Log: week 9 / 2023
An African-American cult classic. Shaft is one of those characters/films I knew well before I had any idea what it was about. An abundance of pop references etched an image into my brain that didn't quite match the film I watched. I'd expected it to be a bit pulpier, more overt blaxploitation, but I'm not complaining. The performances are proper, the direction is solid and Shaft is a rather fun character. I didn't really care much for the plot though and there's nothing too exceptional otherwise. It's just a black PI solving a case, including all the clichés that come with such a story. I've been way more disappointed by cult classics though, this one actually held up pretty well.Read all
An early Somai that reminded me quite a bit of Obayashi's 80s work, though without the fantastical spins. It's a quirky little adventure film where a couple of kids are getting messed up in adult affairs. It's not the most exciting or challenging premise, but the film is light and easily digestible. Some kids taking on the Yakuza isn't the most believable of plotlines, then again, this film doesn't take itself all that seriously. The performances are decent, the mood is light and pleasant, and even though it's quite a long film, it never bored me. It doesn't really stand out too much, then again, it's hard to stand out next to Obayashi. Cute.Read all
A true essential. Not because this is such a great film, but the first Death Wish does mark the start of a pretty famous franchise, and it's one of Charles Bronson's biggest legacies as an actor. The film itself isn't all that great, it is after all B-film filler, but it's not quite as bad as I expected it to be either. Bronson is a pretty bad actor and the plot is as generic as they come. The slower pacing and simple but solid direction help to give the film a bit of extra body though. It's easy enough to see how this because the first in a series of films, but if you're only seeing this film for the first time, don't get your hopes up too much.Read all
Mad kid meets mad nanny. Spoonful of Sugar offers a somewhat peculiar mix of horror elements, but the film's a bit too nice and proper to make the best use of them. I will say that the finale was a real treat, but that wasn't quite enough to turn this into an exceptional film. It's not your basic niche genre filler though. Evil kids and evil nannies aren't too uncommon in a horror film, but it's rare to see a combination of both. The direction is decent (but not too remarkable), the performances are solid and the finale hits home, it's just that the actual horror elements are a tad tame and uneventful. Still, worth a watch.Read all
A remarkable mix of romance and wayward genre elements. In essence, Parasite in Love is a somewhat typical Japanese romance, but the original setup, the stylish cinematography, a very good score, and two strong leads make it into something more. Director Kakimoto did well to insert a strong personal signature, as it's a pretty crowded niche. His bold choices paid off, and while there is still some room for improvement, it's one of the better films in the genre I've seen in quite a while. A happy and welcome little surprise.
A post-Spiderverse animation. It's nice to see Sony's animation wasn't just a random fluke, but that it managed to create a tangible impact on the American animation scene. After 2 decades of sporting more or less the same plastic look, it's a delight to finally see some (hesitant) experimentation. The comedy is horrible, some of the characters are grating and the dubs are hard on the ears. In many ways, it's still a very obnoxious American animated comedy, but at least it's nice to look at. Human characters are still a little bland, but the heavy brush-painted look applied to animals and backgrounds is pretty damn cool. It's a step in the right direction.Read all
New Dream Hunter Rem: Dream Knights
A cute little anime, with a surprising bite. I didn't quite know what to expect from this one, so when the first five minutes hinted at light fantasy mixed with comedy I was maybe a little disappointed. The film gets way darker in certain scenes though, which provides a fun contrast with the happy-go-lucky vibe elsewhere. The animation and art style are pretty basic, though the demon design is quite nice (not very original, just well executed). The plot is simple but fun, the mix of light and dark is pretty effective and the pacing is perfect. It's maybe a little too obvious this is a franchise extension (with the classroom insert), other than that it was good but simple fun.Read all
A pretty basic documentary about a famous American cartoonist. I'm not really sure what makes this doc so special, but it probably has something to do with the reputation of Crumb. Other than that, the doc doesn't offer anything too exciting or original. Unless of course, you expected a typical hype document. It's a decent enough introduction to the man and the man's work, sadly, it just didn't leave me impressed with either. At two hours long, it also contains a bit too much padding and the film does get pretty repetitive after a while. I guess his fandom will love this film, I simply didn't care too much for it.Read all
A Dutch classic and one of Paul Verhoeven's first feature films. I'd never seen the film before, nor read the book, so I had no idea what to expect. I wasn't all that surprised to get a somewhat raunchier romance, what I didn't expect was the rather crummy and stilted execution of the thing. The performances are horrible, the dialogues are hideous, and almost half of the film is made up of nonsensical interludes. The romantic angle works relatively well regardless, but that too gets stunted in the second half. It's a pretty rough start to Verhoeven's career, but at least the film got his name out.Read all
Another condensed Chinese fantasy epic. Should you wonder where they keep getting these films, Lord Eagle is an adaptation of a web novel. It's a handy source that helps to set films apart from more pervasive classic Chinese literary influences but broadly offers the same appeal as their predecessors. In other words, it's more of the same, but different. The CG is slightly above average, which is quite something for a film of this caliber. That's not to say everything looks slick, just that nothing looks too off. The performances aren't that great and some parts do feel a bit rushed, but the film delivers on its fantasy, action, and adventure appeal and does so in a pleasantly short span of time. Good fun.Read all
A film that reveals pretty much all of its secrets in the first five minutes. From there on out, it's just seeing it pan out the way you expected it to. That's not necessarily a bad thing, in fact, when done well it can create a lot of extra tension. Pennycoff's direction isn't quite up to the task though. The performances aren't too bad and the film does manage to crawl under your skin from time to time, but the bland cinematography and a disappointing soundtrack are mood killers. There are no real surprises either and the ending isn't quite as mad as the director probably envisioned it to be. Decent filler, but this could've been a lot better.Read all
A reboot that was written into the plot. The concept is pretty funny and Shiraishi makes some funny references, but the result is of course a typical reboot, and that's not something I was hoping for. The fun thing about this series was how it spiraled completely out of control in the latter episodes, to have to go back to square one feels a little disappointing. This episode plays a lot like the very first three of the original series, which is somewhat of a bummer. The Kokkuri isn't that great of a demon, the hauntings are rather basic and there's no grander scheme or bigger concept behind all of it. It's still nice horror filler for those with an unquenchable thirst for Japanese suspense, but that's about it.Read all
A film that relies quite heavily on its two leads for leaving its mark. It's a good thing then that Plaza and Caine work well together as a duo, otherwise this would've been a pretty big fiasco. Not that Best Sellers is great or memorable by any means, but at least it was a passable dramedy. Like most dramedies, Best Sellers isn't very funny. There are some lighter moments and quirky bits, but it's mostly a drama with some feel-good tacked on. The lead performances are strong, but the rest of it is pretty middling. A bland score, uninteresting cinematography, and a complete lack of defining perks drag the film down. Decent filler, nothing more.Read all
A TV movie/special based on Sono's Virgin Psychics series. That year he'd also make a real feature film adaptation, it's no surprise that one was quite a bit better compared to this attempt. Not that I didn't have some fun here, it's just that the production quality is pretty poor, which makes this little more than an elongated TV series episode. High class this is not, but I knew that going into it. Sono does commit to the material though, silly as it is, and that's what makes it funny. The cast is also pretty solid for this type of thing, with Shota Sometani in the lead and a nice secondary part for Yuki Sakurai. Far from great, but if you like ultra-daft comedies with a raunchy edge, it's pretty decent.Read all
A Finnish classic. The film is listed as a horror film, but don't be fooled. The premise works well enough for a horror flick, but what you get is a folk fantasy with some darker elements (which happen mostly off-screen anyway). That's not a bad thing, just get your expectations straight going in. The most exciting thing here is the snowy landscapes, which make for a nice setting. The soundtrack is overused and distracting, the story is pretty repetitive (especially for a relatively short film like this) and the ending is extremely predictable. With an interesting premise like this, the film should've been a lot better.Read all
Not the most original horror film you'll ever see, but with a limited budget, director Ragsdale accomplishes quite a lot. The middle part is where things get a bit too slow and repetitive (the 90-minute mark is too much of a goal for some directors), still, people who love a good cult/demon horror have plenty to look forward to. The intro is a tad long, but once the cult arrives on the scene things start to heat up quickly. The styling and cinematography work well together to create a feeling of dread, only, the effect lessens when the cult stalls its actions. Luckily, the finale delivers, but with some tighter editing, this could've been a lot better still.Read all
A rather generic action/thriller, then again, what did you expect from Martin Campbell? The script is a simple copy/paste job, the direction is unremarkable and the cast is made up of actors who are worrying more about their pension rather than making it to the top. If you're okay with that, The Protégé holds some decent genre fun. Maggie Q is decent, Keaton and Jackson do exactly what is expected of them. The action is pretty bland, the plot is predictable and the bad guys are rather dull. The pacing is okay, and even though the film is a bit long, I never really tired of the film. Simply genre filler, but don't ask me about the film never week, because I'll have forgotten about most of it already. Read all