Log: week 46 / 2020

A film about the life of George M. Cohan, a musical director, actor and dancer who, after going through his fair share of trouble, made it big and received a medal for his exceptional career. That's two full hours of song and dance with James Cagney, an actor who couldn't really sing or dance.

If it would've been Astaire and Crosby, it might've been a bit easier to swallow, these guys have charm and can actually do this kind of thing. Cagney is just completely terrible here. That and the fact that I got a little nauseous from so much love for a land that isn't mind made this one of the worst things I sat through in quite a while.

Bullock is a little Goody Two-Shoes, Grant is the wealthy CEO of the company that wants to redevelop the neighborhood Bullock grew up in. He ends up hiring her, but because they're two very different characters they don't really get along. Though if you've seen a romcom or two, you'll know where this is headed.

There's a little chemistry between Bullock and Grant, but not really enough to carry the film. The plot is basic, the comedy is predictable and the film is so slick that you have to wonder how many committees were involved to make sure no people would be offended by this film. Oh, and there's also director Marc Lawrence. Not sure what he did.

Kei Nobata is a pharmacist obsessed with his job, so much in fact that it greatly influences the upbringing of his daughter (Nanase). He hopes she will follow in his footsteps, but when she goes through puberty she rebels against her dad and joins a death metal band. Then her father suddenly dies and Nanase will have to decide how to live the rest of her life.

With people like Shin'ichi Tsutsumi, Naoto Takenaka and Lily Franky on board, you don't have to worry about the performances. The cinematography is also very clean and polished, the gags are fun and the pacing is perfect. The whole death metal thing misses the mark though, but that's not too surprising. Japan doesn't do music very well. It's a small hiccup in an otherwise fun and entertaining film.

Set during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, private detective Yoyo and inspector Teddy Robin join a resistance group that aims to infiltrate the Japanese forces. Their goal is to steal the formula for the atomic bomb before it gets into the hands of the Japanese emperor. Don't expect historic accuracy, this is purely played for laughs.

Performances are good (if you can stand the typical Hong Kong overacting that is), the comedy is silly but fun, the pacing is perfect and there's quite a bit of variation to keep things interesting. The direction is mostly functional and it never reaches the heights of a Stephen Chow comedy, but if you're in the mood for light entertainment it's a solid choice.

The film focuses on the romance between poet John Keats and girl next door Fanny. Fanny's mom isn't a big fan of the relationship and tries to separate the two, but their love runs deep. But then Keats becomes ill and it looks like their love really isn't meant to be. It's a typical sob story.

Campion's direction is unremarkable, the performances are decent but rather restrained and safe a few beautiful scenes outside, there really isn't much of note here. The romance really didn't do it for me, the drama didn't hit the right marks and more than once it felt too much like cheap sentiment. Not very good.

Princess Shizu's family is completely annihilated, but she's the ultimate target. As she flees, she runs into Shinbei, a low-ranking and inexperienced samurai. He vows to protect her, to do that he has to find the eight dog-warriors before he can face Tamazusa, the leader of the gang that is after Shizu.

The sets look lush and expensive, the props (and monsters) on the other hand look rather fake. It makes for a weird mix of camp and blockbuster cinema that's pretty fun to watch. Performances are decent, the lore is pretty cool and even though the film is a bit too long, it never gets boring. Cool but cheesy.

Humble Grove is a dump amidst an area of expensive skyscrapers. The problem is that the residents don't want to move. The boss of a wealthy conglomerate has already tried everything, his final bet is hiring two guys to dress up as ghosts in an attempt to scare the tenants away. The tenants don't scare that easy though, and they hire a ghostbuster to help with their problem.

Goldbuster is a full-on Hong Kong comedy, which means it's knowingly daft, silly and over-the-top. A bit more surprising is the lush cinematography, not really what I expected from a film like this, but it really elevates the production. No doubt niche material, but if you're looking for a laugh and you can appreciate colorful and polished visuals, this comes warmly recommended.

Zhivago, a promising young man, sees his life uprooted by World War I and the October Revolution. He marries and wants to dedicate his life to his family, but politics keep getting in the way of their plans to lead a peaceful life. A story quite epic in scope, though in the end it's really just a simple romance.

Performances are pretty poor, even ignoring the terrible casting choices for a moment. The story has its ups and down, but with more than 200 minutes to sit through there are too many parts that drag. The cinematography can be quite impressive, though it borders on kitsch. Let's call it a typical Lean film then.

Sonic ends up on Earth after he's chased down by evil forces on his planet. He hides in the woods, but he feels lonely and yearns for a friend. When an outburst of anger causes a power outage, Dr Robotnik is put on the case. He's on Sonic's tail in no time, luckily Sonic gets help from a friendly police man who is willing to protect him.

The story is nonsensical, the comedy is terrible, Sonic looks cheap and the pop references are completely mundane. Very little is down with Sonic's video game origins, instead he's rocking to Queen, and we get to listen to Star Wars tunes. Why, I don't know. This was just a great, big, unattractive mess, here's to hoping they don't make a sequel.

Earl is an old man, abandoned by his family because he cares more for his plants than he cares for them. When his granddaughter is about to get married, Earl wants to redeem himself by chipping in to pay for the wedding. Having no money though, he starts working for a Mexican cartel, smuggling drugs with his truck.

The setup isn't too bad and similar to Gran Torino, there's some sly comedy where Eastwood seems to be having a little fun with his reputation. But the second half is way too sentimental, the plot gets dragged out and the film quickly loses steam. Not his worst feature, but I think it would be better if he'd just call it quits.

A budding teen idol gets bitten by a zombie. That gives her 72 hours to find a solution, before she turns into a zombie herself. She hires a private detective to help her look for a cure, but all they have to go on is a shady magazine. Meanwhile, she has an army of zombie hunters on her tail.

Don't expect to make much sense out of this film. Everything is played for laughs, director Kumagai's approach is throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks. There are some nice ideas here, but the actors are poor, the cinematography looks cheap and the effects are second rate. Makes me yearn for the good old day, but at least there's some solid fun to be had.

Mildred flees her house after her husband is killed. She picks up an old friend, lures him to her house and tries to frame him for the murder. Once at the station, she finds out the police found another culprit. Overwhelmed by guilt, Mildred opens up to her interrogator and reveals what really happened that night.

Mildred Pierce is two hours of narrative. Just endless dialogues, mediocre performances, lazy writing and very little in the way of cinematic prowess. Just a handful of moments where the black & white cinematography makes a positive impression, otherwise this was a pretty boring film. Not my kind of cinema.

That isn't to say there's some relevant social critique here. The film starts in 2067, showing our planet (and humanity) on the verge of destruction due to the environmental stress that we put it through. Our only chance of survival is a contraption that acts as a time machine, chasing a mysterious message from the future.

The setup is pretty great, though I was a little disappointed it quickly devolved into another time loop mystery. That's not a spoiler mind, the film is eager to reveal this early on. Performances are decent and the CG is passable, the story is a bit bland though and the score is way too bombastic. The potential was there to be better, but because films like these are so rare nowadays I still had a lot of fun with it.

The first part is mostly focused on the actual disaster, the second part digs around in past failings and the long-lasting impact on the people who suffered through this event. Lee is smart enough to let different people give their version of the story, so it's not just endless complaining/blaming, though in my opinion the balance still felt a little off.

There's also an addendum for those who really love this doc, after four hours though I figured I had a pretty good idea of how this documentary framed the disaster. I would've preferred a slightly more balanced approach and the runtime really is quite excessive, but overall it was a pretty interesting film that is a must for people looking for a thorough look at Hurricane Katrina's history and its aftermath.

Tamon is a security guard tasked with the protection of two prisoners while they're being transported. A sniper gets the better of him though and kills the prisoners. Tamon is fired from his job, but can't deal with the fact that the case was never cleared up. With nothing else to do, he decides to go out and investigate himself.

The stylish black and white cinematography is the clear highlight of this film. Performances are decent but nothing special, the soundtrack doesn't add much and the plot is rather mediocre. It's a good thing the film is short, so there's hardly any time for it to start dragging.

Richard, a college professor, is told he has cancer. He's terminal, and he has only 6 months to live. That prompts him to make some pertinent changes. The masks come off and Richards decides that he'll spend the last months of his life doing as he pleases, even if that leads to confrontation.

What could've been a very sappy and sentimental film ends up being genuinely funny. Depp is perfect for the part, the sly humor works very well and the short bursts of drama give the film a little extra weight. The short runtime is also a blessing. Not quite as sharp as I'd hoped, but a very pleasant surprise.

The Jangsan tiger is a mythological creature that roams the woods around Busan. He can mimic humans in order to lure its prey. Hee-yeon and her family moves to the area to get away from past trauma, but when her husband finds a dead body in a nearby cave, she becomes the target of the demon.

Performances are solid, the cinematography is clean and polished, sound design is good and the mix of drama and horror is just right. The folklore gives it a little edge, but it's not quite enough to make it a true masterpiece. Very nice horror filler though, though don't expect too many scares and gore, it's mostly about mood and atmosphere.

Documentary maker Robert Drew follows around Hubert H. Humphrey and John F. Kennedy during their primary campaign in Wisconsin. A battle between rural and urban democrats, between a man of the people and a more studious, worldly fella. It's a tight race that aptly foreshadows many of American's current political issues.

Primary is a rather pure documentary, not much context is given, the camera is simply there to register what happens. It's the kind of doc I like, but since the material isn't very unique anymore, its appeal has been limited to people with a strong liking for history. There just wasn't much here.

A group of friend is having a post-graduation camping trip. What they don't realize is that there is someone out in the woods who has it out for them. When they wake up, everyone is wearing a vest sporting a countdown timer. This is Battle Royale meets Saw, so let the games begin.

The premise is cool, the presentation is fine too. The plot and character choices are completely nonsensical though and the acting is dead poor. So depending on what you care about the most, this will either be a fun and amusing genre flick, or a piece of irredeemable trash. There's not much middle ground I'm afraid, that said I had a pretty good time with it.

Top Knot Detective is an infamous TV show that was cancelled after just a short period on air, garnering a strong cult following in the years after its cancellation. The star of the show is Takamoto, a self-professed artist who wanted to handle every aspect of the series himself, ultimately landing himself into a lot of trouble.

The presentation is appropriate, actors do a stellar job, the kitsch level of the production is right on point and most jokes hit the mark. It does get a little repetitive after a while and the mockumentary aspect of the film wears a little thin in the final 30 minutes, but otherwise it's pretty amusing and entertaining.

Blim (a poor man) and Gold (a millionaire) switch places after spending a night on the beach. They set up a challenge where the first person to be friendly to Gold (disguised as a beggar) is granted a million franks. The city is in uproar, but it's the humble and selfless Anna who seems to be the front-runner.

Performances are jolly and energetic (which can be a bit much, especially when there are many people present), the plot is simple but amusing and the runtime is perfect. The cinematography is a little dull and the layer of social critique is razor thin, but Camerini kept me engaged all the way through, which isn't bad at all for a film this old.

Fan suffers from schizophrenia. After killing his wife he ends up in the hospital, where he is treated by doctor Chow. After three years of therapy Chow decides it's time to release Fan, assuming he is fully cured. Many people disagree with Chow's choice, but he is confident he made the right assessment.

Ching Wan Lau turns in a great performance, Xiaoming Huang comes off a little too polished. The cinematography is excellent (beautiful use of color and lighting), creating a pretty tense and moody atmosphere. The plot is a bit predictable though and the balance between thriller, mystery and drama elements could've been a bit tighter. Not perfect, but very entertaining.

Annie and Duncan have been a couple for ages, but their relationship isn't going too well. Duncan is too wrapped up in his obsession with the mysterious Tucker Crowe, a musician who dropped one perfect album and disappeared from the Earth after that. Their lives are shaken up when Tucker starts emailing Annie.

Juliet, Naked is a rather basic film, but decent performances, lighthearted drama and pleasant characters make this an fun watch. It's all quite predictable and the film doesn't have any clear highlights, neither is it very memorable or unique, but when in need of romantic filler it's certainly not a bad choice.