Log: week 21 / 2021
Though the film is quite famous for its central conundrum, it's really just the abstract notion of the impossible choice that stands out here. The film itself is a schmaltzy, insincere and badly directed tearjerker that outstays its welcome. The worst kind of Oscar bait really, no surprise it took me so long to catch up with it. Apart from MacNicol's solid performance, there's very little to like here. Streep's atrocious Polish accent, the sentimental plot, the lyrical dialogues and the tepid pacing all drag the film down. Not even the famous scene managed to impress me, which just illustrates the overall poor showing of Pakula. Very drab.Read all
One of Ôbayashi's lesser films, coincidentally also one of his longer films. The film is a rather predictable drama that wallows in nostalgia (hence the title), but brings very little of Ôbayashi's trademark elements to set itself apart from its peers. The result was a bit too long and indistinct for me. The setting is nice, the performances are decent. There are one or two more typical Ôbayashi moments, but for the most part it's a relatively basic drama that deals with predictable topics to which Ôbayashi can't all that much. It's not a terrible film, but I definitely prefer Ôbayashi's more unique films.Read all
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
By far the best Almodóvar film I've seen so far, maybe not too surprising when it's also the most outright comical one I've watched. I didn't even realize Almodóvar had this in him. It's a pretty farcical affair, with a cast of colorful characters and outrageous situations, but not without some original moments. The colorful cinematography, the remarkable camera work and the eccentric cast of characters makes this a very enjoyable comedy. The relatively short runtime and the constant surprises keep things interesting, the only thing holding the film back a little is the comical timing, which isn't always on point. Other than that, a neat surprise.Read all
A crime mystery spruced up with minor sci-fi elements. Though it seems to be an original film, it still felt like a feature episode of an existing TV series. Ohtomo does his best to elevate the material and there are some above average moments, but Platinum Data is not really up there with his best work. Apart from the slightly futuristic elements, this is really just a police/crime flick with its share of twists and turns to keep things interesting. The cinematography is decent but basic, the plot is okay, and the performances are sufficient, but there's nothing here that really stands out.Read all
A startlingly simple western stretched out to its limit, so much in fact that it passed the two-hour mark. Even after having watched the film I'm still not entirely sure how they actually managed to do it, though obviously the film did feel tepid and slow in places. Hawks really made a bad call there. Wayne is a really poor actor and the more dialogue there is, the less appealing his performance. While the setup could've worked for a simple, short genre flick, the excess dialogue and the prolonged scenes really screw with the pacing. The ending is pretty cringeworthy too, making this a pretty confusing western.Read all
This was a really poor effort by Tsai. Madame Butterfly is a short film from around the time Tsai's feature films started to slip, as he seemed more and more interested in documentary film making and even art installations. It's not that I hate slow cinema by default, but there has to be more than a camera trailing someone for 30 minutes across two locations. The camera work is extremely plain, the performances weren't very convincing and the plot is virtually nonexistent. It's probably supposed to come off very lifelike and natural, but this simply didn't work for me, hence it became an extreme drag. Much like Tsai's other films from the past decade or so.Read all
A pretty solid thriller with slight horror influences that never quite reaches its full potential. The film tries a little too hard to be smart, the direction also isn't quite on the level that it needed to be, but the core mystery is pretty decent and the setting adds a bit of extra flavor to an otherwise decent but somewhat unremarkable genre film. It's a simple but effective setup, though Cluff and Lofing are a little too eager to spoil the surprise. The performances aren't great either, even so there are several tense scenes and the reveal is actually pretty funny. Certainly not the worst film if you're starved for a fun house invasion flick, just don't expect too much of it.Read all
A pretty simplistic and basic romcom, sporting some big names who do little else beyond going through the motions. Reitman manages to keep things light though and while the plot is as predictable as can be, there are one or two memorable scenes that make this film somewhat bearable. The cast does a decent job and the exotic setting no doubt adds to the appeal. The plot is complete nonsense though (there are even pirates) and the comedy is rather weak and uninspired, but everything said and done it's still a relatively entertaining film, as long as you keep your expectations low.Read all
With The Dark and the Wicked Bryan Bertino proves that he is one of the modern masters of moody slow burn horror. It's not quite as good as his previous one, but if you're looking for a dark and uncomfortable film that continuously raises the tension without feeling the need to serve a lengthy, obvious reveal, this comes strongly recommended. It's a rather slow film and people looking for lots of noisy jump scares will probably be disappointed. On the other hand, if you're craving tense and freaky scenes that build up slowly to a dark climax then you're good to go. Performances are solid, the cinematography is excellent, and the score is appropriate. Prime horror filler.Read all
A very odd Aoyama feature. Part sci-fi, part music film, part drama. It's a full-on arthouse project though, so expect a very deliberate and slow film that isn't too interested in presenting a clear-cut narrative or enjoyable characters. Instead, we're getting harsh noize concerts and tragic cyphers who hardly open up during the course of the film. This won't be everybody's cup of tea, it's by far my favorite Aoyama film, with great performances by Asano and Miyazaki, a superb score and neat cinematography.
I never saw the original Rollerball, but this remake has a pretty bad reputation. Turns out its reputation is very much warranted, even so McTiernan's train wreck is still somewhat interesting, not in the least because it goes all-in on gritty kitsch, the fact that is fails so spectacularly only adds to the fun. The rollerball sport makes no sense at all, the characters look dopey, the drama is hilarious, and the plot is a downright mess, but McTiernan powers through and serves 100 minutes off constant action. It's a pretty dumb film, but at least it never pretends to be anything more, which I appreciated.Read all
Taiwanese New Wave cinema that lacks a skilled director to elevate it. And so Growing Up becomes a pretty basic and expected film, a family drama about a young boy growing in a Taiwan, a setup that functions as an excuse to reflect on Taiwan and its people. The result is rather mediocre. The cinematography and score are rather bland, performances are decent but nothing exceptional and the drama is by the numbers. More talented directors like Hou and Tsai would take similar stories and create more distinctive films with them, Growing Up fails to rise above the field. Only recommended if you're really starved for Taiwanese New Wave films.Read all
Polanski's first feature film. It's a bit clumsy and unsubtle, a conceptual film where the characters are extremely one-dimensional, and the narrative is purely functional. Everything is shaped around a rather simple premise: the battle between a young free spirit who has nothing and a frustrated older man who has everything. The black and white cinematography feels a bit obligatory, the soundtrack is tacked on, and the performances are pretty static. I wasn't too interested in the premise of the film either, but Polanski does know how to build up tension and because the film is relatively short, it was still somewhat entertaining.Read all
Il Mare is a decent South-Korean romance with a slightly fantastical twist. It adds an extra layer of intrigue, though in the end it doesn't really change the fact that this is a pretty standard romance, with two star-crossed lovers who are pining for each other from an insurmountable distance. Hyun-seung Lee does a decent job here, but his style often borders on kitsch. The cinematography is nice, performances are solid, and the score is decent, even so the romance never truly blossoms and the threat of cheap sentiment is never far off. Lee manages to keep his film on the rails, but only barely.Read all
It doesn't get much worse than this, or at least I hope so. And yes, I realize this film is squarely aimed at kids, but I feel for the little ones who have to sit through this travesty of a film. It's basically a parody of what adults think kids are supposed to like, and even then it's not very fun. The performances are painful, the comedy is beyond childish and the special effects look dated. What annoyed me the most though was the unrelenting energy level of the film. As if being continuously loud and obnoxious would take people's mind off of how bad everything else is. This was not good.Read all
A spectacular film that tries to fuse a character drama with unfiltered fantasy. The result may be a bit uneven and the two sides never truly come together, but Dave McKean does everything in his power to make Luna as memorable as possible. And for the most part, he succeeds with flair. The budget may not have been entirely there, but McKean makes excellent use of the cinematography and score to create an otherworldly universe. The fantasy elements are extremely creative, the performances are on point and the score is pretty magical. The drama is a little too pedestrian, but this is definitely a film worth checking out, if only because it doesn't really compare to anything else.Read all
A decent but pretty standard drama from Nobuhiro Yamashita. Japanese music-based dramas generally aren't the most original ones, and Yamashita does little to bend that tradition. While his qualities do surface from time to time, there's not quite enough here to set itself apart from the many films that came before. Nikaido and Shibutani put in solid performances, there are some small dramatic moments that stand out and the finale is on point, other than that though the music bits aren't that great, the story shoots off in different directions and the film fails to make a real mark. A somewhat inconspicuous entry in Yamashita oeuvre.Read all
Chung Sun is one of the lesser known Shaw Bros directors, even though his track record is quite impressive. Together with Cheh Chang he tackles The Bloody Escape, a rather simple but effective martial arts production that brings the goods if you're looking for a prime 70s action flick. It's not often that you see a Shaw Bros production shot on location, so that's a nice detail. Other than that, the somewhat stricter focus on action stands out, but in the end this is just another vintage Shaw Bros martial arts flick. It's fun and entertaining, not a minute too long, but it's also pretty expected and by the numbers.Read all
A simple but amusing horror film. Charbonier and Powell make some feeble attempts to set their film apart from its peers, but in the end it's just another story about a person, locked inside a house, haunted by a demon they summoned themselves. In other words: genre cinema, where execution trumps originality. The plot is extremely basic and there are no surprises here, but the performances are solid, and the direction is on point. Good use of the soundtrack plus fine cinematography are real perks, even so the film never becomes quite as tense as it needs to be. It's a pretty fun horror film, but Charbonier will need to find a way to ramp up the tension if he wants to do better next time. Read all
A slice of rather simplistic social critique. While the film hides behind its central plot for a good 30 minutes, it quickly becomes apparent that everything has to make way for an "important message", as director Mackendrick shuns every form of subtlety to get his warning across. The performances are mediocre, characters are very one-dimensional, and the plot feels like a big setup. The film is often categorized as a comedy, but the whiny tone doesn't help its case. At least the plot was rather light, and the runtime was limited, other than that there wasn't too much to enjoy here.Read all
Aura Battler Dunbine: The Tale of Neo Byston Well
I don't think it's possible to stuff more clichés into a single anime even if you tried. That doesn't mean the OAV sequel to the Aura Battler Dunbine series is terrible, just that it's extremely anime, including giant mech fight, fantasy creatures and creepy villains trying to destroy the world. The designs of the mechs and creatures are pretty awesome, it's clear quite a bit of time when into getting them just right. The animation on the other hand is extremely basic and the 80s art style isn't too flattering either. The pacing is solid though and the adventure is pretty epic. Cheesy fun.Read all
The original film adaptation of Leroux' famous novel. The 1925 version is a pretty faithful retelling of the story. Not ideal for someone who has seen plenty of other adaptations already (including the stage play), but for a 100-minute silent it certainly wasn't as bad as I'd feared it would be. The decors of this film are quite impressive, especially the underground lair of the phantom. The plot is nice enough (but a little too familiar), the runtime is just a bit excessive for something that merely goes through the motions. Would've been better if it has been 20 minutes shorter, but for a narrative silent, I was pretty decent.Read all
A very basic but perfectly decent and amusing post-apocalyptic thriller. The Domestics is not a film that's going to acquire too many passionate fans, but people looking to find some proper post-apocalyptic filler could do a lot worse. Just don't expect anything original and you're pretty much set with this one. The performances are mediocre and Nelson doesn't put too much effort into bringing his post-apocalyptic future to life. He borrows heavily from landmark films that came before. But there are some pretty fun action scenes and the usual deceit and betrayal. Simple but decent genre work, nothing more, nothing less.Read all