Log: week 14 / 2021

Kidman is an interpreter with a somewhat sketchy past working for the UN. When one night she inadvertently overhears a conversation not meant for her ears, she has to report it, knowing fully well that by doing so she might jeopardize her own future. With only three days to thwart an assassination attempt and with Kidman unable to disclose everything she knows in order to protect the people she loves, the police have their work cut out for them.

Kidman's performance is somewhat impassionate, Penn is a total miscast. The plot is predictable and by the numbers, the cinematography feels dull and with a runtime crossing the 120-minute mark the film has trouble keeping the tension going. This was a poorly executed film, I'd expected a bit more going in.

I even got flashbacks to Bergman's Wild Strawberries, though McCarey's aesthetic and tone isn't quite as highbrow. But the contemplation and whining of two old people who are separated by their children because they're in financial trouble is something that would've been right up Bergman's alley.

The performances are pretty weak, the characters are cardboard and the drama is either timeless or chewed up, depending on your personal preference. For me, it was clearly the latter. A long-winded drama that felt a lot longer that its 90-minute runtime would suggest, certainly not my favorite McCarey.

The film tries to be a funny take on the superhero genre without resorting to outright parody. But as superhero film it's so tepid it makes Marvel look like higher art. And McCarthy's dispirited performance made me wonder whether it was part of her character or if she had simply given up on this film halfway through.

Olivia Spencer, Jason Bateman and the rest of the cast are pretty anonymous. The comedy is very basic and predictable, the action is subpar and the film is at least 15 minutes too long. It looked pretty expensive though, which only makes thing worse. Not worth it, unless you're desperate for some US comedy.

When a young artist discover his idea to create animated short films set to classical music is already been done before, he tries to give his project a novel spin. Things don't quite pan out the way he intended and even though he makes a downright mess of his project, the live audience seems pretty transfixed by the result.

Some of the animated shorts are pretty cool (the march of the animals for example), others are pretty basic and unattractive. The live action inserts vary in quality too. Some of them are fun and inventive, others a little simplistic. It's a bit hit-and-miss from start to finish, but at least it never becomes boring.

A girl turns out excessively pregnant the very next day after losing her virginity. She turns to an old friend and together they visit a free clinic. There, an alien spurts out, which goes on to kill everyone present in the clinic. Together they'll have to fight an old Mayan curse that is about to off half the town.

The comedy isn't very subtle, neither is the horror. Snatchers goes for an even blend of both genres, which will no doubt be a divisive choice. Performances are on point, the horror is pleasantly graphic and there's clear love for the genre. The film is a smidgen too long maybe, but other than that it offers a jolly good time.

The King and the Mockingbird offers an interesting variation on the famous story by Hans Christian Andersen. The premise has remained largely the same, but some retro sci-fi elements add an extra level of intrigue not present in the original story. It retains its fairy tale-like qualities though, meaning it does feel a little shallow.

The animation is pretty delicate, the art style quite distinctive. There are minor Disney influences that detract a little, but they are few and far between. Not everything is equally interesting and the film has some ups and down, but for a 40-year-old animation there are still a good few scenes that stand out. Nice, though a tad overrated.

The premise revolves around night terrors, a subject very much suited for a horror film. Thrown in some retro sci-fi (with strong Cronenberg vibes), lucid realities, a bit of active mindfuckery and a traumatized lead and everything is present for a sublime genre film. Burns did a great job with the setup.

The film oozes atmosphere and there are some truly unsettling moments, but because it never quite gels with the soundtrack the film fails to get really dark, uncanny, uncomfortable and/or whatever else Burns was gunning for. If that sounds negative it's only because it would've been so easy to make this film infinitely better. Films like this one are rare enough as it is, so it's just terribly disappointing to see it mishandled like this. Other than that, this was pretty amazing, from the strong lead performance to the gripping nightmarish visuals.

The plot is a basic good vs bad guy/save the world affair. It finds its origin in Taoism, people familiar with Chinese religion and folklore may get a bit more out of it, but you're basically watching two brothers (and a childhood friend) battling each other to determine the fate of our world.

Settings and costumes are lush, the action looks solid and the CG isn't terrible. There's simply too much of it. Pacing and runtime are perfect for a film like this. The biggest problem is that there are so (so) many of these films nowadays that it's becoming really difficult for directors to differentiate themselves from all the others. Good genre fun though.

Maybe it's because the film is part of a franchise, which may have limited Fukuda's potential, but From Today, It's My Turn offers little more than a basic story about a proper student who ends up in the wrong school and has to fend for himself while gangs fight it out around him.

Compare it to the Cromartie High film, or the more recent High & Low franchise, and this one simply falls short. The characters aren't crazy enough, the plot is just average and the gags are rather predictable. That's not to say there isn't some fun to be had with this one, it's just that Fukuda can do better, especially when handling this type of material.

To impress an older boy, Momose stages a fake relationship with Noboru, a will-less boy from her class. Noboru goes along with the charade, but the more they hang out together and the longer their fake relationship lasts, the more the two begin to develop real feeling for each other. Lots of pining ensues.

Soft piano tunes, sullen-looking characters and bright-colored settings make for a typical romantic drama. The problem is that there's nothing quite distinctive in the execution and it felt like everything had been done before, only better. It's not a terrible film, there's definitely some quality here, it's just too run-of-the-mill to make a real impression.

John Simms is a regular Joe who grows up somewhat protected from the real world. His father hopes/believes John will end up a big deal. When he marries his sweetheart life seems rosy, but after they've moved to the big city (New York in this case) John finds out he's just one of many.

Performances are extremely basic, so is the drama. Everything is spelled out to the extreme, emotions are broad and unsubtle, the dramatic turn of events are predictable to a fault. It's a film that merely goes through the motions. It may have been one of the first to do so, but its motions were never very attractive to begin with. Poor.

A hitman kidnaps two young girls during a job in Bulgaria. One of the girls has a mysterious penchant. When he snatches it off of her, it transports him back in time. The only way to return is to help out some local folk in their quest to beat an evil warlord. Not the most inspired story, but it's decent enough for this type of entertainment.

Dominique Purcell has to carry the film, but he's a pretty dire action hero. His performance is by far the worst part of In the Name of the King 3. The CG is also pretty crummy and the uninspired direction isn't great either, but at least there's some genre fun to be had. Far from a great film, but not quite as bad as some make it out to be.

Sex Family is Wakamatsu's take on the family drama. Of course this is no ordinary family, the issues they face aren't exactly copies from Ozu's films either. But even when its topically every bit as provocative as his 60s work, the film lacks a sense of urgency to set itself apart from his other work.

The black and white cinematography is nice, though not quite as dashing as his better films. The plot and characters are a little meandering and the impact isn't quite as big as Wakamatsu clearly hoped it would be, but the film is short 'n sweet and even when it doesn't really stand out in Wakamatsu's oeuvre, it's still a pretty wicked and crazy film by any other standard.

Krister wakes up in his bathroom, covered in blood. He washes it off, leaves his house and tries to pick up his normal life best as he can. But guilt starts gnawing at him and it's obvious Krister will have to face his demons sooner or later. He returns home and finds his son half-dead in his bed.

Sarri does a great job, especially since the camera stays within close range of him all the time. The mystery is solid and doesn't get weaker, there are some dark, impressive moments, but Ganslandt can't quite keep it up for the entire film. There are a few too many dead moments, other than that it's a great film.

Angel is the singer of a rock band, who gets kidnapped by the legendary rock god Mok. He needs the girl for a satanic ritual, but her band members are determined to chase Mok down and stop him dead in his tracks. It's the kind of plot you could've derived yourself from a random 80s hard rock album cover.

The animation is somewhat decent, but the art style is absolutely poor. The music is horrendous, characters are dumb and the plot is just mind-numbing. It lacks the self-awareness that saved the stuff guys like Tenacious D put out and ends up being a complete joke. I'm not surprised this flopped horrendously, even with the involvement of some famous rock stars.

Wife of a Spy is a rather sluggish and tradition wartime thriller. Yusaku and Satoko are a happy couple, but when Satoko finds out her husband is working against the Japanese government their lives take a big turn. She wants to get involved too, but Yusaku isn't too keen to put his wife in danger.

The performances are decent, Aoi and Takahashi are seasoned actors, but that's not enough to keep this film interesting. The cinematography feels outdated, the plot is predictable and the soundtrack is uninspired. It's yesteryear's cinema, no surprise then it did manage to steal some critical acclaim and festival prizes. Subpar considering all the talented people involved.

It helps if you've seen Citizen Kane and/or have a little knowledge about Hollywood cinema of the 30s and 40s. What really helps though is if you're the type of person that loves these classics as if they were the best thing that ever happened to cinema. That's the target audience of this film, that's who all the fan service is for.

Oldman's overacting is nothing new, the bland gray and white cinematography can't even compete with Kane's, the soundtrack is very present but adds very little and the endless dialogues are so tiring that I'd pretty much had it with this film 30 minutes in. The worst thing Fincher ever made. Successful though, since the Academy wankers gave it an Oscar nomination. Jerks.

The bounty is a set of golden coins that Walter hauled from a sunken chip. After retrieving the coins, they are taken from him by the Spanish government and put in one of the best secured vaults in the world. Walter isn't just going to let this slide though and he assembles a team that'll help him get the coins back.

Way Down is pretty entertaining, but it's clear that Balagueró isn't too familiar with the genre yet. He sticks to what is known to work, but because of that it feels like a pretty basic, predictable film with just a few minor upgrades left and right. The cast is on point, the heist is fun, but there's not enough here that stands out. Decent entertainment.

We follow a son whose father wants him to follow in his footsteps, promoting the Eight Trigram Palm martial arts. The boy obliges, but when he comes into contact with Peking opera he wants to pursue his dream. His father isn't too happy with his choices, but the boy can't help but follow his dream.

Cheung has an eye for beauty, which is a big asset for a film like this. Add some very nice martial arts scenes and you have a good, solid basis for the drama to thrive on, even when it's all quite predictable. The soundtrack isn't too overbearing and performances are decent, it's no true masterpiece though as there's not enough to set it apart from similar films.

Zhu is a poor, rural girl who is sold as a bride. She escapes and joins a theater group, where she meets Yuehong. The two become sworn sisters. When the troupe is disbanded they travel to Shanghai where they become lauded actresses. But then Yuehong marries Tang, a wealthy man and their friendship gets tested.

There are a handful of scenes that still manage to leave an impression, especially because of their bright visuals, but the drama is pretty predictable and the musical scenes were more than a little grating. Add to that the mediocre performances and you have a pretty poor film.

Uncle Charlie comes to visit his niece, also named Charlie. He moves in with them for the time being, but soon enough two other fellas come around asking about Charlie's business. Charlie's niece can't believe her uncle could be wrapped up in some shady business, but when she starts her own investigation she quickly starts doubting his stories.

Stilted acting, an overbearing soundtrack and a mystery that really isn't all that exciting. My main problem with Hitchcock though is that he is so obvious about his mysteries, dropping hints and winks whenever he can. At least the film stay well below the 2-hour mark, but it's far from a great film.

The plot continues where the first film left off. The relation between the aliens and humans is further explained and the film actually comes with some very interesting dilemmas, way more challenging than you'd expect from a film with chibi school girls. Then again, that's part of Shinbo's style.

The animation is pretty awesome. The mix of different visual styles and techniques is inspired and the battles with the witches are simply stunning. The rest isn't quite on the same level and some of the more timid scenes see a sharp drop in quality. Overall though, this is pretty unique. Looking forward to the final part in this trilogy now.

The plot revolves around David, a Spanish man who owns a wine shop in Tokyo. He comes into contact with Ryu, a solitary girl who lives two separate lives. While Coixet adds some thriller and crime elements, the film focuses on the peculiar relationship between Ryu and David, keeping it well within the drama niche.

Kikuchi is clearly the star of the film, but somewhat of an obvious choice. The rest of the cast is less interesting. The cinematography is nice but not really tuned into the look of the city, the soundtrack is nonsensical and lack atmosphere. A real shame, as the film did have potential, the direction just isn't strong enough.