Log: week 48 / 2018
Fun and creative little comedy about a bride to be who, by accident, kills her landlord. She tries to dump to body before her wedding but that's not as easy as expected. Very colorful and goofy, the film reminded me of Survive Style 5+ more than once, only Killer Virgin Road isn't quite as flawless in its execution.
A pretty deceptive doc that's not so much about Bill Nye as it is about climate change and its deniers. It's another good example of why science does such a terrible job crushing these people, but in that it's far from alone and it really adds very little to the conversation. Suffers from terrible focus and it's very uninformative.
A sports drama with some nostalgia added to the mix. Weeds on Fire is about the first Hong Kong baseball team and while there is some historic accuracy, the film can't escape the predictable narrative that plagues so many similar films. It's not a terrible watch, just a very plain and uneventful one.
A Philippine action film that tries to deliver, but can't quite match its Indonesian peers. While the setting is nice and the film looks moody and colorful, the action is rather plain and unconvincing. The camera work is a let-down and the score is way too cheesy. It's a decent crime flick, but the action makes it look cheap.
A bog-standard Hollywood romcom with a poor Ryan Reynolds, an intolerably Breslin and some extremely predictable plot twists and turns. It's a film that is void of charm and chemistry as it plainly goes through the motions. Even though it clearly didn't lack the budget, it just about lacks everything else.
Kirk Wong tries to make a fun, hip and dashing action flick, but he clearly lacks the talent. Bad acting, cheesy styling and some less than stellar comedy hamper this simple genre film. Wong's good intentions and devout persistence to make it work are admirable, but it's a shame it never results in a good film.
Yan Han does an urban fantasy/sci-fi mix, supervised by Sion Sono. The result is a mad blend of China and Japan that is a little inconsistent in places, but scores points by being wildly creative and visually stunning. Yan Han is quickly outgrowing his status of upcoming talent and is turning into a genre leader.
Eli Roth following in Rodriguez' footsteps. This "horror for kids" is pretty plain though. Sets and production design are nice enough, but all the rest is incredibly childish, unimaginative and boring. The fact that its based on a book is no excuse. It's a shame because it's clear this material deserved better.
Slightly older Doremus film. It's a little less refined, a little less headstrong, but the base quality is already present. Romance through body language and subtle gestures, rather than sweeping sentiment. Jones and Yelchin are perfect, their perils unjust and disheartening. A very nice film indeed, but Doremus would get better still.
A mushy feel-good film where all men are gentlemen and women are successful CEOs. There's a little chemistry between De Niro and Hathaway, but it's mostly just a lot of wishful thinking and unpleasant melodrama. I'm not the target audience, clearly, but at least the first 30 minutes had a few good snickers.
Lion is a well-made film, but terribly sentimental. The film is technically accomplished I guess, though without any stand-out moments. But it doesn't really matter, since it's all about overstated emotions, soggy soundtracks and heart-wrenching moments. Not my cup of tea I'm afraid, I was glad it finally ended.
A fine sequel. Denzel Washington returns as the good-natured but deadly killer, Fuqua is visibly at ease doing this kind of action work. The action scenes are stylish, the mood is dark enough and the action is on point. 120 minutes is a bit much though and there aren't any standout moments, but it's good filler.
Brazilian prisons are popular film and docu material. Carandiru takes its time to introduce a rather broad main cast and builds up towards a violent showdown in the second half. There are some good moments here, but also some less that stellar melodrama that makes it hard to become fully captivated by the film.