Log: week 40 / 2020

When a successful sprinter fails to quality for the Olympics, he isn't willing to let go just yet. He finds an opportunity to qualify as a bobsledder. The problem is that he doesn't have a coach, he doesn't have any teammates, and he's never even seen a bobsled before. But you know how it'll pan out.

Turteltaub's direction is pretty decent, with the help of four jolly Jamaicans and John Candy as their coach the atmosphere remains light and agreeable, even when there's the occasional drama to get past. The film is relatively short, the pacing is fine and there are some giggles along the way. The ending it trite though, but on the whole it could've been a lot worse.

The story revolves around Tristana, a young girl who is taken in by an old (and rather shabby) aristocrat. She is thankful for his help, but doesn't really appreciate his romantic advances. Even though she complies, there's a part of her that wants a different life, which she hopes to find with a local painter.

The cinematography is pretty dim, characters are rather stoic and the film seems void of any emotion. Characters are very talkative though and mostly express what they're feeling, which isn't really something I appreciate. The second half's a little better and the short runtime makes it bearable, but otherwise not a very interesting film.

After a short prelude that introduces us to the lethal skills of Ali, we see her take on a job as doorman in New York. It's easy money, as the building is closing for renovations. Only a few residents remain, but when a crew of criminals take over the building Ali is going to need all her wits to get out of there alive.

Performances are mediocre, even Jean Reno has trouble lending his character the necessary flair. Ruby Rose is a decent fighter but doesn't really have the charisma to lead an action film. The action itself is pretty decent though and the pacing is solid, but the film never rises above the level of decent action filler. I expect more from Kitamura.

The flying guillotine is a crucial tool in the arsenal of the emperor. He trains his best men to handle the weapon and sends them on a mission to kill his adversaries. One of the soldiers finds out the targets are innocent, but he is branded a rebel and expelled from the team. Revenge you say? Of course.

The presentation is solid, but nothing too exceptional, especially when you're familiar with the Shaw Bros films. The typical sets and characters (/actors) are present, fight choreographies are decent but nothing you haven't seen before and the plot is just an excuse for some battles. So yeah, a flying guillotine, pretty cool. The rest is merely decent.

On the contrary, The Big Heat is a pretty standard noir flick. When a respected police man kills himself, there are no clues as to why he did it. Inspector Dave Bannion is put on the case and it's no surprise that he discovers it isn't just a regular suicide. A typical noir plot in other words.

The films rarely goes beyond living rooms and bars, people jabber on endlessly and from time to time someone gets killed. The performances are terribly wooden though, the atmosphere is very minimal and I really didn't care for any of the twists. At least the film was rather short, but with nothing there to keep my attention, that didn't offer much consolation.

Blind Shaft is a film that neatly fits this niche. The focus lies on rural China, the plight of its people and their struggles with the industrialization of their land. In this case, a mining outfit that can hardly keep its head above water and treats its workers like animals. If you're in the mood for a hefty dose of social critique, better strap in.

The film looks pretty bland (which comes with the territory), performances are mediocre and the pacing is slow. There are some crime elements that try to liven things up, but they're only mildly successful. If you like the films of Zhangke Jia this comes recommended, personally I grew tired of this type of cinema years ago.

The plot revolves around a soldier who crashes his plane and ends up in a hospital, unable to remember his identity. The nurse that takes care of him is interested in his case and slowly the patient starts to piece together the history that landed him in the hospital. It's a familiar setup and one that could offer the necessary intrigue, but director Minghella fails to deliver.

It's hard to pick the film's worst characteristic, but it's either the score or the performances. The music is hellish and utter kitsch, performances are wooden and clumsy. The cinematography isn't much to look at either and the romance is a dud. All of that makes that the sluggish pacing is the final nail in the coffin.

That is to say, a film that tries to sell itself as a horror film. The setup is endless and lasts almost a full hour. There are two effective twists to break up the monotony, but that was hardly enough to keep my attention. And when the horror part starts, it turns out this is really just a badly filmed thriller.

Performances are mediocre, the camera work is bland and the plot will trample your suspension of disbelief. What bugged me the most though was the constant repetition and hammering on political arguments that have been the subject of online culture wars for years now. I left the theater utterly annoyed, which is pretty rare even for me.

Lack of consistency is often seen as a weak point of anthologies, personally I love the versatility they bring. That's my only real critique here. While there are a few highlights and no real disappointments, I expected a bit more variation in themes and styles. It too often feels like there's just one typical 21st century girl, which is highly doubtful.

My main takeaway from this film is that Yuki Yamato is by far one of the most promising young directors working in Japan today. I instantly recognized her short and it's easily the stand-out of the bunch. The rest of the women deliver solid films, and they all deserve their shot at a full-length feature. For an anthology though, I expected a tad more creativity.

Kazuhiko has just graduated from one of the top universities in Japan, but lands himself a job at a local bath house where he sits behind the counter and cleans the bath area. Until one evening, when he discovers that the bath house is used as a place to kill people and get rid of their corpses.

Performances are decent and the premise is interesting enough. The styling is rather plain though and the film's a little long-winded. It seems director Tanaka relied a bit too much on the fun setup and got a little lazy with the execution. It's not bad for a first film, it's just not all that remarkable.

Chaplin plays a help at the Evergreen Hotel in the idyllic town of Sunnyside. Safe to say, Chaplin isn't all that helpful. He's lazy, he messes up his chores and annoys the customers. The only thing that keeps him going is Edna, but when a city boy arrives in the town Edna quickly falls for his charms.

The bottom line is that I'm simply not a slapstick fan. I can stomach it combined with some action and stunt work, but when it's just slapping gags and expressive gestures, I get annoyed in no time. The fact that Chaplin keeps recycling gags and characters only makes it worse.

The film follows Geng Hao, a cyclist with notorious bad luck. After winning the silver medal in a race, a sleazy businessman exploits him and Hao gets banned from cycling for use amphetamines. It's the start of a series of unfortunate events that involves serial killers, drug dealers and a couple with serious marital problems.

The film looks very slick and stylish, Bo Huang is perfect for his role here and even though quite a few people die, there's plenty of comedy to keep it light. I really have nothing bad to say about this film, except that Ning did everything just that little better in No Man's Land. Recommended if you like dark comedies.

Something weird is going on in '50s New Mexico. On a cool summer night, with half the town cheering for a local basketball game, a telephone station starts receiving weird calls and signals. Is it aliens, or are the town folk just freaking themselves out over nothing? You'll just have to watch the film to find out.

Because we're following a radio host and telephone operator, most of the information we're getting is second hand. It's a pretty cheap solution when you want to skimp on special effects, but it's also a great way to build up tension. There are some very moody scenes here, personally I think Patterson could've gone even further with it, but it makes for a fun and entertaining sci-fi flick.

My problem with Let the Corpses Tan is that I feel nothing for the film's influences. Cattet/Forzani are known for paying homage to cult/pulp of the 60s, 70s and 80s (think grindhouse, spaghetti westerns, Giallo), genres and eras I dislike with a vengeance. They don't really modernize these influences, but instead of tipping a hat or two, every single scene, every single moment is a hyper-stylized reference.

Cattet and Forzani take the ugliest cinema I know and do the coolest things with it. It's the weirdest feeling, I'm used to liking/disliking certain aspects of a film, but never at the same time and for the entire length of the film. It's cinema that deserves to be watched though. Completely unique, insanely stylized and impossible to compare with anything else out there. One of the most memorable films I've ever seen, but not a personal favorite.

The Bride from Hell is basically an exercise in making horror on a martial arts foundation. The sets, setting, characters, plot ... they're all vintage Shaw Bros. The only difference is that one of the characters is a ghost and that they added some green lights for effect. That's really not enough.

The setup is pretty decent, but when it comes to the horror elements it's simply not convincing. Later Shaw Bros films would do more with effects and gore, but even Chor's fantasy work looks creepier than this. It's a good thing the film is rather short, but the finale leaves something to be desired.

If that sounds like some quick/cheap critique on the Instagram generation, rest assured that director Kushida's approach is way more nuanced than that. There are roughly four stories here, each of them showing the power and possibilities of modern photography, but also the pitfalls of losing yourself in your own enhanced reality.

Performances are great, with Otaki and Nagai in stand-out roles. The styling is interesting too, but a little inconsistent. Kushida makes a real effort to spruce up the audiovisual experience, it's just a little too confined to individual scenes. Still, a very promising first feature, I'm pretty confident Kushida is bound to direct a masterpiece if he perseveres.

A young American couple plans a trip to Georgia for some prime snowboarding action. When they arrive at their hotel, they are notified the black ridge is closed for public. Unfazed by this news, they hire a chopper and take on the adventure anyway. Safe to say that wasn't the smartest thing to do.

The setup is perfect for a film like this. Snowy mountain ranges, two people in the wilderness on the other side of the planet and no help in sight. Add some creepy locals and you have everything you need for an amusing horror film. Proper styling, solid performances and a moody setting make this perfect filler.

The film offers a pretty basic crime story, with two criminals trying to flee their destiny. They end up in Taiwan together and meet up with a local waitress. The three of them take a little road trip that becomes a transformative journey, but in the end they can't escape their own demons.

Performances are amazing, with Tsumabuki, Toyokawa and Nikki Hsieh (glad to see she's still around) doing stellar work. Hanno makes great use of the Taiwanese setting and the pacing is pleasantly lazy. Somewhat surprisingly it's the soundtrack that doesn't quite fit and trips up the otherwise great atmosphere. You'd think Hanno would've nailed that part, but in the end that's what keeps this film from becoming a true masterpiece. The potential is definitely there, so looking forward to his next film.

There have been countless war docs since, what I appreciate about Capra's take is that it's very short and to the point. It's one of the best recaps detailing the start of World War II I've come across, which makes it an excellent introduction for people unfamiliar with the details of the war.

On the other hand, for someone my age, who has seen more than his fair share of WWII documentaries, there isn't that much here. Some cute animations, clear language and solid pacing make sure it's watchable, but content-wise it's all very basic. Not bad, but hard to recommend unless you're clueless about WWII.

The film isn't your typical less is more, black-haired ghost horror, instead it's a more fantastical kind of horror that offers a mix of modern and traditional Japanese horror elements. The story about an ongoing curse feels contemporary, but the characters and moody kills hark back to the classier horror of the past.

The film looks pretty nice (safe some poor CG moments), performances are solid and the mix of fantasy and horror offers a nice change of pace. I wasn't a big fan of the setting (the Japanese pop scene isn't all that interesting), but it hardly affected the film. One of Shiraishi's better films.

The film follows the hardships of Arvin Russell, a young boy who got more than his fair share of bad luck. His family is struck by poverty and disease, whatever good thing he has going for himself gets destroyed by people with ill intentions. But Arvin is a tough kid and whenever the world lets him down, he fights back.

There's a lot of drama and sadness here, but in the end it's not a very depressing film. The characters are all slightly larger than life, the thriller/revenge elements are rather juicy and the pacing is quite strict. The film may be 140 minutes long, but it never drags. An interesting film, the 60s rural US setting may not be my favorite but I had a pretty good time with this one.

The art style is quite nice, also very different, which gives the film a unique look. The animation though is almost nonexistent. The camera is extremely static, pretty much every action shot is a cheap effect (or is simply cut from the film) and character animations are chunky. I assume it's made to be like this for a reason, but if it's a matter of skill, then they shouldn't even have considered doing it as an animated film. It's just painful to watch.

The plot is decent, but nothing special. A typical crime tale where different parties are trying to get a bag of money. The dub is okay, but not spectacular, the soundtrack is moody but limited. It's a good thing that the film is quite short, it's certainly a novel experience, but please get some decent animators next time.

There's nothing wrong with the action scenes. There's plenty of them, they're pretty dynamic and Chan is allowed to shine whenever he's featured. They're not quite as creative as Chan's best work, and they don't really set themselves apart for the Shaw Bros work, but the action was more than adequate.

The problem is that the filler in between is way too serious. Chan's known for combining action and comedy, but the plot is pretty grave and Lo has no time for comedic interludes. It drags the film down, as the actors aren't that capable and the plot is extremely thin. This should've been a lot more fun, it's a shame Lo didn't see that.

The Edge of Seventeen doesn't bring anything new to the table. Nadine looks like any regular teen who has a hard time growing up. The situation at home isn't perfect, she feels ill at ease with herself and while the world around her moves forward, she doesn't have a particular goal in life.

The direction is okay, but hardly remarkable. Performances are decent, but nothing noteworthy. There's a little comedy to take the edge of the drama and the ending is quite hopeful, but these are all things you could've guessed without having seen the film. It's not bad, just extremely by the numbers.