Log: week 28 / 2023
Not the most original premise, except that the celeb hired by a secret agency is Nicolas Cage, playing himself. That puts a fun twist on the film and keeps it from becoming yet another mediocre comedy. Gormican could've taken it a little further still, but it was perfectly serviceable entertainment. This role is perfect for Cage and the first half of the film is pretty interesting. Once things start to settle down and the setup becomes clear, the film loses a little of its shine, but Gormican keeps it light and fun. Not the most memorable Cage flick in recent years, but another solid addition to his increasingly eclectic oeuvre.Read all
Mojin is one of the most prominent tomb-raiding franchises, an immensely popular subgenre in China. With Dai Yilin behind the camera, I had some expectations, the problem is that his style isn't particularly fitted for longer films. When things get a bit more serious, the appeal starts to wither fast. Yilin's films are fun because they're short and punchy. The added 30 minutes of runtime is spent on pointless conversations, bland character development, and build-ups that lead nowhere exciting. It's still a decent enough genre film, it's just that he's made better films with far less effort.Read all
Wisit Sasanatieng used to be one of the most talented Thai directors, this Netflix project feels more like the work of a director earning his paycheck. It's a decent enough horror flick, but not too different from what we've come to expect from the genre. And in the 20s, you need more to stand out. Asian horror means trauma from the past, and The Whole Truth sticks to the conventions rather neatly. The build-up is slow, the haunts aren't that scary anymore, but the direction is decent and the second half does have a few solid horror scenes. Decent filler, only not a very memorable film.Read all
A rather bland attempt to revive the Transformers franchise. Since Bay left the series it is only a shadow of its former self, this latest addition doesn't do much to change that. What you get is loud Hollywood action with oodles of cheese, but it lacks that little extra to make it acceptably entertaining. The only reason why Bay's films were fun is because Bay always brings something extra. Yes, the plot is silly, the voices ridiculous and the comedy unnecessary, but the action is always top-notch. With that gone, not much remains, besides some boring 90s nostalgia. Not the worst blockbuster, but pretty pointless and forgettable.Read all
My third Fassbinder. I'm not a fan, but I must say that I like his films better than I'd expected. I'm not big on classic films or get very excited when watching German cinema, but there's a relative ease to his work that is a bit of a surprise. Just to say that The Marriage of Maria Braun could've turned out a lot worse. The setting and characters weren't that appealing to me, so at the very start of the film I began to fear the two-hour runtime. The vibe and pacing are rather pleasant though, and the performances are decent. Not that the film stood out to me in any way, but I've seen a lot worse, so kudos to Fassbinder.Read all
Don't expect a full-blown Katsuhito Ishii project, he only co-directed this film and by the looks of it, the budget was pretty slim. Even so, he probably helped to attract some fun actors and while the film has some glaring issues, it's an overall charming affair that turned out to be a pretty easy watch. Hello! Junichi is a very light and frivolous film that lacks a decent budget (or outstanding talent behind the camera) to turn a simple charmer into a great film. It's nice to have Gashuin and Morita there, they give the film that extra bit of flair, but most of the time is spent with the young kids and their silly little problems. Sweet, but a little cheap for my taste.Read all
A gritty 70s thriller, that takes way too long to get going, and has few other redeeming qualities than its raw finale. As it takes about 100 minutes to get there, the film as a whole is a pretty big disappointment. Not that my expectations were that much higher, considering the people involved, but the film does have quite the reputation. The premise sounded promising, but the performances are pretty bad (not a big Hoffman fan), the drab colors are off-putting and the first half is overly long and uneventful. The second half is better, but I've seen films that are way more impressive in almost half the length of this one. Not very good.Read all
A short and rather generic Japanese horror film. It's part of a franchise, but if you've seen a few of these films it shouldn't be too hard to figure out what's going on, and even then there's enough recap and exposition that you won't feel lost. It's not a very notable film, but there are some memorable moments. The performances are pretty dim, the colorless cinematography is drab and the story is derivative. Some of the death scenes are quite fun though and because the film is pretty short, it never outstays its welcome. I'm not sure I'll remember much of it, but if you're shy of Japanese horror cinema, you could do worse.Read all
What looks like a mix of comedy and sci-fi on the surface, is really a drama in the form of a mystery. That's quite an ambitious setup, sadly, it's the drama that I never really cared for, which made it overly difficult to keep myself invested in the film. That said, the potential for greatness was there, so it's definitely worth a shot. Linoleum keeps you guessing until the very end, still, the reveal wasn't all that grand. The performances are decent, the styling is fine (though a bit too DIY/sentimental for my taste), and the soundtrack is on point. It's just that I didn't care much for the characters or the outcome of the mystery, which was kind of the point of the film.Read all
One of Hitchcock's final films. Not that I expected the film to be much different from his earlier work, but Hitchcock didn't strike me as a director that would be able to reinvent himself. Still, I was curious to see how and if his films had evolved after all those years. The result was pretty much what I expected. Like most Hitchcock films, there's too much dialogue, the thriller elements are overaccentuated and the pacing is excruciatingly slow. There's hardly enough material to fill 90 minutes, somehow the film ended up with 30 more. It's nice to see Hitchcock returned to the UK, that added a tiny bit of flair, but it's not enough to turn this into a worthwhile film.Read all
An interesting film, that needed a little time to get going, but gets increasingly stronger as time passes. I'm not sure if the black-and-white cinematography was the smartest choice (going by the ending, I'd say it wasn't) and the film's indie roots are a bit too apparent, but the punchy finale sets things straight. The start's a little slow and the direction feels a bit too derivative, but once the film finds its footing you can feel Take is working up to an explosive finale (which doesn't disappoint). An overall solid film that peeks at the right time in other words. For fans of modern noirs and indie-like projects.Read all
One of Herzog's lesser films. The premise is certainly interesting enough, but the film itself is poorly paced, the performances aren't great and the styling is disappointing. I felt like I had a good handle on the film early on and as I didn't like what I saw, it was tough to get through two hours of the same thing. The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser grants us a look at humanity through the eyes of someone who wasn't raised in our civilization. The idea is interesting enough, but the film is set two centuries ago and quite a lot has changed since then. More so, the film focuses on obvious quirks and easy targets (like religion), which felt cheap. I didn't care for it at all.Read all
Sang-il Lee's first project (a student film if I understood correctly) is a pretty short, basic drama. It's a film that deals with Korean immigrants living in Japan, a topic that was pretty hot back then. While not bad, the characters are a little thing and Lee's take is rather simplistic. The performances are decent, but the cinematography is bland, there isn't that much depth and the issues have been dealt with better in subsequent films. It's still a nice enough film and you can't be too critical of what is basically a student film, but Lee would become a lot better later on in his career.Read all
Dragon Ball Z: Super Android 13
Just more of the same. The only reason I'm sticking with these films now is that they are short and that there's still a regular Dragon Ball movie up ahead. Other than that, there's no real reason to keep watching them. Each film is a carbon copy of the previous one, which is fine if you actually like the DBZ franchise. I do not. The art style and animation are crummy, the villains are dull, the destruction grand but still unimpressive. The short intros are the best part of these films, but they seem to shrink with each new entry. Considering the popularity of the series I'm sure they made good money with them, but these films are clearly fans-only stuff.Read all
Some controversies are tied to a time or place, even a regime. Other controversies need no context to be understood. Buttgereit's Nekromantik is a film in the latter category. It's a film that earned its reputation and it certainly delivers, whether that's enough to seek it out is a different question. Don't expect any great performances, the cinematography is pretty paltry too. Buttgereit put more effort into the score, but I'm not sure if it really added anything substantial. The depraved content matter (and blatant animal cruelty) make this a tough but interesting watch. Not for the faint of heart, not a great film, but worth a watch if you like extreme cinema.Read all
An unbelievable burst of energy. Cometic DNA isn't very refined, nor all that polished, but what it lacks in subtlety it makes up for with sheer energy and audacity. It starts off with a bang and doesn't slow down once. It's a film I almost, nearly loved to bits, but there were some minor details that kept it from becoming a personal favorite. This is maximalist cinema to the max. Flashy cinematography, a booming soundtrack, a madcap plot, and insane pacing make this quite the spectacle. The music's a bit too 90s happy hardcore for my taste though and the cinematography could've used a little extra polish (while keeping its edge of course). Okubo is one to watch though, what a trip.Read all
A worthy Somai film. I've been slowly going through his oeuvre, and that has been a pretty fun trip so far. He's consistently interesting and always adds something unique to otherwise basic dramas. Moving reminded me a little of Obayashi's family-friendly entertainment, probably because of the younger lead and the more rural setting. Tabata does pretty well for her age, the setting is pleasant and the tone is light. The first half of the film is nice enough, but not all that notable. When Somai adds a bit of couleur locale to the second half things get noticeably better. The cinematography and soundtrack stand out and there are quite a few memorable moments. Another good Somai.Read all
A film made to entertain. Bad Times at the El Royale embraces many genres and isn't afraid to break some rules to mess with its audience. Not everything works equally well, there are a few too many story reboots, but it's a film that kept me on my toes until the very end, which is quite rare these days. The styling is polished, the performances are good, and the plot is full of twists and turns. Maybe a few too many as the chapter-like structure gets a little tiring, especially when new characters keep joining halfway through the film. A slightly tighter edited plot might've given this one an extra push, but I'm not complaining too much, this was plenty of fun.Read all
A pretty damn cheesy De Palma film, somewhat saved by its ridiculous plot and overdone genre moments. I'm not sure the film was actually intended to be a full-on cheese fest (probably not, to be fair), but it was the only way for me to get some enjoyment out of it. A great film this is not though. Craig Wasson is a terrible actor, the thriller elements aren't tense at all and the plot is pretty hilarious. At least the pacing is decent enough and because everything is overdone, it never becomes excessively dull. This might've been a fun flick in its time, but like most of De Palma's films, they've gone downhill as time passed.Read all