there is no unnecessary padding. Everything I want from a good action flick, and then some.
A fascinating film by Hiroki. It's a rather meticulous and subdued rendition of a polyamorous relationship. It's not that the film is without drama, but the relationship isn't the main focus, rather the main characters are. It's maybe a bit too obvious this is a book adaptation, but other than that, an easy recommendation for fans of Hiroki. Shinobu Terajima is one of Japan's treasures, she carries a difficult role like this one with ease. The rest of the cast is good too, it was fun seeing Ryoko Hirosue again for one, but they all pale next to Terajima. The presentation is clean but a little static, the drama is profound but not exactly riveting. It's a quality film, just a bit too prim and polished for my taste. That said, if you like Japanese drama, this is a must-see.Read all
Classic Bollywood is exactly what you'd expect it to be. It's not that different from contemporary Bollywood, only older and even less refined. This film offers more than 3 hours of unfiltered, bombastic melodrama. There's also a lot of music and singing, which doesn't improve things at all. A pretty simple story that doesn't need three hours of film. Not in the least because a lot of it is narrated in plain song, which is pretty dire to look at. The dance choreographies aren't too exciting either, the performances are frigid and the runtime is an insult. Not a film I'll remember fondly.Read all
Nakata started his career working on pinku films, so it's no surprise that he handled this documentary. It's a pretty fascinating world, in the sense that it comes across as quite lewd and exploitative, but the reality of the matter is always very dry and plain. At least, when you hear these people talk about it. It's always interesting to hear from these directors directly, but this film also spends a lot of time with some of the more renowned actresses who featured in Konuma's films. There are a few too many scenes from his films and there are no spectacular revelations, but it remains a unique niche and it's nice to have seen a couple of docs on the subject.Read all
A pretty cool revenge flick. At first, I feared this would end up a US take on the Giallo, but Ferrara makes it more Day of the Woman set in a bustling metropolis (and without the outright exploitation elements). It makes for a pretty stylish film, but also one that lacks just a little bit to truly set itself apart. Lünd is great in the lead, Ferrera gives the film the necessary flair and the short runtime keeps it from getting stale and/or boring. I wasn't a big fan of the soundtrack and the setup of the film is pretty basic, but nothing that kept me from enjoying it while it lasted. A very interesting discovery.Read all
If you're yearning for 80s cheesy, look no further. Coscarelli's film is pretty crummy, but at least it commits. It's cheesy fantasy and adventure from start to finish, with some light horror touches splattered throughout. It's not really my type of thing, but despite its longish runtime, it didn't bore me either. There's quite a bit of unique lore here, which adds to the appeal. It's a shame Coscarelli didn't have the money to execute it properly. The performances are also terrible, the visuals are crap and the lead is way too silly. But dull it is not, and that also counts for something. People who love Conan-like fantasy will get something out of it for sure.Read all
A romance in name, just don't expect anything too romantic. I've seen a fair share of Ray films and it's pretty clear by now that he's not my type of director. I will say this film looked more polished than most other films I've seen from him, but his work is so damn dry that it doesn't do anything for me. There's a dream sequence halfway through that is somewhat unique, the rest of the film felt stale and uninteresting. The romance is delivered as pure drama, the cinematography is dull and the performances are poor. It's a far cry from the usual Bollywood cinema, but that doesn't make it any better.Read all
I finally caved. This film did extremely well when it was released, but I was never that drawn to it. Having seen it now, I don't think I missed out on much, but it wasn't the complete disaster I'd expected. It's a very basic premise, but Boon handles it with the necessary charm. It's just not all that funny. The premise is quite local, but even when you're not familiar with the inner politics and differences in France, it won't be too hard to figure out what's happening. Boon is pleasant and there are some cute scenes, but it's rather predictable and the film never really manages to surprise. Just decent.Read all