Log: week 15 / 2018
Pompous Peter Pan adaptation. Questionable CG, bad acting and an atrocious soundtrack (I actually felt sorry for Nirvana and I don't even like them) make this a film to avoid. That said, the wood-like animation scenes halfway through are amazing, so there's at least that.
Fun revenge flick about three female killers finding out that they've been dating the same man. Sadly Fire Lee opted for a forced 80s vibe, taking away some of the cool. A slightly better soundtrack and some visual polish would've been welcome too. Not bad, just not great.
Doc about Avicii's troubles on the road. Not so much an ode to the man's talent (hah), but a warning about the toll of success and wealth on youngs artists. Nothing new here though and it gets a little tired to listen to the complains of the rich and famous. For fans only.
Pretty basic crime comedy. Tries very hard to be funny and clearly aims to be an Indian alternative for the films that made guys like Ritchie and Tarantino famous. The problem is that it just isn't all that edgy. It's a decent watch, but quite derivative and ultimately forgettable.
Great adventure, strenghtened by a strong mix of scifi, fantasy and action elements. The uncut version is a little long though and the ending is pretty cheesy. Still a very charming film with a bunch of memorable scenes, just not as good as I remembered.
Re:Born thrives on solid action choreography. There's plenty of it and Tak Sakaguchi is the perfect man for the job. Lacks interesting villains though and whenever people stop killing each other it gets a little bland. Not too long and good fun, but Shimomura can do better.
Worst of the three. It gets a little too repetitive and it often feels like you're watching an ad for MTV instead of a bona fide comedy. Caine is a nice addition, Goldmember an atrocious caricature. They should've left it at two, it's no surprise a fourth one never materialized.
A mad mix of drama, fantasy and comedy. Gakuryu Ishii returns with a beautiful film that defies genre conventions and creates a world of its own. It's a handsome tribute to Ren Osugi and another stellar performance for Fumi Nikaido. Riveting cinema.
As if a slightly less talented Guy Ritchie started out directing horror films. The beginning is brilliantly dark and funny, what follows is a little heavy-handed and the direction feels just a little derivative. Still incredibly amusing and promising, but lacks that final bit of polish.
Slightly better than the first one. There's a strange retro 90s charm whenever the film tries to be modern-90s in the 60s. Apart from that it's pretty much a carbon copy of the first film, but the jokes are a bit more elaborate and the running gags just a tad funnier.
Another great horror film from French prodigy Pascal Laugier. He doesn't make too many films, but he makes them count. Eerie, brutal and twisted, a film that plays loves its genre tropes, but rearranges in such a way that something new and exciting emerges from it.
Harmless but charming romance. There's a little too much back and forth between Roberts and Grant, needlessly dragging out the running time, but the British wit and charm easily bridge the flakier parts. I expected worse.
Hit and miss comedy that is highly dependent on its 60s vibe. Myers' character has become iconic since, but much of the humor is simplistic, repetitive and tame. It's only when it gets extremely silly that this Bond parody is able to redeem itself.