Log: week 36 / 2023
A romantic costume drama from the hand of William Wyler. He's a lauded director with quite a few epic films under his belt, but I can't say I've really enjoyed any of them. Classic American cinema really isn't my cup of tea and The Heiress is a perfect illustration of the things I don't like about it. The film is very much dialogue-driven, the romance is cheesy and predictable and the film is at least 30 minutes too long. I will say that I'm not big on costume dramas to begin with, so Wyler was fighting an uphill battle from the start, but even then this was way too clammy and sentimental for my taste.Read all
A mix of documentary and drama, live-action footage and animation. On paper, it's certainly a unique project, the film itself never felt all that special. Mixing docu and animation has gained popularity these past couple of years, and the quality of the animation wasn't good enough to make a real impact. It's an impressive story for sure, but the animation is just subpar. The art style is quite interesting, impressionistic and rather detailed, but it is animated with very simple motion effects. The music is also disappointing. I think this might've worked better as a regular documentary, the interviews with Aurora are by far the most interesting bits of the film.Read all
One of Stephen Chow and Lik-Chi Lee's final collaborations (as directors). Later on, Chow would seize complete control over his films, which turned out to be a very smart move. God of Cookery is lots of fun though, a culinary take on the gambling films of that era, with Chow stealing the show once more. It's no highbrow cinema, but Chow is comedy gold, the presentation is slick, the cooking scenes are lots of fun and the pacing is perfect. One of the best films Hong Kong comedy has on offer, and one that is sure to leave you hungry once the end credits start rolling.
A new A24 horror. They always come with a fair amount of hype, they rarely make good on that promise. Talk to Me is no different. Not that it's a bad film, but it's very very generic. Where other A24 horrors at least made a real effort to be different, this one simply sticks to its genre clichés and calls it a day. The performances are solid and there are some pretty fun moments, but there's a bit too much inane drama and the film is never all that tense or gory, even though it tries very hard to be exactly that. Talk to Me is pleasant horror filler, but nothing more. No doubt there will be a sequel, so let's hope they crank up the horror levels for that one.Read all
Antonio das Mortes
A Brazilian western, more or less. Antonia das Mortes is a rather strange beast. The film is not unlike its Italian counterparts, but the pacing is a bit slower, the narrative less prominent and the music is extremely overpowering. The latter in particular got on my nerves, better bring some earplugs for this one. The cinematography is a bit crude and the performances aren't great, but it's the grating, loud, and ever-present music that was just unbearable. And it goes on for the entire film. Now, I'm all for a demanding soundtrack, but I just couldn't stand the folk music. Other than that, it was kinda interesting to see a Brazilian take on the western genre, but I didn't care for it before, still don't care for it now.Read all
Accidental Luxuriance of the Translucent Watery Rebus
An experimental animation film. As always, experimental means it was made to look like something that was created 40 to 80 years ago. I don't understand where this fascination with the past comes from, but it seems clear that people looking to push the boundaries of visual media aren't working in the film business. The animation is varied and there are some interesting scenes, especially when the music is more prominent, but it's not enough to make this a good film. The quality of the animation is disappointing (too many collages and filters), the dialogue is too deliberately artistic, and the balance between the narrative and the abstract moments is off. It's not a complete failure, but I was still quite happy to reach the end credits.Read all
Pixar sure loves a good dichotomy. It's at the core of almost every one of their films, though Elemental may be their laziest attempt yet. As the title explains, this is a story about the four elements, more particularly, the relationship between one fire element and one water element. And yes, the symbolism is really that shallow. Props for tweaking the art style just a little. It's subtle and it doesn't make a big difference, but at least Pixar is trying to evolve. The characters are horrible though (Wade in particular is obnoxious), the comedy is bland and the plot is more than a little embarrassing. But it's not their worst, so that's something.Read all
After a slew of mountain climbing documentaries, we now have an animated film. I don't quite get the appeal of mountain climbing, nor did I feel the film did a great job transferring it, even though it tried very hard. The Summit of the Gods is mostly saved by a lovely score, more so than its visual qualities. The art style is a bit plain, and the animation is a tad too basic. I wasn't a big fan of the French dub either, though if still miles ahead of the English one. The score was majestic though and it injects a ton of atmosphere into the film. The plot was okay, and the pacing fine. The potential was there to do more, but overall not too shabby.Read all
Scissor Dick
An oddity, that's for sure. There's so much going on here that it is difficult to take everything in in a single sitting. That doesn't mean this is highbrow cinema. Scissor Dick is a mix of pinku, splatter horror, and tokusatsu action, with scathing social critique running underneath. Incel culture is facing rampant feminism and as both are making victims left and right, two people will overcome their adversities to make the world a better place. The film is made on a tight budget but with a lot of heart and dedication. It's a poster child for the freedom and creativity that directors of low-budget cinema enjoy, but if you're easily triggered or offended, it might be best to skip this one.
Funny film. On the one hand, it feels like they stopped trying. Rather than come up with wonky storylines to revive old villains, this is just a rework of the DBZ: Broly, one of my least favorite DBZ films. On the other hand, I kind of liked the Super vibe, this is way closer to what I figured Dragon Ball should be. The art style is a bit more detailed, and the animation is richer. That's a welcome change, as DBZ was pretty bare-bones in that regard. It's the action that has gotten the biggest upgrade though. Where it always felt rather underwhelming, the battles here are fast-paced and flashy, and they come off completely over-the-top. Still not the greatest of course, but a real improvement over the original.Read all
Tokyo Tower: Mom and Me, and Sometimes Dad
A decent, but long-winded Japanese drama. There's quite a lot of ground to cover (the film is based on a book), but it would've been better if they'd cut some passages just to get to the meat of the story quicker. What works on paper doesn't always work on film, and Tokyo Tower is a good example. With Odagiri and Kirin on board, the performances were on point. The cinematography was a bit basic though and while the drama is fleshed out appropriately, the pacing is slow and there's little here I hadn't seen before. It's not a bad film, it's just a bit too by the number to leave a big impression.Read all
Classic political thriller from the hands of Pakula. Pakula is familiar with the genre, the film is based on a Grisham novel, so you should pretty much know what to expect purely based on those parameters. Add a little Hollywood star power and you have a decent, though rather basic, and predictable film. The film is quite slow and quite long, which aren't great traits for a film that is heavily focused on its narrative. The styling is pretty mediocre, the performances aren't anything special and the plot is by the numbers. It's a pretty polished film in its genre, but hardly worth a mention unless you're a real fan of political thrillers.Read all
I wish I could've liked this more. Nimona is a film that dares to take risks. It comes with its unique animation style, it's not franchise-related and there are some genuinely good ideas hidden away in there. It's also insufferably moralistic and it sports some terribly unfunny comedy bits. I don't mind a story about outcasts trying to fit in, but the writing is terribly simplistic, and moralistic points are driven home through bland and basic dialogues, which really kills a lot of the fun. The dub is also disappointing, which is a shame as the animation is pretty interesting. Keep the animators, and change up the creative team for the next one.Read all