Log: week 5 / 2019

Pretty decent. The chemistry between Hepburn and Peppard is what makes this film tick, even though they're both not the most congenial of characters. The drama near the end is a bit overdone though, the more light-hearted start suited the film better. All in all not a bad watch, but far from perfect.

Notable because this is the first Hong Kong drama film directed by a female director, but that's about it. The drama is poor and imposed, the camera work and editing feel extremely amateurish and the ever-present soundtrack is simply maddening. It may deserve its place in history, but it's far from a good film.

Very mediocre action flick. Lundgren is a terrible actor that completely fails his part, Van Damme isn't much better and Walker is completely forgettable. The action is pretty dull, the comic interludes are misplaced and Emmerich has no added value. It spawned plenty of sequels though, but it's just not for me.

Ricky Gervais being Ricky Gervais. Sadly New York isn't the best place for him to be himself. Gervais is so typically British that he doesn't really fare well within an American environment. There are some funny bits, mostly when he's by himself, but whenever he mixes with the rest of the cast the film is just mediocre.

Nifty variation on the zombie genre, borrowing royally from Jurassic Park while taking that idea to some good places. The middle part is less interesting as it devolves into more traditional zombie territory, luckily the ending makes up for that. Great fun, which is pretty exceptional for a zombie flick these days.

Equal parts drama, mystery and horror. This self-funded film rises way above itself to deliver an ethereal yet discomforting experience. Great actors, lush cinematography and a superb score add to the overpowering atmosphere that draws you in right away and doesn't let go until the final notes have died.

Pretty decent anthology that slightly outstays its welcome. Could've done with one less short, though it's pretty hard to say which one should've been cut. The quality is pretty consistent, even though the shorts themselves offer quite a lot of variety. The Body was my favourite short of the bunch, the rest wasn't far behind.

Pretty unattractive and tepid drama by Ann Hui. I'm not getting along very well with Hui's older work, though I had slight hopes because Song of the Exile featured Maggie Cheung. While Cheung's performance is fine, the rest of the film really isn't and even though it's pretty short, it still dragged a lot.

Another health doc that does itself a major disserve by presenting itself like a cheap commercial and by not properly explaining why its proposed science isn't catching on. Also mingling Western and Eastern science is never a good idea. There might be some truth here, I just didn't buy it because of the way it was handled.

Disappointing film from Jiang. The erratic camera doesn't work that well, characters are very loud and obnoxious and the running time is simply inexcusable. There are some decent moments and the use of black and white is fine, but that alone won't save this film. Luckily his more recent work is way better than this.

Decent but somewhat formulaic and slightly uneventful horror film. Like most Chinese horror films, there's a more dramatic undercurrent that somewhat detracts from the horror, but Zhan finds a nice balance between both genres. Inside the Boys is hardly an essential film, but it's good filler nonetheless.