Log: week 11 / 2022

Only my first Bruno Dumont film, I guess I expected a bit more. Seydoux is hot property nowadays and the film received some proper accolades, but the result is a predictably cynical take on the media. Not that such an approach is unwarranted, only to have a real impact it needs to be a lot sharper. Seydoux does well, the film looks slick enough, but the critique on the media feels half-arsed and France's character simply isn't interesting enough. The runtime is also a bit excessive, but I guess that's simply an attempt to give the film a little extra weight. It's not a terrible film, just a bit toothless.Read all

Noboru Iguchi is no doubt one of the most notable Japanese camp directors of the past two decades. He's not a great or accomplished director, but he finds the craziest stuff and turns it into pure entertainment, even when the budget isn't there. Need proof? Watch Gothic Lolita Battle Bear. The plot is bonkers, the effects are makeshift, the styling is hyper cute. It's completely nonsensical, but if you like the Sushi Typhoon style then you're pretty much set with this film. It's not as over-the-top or out there as some others in the genre, but that's a pretty high bar to begin with. Fun stuff, but don't expect quality film making.Read all

A fine Hashiguchi that lacks a little finesse to make it really stand out. The setup is pretty simple, showing moments in a regular couple's marriage through the years. As they grow older you see them overcome troubles, but you also see their relationship strengthen. The setup is nice for a drama, the lead performances are superb (with standout roles for Lily Franky and Tae Kimura) and the drama is subtle enough, but Hashiguchi's direction is a little too plain to justify the 140-minute runtime. It's a pleasant drama that won't disappoint fans of the genre, but it's nothing you haven't seen before.Read all

A very peculiar film. I'm surprised this one isn't better known among film fans, but the fact that it was never fully completed probably hindered its popularity. Zulawski's solution (adding narration and unfitting footage) isn't ideal either, but that doesn't take too much away from the talent on display. The fantasy/sci-fi elements are extremely well realized, the cinematography and performances are intense and the film clearly influenced a bunch of others (Oshii cited it as an influence on Avalon, I also felt The Land of Cards vibes from it). If Zulawski could have found a better way to complete it, it might have been a personal favorite, but definitely worth checking out.Read all

Eastwood had a chance to do something a little different with this film. The introduction makes it look like a western take on the Civil War, but Eastwood is too married to his roots to commit, and slowly but surely more and more western elements find their way back into the film. Not that I'm a big fan of the Civil War setting, but it sure beats western villages and Indian tribes. Eastwood plays the character he always plays, and it works quite well during the first half of the film, but as it pivots more and more to straightforward western territory, I started to lose interest. Certainly not the worst western I've seen, but this could've been a lot better.Read all

An ambitious film by Nicolas Roeg, but it didn't quite work for me. It's clear the film is supposed to be magical and ethereal, but Roeg's attempts often come off a little too labored and imprecise. I appreciated the effort Roeg put in the audiovisual elements, I just wish the execution was better. The setting is great and Roeg really tries to set his film apart. He also succeeds I guess, I just didn't care too much for the soundtrack and the somewhat crude editing. The finale is also somewhat disappointing, but at least Walkabout is a pretty memorable, well-paced film, so it certainly wasn't all bad.Read all

The most basic of horror films, but sometimes that's all you really need. Dark Woods is as generic as its title suggests, but director Øie manages to create a grim and eerie atmosphere, the location and dark cinematography do the rest. An easy recommend for people who are looking for fun horror filler. Something is clearly amiss, but the audience won't get the answers until the end of the film. The characters are awkward enough to arouse suspicion, the dark woods and creaky cabin make for a perfect setting and the grungy camerawork is fitting. It's all very predictable and the film fails to stand out, but I had a pretty good time with it.Read all

Snyder got a second chance at Justice League. Not a sequel, but a much longer cut and way more directorial input. The result is a slightly better film, though that's not saying much, remembering what a fluke the original was. That said, people who have seen the original and don't care too much about all this superhero nonsense don't need to make a big effort, as Snyder's cut is still well below average. Snyder is Snyder. When all the stars align, that's a good thing, but for a film like Justice League, his super serious and over-the-top style doesn't really work. The soundtrack is hilarious, the performances are dreadful, the plot overflowing with cheese and misplaced sentiment. At least the visual bravura is back in full force, but he really shot himself in the foot with that 4:3 business. An utterly stupid and misguided film, but not quite as dumb as the original.Read all

Am I tempted? Sure? Was it deliberate? Maybe. Will I do it? Nah. Kudos to Rivette for making a 4-hour-long film about a guy painting a woman, but I'm not going to make that pun, no matter how accurate it may be. I'm just not giving him the satisfaction after 240 minutes of this. It's a four-hour film about an artist trying to regain his passion for his artistry. A lot of the film is actual painting (and not the cool speed-painting you can find on YT), though the real core of the film lies in the conversations between the model and the painter and the relationship that develops between them. I didn't care for either of them, so tough luck for me.Read all
Shrill Cries: Reshuffle

A follow-up that takes a little time to figure out. It's part sequel, part reboot. Or, as the title already indicates: a reshuffle. The first film was interesting, but it lacked a confident director and/or a slightly bigger budget. This second film hasn't solved either problem, so the conclusion is the same: fascinating, but imperfect. The film jumps from drama to horror quite briskly, and the setting is nice. Performances aren't that great and the pacing does have some issues, but the horror elements are fun enough and the film does manage to keep you on your toes. An easy recommend for fans of off-kilter Japanese horror, but not a highlight of the genre.Read all

A rather tepid romance that hides behind an arthouse facade, but can't really disguise its somewhat mushy (and cheesy) interior. The result is a very slow film with bland characters, that royally outstays its welcome, while relying on slightly above average cinematography to keep it from becoming a complete waste of time. The drama is very light and uneventful (though not necessarily in a bad way), while the slick black and white cinematography lends the film a little extra class. But the romance angle is poorly realized, and the performances are cold and unpleasant. The result is a clumsy romance I never really cared for.Read all

A daft sci-fi comedy that examines what happens when two post-hipsters try to disconnect from the world and miss out on an alien invasion. It's a funny setup and the directors draw some good comedy from the premise, but they clearly struggled to keep the film funny and surprising. Reynolds and Mani are a fun duo, but their characters are a little too one-note. The premise is fun, the effects are surprisingly decent and the first half of the film does feel original, but the second part is a bit too aimless, and the comedy becomes too repetitive. Not a bad effort, but the potential was there to do better.Read all

A very entertaining mix of fantasy and sci-fi anime with a strong 80s aesthetic. Leda is one of those shorter anime projects I'd never heard about before, but that's probably because I was never too invested in 80s anime (and because distribution was simply terrible back in the 90s). It's fun enough to be rediscovering them now. The animation quality is surprisingly decent, and the fantasy/sci-fi designs have a unique flair to them. Leda definitely isn't the most original anime, the plot is very basic for one, but it's distinct enough to stand out amongst a bunch of similar films. It's a very pleasant discovery and a simple, yet clear recommend for fans of 80s anime.Read all

A noir film that is very focused on what it thinks its qualities are. I generally appreciate films like that, unless those assumed qualities are the exact things that push me away from the film. This character and dialogue driven noir may think it is very intense, but when it turns out to be the opposite, there's not much else there. This is a film where gangsters bark and Bogart does his best to play it cool. The setup in the hotel (with a hurricane raging outside) is tailored to be tense and nervous, but the effect is never really there. I got bored by uninteresting characters and a plain narrative. Visually the film has very little to offer, the soundtrack is also an afterthought and the ending left me completely cold. Not good.Read all

Fruit Chan's latest is a bonkers horror/comedy. Like Pang's Dream Home a decade ago, Chan is out to tackle the Hong Kong housing market through the horror genre (no doubt a testament to the limited impact of cinema), but he struggles considerably harder to combine excellent genre cinema with social critique. The idea is pretty solid and Chan makes a real effort to go well over-the-top, but it's just not his style. The gore isn't impressive, the ghosts look a little silly and the critique on the housing situation in Hong Kong has been done countless times before. It's good fun and there are some memorable moments, but I'd hoped for more, considering the film's illustrious predecessor.Read all

A fun, short sci-fi anime. This limited 2-part OAV is a collection of overly familiar anime clichés, but the execution is pretty stylish. You don't often see this kind of hardcore sci-fi anymore, which makes it extra interesting to revisit these often forgotten productions of the 90s. Anime/sci-fi fans are sure to have a good time with this one. The often monochrome visuals are pretty stylish and the mech designs are simply yummy. The animation quality isn't that great though and the plot is dense and somewhat nonsensical, but if you like sci-fi tropes that shouldn't be a bother. If you want something short, sweet and highly futuristic, Bounty Dog won't disappoint.Read all
Winter Days

A very peculiar anthology. It's not like many other anthologies, where the link between each short film is frail and negligible, and yet many of the shorts couldn't have been more different from each other. A wealth of directors were given a chance to add their entry, with quite a few international names on the roster too. There's a huge range of styles on display and the overarching concept is pretty interesting, but too many shorts fell flat, and the impressive ones are few and far between. Someone like Isao Takahata stands out among the rest, but with only one minute on the clock, he too struggles to impress. Certainly worth a watch, but there's some untapped potential here.Read all

One of those genre films where the title tells the entire story (close enough at least). Take one look at the poster, and you know what to expect, but that's part of the fun. I was craving a bit of rock climbing fun, with some thriller elements thrown in to drive up the tension. And that's exactly what this film delivers. Not everything is equally believable, but there are some superb sights, director Ford does manage to get you on the edge of your seat and the film is pretty harsh and nasty when needed. There's hardly any padding, the pacing is perfect and people with vertigo might have to think twice before watching this one. Great genre fun.Read all

I assume that during some or other brainstorm session, someone went "let's do a Battle Royale with idols" and rather than see it as some broader premise, they simply made exactly that. Cinderella Game is a very straightforward rip-off of Fukasaku's famous film, only with the harsher elements toned down to match the target audience. It's a familiar premise, so it was smart to keep the film short and punchy. Performances were a little better than expected (but let's be honest, expectations were pretty low to begin with), the cinematography is decent and there are some small variations to the game that make things a tad more interesting. It's not a remarkable film by any means, but I did have quite a bit of fun with it. Solid filler. Read all

Not quite as bad as I'd feared. And that was truly a bit of a surprise, as the film pretty much followed the exact outline I'd imagined. There's a lot (and I mean a lot) of talking here, which generally doesn't bode well for classic films, but somehow the drama was quite gripping. The performances aren't all that great and the plot is pretty simplistic, but even then the film does get pretty tense towards the end. I probably would've liked it better if I cared more about purely narrative films, as a whole I still think it was pretty basic and dull, but at least some scenes did get to me.Read all
Line Walker 2: Invisible Spy

Trademark Hong Kong action flick. There used to be a time when every other week a film like this was released, now it's just a handful of films each year. And so it's pretty nice to see them executed well. Jazz Boon is one of the new kids on the block, but he's already proven himself a very capable action/crime director. With Louis Koo, Nick Cheung and Francis Ng headlining the film, you can rest assured that the characters are properly portrayed. The action is loud and slick, the cinematography flashy and the pacing swift. It's not the most refined film, but if you're looking for some kick-ass Hong Kong gun action, look no further.Read all

Though Nowhere Girl carries many of Oshii's usual traits, it doesn't quite feel like anything else he's made. Or anything any other director made for that matter. It's a film that starts off slow, gives ample hints that something is off, starts to feel like a pressure cooker halfway through and then goes from 0 to 11 in less than two minutes, offering a sprawling finale. It's not the easiest sell, but if you don't mind a film that's a little different, be sure to give this one a go. Even if you don't end up loving it, I guarantee the finale will be memorable.

One of the better films if you want to break into China's major genre boom. At 90 minutes it is in fact one of the longer films in its niche, but it's clear the extra minutes were granted because of the competence of the director and crew. It feels a lot like the early 90s Hong Kong work, which is always a blessing. The sets look great, the action scenes are stylishly executed and the performances are well above average. There's still a little subpar CG, that feels even more out of place when the rest is done so well. But fans of oldskool martial arts films are sure to have a lot of fun with this one. One of the best coming out of China so far. Read all

Another pinku film not really worthy of its genre. Zeze clearly didn't care much for the erotic elements, instead he created this rather chaotic drama around a dysfunctional family. It's certainly a step up from your average pinku, on the other hand this would've been a lot better as a straightforward drama. These nihilistic Japanese dramas are always tons of fun, but the pinku elements do take away from the impact. Zeze doesn't take them too seriously, but they still get in the way and mess with the rhythm of the film. If you like an edgy drama there's still plenty of fun to be had with this one, but Zeze made better ones.Read all

So, the Foo Fighters made a horror film. I'm not familiar enough with Grohl and his band, so I'm not sure whether this is the realization of some lifelong dream, or just a quick buck for a band that burned out on making music, but the result is pretty much what you expect of it. Very camp, only with a slightly higher budget. Grohl and the others aren't the best actors, the plot is pretty basic and the campy setup feels a little lazy. The horror bits aren't that bad though, and it was fun seeing Carpenter make a little cameo, but it wasn't quite enough to make this a success. Not the worst film, but I wouldn't expect them to make another film.Read all