Log: week 12 / 2023
I've been making decent inroads into Antonioni's oeuvre these past few years, but so far he hasn't been able to wow me. His films tend to be quite long and slow and they don't really appeal to my sense of style. The Passenger is no exception, it's a typical gritty 70s thriller, not really my cup of tea. I wasn't too impressed by Nicholson's part, I didn't really care for Antonioni's style and two hours is quite long for a film that often moves at a glacial pace. I did appreciate that Antonioni has a clear sense of direction and even though I didn't like it all that much, it is a film that lingers. It's just not for me.Read all
A well-made war flick, but I couldn't help but wonder what the reason was for making this. We already have so many WOI/WOII war flicks and this one didn't really add much to the ones that are already out there. The execution is a step up from most, I'll give Berger that, but it can't compete with the likes of Mendes' 1917. The cinematography is very polished and the war scenes look grim and dirty. But that's the baseline for these types of films nowadays. The performances are solid too, only the story has been done so many times before that I questioned the need for the 150-minute runtime. Certainly not a bad film, just a bit generic, though well-executed.Read all
Terrible. After 10 years of shady docs pushing left-leaning propaganda, the right has finally caught up. Walsh asks an interesting question, but it's clear he isn't looking for real answers. He already has his answer ready, and he's just looking for material to support it, turning this into a real embarrassment. Yes, Walsh finds some kooky people with questionable ideas, but that's not enough to prove any of his points. He's also very careful not to push and express anti-woke sentiments directly, which he clearly doesn't mind so much in his off-screen life. It's all so dishonest and leading, I wish people would just trash these docs for what they are: bad propaganda.Read all
There was a time when you could just blindly go into these big Hong Kong action spectacles and be assured of a great time, but those days are long gone. I had my hopes up with Donnie Yen helming and leading Sakra, but the quality simply isn't there anymore. It's still decent action filler, but not even close to the best this genre has to offer. The action is decent, but there's a bit too much CG and the editing could've been better, certainly for a big-budget production like this. There's a bit too much drama in the middle part, which also tends to get a bit too sentimental. It's still a proper action spectacle, but I long for the times these films had the potential to become personal favorites.Read all
Chaplin and Keaton together in a film, but the result isn't a slapstick extravaganza. The later Chaplin films are far more dramatic and have dropped most of the explicit comedy bits (though Chaplin himself still can't play straight). While this is very different from his early work, I can't say it's a whole lot better. The performances are still very exaggerated, which doesn't work well for a drama. The plot is reminiscent of the 30s/40s musicals, the musical scenes are pretty dull and I never really cared for either of the two leads. I wasn't quite as annoyed as I get watching Chaplin's slapstick material, but that's a pretty low bar, and hardly a positive.Read all
A rather simple thriller that does a lot of things right, but fails to be very thrilling. With a moody setting, a small cast, and some old drama that resurfaces, all the ingredients were there for a tense little cult hit. Subpar actors and somewhat drab direction keep the film from greatness. The mystery element is a little too predictable, the performances aren't strong enough and the drama's a bit too thin to cover the 90-minute runtime. It's certainly not all bad, it's just that the potential was clearly there to do a lot better. Locke still has a lot of work if she wants to prove her worth.Read all
A nice little crime/thriller that reminded me of Soderbergh's work. There is nothing too eye-catching about this film, but the quality is there, it is concise and there is no cruft whatsoever to distract from the core plot and themes. It might've been nice if the crime elements had resulted in a tad more tension, other than that I had no real complaints. Plaza is good, the mix with drama is proper and never distracts, the cinematography is pleasant (though a little generic) and the pacing is perfect. It's just that the film lacks something extra to make it truly stand out. I don't mind a bit of quality filler though, this is a fine first film by Ford, and I'm looking forward to seeing what he comes up with next.Read all
A very basic slasher centered around a gay conversion camp. It's actually a pretty fun setup (not your average summer camp this time around), but the slasher elements are so tame that it's hardly worth the bother. They really should've done a lot better with the material at hand if they'd wanted to avoid the whole woke-centered fuzz that inevitably reared its ugly head. The cast is a pretty varied bunch, Bacon is delightfully evil and in the right hands the premise could've been a lot of fun. Sadly, the murders are tame, the killer is dull and the reveal is anything but spectacular. It's just a very generic slasher, hoping to make a name with a more gender-inclusive cast of characters. That's just not enough.Read all
Ranma ½: The Movie, Big Trouble in Nekonron, China
It's been such a long time since I watched some Ranma. I'm not a really big fan, but I did see some bits and pieces back in the 90s and if you're looking for simple entertainment it's always a fair bet. It's not the easiest franchise to get into (there's some weird stuff to get used to), but if you're familiar with other 80s franchises (like Urusei Yatsura for example), it shouldn't take too long to start feeling at home in the Ranma universe. Chaos and comedy are pretty much one here. The pacing is fast, the characters aren't properly introduced and the story is incredibly random and fragmented, but that's all just part of the fun. The animation is limited, the art style is solid though. 75 minutes is a tad too long, but I wasn't bored for a second and I'll probably be completing the rest of the film series in the near future. Read all
A somewhat darker and surprisingly more explicit film from Ingmar Bergman. Don't expect anything too different from his usual output though. Irréversible this is not, and apart from some unflinching scenes, Bergman defaults back to what he knows best: characters expressing their feelings through endless dialogue. The performances are stoic, the dialogue is formal and the pacing is dead slow. Still, the darker themes did make it a bit more interesting compared to many of the other Bergman films I've seen, and the economic runtime was a blessing too. Not great, but I expected worse.Read all
Gimmick. That's all this is really. Pooh became public domain some time ago and people were eager to cash in on the name of the Pooh franchise. And what better genre than horror films, where the quality of execution is already a rare perk and originality is sniffed at? The result: a very bad film that actually made it into theaters. The performances are really bad, Pooh and his friends look shabby as fuck and the plot is just one big mess. The kills aren't the worst, which is something, but seeing them executed by fat men in ugly masks really isn't all that impressive. It's a shame they didn't make a real effort, let's just hop this isn't the start of a trend.Read all
This was one of the first Iwai films I watched when I started my journey into Japanese live-action cinema, so it is safe to say I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this rewatch. It turned out to be a true delight. Iwai uses the short runtime well to serve a very small yet endearing story about a young girl moving to Tokyo to start college. There's a sweetness and a penchant for tiny moments of beauty and bliss that make this film a joy to watch. If you want something short and sweet to get acquainted with Iwai's work, you can't go wrong with this one.
A typical Ramis comedy. The film is a good 20 years old now, but it felt at least twice its age. Ramis' trademark 80s sense of comedy is embedded in the film, only with some more recent actors (and some horrible CG). The result is pretty paltry, as the comedy never really settles in and the jokes keep missing target. Fraser and Hurley are pretty terrible, Ramis' direction is uneven and sloppy and the plot, while promising, keeps venturing off in the wrong direction. There's a light and agreeable vibe that makes it somewhat palatable, but even at a mere 90 minutes, the film manages to overstay its welcome. Not very good.Read all
A little mindfuck thriller from way back when. Films like these were pretty popular back then, though they usually came with a stronger horror flavor. Stay was a more dedicated mystery, with most scenes explicitly designed to confuse and bewilder. It's certainly still a lot of fun, but not quite as nifty and refined as I remembered it to be. The presentation is pretty slick, but not quite as good as I remembered it to be. The soundtrack is nice too, the mystery is built up pretty well (though knowing the outcome does take away from the experience) and the performances are decent (apart from McGregor maybe, who wasn't the best fit). I had a good time revisiting Stay, it's just not a true personal favorite anymore.Read all
Not a bad film, the first half in particular conjures up a pretty solid, vile mood. The film's TV roots are a bit too apparent though and the second half gets a bit too cheesy at times. Believe Me feels like it was split in half, and with the latter part going downhill, that's something that weighs on the entire film. The first half doesn't pull any punches and it gets pretty dark, which was a happy surprise. The second half comes off as less genuine and it's a bit too prone to underline the heroics of the lead characters. The constant fade-to-blacks and random shots of police office buildings (to accommodate ad blocks) also cheapen the film. Not bad, but based on the first half, it could've been a lot better still.Read all
Raven Tengu Kabuto: The Golden-Eyed Beast
More Ninja Scroll-like anime. There seem to be quite a few of these films, most of them dating back to the early 90s. None of these projects can touch the genius of Kawajiri's classic, Kabuto certainly is no exception. But if you're loving yourself some odd, supernatural samurai action, then these films are very tasty snacks indeed. The quality of the animation isn't that great, but the designs of the enemies and machinery make up for that. The story is simple but doesn't get in the way of anything, and the film is sweet and short, with hardly any cruft remaining. It's certainly not a highlight of the genre, but if you're craving a bit of 90s samurai action and you've gone through the more famous films, it's definitely a worthy option.Read all
A pretty decent mystery/thriller that forgets to cash in on the mood it built up quite meticulously. The setup is solid, mysterious elements are added left and right to create a disorienting mood and the presentation is slick. But when push comes to shove, the tension dissipates and the finale simply doesn't deliver. The performances are decent, the film looks pretty stylish, the mystery is well-developed and the film doesn't overstay its welcome. It's just that it never reaches any real climax. I don't mind an open ending or narrative strands left unfinished, but the lack of an emotional climax is a lot harder to swallow.Read all
Part 6 in the long-running Scream franchise. I've seen them all, but I've forgotten all about the previous parts by the time a new episode is released. Not ideal for a self-referential film series, but I'm not very keen on self-referential things in any case. So for me, these are just regular slasher flicks (with more elaborate twists). Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett are starting to feel at home in the series. It's a shame Weaving didn't get a better/bigger part, but the rest of the cast is solid, the set pieces are fun and the build-up of the tension is pretty good (the scene in the metro is lovely). Two hours is a bit long and the twists aren't great, but this is probably the most fun I've had with a Scream film so far.Read all