Log: week 6 / 2023

Not one of Hashiguchi's brightest films. The somewhat ironic title is in bad taste and the mix of stories feels a tad random. There are some solid dramatic moments here and Hashiguchi clearly has a knack for drama, it's just that the film felt a bit lazy at times. Fans of his work should definitely seek it out though.

Alternative Japanese youth culture. Japan has a pretty decent hip-hop scene, but it rarely features in its cinema. That makes a film like Yamato all the more interesting. It's a very solid drama in a slightly different setting and sporting a handful of interesting protagonists. It made me curious about Miyazaki's other films.

A surprisingly sentimental film from Takahisa Zeze. This isn't the first drama he tackles of course, but he usually brings a bit of grit to the table. Kite seems to be his attempt at delivering a blockbuster drama. I'm not sure if it worked out for Zeze, but it's certainly not the direction I want to see him continue in.

A pretty peculiar Kurosawa. I've seen most of his films by now and his work's been pretty difficult to coin regardless. Even so, Bright Future might be the one that is the hardest to fit into his oeuvre. It's also his best film if you ask me. There's an interesting level of grit, the performances are superb, the film has a few surprising touches of magic realism and it sports a memorable score. The plot is all over the place, then again this is more of a character portrait anyway. I'd forgotten most details as it's been a long time since I last watched it, but Bright Future has lost none of its initial charm.

Not the first adaptation of the novel, but certainly the most famous of the classic ones. The story should be familiar to most (certainly the people seeking out films like this), and Wyler's adaptation is pretty straightforward and to the point. It's all a bit too melodramatic for my taste, but it wasn't quite as bad as I'd feared.

A basic tech doom story with some horror elements thrown in for good measure. I've read some weird comparisons (Terminator for one), for me, this was just a less effective Child's Play update mixed with Ex Machina influences. It might've been better with a more frightening robot, but even then Johnstone's tepid direction is a letdown.

An infamous franchise, though I never quite understood its appeal. It seems to be sharing quite some traits with Fist of the North Star, only that one is better in just about every aspect. Riki-oh feels more like a cheap knock-off, but if it's strong violence and burly men you're after, then this is a decent film that won't disappoint.

A bona fide classic drama in a western setting. I'm not big on either, but I'm not big on westerns regardless, so I figured some dramatic counterbalance might actually do the film some good. And in some ways it did, though it was hardly enough to make a real impact. At least the film was short.

Balagueró latest is a slightly hesitant return to the horror genre. There are a few too many crime elements and the drama is given a bit too much legroom, but once the film reveals its true face it becomes clear why Balagueró was once considered one of the biggest talents in the horror genre.

A pretty peculiar short anime. Radio City Fantasy feels more like an animated poem than a classic narrative. It's one of those films that has virtually no plot and some very basic characters, betting everything on atmosphere. The mood is a bit too frilly and light to be entirely in my wheelhouse, but it's always nice to find something that stands out from the crowd.

Infamous golf comedy. I'm not a big Ramis fan though, certainly not when he's in the director's chair. Caddyshack is just more proof that his style of comedy leaves me completely cold. I see what the jokes are and where the audience is supposed to laugh, I just don't think it's actually close to funny.

Norwegian werewolf flick. It's funny how this particular niche became synonymous with practical effects (the transformations in particular). Sadly, that's exactly one of the reasons why this film falters. Svendsen did a good job building up the tension, but the wolf itself is a bit of a downer.

Cute little road trip drama. The film is sometimes billed as a comedy, because of the lighter atmosphere I guess, but it's really just a traditional Japanese drama following a group of people trying to get from A to B. Matsui does a good job capturing the youthful spirit of his lead characters, but it's not quite enough to set the film apart from its many peers.

Ah, that Ingmar Bergman. Sometimes I bump into one of his shorter films, and I mistakingly assume they might be less of a hassle to sit through. Well, at least the man still manages to surprise me, more than 10 films into his oeuvre. Winter Light was a challenge, even at just 80 minutes long.

Babies are hell. Baby Ruby isn't the first film to turn post-childbirth into horror, but it's certainly one of the more visceral examples in its niche. It's a shame Wohl can't quite keep the tension going, because the first half is quite the experience. It starts to linger after that and the conclusion is a bit of a downer, but it's still worth a watch (unless you're pregnant and riddled with doubt).

A disappointing effort. I'm not even sure if this film is part of the official Mojin franchise or whether it is just shameless streamer filler. Not that it matters all that much, this is just another tomb-raiding adventure, like there are so many already. Dragon Ridge Shrine doesn't even try to add anything original to the genre, sadly, it also falters on budget and execution.

After directing the TV series, Takeuchi also takes on the movie version. It's a loose Lupin spin-off, though apart from the "famous family of thieves" there isn't a whole lot to connect it to its more infamous relative. Sadly, Takeuchi never manages to rise above the TV roots of the source material.

Decent but very generic assassin flick, with a slightly stronger focus on the drama parts (why though?) and a female lead rather than a male one. The latter is clearly the supposed trump card of the film, sadly, it doesn't add anything substantial. On the contrary, Chastain's mediocre fight skills bring the film down.

Basic but fun sci-fi anime. Outlanders is another one of those short OAVs that deliver a classic (or generic) anime genre mix. There's not much it can do during its short runtime to set itself apart, not when the art style and plot points feel so familiar. And so the film leans into its cliches, settling to be appreciated as mere amusing genre filler.

A black gangster flick. Its biggest selling point is no doubt the short(er) runtime, Van Peebles doesn't need more than two hours to bring his story to a conclusion, which is a blessing. Other than that, it's a relatively fun take on the genre, but there's not much here that hasn't been done better elsewhere.

Brad Anderson's latest offers a slightly more realistic take on the horror genre. Don't go in expecting too much gore or straight-up tension, Anderson goes for a slow build-up and an increasingly disturbing atmosphere. It's the drama that drives the horror, not the other way around.