Log: week 28 / 2021

The plot is as basic as can be. When Walker tries to help a friend, he's shot in cold blood and left for dead. To make matters worse, Walker's friend takes off with his wife. After he recovers from his injuries, Walker has only one thing on his mind: revenge. For that, he'll have to infiltrate a crime syndicate.

Lee Marvin is a terrible cast and annoys from start to finish, the other actors aren't that much better. Boorman's playfulness is nice in theory, but the execution isn't very impressive and as a result, the pacing is way too slow. As a simple genre film, it's still relatively amusing, but certainly not the film Boorman wanted it to be.

A Japanese businessman hires Scott Ward to retrieve the money underneath his casino from Las Vegas, a city taken over by violent, intelligent zombies. Ward assembles a crew and enters the city, but the situation is a lot trickier than foreseen, and it doesn't take long before people start dying.

Bautista is a solid cast, the rest of the actors are a lot flakier. Especially since there's quite a bit of drama to plow through, which none of them are equipped to do. There isn't enough zombie action, the kills feel rushed, the lore is a cheesy take on other post-apocalyptic films. And then there's that insane runtime. Snyder really needs to go back to his roots.

After misdiagnosing a patient, doctor Matsuoka seeks out his former mentor to battle what he believes is a dangerous, unknown virus. Before long, the infection is spreading through Tokyo and Japan, wreaking havoc as nobody is really prepared for a pandemic. Before they can even start thinking about a cure, they have to find out where the virus came from.

Outbreak/pandemic films tend to be quite samey, Zeze doesn't challenge that and simply made a Japanese version. Performances are decent, the drama a little overdone, but the tension is solid and the quest for a cure pretty interesting. Maybe not the right time for some people to watch this one, but I had quite a bit of fun with it.

Shishio turns up in an impressive war ship and threatens to bring the Meiji government to its knees, hoping to take over Japan. The Meji officials are powerless against Shishio, but Kenshin still has a score to settle with Shishio and takes up his sword once more, hoping to get rid of him once and for all.

The sets look lush, actors are really settled into their characters, and the action scenes are impressive. I'm not sure how faithful this adaptation is to the manga/anime, but I honestly don't care too much about all of that. For non-Kenshin adepts, this is a fun and entertaining series, with The Legend Ends being a perfect finale.

Oskar is a young boy who stops growing after falling from a flight of stairs. People feel sorry for him and tend to underestimate the boy, but as he ages, he learns to makes excellent use of his appearance to get whatever he wants. With World War II developing in the background, Oskar just tries to make the best of his life.

Bennent's performance is truly excellent, his character is also very intriguing. A mix of innocence and cunning that challenges the viewer. The direction is pleasant, with slightly absurd and exaggerated moments that keep you on your toes. The WWII setting feels a bit redundant though and the runtime is a bit too long, other than that this turned out to be a nice discovery.

The seven segments were shot over the course of two years and can be watched separately if needed. By modern standards, the information density is relatively low, and you probably won't learn too much from this film, but Häxan is more than talking heads and narrated literature.

The cinematography is interesting, and the effects are neat. The structure makes that the film remains intriguing, that said, 7 segments may have been a bit much. There's quite a bit of repetition and while the presentation is nice enough, the second half did start to feel a little redundant. That said, a solid effort for its time.

Sarah Fier is a young girl who lives in Union with her father. She gets a lot of attention from the boys, but she's secretly in love with the pastor's daughter. When they finally kiss, the village lunatic spots them. Before they realize it, they're branded as witches by the rest of the villagers. The legend of Sarah Fier is born.

After watching the tree films, it still baffles me how they managed to stretch such a thin story into a trilogy. At least the first two films handled it with grace, this third part on the other hand spends way too much time trying to wrap everything up, as if the plot was really all that interesting. The horror is almost completely absent, performances are weak, the pacing is sluggish. I'm afraid this was a pretty bad way to end the series.

Jon and Wendy are a brother and sister who have grown apart over the years, but when their estranged dad requires care, they meet up again. Together they look for a place where they can house their aging father, in the meantime they catch up on each other's lives, facing their old demons.

The performances are decent, but that's about it. Characters are sullen and somewhat boring, there's an excess of drama and the comedy feels too predictable. It's really just a simple drama like there are so many already, with not enough differentiating qualities to stand out from its peers.

Fabrizio is a driver who shares his RV with other travelers. Things go awry when one of his passengers takes over the wheel and hits a tree. When they wake up, they're in the middle of a meadow, right next to a strange cabin. When they go out looking for the road, they find some strange statues in the middle of the woods, which refer to local folklore.

A Classic Horror Story is self-aware and witty, but not without neglecting the actual horror. The camera is just a little afraid to show any actual gore, but the cinematography is great, and the soundtrack is atmospheric. The finale is fun, but not exactly earth-shattering (though props for that final scene). Still, if you're looking for some prime horror filler, this film has you covered.

A newspaper journalist goes to the area near Eternal Island. People have been disappearing and with all the local folklore, it makes for a potentially interesting article. The journalist discovers his own roots lie within the area. He meets up with a mysterious woman, who wants to teach him more about the island.

The film's pulpy origins are abundantly clear, but Jissoji's excellent direction makes this a real hoot. The camera work is great, the effects are impressive, and the fantastical designs look cool. The pacing is solid too, and even though the story isn't all that demanding, it contains all the ingredients to make this an entertaining spectacle.

Sue Charlton is an American reporter who travels to Australia to interview the legendary Crocodile Dundee. She spends a magical time with him traveling the wilderness, when she goes back to the US she invites Dundee to visit New York. He accepts Sue's invitation, but the big city isn't a place for a guy like him.

The comedy is pretty crude and based on broad clichés, but it's exactly that crudeness that makes it fun to watch. The romcom elements are basic, the pacing is conflicted, and the performances are rather weak. But all in all it's a relatively entertaining film, not very memorable, but decent enough filler.

Frederick is the grandson of Victor von Frankenstein. He's a gifted scientist, but feels hampered by the legacy of his grandfather. When he inherits his grandfather's castle, curiosity gets the best of him, and he sets out to explore the place. There he finds a hidden laboratory and a diary with instructions.

Wilder doesn't do overacting very well, the jokes are moldy and the film well outstays its welcome. I have to say that the cinematographer did a solid job making it look like a vintage horror classic, but it's a style that doesn't do much for me. It's as much a remake as it is a homage, making this film pretty redundant. Not good.

After he faces car trouble, Nicolas wanders around the woods until he hits a cabin. There, he finds a family who lives in fear of what's lurking out there. Nicolas assumes it's merely local superstition and folklore, but when he stays the night, the woods get under his skin and his fears take a hold of him.

Performances are quite poor, the soundtrack is cheesy instead of atmospheric, the cinematography is pretty dull and the horror looks incredibly cheap. I'm not a big fan of classic Italian horror cinema, so your mileage may definitely vary, but even the often lauded ending failed to impress. A poor showing.

Deep inside the South-African jungle, two park rangers are checking the cameras they planted. After their drone crashes, they split up and one of them lands her foot in the trap of two local hunters. She makes it to their cabin, unaware of the strange dangers that lurk underneath the jungle.

The practical effects and (creature) designs look great, the exaggerated sound effects and moody soundtrack are a big asset, and the performances are on point. It's a shame the film focuses just a little too much on human friction and doesn't dare to go in overdrive during the finale, but it's a superbly dark trip that makes the most of its fantastical premise.

Agetaro is a young kid who is forced to work in his dad's tonkatsu restaurant. When he is sent out to make a delivery to a nightclub, he enters a dream world. It there and then that Agetaro decides he wants to become a DJ, even though he has no clue what that entails. Together with some friends, he tries to kick-start his DJ career.

It's nice to see Ninomiya at least stayed true to the club setting, but don't expect anything too realistic here. The DJ stuff feels incredibly staged, the atmosphere is pretty light and mellow, stylistically the film is on the safe side. It's still a decent enough comedy, with some fun moments and a pleasant vibe, it's just not on the level of his previous work. Let's hope this was just a little filler project for Ninomiya.

Bowie escapes prison with two other detainees. Once out, he hopes to settle down with Cathy, a young girl who falls for his charms. It doesn't take long before Bowie's former mates drag him back into a life of crime. The police is right on Bowie's tail, only he isn't willing to go back to prison.

If you're hoping for hardened criminals and exciting heists or chases, this won't be for you. Ray skips most of the classic film noir elements and instead aims his camera at the two leads. Their performances are too basic to support the drama and Ray's styling falls short, making this a pretty dull and uneventful drama. Not a good start.

Emma and Mark's marriage is in a rut, but on their 11th anniversary, Mark decides to make a final play. Even though they've grown apart over the years, Mark has arranged a romantic getaway to their lake house. The evening is perfect, but when Emma wakes up the next morning, she finds herself chained to her husband.

Fox isn't the greatest actress, but she pulls off the grit and determination that her character is built on with ease. The rest of the cast is pretty decent too. The cinematography is well above par and Dale does a solid job building up the tension. If you take the genre clichés (read stupid decisions the characters make) for granted, there's a lot of fun to be had with this one.

This is yet another tale of a mole who has infiltrated a Triad organization. He is one of two guys who are up for promotion, but the organization is aware there's a mole in their midst. And so the usual cat and mouse game starts, including the added trouble that his contact at the police is facing some problems of his own.

With guys like Jordan Chan and Lam Suet, you have some real veterans. The cinematography is also pretty slick, even the soundtrack has some stand-out moments. But when putting everything together, it never quite gels. Something in the editing throws off the pacing of the action and makes it look cheaper than it should. It's certainly not a bad attempt, but not the return to form I hoped this would be.

Krenner, a former major, is forcing a scientist to develop a machine that can make people invisible. It's part of his big master plan to create an entire army of invisible soldiers, which he'll use to make him rich. While the scientists makes good on his promise, Krenner's plan isn't going all that well.

Like most of these films, there just way (way!) too much boring dialogue. The effects are crap and the story is extremely basic, so apparently all that's left are some mediocre actors who have to talk for most of the film's runtime. This one is only 1 hour long, but even then it fails to be interesting for 2-3 minutes at the most. Cheap.

Buddha rids the world of a serious evil and separates his left and right eyes. Only when they get back together, the evil will rise again. And sure enough, some historian bumps into the left eye and kick-starts the process that may lead to the destruction of humankind. Luckily, some monks are willing to lay their lives on the line.

The horror is decent but expected, performances are solid, and the finale works well enough, but there's just too much drama in between, which hampers the pacing of the film. The film ends up with a runtime just under two hours, where 90 minutes would've been more than enough. Decent horror filler.

There's only one person who ever survived the curse of Fier, and desperate for help, the survivors from the first film try to seek her out. She's not very willing, but she caves and tells them the story of Camp Nightwing, where she and her sister experienced the most traumatizing night of their lives.

The horror is pretty basic, the camp slasher clichés are a bit dull, and the performances of the kids are pretty basic. Also, just like the first film, director Janiak has trouble capturing the 70s atmosphere, which makes you wonder why they even bothered. Hopefully the third and final part can redeem the first two mediocre entries.