Log: week 26 / 2021
I'm not familiar with the books of R. L. Stine, but I am aware of their reputation. Apart from some obvious references, I'm not too sure if this first film in the Fear Street trilogy is even all that connected to the books. Though it's supposed to be set in '94 it feels a bit too contemporary, and the horror itself is just a cut-and-paste job from a million other horror films (with a strong focus on slashers). There are way too many gratuitous 90s references, even then the film didn't really have a typical 90s atmosphere. The kids were a bit irritating and the horror is a little tame, though the latter was probably to be expected. There are some solid moments here and the killers look pretty decent, but unless you're a major slasher fan, keep your expectations low.Read all
Martin Campbell adapts his own miniseries into a feature film. I never watched the original, but it doesn't look like there was any reason to revisit this story. Edge of Darkness is set up like an extremely simple revenge flick, hinging everything on the performance of Mel Gibson. Not a smart bet. The action is rather tepid, there's way too much (uninteresting) dialogue and the cast does a mediocre job. It's almost as if Gibson tries to compensate, with a performance that is way over the top. The cinematography and score are also of little consequence. The finale almost redeemed the film, but that final scene was the final blow.Read all
A somewhat inconspicuous but well executed mix of thriller and drama elements. Blue Kids is maybe a little too short and noncommittal to leave a really big impression, at the same time it's a film without any obvious weaknesses that kept the intrigue high from start to finish. The performances are solid, the cinematography is clean (with several stand-out moments) and the soundtrack is moody. The characters are a little flimsy though and while the pacing is perfect, the story itself lacks direction. It's a fine film, quality filler that is easy to slot in because of its short runtime, but too light to be truly memorable.Read all
Another Swedish silent classic. I've seen quite a few of them these past months, Sir Arne's Treasure is one of the better ones. For such an old film, I was surprised to find so much narrative cohesion. The runtime is still a bit excessive and there are some scenes that could've used some extra edits, but compared to other films from the 1910s, this is pretty slick. The plot isn't all that special and the cinematography is basic, but performances are decent, and the setting adds a lot of atmosphere. The film could and should've been 30 minutes shorter, but there are enough moments where the story picks up again, so it never got too dull to watch.Read all
Think Shinkai's Your Name, only without the more fantastical bits. A sweet coming of age story about two kids who switch bodies. It's a typical Ôbayashi film, set in a small, charming port town, featuring the usual kids banter and coming of age drama, without overcomplicating things too much. The two lead actors do a great job, the light tone of the drama is pleasant, and the setting is very idyllic. Ôbayashi's visual playfulness is kept to a minimum, though there are a few moments where he couldn't help himself. Not a very remarkable or memorable film, but a sweet and enjoyable bit of filler that works well within his oeuvre.Read all
The Death of Mr. Lazarescu
The Death of Mr. Lazarescu thrives on a simple idea that is stretched out well beyond its breaking point. It's somewhat appropriate, since the film takes inspiration from (and makes direct references to) Dante's Inferno, but I'm not sure putting the audience smack in the middle of that Inferno makes for good cinema. You can read this as a realistic drama or a very dark comedy, I just saw a very (very) ugly film that is built on repetition and tragic clichés. I didn't care for the characters, the film keeps reiterating the same point and the presentation is absolutely drab. I'm not surprised this was a Cannes favorite, personally I prefer a different kind of drama/black comedy.Read all
Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno
It's been years since I watched the first entry in the live action trilogy, but now that they are continuing the series I figured it was time to get back on board. I'm certainly not the biggest Kenshin fan, but I've seen bits and pieces of the TV series and appreciated the OAVs, so I didn't come in blank. Ohtomo feels well at ease with the material. The fight scenes are impressive, the sets are lush and expensive and Shishio is a pretty bad-ass villain. It's no real surprise that the film doesn't stray too much from conventions, that's what you get with insanely popular IP like Kenshin, but all in all this was a very capable live action adaptation. On to part three.Read all
A very candid, fresh and ballsy Hong Kong flick. Cheuk Pan Lee made quite an entry with this one. G Affairs is a visually arresting crime film that puts a couple of students in the middle of a violent crime scene. Two officers are trying to find out what happened, but the fickle medical conditions of the youngsters makes it hard to figure out what exactly went on there. G Affairs shifts between slick, poetic, raw, youthful and stylish at will, making this one of the strongest Hong Kong films of the past decade. Comes highly recommended.
A documentary about artificial intelligence, machine learning, the inherent biases that seep into these tools and the dangers they present when combined with the surveillance state. That's a lot to cover in a 90-minute documentary, and it's no surprise that Kantayya keeps things rather superficial. If you're clueless about algorithms and the dangers of blindly relying on them, Coded Bias is not a terrible place to start. If, on the other hand, you're interested in how pressing these issues are and how these methods compare against other approaches, there's very little here. Instead, we get some poorly fleshed out narrative about two women trying to fight Big Tech. Documentary makers really need to up their game.Read all
A sing-songwriter's wet dream. I guess this is about as lo-fi as a film can get, which is kind of appropriate considering the characters and the music that Carney puts forward. This is really a collection of everything music-related I dislike, kudos to Carney for still managing to inject a bit of charm into the relationship between the leads. Two tortured artists in an uplifting romance, though stuck in a film crammed to the rim with whiny singer-songwriter music. The cinematography is ugly as can be, the music is terrible, and the characters are dim, but when they are together there is some chemistry. 200% not my type of film, but Carney is better at this than the Coen brothers (cfr. Inside Llewyn Davis).Read all
A typical, solid Yuen Chor/Shaw Bros production. Death Duel is an ideal introduction for people who aren't familiar with either or neither. It's a classic 70s Hong Kong martial arts film that showcases Chor's typical strengths and weaknesses, and does so neatly within the 90-minute timeframe. Chor's martial arts scenes are no match for those of Cheh Chang or Chia-Liang Liu, but he's easily the most capable of all the Shaw Bros directors. Impressive set designs and smart use of color and lighting give Chor's films some extra shine. The rest is pretty basic Shaw Bros material. Amusing, but quite repetitive.Read all
A pretty simple 80s romcom slash coming-of-age drama centered around a bunch of teens. In all honesty, that's probably all you need to know to decide whether this film is for you. It's a basic genre film that will appeal to people who like this kind of 80s stuff, others will find very little here. The characters are bland, performances are mediocre, and the plot is extremely predictable. It's all very much by the numbers and my appreciation for this type of American teen drama has been declining dramatically in the past decade. I didn't care for any of it, but the film itself is competently made.Read all
What's in a name. Iliza Shlesinger used her own life as a source of inspiration for this one, cleverly assigning herself a lead role. The premise of Good on Paper is clever, but that's where the good news ends. The lack of romance isn't a big problem, the lack of funny material on the other hand is damning. The plot is extremely obvious, so it's a bit annoying that it takes ages for the characters to catch on. Performances are mediocre, the comedy is predictable and often feels forced and the critique on the male/female friction is way too obvious. It's a brave attempt, but the execution is really poor.Read all
Vanished: Age 7 is a rather typical Japanese horror film, except that it is set up as a thriller with a conscience. It starts off by stating the number of people disappearing each year in Japan as an introduction to the plot, but as things move along it become increasingly clear the film chases a more typical horror narrative. The limited budget doesn't really work in Miyaki's favor here, some of the CG is so bad you wonder why they even bothered. Even so, Miyaki manages to build up a decent atmosphere and the finale isn't too bad. It just takes the film a while to get there and with relatively poor performances and a lack of stylistic polish, this isn't really a highlight of the genre.Read all
I felt bad for Suzuki watching this film. I'm not his biggest fan and he has made his share of misfires, but even then his skills and vision have always been unmistakable. This TV film really is below Suzuki's standards. There are traces of his usual quirkiness here, but the execution is simply atrocious. Suzuki clearly didn't have the budget to execute, so maybe he shouldn't even have tried. The film has potential and if you look through the cheap execution that you can see glimpses of what this could've been, but that never came to be and what remains is a real stinker of a film. Poor Suzuki.Read all
A sweet coming of age story, though one that lacks a bit of punch. It felt like I'd seen this film before. Young romance, some Britpop from the 80s, a gang of losers forming a band and overcoming adversities. It's really just a mix of popular elements that offers little or no suprise at all. But at least the execution was on point. Performances are solid, the comedy is pleasant, and the characters are charming. The music/retro angle isn't very original though and both the drama and the romance feel a little too flimsy to leave a real impression. It's certainly not a bad film just not quite distinctive enough to set itself apart.Read all
One of Xiaogang Feng's earliest films. Feng has been a crucial element in the rebranding of Chinese cinema. He was one of the first directors to move away from the countryside, introducing more uplifting urban stories and more contemporary characters. The Dream Factory is a good example of this evolution. You Ge is no doubt the star of the film, but it's nice to see Feng himself in a supporting role. The performances are solid, the assignments are fun and the pacing is solid. It does get a little repetitive after a while and Feng's direction isn't that remarkable, but it's a decent film that serves as an important milestone for Chinese cinema.Read all