Log: week 2 / 2021

A Thai Demon goes ballistic in Taiwan. He jumps from one person to the next in a desperate attempt to be reborn as a human. He's eying Jia-min, a young girl who has a feel for the supernatural. A Taoist monk chases the demon down, but he's crafty and always finds a way to escape the monk's spells.

The Rope Curse 2 is a pretty basic horror flick. The cinematography is a bit better than average, the Taoist rituals are a nice deviation from the norm and it's quite a surprise to see Kang-sheng Lee headlining a film like this. On the other hand Liao fails to really drive up the tension and the overreliance on CG doesn't really help the scares. Decent, but not great.

When Muraki returns from prison, he finds that his old gang has made a pact with their old rivals to stand strong against the rising gangs coming from Osaka. When he goes gambling he meets the enigmatic Saeko, who he falls madly in love with. But then new trouble arises and Muraki volunteers to take the fall once more.

The plot and characters aren't too interesting, it's a basic Yakuza story with minor romantic elements. The cinematography is what sets this one apart, together with a moody score. Sharp black and white contrasts and beautiful camera work make this a film worth watching, the rest is okay but not spectacular.

Morgan is a captain housed on Martinique, making a living by renting out his boat to tourists. When the war starts, he quickly lands himself into some trouble. The only way to survive is by helping the French resistance, helping him along is Slim, a nightclub singer whom Morgan has a passionate affair with.

I really can't stand Bogart and Bacall doesn't have a lot to work with either. The dialogs left me cold, the tension was completely absent and the cinematography wasn't that remarkable either. Not the kind of noir I like, but there's clearly a market for these films as they're still well respected.

The brass band of the school is detrimental to the success of their baseball team, but when they don't get their lunches on time all the girls quit the band. The group responsible for the fluke decides to have a go at it and though they have no experience playing musical instruments, dedication and a little help from their teachers go a long way.

The film is a pretty predictable and doesn't stray from the genre conventions. But the performances are solid, the tone is light enough and there are a few notable scenes. Swing Girls offers very mellow and charming entertainment and doesn't drag things out unnecessarily, but has aces up its sleeve to rise above its peers.

Caesar is fed up with the Gauls and makes them an offer. If they can complete 12 godly tasks Caesar will give them Rome and retire, if they lose they become the slaves of the Romans. Of course the village sends out Asterix and Obelix, who start their travels by trying to beat the Olympic running champ.

The comedy is pretty decent, the art style is nice and the administration gag really is legendary. The film is a bit repetitive though and it's a bummer that there's hardly a real challenge for the two Gauls, but it's a pretty short film and the pacing is solid. I had fun watching this again, as simple as it may be.

The film follows a fictitious (folklore-based) community living on a mountain in northern Japan. When their members turn 70, they have to climb the neighboring mountain, where death awaits them. This sacrifice is supposed to bring good fortune to their children. Orin spends her entire 69th year preparing for the big trip, making sure her kids are ready for a life without her.

The first 90 minutes is spent exploring the community and its people. There's a lot of intercourse (between people, between animals and even some interspecies fidgeting) and a lot of poverty as people try their best to survive in the town. The trip up the mountain really calms things down and finally there's some true beauty shining true. It's a film that has its moments, but there's not enough of them to turn this into a worthwhile classic.

The film follows the lives of a working-class family in Liverpool during the 40s and 50s. There isn't really a straight narrative, though there are two separate parts of which the first deals with the father of the family, the second with his kids. We see small vignettes that, after a while, start to paint a more complete picture.

I don't really care for the setting, nor do I have a lot of affinity with the time period, but the presentation pulled me in and kept me engaged. Stark framing and a strong focus on music make for harrowing scenes, though Davies leaves plenty of room for lighter moments, so it's not all doom and gloom. I did get a little tired of the many songs and once I got a firm handle on the presentation things got a little less interesting, but overall a worthy arthouse classic.

Naomi and Matt are traveling through Norway. When they stop during a blizzard to get a little rest, their car gets snowed under and when they wake they are unable to get out. Naomi wants to dig her way out, Matt thinks it's better to stay put and wait for help. Hence, the long wait starts.

Since you're stuck with the same two actors in a single location for 90 minutes, they can't be too annoying. Rodriguez and Piazza do a decent job, though nothing exceptional. The score is nice, the setting is haunting and the tension rises with the minute. I'm quite partial to these kinds of films and Centigrade is solid genre material, but this clearly isn't for everyone.

A sci-fi club in a small, rural town is struggling with the summer heat. When the remote of their AC dies and a time machine materializes out of nowhere, they plan to go back a day and steal the remote from their former selves. Things get more complicated when a professor explains to them that they have upset the spacetime continuum, jeopardizing everyone's future.

Motohiro's direction is light and breezy, there are some good gags and the film has that rural summery vibe, which is always a plus. The performances are a bit loud/over-the-top though, which isn't my favorite type of comedy. A deadpan version of this film would've no doubt been a lot better, but Summer Time Machine Blues was better than expected and delivers some solid entertainment.

Gianni is the owner of a newsstand and saved up enough money to go on a little vacation. A stroke of good luck lands him on a cruise, where he is mistaken for a wealthy man. Girls flock to him, but it's Lauretta, a simple maid, who falls for Gianni's personality, not the promise of his non-existent wealth.

Performances are solid, the tone of the film is light and the pacing is decent. It's also not a terribly long film, but earlier Camerini's I've seen were shorter and since the story is very simple, that worked out a bit better. Mister Max is still a decent watch, but it started to drag just a little near the end.

Fumi works in a bakery and is single. She doesn't have any real prospects and has declined marriage proposals before, not really feeling that certainty of being able to spend an entire life with someone. When she reconnects with Tamotsu, an old high school flame, that seems to change, but Tamotsu is still in love with his ex-wife.

Performances are solid, the soft-voiced nature of the film is typical for the genre and the cinematography looks clean and polished. The characters are a little edgier (even though they don't really look it) than usually the case in these types of films, but that's what makes Bread, Bus stand out from the pack. It won't convert people to Japanese romance/drama cinema, but it's nice that it offers fans a little twist.

The one-armed swordsman has left the world of martial arts to live a quiet life with this wife, but of course he can't escape his past. It doesn't take long before he is invited to a tournament organized by a shady clan boss. All the other clans in the vicinity are invited too, so it's obvious the man is up to something.

There's quite a lot of action in this one, there's also quite a few different weapons that make the fights more interesting. The drama in between is rather cheesy and the plot is pretty basic, 15 minutes shorter would've been much better, but there are enough memorable moments in here to make it worth your time. Not bad.

Kanto is a young boy growing up in an Ainu village. He is taught about their customs and myths, but he's also drawn to the world outside their little commune. When the elders decide to revive an old Ainu ritual (which involves killing a young bear cub Kanto helped raise), he struggles with his origins.

Performances are decent, the setting is beautiful and the Ainu culture is intriguing, but the coming of age elements feel a bit fleeting and they're never properly explored. The pacing is quite slow, coupled with rather short runtime the film came off underdeveloped, even somewhat unfinished. It's a shame, as this topic deserved better.

The Sacrifice focuses on one minor event in the Korean War and makes it the centerpiece of the entire war. The Chinese are trying to cross a bridge which the Americans keeps bombing to smithereens. Cue some very heroic actions and yes, sacrifices. And guess who comes out the winner in the end ...

It's all way too blasé for my liking, but at least Frant Gwo, Hu Guan and Yang Lu know how to produce a big spectacle. There's a little timeline wizardry going on and the battles are pretty intense, which makes it at least entertaining enough to watch. But looking at the talent involved, this is still somewhat of a disappointment.

Miyazaki may come off headstrong, even stubborn, he remains a very humble and down-to-earth man. I was actually quite surprised he allowed the camera to be present when he was learning about CG animation from people who could be his grandkids. It's not really a pretty sight to see one of the most lauded animators living today struggle with a computer, but it feels very genuine and it shows Miyazaki as an inquisitive professional who is still eager to learn, even from people much younger than himself. I did feel for the guy at the end who showed Miyazaki his zombie demo and got trashed, then again he should've seen that one coming.

The more documentaries I see about Ghibli/Miyazaki, the more I admire the role Toshio Suzuki plays in the success of the studio. He truly is the man that makes sure Miyazaki can focus on animation and animation alone, while he takes care of all the tricky bits. Never-Ending Man is a lovely documentary if you're interested in the man behind some of the biggest animation wonders of the past 50 years, even when you've seen other Ghibli docs before. It's not a very loud and showy documentary though, but that's probably why I like it so much.

Haruzo and Michi have a small vegetable job. Their lives change drastically when they meet Li, a Chinese student who doesn't have the money to buy himself a proper meal. At first Haruzo isn't very willing to help Li, but when he sees the harsh life he leads Haruzo decides to give him a hand after all.

The first 90 minutes reminded me a little of films like Tampopo. Beijing Watermelon shows a lively working class community comprised of grumpy characters that end up having a heart of gold and serves it with somewhat moderate stylistic choices. Then Ôbayashi takes a sudden turn and film and reality start to interweave (as the story is based on real life events). It's a bit long maybe, but the interesting finale makes it worth the while.

Bond's at a wedding (not his own) when he's called in for an important assignment. Sanchez, a famed criminal, has just come out of hiding, and he's in the neighborhood. Bond apprehends him, but Sanchez manages to escape and plans a bitter revenge. Bond is pulled off the case, but as it's personal he can't let go.

Dalton really is a poor Bond, but it's the lack of creativity that really brings License to Kill down. Another shark bit, more air stunts, some diving bits. It's another attempted update of the greatest stunts of earlier films, but it doesn't feel spectacular at all. I'm looking forward to 90s Bond, hopefully he can turn things around.

There isn't much here besides Refn doing his thing. He doubts his own integrity, he's not sure if he's doing the right thing, he even meets up with Jodorowsky to ask him for advice. It's really nice if you're a big Refn fan and want to know more about the man behind the director, but that's where the appeal ends.

The problem is that Refn is a pretty typical artist. Shooting film isn't a very glamorous job and his artistic uncertainties aren't really out of the ordinary either. Some bits were entertaining, mostly when Gosling was goofing around with Refn's kids, but that's not enough to fill an hour-long documentary. For fans only.

Hotel Artemis is a place where criminals go when they are wounded. The nurse there takes care of them, but only when they're members and they keep to the rules of the hotel. The city is rioting that night and the rooms are filling up fast. When the guests are starting to misbehave, chaos ensues.

The actors do a pretty good job. Foster in particular delivers a remarkable performance, but Boutella and Bautista are also noteworthy. The cinematography is stylish, the sets look great and the story is pretty intriguing. It's lacks that little extra something to really set it apart, but other than that director Pearce left quite the calling card.

After Simon's wife dies, he takes her ashes to visit all the places she held dearest. During his trip we see flashbacks of the couple. The way they met each other, where they built up their lives together (rural New Zealand is a beautiful place) and how tragedy cut down their time together short.

Feng goes a little overboard with the music and the cinematography is a little too cheesy, but the performances are nice, the direction is effective and even though the runtime's just a little excessive, it never gets dull. People who dislike romance shouldn't even attempt to come near this one, but otherwise it's not a bad film.

When Alex loses his partner, he has a lot of trouble getting back on his job. Until Megan Rose, the daughter of a local senator, is kidnapped and the kidnapper drags Alex into the case. He partners up with Jezzie and together they start to chase their prey, but not everything is as it seems.

The story is pretty plain, so are the performances and the direction. It's really a bog-standard genre flick that lays out its puzzle piece by piece. You can expect some twists in the final act, but nothing too baffling or worth getting excited about. Watch this if you're starved for some basic genre filler, otherwise it's difficult to recommend.

Satoko and Kiyokazu can't get children together. After several failed attempts, they decide to adopt. They get the child of Hikari, a young girl who got pregnant at 14 and can't take care of the baby. The transaction goes smooth, but 6 years later Hikari returns as she can't forget about her little boy.

Performances are good, the drama is decent, cinematography is fine and the score is capable. There's nothing to complain about really, except that there's nothing truly exceptional about this film either. In the end the drama left me a little cold, which isn't what you want from a great drama.

The first story tells of a woman in an incestuous affair with her brother, the second story follows a nun who tries to seduce a monk, while the final story shows a tattoo artist who tries to create his ultimate masterpiece. All three stories end up in pretty much the same way, which makes you wonder why they even bothered with this setup.

There's a lot of screaming and whining, but the film isn't all that graphic. Performances aren't great and the stories are pretty dull. While Ishii's hand is clearly visible and there are a couple of memorable moments, as a whole it felt a bit too random and unfocused. Ishii can do better than this.