Log: week 12 / 2020

A decent reboot of the Universal classic. There are some moments where it feels a little too much like a 90s TV thriller, but Leigh Whannell's direction is solid and the film is tense when it needs to be. Maybe a bit long and at least one plot twist too much, but there's some good fun to be had with this one.

Kim Ki-duk reinventing himself. Human, Space, Time and Human isn't a typical character drama, instead it's a violent allegory not quite unlike Aronofsky's Mother! Raw, unflinching and dark, but also intriguing, powerful and one of a kind. No doubt one of his most divisive films, but I was pleasantly surprised by this one.

Goofy, fun and pleasantly short City Hunter special. All the familiar ingredients are present, but I'm certain people unfamiliar with the franchise will have little trouble catching on. A fine blend of action and comedy, decent animation and an explosive finale make for an easy and entertaining diversion.

The final 20 minutes provide some crazy, over-the-top horror fun, it's just that the 75 minutes leading up it weren't half as entertaining. The film is too easy to read, the actors are pretty bad and the wait for the finale is tiresome, but at least this film delivers at the end. Sadly it's not enough to fully redeem this mess.

Interesting documentary on the recent, accelerated evolution of humankind. The presentation is nice, the film touches on some very interesting ideas and there's a welcome variety of angles. Sadly it's also a very short doc and there isn't enough time to really dig into any of the subjects. This should've been twice or three times as long. Good though.

Cheesy, cheap and dull horror flick. Poor performances, lame kills and a random not-quite-zombies meets rave plot fail to get this film off the ground. Also, an absolutely trite soundtrack for a film like this, you have to wonder if director Pucher ever came close to an actual rave. Pretty bad across the board.

Fun but rather basic documentary that follows the rise of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her fight against the establishment. Three other women were being followed too, but they're getting notably less air time. It's nice to see director Lears sticking to pure documentation (so no direct interviews), but in the end it's just not that special.

A decent medical drama that tries to touch on some sensitive subjects (i.e. the divide between life and death and the dark side of hope), but turns to sentimentality later on. Tsutsumi is a decent director and keeps his film on the rails at all times, it's just a shame that the potential wasn't used to the fullest.

Some familiar faces (Man-Tat Ng and a very young Louis Koo) can't save this cheesy and juvenile comedy. The acting is well over-the-top, the situational humour isn't funny and the film looks incredibly cheap. At least it's short and upbeat, which makes it somewhat watchable, but unless you're a hardcore HK comedy fan it's probably better to stay away from this one.

Pretty much on the same level as the first film. It's all very silly and easy, not to mention a little cheap, but Carrey's commitment saves the film. Not too long, good for a few chuckles and well over-the-top. It's a carbon copy of what made the first film work, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

A clear play adaptation, for which they only switched out the stage with some real settings and left it at that. If you care for the characters, the dialogue or the central moral conundrum that's probably not too big of an issue, if not then this is a dire, dull and lifeless production that lacks any kind of cinematic appeal.

Decent To/Ka-Fai collaboration, but a little too safe and expected to compete with their high profile work. It's obvious the film was made by competent people with a long history in the business, but maybe that's finally starting to work against To, as there are very few surprises left. Still, the execution was top-notch, so To fans should surely seek it out.

Goofy comedy that rests completely on the shoulders of Jim Carrey. It's a good thing Carrey goes completely over the top then, because that's exactly what this film needed. It's still not the greatest comedy ever, but it's amusing, short and good for a couple of chuckles. A solid option if you're desperate for some laughs.

Extremely long and repetitive doc that drowns in inconspicuous details. The idea is nice enough (let people who lived through the ordeal tell their story), but the interviews are tedious, the translator/overdub is maddening and the pacing is absolutely sluggish. You could probably edit it down to a solid 2-hour doc, but this was excruciating.

Flashy, high octane action/crime flick. Performances are a bit basic and the plot is nothing special, but Kramer's direction keeps the tension high and is showy in all the right places. It's a shame Hollywood eventually backtracked on this edgier type of action films, but at least they left us with some prime genre films.

I love cats, but his documentary was absolutely dreadful. Full of people who talk unironically about "content creation" and "building the brand", failing to grasp the utter bullshit they are proclaiming. There's a little info about the history of internet cat fame, but it's mostly just senseless Instagram masturbation. Disgusting.

A fine ending to the series, though not quite as good as the earlier entries. The move to America isn't doing the film any favors and the bad guy lacks charisma. Luckily Yen is impressive and Yip's direction is solid as ever. But this fourth part isn't really pushing the boundaries anymore, which is why it felt just a little lazy at times.

Decent anime feature. Part of a bigger franchise, but works well as a stand-alone film. The animation is pretty solid and the action sequences are cool, the characters, art style and plot on the other hand are a bit basic and could've used a little extra attention. Pretty good filler for when you're short on anime films.

Cute and quirky film about a man who floats. The low-key fantasy elements are fun and the romantic drama that stems from them is effective. The actors do a solid job, there's a welcome visual charm and while a tad predictable, the film was engaging enough to keep my attention. A very sweet and commendable film.

Eggers' choice to make this look like a classic arthouse film will no doubt please many, but I didn't appreciate the 4:3 and somewhat muddy black and white cinematography. Dafoe is great, Pattinson is not, neither is the tepid story that develops. The first half, which was actually quite light in tone, is by far the best part of the film. Not ideal for a mystery/thriller.