Log: week 16 / 2020

A film that tries pretty hard, but fails to deliver. The fact that it's a cut-and-paste job of other horror films isn't even all that problematic, the incredibly poor and lifeless execution is though. The acting is bad, the horror cues are lazy and the ghost is just plain silly. Unless you're absolutely starved for horror, there is not much here.

Another Jane Austin adaptation. The romance and drama didn't make much of an impression, but the quirky portrayal of the characters and the light-hearted tone of the film made it quite bearable. I'm still not a big fan of this genre, but at least it's not as bad as many others and it does add a novel twist.

A pretty basic Blumhouse production that gets a bit better during the second half and actually has a pretty neat ending. The cast is mediocre and the setup is quite lame, but at least there are some nasty kills and the ending finds a smart balance between predictability and surprise. Not very memorable, but it is solid filler.

A pretty crazy film, this one. She Never Died brings an odd mix of crime, horror and fantasy elements, and delivers them with a surprising lightness. It's an interesting blend and it's Cummings' achievement for making this work, though the superb performance of Adeliyi definitely helped. Recommended, if you like a bit of weirdness.

A rather predictable and expected entry in the City Hunter franchise. It's fun and light entertainment, but I'm pretty certain that this material works better in a 45-minute format. There's a bit too much filler and it takes a little too long before the action takes over, but all in all it's not a bad film. Just not very memorable.

Interesting biopic on Osamu Dazai, one of Japan's famous writers. Like many of its peers, Ninagawa's film exploits the scandals around its central figure rather than laud its subject with praise and admiration, but that just makes things more interesting. Add the beautiful cinematography, a fine score and a superb cast and you have another winner.

A light and breezy drama that gets just a little too heavy-handed when it tries to flesh out its themes. It's not a major complaint though, because the cinematography is nice, the score is beautiful and the cast does a great job. At its best the film is warm and effortless, sadly the quality level isn't quite constant enough.

Sobering behind-the-scenes documentary. There's no glitz and glamour here, just down-to-earth work stuff in a world overflowing with mental instability. It's honestly not all that surprising, nor eye-opening, but it is a good reminder that what we see on TV is mostly just smoke and mirrors. Pretty decent.

A rather plain and lazy black stoner comedy. If you think the mere idea of weed is funny, then there might be something here for you. Otherwise, it's just broad stereotypes, mediocre performances and purely functional direction. These types of comedy just aren't my thing, I like Gray better when he's doing action flicks.

At its best, Better Days is a very stylish, gripping and well-made drama. Sadly the way the bullying is handled feels a little flat, which carries through to a somewhat disappointing ending. It's a shame, because the performances are amazing, the cinematography is beautiful and the score is on point. Very good, but could've been better still.

Decent tomb raiding adventure, a genre niche that is incredibly popular in China right now. You can see the TV origins of this spin-off, which some poor CG in places and a very short introduction of the characters, but overall this is a fun, fast-paced and entertaining adventure that is sure to please fans of the genre.

Stylish and atmospheric horror film. Take and old mansion, an eery groundskeeper and two isolated kids and you have all the necessary ingredients for a solid genre flick. The cast does a great job, cinematography and score are top-notch and the ending is ambiguous enough. An easy recommend for horror fans.

The third film is just more of the same. The same kind of comedy, the same poor attempts to make fun of uncomfortable scenes, the same characters with the same quirks. The actors do a slightly better job compared to earlier films, on the other hand it all starts to feel a little too familiar. Not very good.

Kurosawa is struggling lately. His latest is an interesting attempt to bring two nations together, but the result is equal amounts culture clash and xenophobia, that doesn't have much to add to what's already out there. There are some individual scenes that stick out, but overall it's just very basic and expected.

A poor crime/thriller by Cheh Chang. The action scenes are decent but not all that noteworthy, and they are few and far between. The thriller and crime elements are poor though and tend to drag. The film is too long, has pacing issues and a cast that can't make an impression. Definitely not Chang's best work.

The puppet designs are rather fun and creative, but Schmoeller is a poor director and struggles to make sense of this pretty basic film. The cast isn't doing him any favors either and the horror bits are ridiculous instead of frightening. With a little effort this could've been a fun flick, but the quality just wasn't there.

Incredibly cheap and amateurish. The robots look childish, the cast is terrible and even though it's a very simple film, half of it doesn't seem to make any sense. Even the short running time doesn't feel like a redeeming quality. Unless you're truly in love with the 80s, or you just have a thing for extremely cheesy horror film, don't bother.

A decent survival thriller. The introduction is way too long, especially for such a short film, but once the first body drops the film quickly picks up the pace. A snowy setting, solid actors and some nice survival warfare scenes provide good genre thrills. In the end this is a pretty basic thriller, but with enough flair for those who want some proper genre filler.