Log: week 20 / 2021

Paronnaud's direction is well above par, the performances are strong, and the soundtrack is a big plus. The setups is rather basic though and the film goes a little off the rails at the end. If you're looking for a solid revenge flick with some standout moments, this comes recommended.

Quite a few famous names in the cast, most notably Louis Koo and Lam Suet. Not really a film where actors make much of a different though, as it's the big battles that take center stage here. The action looks pretty impressive, the cinematography is nice, the pacing is solid. This type of film has been done better, but Chow has nothing to be ashamed of.

Some solid performances, a fun lead (played by Norton himself) and a properly structured narrative made sure I didn't lose interest, even though the film is quite long. But as a director Norton colors a little too neatly inside the lines and unless you're a real big fan of these types of detective stories, there's really not much here. Decent but very safe entertainment.

Though the film is presented as a thematic exploration of race issues, it's just as much about gender, with both moms supporting the young couple, while both dads are firmly against the marriage. Performances are decent and I did enjoy the lighter tone at the start of the film, but it becomes so overly moralistic that the entire second half turned into one big cringe-fest. Hopelessly outdated.

Wenders prefers glasses because they frame reality and dislikes modern cinema because he can't see between the frames, blind people can "see" with touch, perspective is important, images kill imagination etc. There was nothing here I hadn't heard before, also nothing I found interesting the first time around. Just people who clearly think they have something important and revelatory to tell, even though what they say is incredibly low on (f)actual wisdom. The word pretentious was invented for this film.

The cast does a pretty solid job, there are some genuinely funny moments and even though the romance is perfunctory, it's not entirely without charm. Tenure is not an extremely memorable or remarkable film, but if you're looking for some easy filler than Million has you covered.

The art style is a bit crude and the animation certainly isn't up to feature film level, then again that's no surprise for these franchise-based feature-length films. It's a step up from TV anime and that's enough to please the fans. The fight sequences are quite fun and the film doesn't take itself too seriously, but if you're used to watching fantasy anime there's very little here that sets it apart from its peers. Decent fun, but not that remarkable.

Dreyer shows himself a rather competent director, though the film is rather slow. Especially for a true silent, meaning there's nothing in the way of music or dialogue to add flavor to the images. The quirkier moments are definitely a big plus here, but overall I found the film a bit too simple to be engaging.

The visual effects reminded me of Ishirô Honda's films. That's not necessarily a bad thing, unless you're expected to take the film serious. The performances, the languid pacing and the general lack of fun seem to suggest that was indeed the point. It takes a lot of potential amusement out of a film like this, hence this wasn't a big success for me.

The effects, settings and costumes are all rather low-key, which is a shame for a fantasy/adventure film. I think Yuen Chor would've been a better match for this material, but Chang tries to make the best of it. Sadly, not even the martial arts scenes look very convincing. It's a short film and the pacing is decent, it's also rather amusing to watch, but it's far from Chang's best.

Instead of atmosphere, dread, tension or whatever, Mark of the Vampire delivers endless dialogues, as if the mystery here was really all that exciting. The performances are poor, the setting is dull, the horror is almost completely absent and the twist at the end is rather laughable. Clearly cinema wasn't quite ready for talkies just yet.

The film has its moments, but Shimizu messes up the balance between narrative and horror. There's simply too much backstory to wade through and since it's all so predictable, it slows down the film unnecessarily. The haunts aren't particularly scary either and though the second half is definitely better than the first one, this is hardly a standout film in Shimizu's oeuvre. Basic filler.

Performances are solid, the cinematography is pleasant (with some truly standout shots here and there) and the score is appropriate. Not everything works equally well (the romances feel a bit obligatory) and it's nothing you haven't seen before, but if you're looking for a fine Japanese drama with minor Ôbayashi touches, this one won't disappoint.

The CG is pretty basic, the animal dubs are simply terrible. The jokes aren't very funny, Murphy is annoying, and the plot is truly pedestrian. I know Downey Jr's update got a lot of flack last year, but it's miles ahead of this disaster. Unless you have some small kids at home, I wouldn't give this film any priority.

I hoped Aja would've used this setup as an excuse for some audiovisual muscle flexing, and though he does his best I felt there was the potential to go a lot further still. Laurent does a good job and the plot was interesting enough, though not exactly very original. Oxygen is good, solid genre cinema with a little extra, but not quite masterpiece material.

It's clear Dzhafarov envisioned a rather unrestrained and boundless film. Not so much a fixed narrative, but a poetic stage where two characters find each other. This contemporary take on the Nouvelle Vague turns out a bit forced and sterile though, with mediocre performances and some scrawny dialogs taking away from the atmosphere. There's definitely something here, but it needs to be nurtured some more before it becomes truly riveting cinema.

The footage that goes with his poems isn't exactly impressive, interviews with his peers made me wonder whether they weren't just interested in making themselves look good and the random structure of the film made it quite messy. Fans of Martinez might get something out of this, others would do better to do a little digging of their own on the internet.

The cinematography is well above par for a Shaw Bros production, the action scenes are proper, and the finale doesn't disappoint. The romance never quite finds its footing though and the performances are borderline acceptable. Chor's martial arts films rarely disappoint though and they offer a nice diversion from the more standard Shaw Bros productions.

Performances are solid and the duality of Joshua's character is fun, but that's where the positives end. The drama is a bit overdone, the pacing's a little too slow and the film should've been darker. It's a decent watch with a handful of memorable moments, but in the end it felt a bit flat and uninspired.