Log: week 30 / 2018

Tech meets horror. A machine that conjures up ... something. A fine horror flick that showcases Burns' talents. Sadly it's a bit too preoccupied with the drama present, which slows things down unnecessarily. The horror bits are pretty effective though, let's hope for a bit more balance next time.

Experimental horror film. The soundtrack is a big plus, it's rare to find this kind of distorted illbient in a film, sadly the rest isn't quite up to par. Cinematography looks cheap and many of scenes feel too fake for their own good. In the end it all felt a bit too lazy, but at least it sounded great.

Guess what, the FDA is not to be trusted! Director Dick explores the world of medical devices, the outcome is pretty predictable. Sadly the film spends way too much time on personal drama. While relevant, it fails to paint a bigger picture and it comes off as a sentimental plea that doesn't serve its cause.

Chinese equivalent of Hollywood's patriotic war cinema. There's quite a lot of cheese to wade through, but the action scenes are pretty brilliant. Graphic, explosive and exciting, then again with Dante Lam in the driver seat that isn't too big of a surprise. Switch off your brain and enjoy.

A pretty simple noir that fails to impress. The plot is rather basic, Welles is a terrible actor and the soundtrack doesn't do the film any favors. The cinematography is a little highlight though, Welles works well with contrast, but it's not at a level that could actually save the film. At least it was short.

Somewhat irritating comedy about two losers and their group of friends. One annoying whiner, one complete jerk and a whole lot of pointless banter. Favreau and Vaughn don't fit their characters, the comedy is mediocre and the drama is inconsequential. Forgettable stuff.

Dim and unattractive police thriller that hasn't retained anything of its original appeal. The acting is mediocre, the plot is a bore and the film looks as if the cinematographer was fired even before shooting began. It's best to avoid this one, unless you have a thing for generic 90s genre work.

A grieving drama with minor splashes of the supernatural. Don't expect anything (and I mean anything) in the way of actual horror. The problem with The Keeping Hours is that the film is still structured as a real genre film. The drama falls flat and is quite cheesy. Not a good mix of genres I'm afraid.

Middle part in the animated trilogy. There's quite a lot of downtime before the actual battle with Gojira starts, but Seshita and Shizuno know how to build up the a sprawling finale. The animation is amazing, the scifi elements thorough and Gojira is absolutely menacing. Can't wait for part 3.

A sturdy attempt to be artistic ends up being very amateurish. Use some twirly visuals, play around with aspect ratios and add some confusion to your storyline for max effect. It ain't no Cronenberg or Lynch though, for that it lacks stylistic finesse, acting chops and a smarter plot.

Fun and captivating horror film that serves different kinds of niches. A smart mix of anthology and feature film with a neat twist at the end. It may be a bit much for some, especially those expecting a more straight-forward experience, but there are plenty of those films already. Tastes like more.

Another good director wasted on a generic Hollywood product. The best thing about the latest Jurassic Park film is a big and spectacular volcano outburst. That's nice and all, but since this is a film about dinosaurs it's telling how botched up the rest of it is. Just kill this franchise already.

A film that garnered a small cult following, though I fail to see why. It's all pretty basic and straight-forward. The film looks cheap, the acting is mediocre and the mix of genres isn't exactly slick. There are a couple of funny scenes, but overall it comes off as quick and dirty filmmaking.

Bastille Day is a mediocre action/thriller with a stray cop and a talented pickpocket running around Paris trying to put a stop to a terrorist threat. The action is underwhelming, the plot is a bore and the actors fail to elevate the film. Pacing and comedy are alright, but that's about it.