Log: week 5 / 2020
A pretty typical "middle-aged people throw one last party" flick. Fey and Poehler are very nice together though and there are some solid jokes there, even though not everything works. Rudolph and Barinholtz are respectable in secondary parts. Not the greatest comedy ever, but pretty decent comedy filler nonetheless.
Armageddon: The Great Battle with Genma
Very bombastic and completely over the top. It felt like a mix of Dragon Ball Z and Akira, rightfully considered an anime classic though a little overlooked in recent years. The animation looks nice, the plot is insane and the action is loud and bold. Not quite consistent throughout, but definitely worth a watch if you haven't seen it already.
Scheinert goes solo. Not sure if it's that or if he just wanted to try something different this time around, but the low-key dark humour and the lack of absurd elements makes for a way less spectacular film. It's not bad, decently acted and dark enough for a couple of grim grins, but in the end it's just not all that memorable.
Fun, amusing and Andersonesque WWII comedy. Waititi clearly had a lot of fun playing Hitler, the rest of the cast was visibly enjoying themselves too. The jokes are funny, the drama is decent, the setup feels original. Somehow I got the feeling the film didn't use its full potential, but it's definitely a recommended watch.
I'm not quite sure where the hype for this one came from. It's a rather basic crime flick that fails to stand out at all. Think Ritchie's Snatch in New York, with worse characters, duller direction and an overrated central performance. It's not the most terrible film, but it's not one I'm going to remember for a long time to come. Too plain.
On paper a pretty basic serial killer film, but both Aikawa and Nishijima are on a roll and Zeze's subdued direction helps a lot to make this film stand out from the crowd. It's not a true classic, for that it's still too much of a typical genre exercise, but it's very solid filler that underlines Zeze's talent as a director.
A strange mix of supernatural, thriller and documentary elements. Sono crashes an Avril Lavigne fan contest and weaves his own story through it. The result is a little messy and the film doesn't feel very polished, but it's an intriguing mess that did keep me engaged from start to finish. Far from Sono's best, but decent filler nonetheless.
Surprisingly small and understated black and white drama by Tsutsumi. After a bunch of high-profile blockbusters he probably needed to do this, the biggest surprise is that he actually managed to pull it off. This is a sweet, endearing and well-directed film that lingers well beyond its end credits.
Fun and capable horror film. Definitely not the most original of films, but the lore is interesting enough and the direction is well above average. Decent acting, fine camerawork and moody settings make this perfect horror filler material. Whatever you do though, don't watch the English dub because that's a complete abomination.
The first half hour feels incredibly staged (which it was) and fake (which clearly wasn't the goal). The second part introduces some much-needed dramatic tension and is a bit more demanding, but overall this is a pretty dull feature that does little justice to the work and the many sacrifices these people had to make.
A trio of horror shorts linked together by their use of cam footage. The first short is pretty interesting, featuring no audible dialogue and monochrome images. The second (and longest) short is rather plain though and the last one is simply ridiculous. Not a terrible anthology, but Sippapak and Moeithaisong have made better films together.
Lupin III: Legend of the Gold of Babylon
A typical Lupin adventure, made slightly more interesting by Seijun Suzuki's involvement and a very strong 70s vibe that runs through the film. It doesn't change too much about the core of Lupin though. Silly, over-the top action, a charming set of characters and one-dimensional bad guys. A fun diversion, but nothing more.
Experimental 60s film, notorious for being banned (obscenity cited as the main reason). That's about its only claim to glory, because it has completely lost its shock value since then, the image quality is absolutely atrocious and the soundtrack is a terrible drag. Might have been a real hoot in its time, but it's utterly lame by modern standards.
Clearly the budget wasn't there to do justice to this story, but the film does feel quite adventurous and both Jones and Redmayne put in very solid performances. It takes a while to get going, but the second half had me pretty captivated. A pretty decent and agreeable Amazon Original, but it would've benefited from the full blockbuster treatment.
A pretty lackluster start to Ronny Yu's solo career. This is a rather dull police thriller, with a serial killer on the hunt for prostitutes. The action scenes are dim, the murders are boring and the investigation feels mandatory. It's not uncommon for Hong Kong directors to start their careers on low-end productions to learn the tricks of the trade, this is one of those film.
Cute but somewhat derivative comedy about a samurai who wakes up in modern times. The film is very lighthearted, the actors do a decent job and there are some solid jokes, but this has been done many times before, often a lot better too (think the Termae Romae series). It's sweet and unobtrusive filler, but not all that memorable.
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? - Arrow of the Orion
The animation is solid and the art style is nice, but the characters feel rather flat and the mix of fantasy, comedy and action isn't all that original. In the end this was just a very average anime with an above-average budget. Unless you're new to the genre there are no surprises here, but at least it's short and pretty to look at.
Like many experimental films, a very singular concept stretched endlessly. A 45-minute long (edited) zoom with a single tone growing louder and louder. It might've been grating and daring in the 60s, it's incredibly dull and lifeless by modern standards. Hard to sit through not because of its experimental nature, but because its faded impact.
A fine blend of comedy and drama, revolving around a couple of soon to be parents looking for a place to settle. The road movie-like structure fits the topic and Krasinski and Rudolph are both perfect, but the film is a bit on the safe side and feels rather inconsequential, while Mendes was clearly aiming for something deeper. Still, not a bad watch.