Log: week 35 / 2021

Ringo is notorious for being the fastest gunman around. He's done with his gun slinging days and is more interested in trying to win his wife back, but his reputation precedes him everywhere he goes. In a bar in Santa Fe he kills a young guy who draws his gun on him. The boy's brother and father want revenge and Ringo has no option but to flee.

Though Peck breathes some life into his character, the rest of the film is pretty basic western material, only with an excess of dialogue. The cinematography and score are bland, the pacing is tepid and though the ending is supposed to be emotional, I was mostly glad the film had finished. Not great, but at least there was something there.

The film offers several takes on romance. One girl tries to find a guy who sticks around for more than one date, another woman wants to get married. One marriage is about to burst, a girl tries to get her singing career going and finally there's a woman who is getting all in on digital dating.

The film could've just been a simple, pleasant romcom. Just stick with the Goodwin/Long story and make the best of it. Kwapis wants more though and by combining the different stories he seems to be wanting to say something about love and romance. Nothing feels genuine though, all characters are irritating, and the comedy is never as funny as it hopes to be. Just bad.

Alfred works in Matuschek's shop. His boss appreciates Alfred's work, and he's the only one there who is allowed to give personal input on mister Matuschek's business. But then Klara joins the team and Alfred has a hard time dealing with this confident woman. Things get worse when his boss suspects him from having an affair with his wife.

The chemistry between Sullavan and Stewart is somewhat infectious and the back-and-forths between the two are fun for a while, but there's not much variety here, and it does get old real fast. Other than that, the film is pretty bare bones, with basic cinematography and a forgettable soundtrack. Not too memorable, but certainly not the worst of its kind.

There's no real plot to speak of. Nagase dishes out four short films, each one centered around a woman. The short feel like dreams, loosely connected scenes that conjure up moods rather than follow strict narratives. It's exactly what you would expect someone like Nagase to come up with.

There's definitely potential here too, but the shorts are just a little too rough to be truly captivating. Nagase plays with the visuals and the soundtrack to create an alienating atmosphere, personally I prefer a bit more polish when watching abstract works like these. Still, it's a lot better than most other films I watch, if you like abstract works, be sure to give this one a shot.

Haruma is a photographer who specializes in black and white photography. One day Rei visits one of Haruma's exhibitions. She's quite taken with his work and commissions a photoshoot. Haruma somewhat reluctantly agrees and finds himself conflicted when he is asked to photograph Rei's genitalia.

The story about an artist becoming infatuated and somewhat overwhelmed by a new and rather taboo subject certainly isn't new, but Yazaki's particular blend of cold and warm drama is quite unique. The performances are strong, there are some memorable moments and some pretty emotional scenes. Not everything works, the beginning is a little too tough for its own good, but stick with it, and you might discover a very worthwhile drama.

A couple of generations after mankind has fled planet Earth, a mission is set up to return to mankind's home planet, hoping that Earth has recovered enough to be habitable again. The first signs look good, but then the members of the mission are overpowered by a group of survivors.

The film looks absolutely stunning. Strong camera work, great use of color, some impressive set pieces. Everything's here to do a great sci-fi, except that the film is greatly lacking in actual sci-fi elements. The human drama is quite dull and there's way too much tepid dialogue for a genre film. This could've been so much better, still, avid sci-fi fans will find quite a bit to like here.

Two street hustlers get caught in the act, in return to have to steal a divine stone from a monastery. They manage to sweet talk the monks into letting them stay, but the longer they stay with them, the more they start to feel at home. Other parties are also looking for the stone though, and the monastery becomes a real battleground.

The mix of comedy and action feels familiar, but somehow China doesn't really have the talent (yet) to pull off this type of expressive comedy. There are some fun gags, the pacing is solid, and I never got bored or disinterested, but in the end, the film left me longing for the original. Decent filler, but know what you're getting yourself into.

Madison is stuck in an abusive marriage, until one night a dark figure enters her house and kills her husband. From that moment on, Madison starts seeing gruesome murders in her dreams. Murder that are carried out in real life too. She notifies the police, but they suspect that Madison herself is involved.

I quite like Wan's extrovert style of film making, so I had a pretty good time with Malignant. The score is really in your face, the horror is graphic, and the atmosphere is tangible. The monster itself is pretty kick-ass too. The police plot and the somewhat lengthy setup were a bit overdone and Wan doesn't make the best use of the underground sets, but other than that this was a pretty great Wan flick. Not his best, but very entertaining.

Battosai is a ruthless killer who is deployed to fight against the shogunate. He's an enigmatic character that shows little emotion, until he meets the quiet Tomoe. She has no one and starts following Battosai around. She's not just drawn to Battosai's enigmatic aura though, as Tomoe has ulterior motives to stick with him.

The production values of this film are first class, the actors feel comfortable in their roles and the film offers a very solid mix of action and drama. It's a strong remake of the Trust and Betrayal OAV, at the same time it means the film is rehashing familiar territory for me, which did make it slightly less special than it could've been. But this was no doubt a worthy finale to Ohtomo's series of Kenshin films.

Jessica is a rancher in Arizona. She controls the area with the help of 40 hired gunmen. Griff, a marshal, is sent out to clean up the place, but when he meets Jessica he falls madly in love. Relatives of Griff and Jessica are all too eager to get the conflict started, but the two are more interested in exploring the feelings they have for each other.

The black and white cinematography is relatively polished and Fuller doesn't needlessly stretch out the story. The characters didn't do much for me though, the story was very basic, and the typical western action wasn't very appealing. One of those films I'll have forgotten about tomorrow, but not the worst western I've sat through.

As a young boy, Allan was saved from drowning by a mysterious woman. Years later, they find each other again, though Allan has forgotten all about her. What Allan also doesn't know is that the woman is actually a mermaid. The two start a relationship, which leads to some predictable problems.

Hanks and Hannah are pretty decent, the film is quite cheesy but at the same time doesn't take itself too seriously, the pacing is solid, and it chooses its moments wisely to go just a little over-the-top. The rest of it is pretty basic romcom kitsch, very safe and somewhat bland, but you can certainly find a lot worse.

When his wife is out of town, Dan runs into Alex. The two hit it off and spend a romantic weekend together. Dan goes back to his normal life when his wife returns, but Alex isn't willing to give up on Dan that easily. She starts stalking him and threatens to ruin his family is he doesn't pay her attention.

Lyne's direction isn't terrible, but that's pretty much all there is. The performances are basic, the plot is a snooze, there's no real tension to speak of and 120 minutes is at least 30 minutes too long. Fatal Attraction may not be that old, but it's already a relic. It certainly doesn't deserve its reputation.

When Ike writes a damning column about Maggie, a woman known for leaving guys at the altar, he gets fired from his job for not properly investigating his article. While Ike admits to his faults, he stands behind the premise of his column and seeks out Maggie, who is about to get married once again.

Two somewhat irritating characters who can't stand each other. It's not hard to figure out how that story goes. The performances aren't great, the plot is a disaster and the payoff isn't strong enough. It's just simple fluff that will only appeal to the most hardened romcom fans out there. Not the worst in the genre, just extremely bare bones.

Tolkien focuses on the early years of the writer, pretty much his life's story up to the point when he started writing his famous fantasy novels. There are the typical adversities of an orphan boy, first love, his student years and WWI, all events that somehow inspired him to write his famous epic.

Performances are solid, the direction is stylish and the links between Tolkien's life and the books that would make him famous are both subtle yet easy to grasp (even for someone who never read the books and disliked all the films). It's a very traditional biopic, nothing spectacular, but well executed and a decent watch.

Will is a comic book artist whose life falls to pieces when his wife leaves him for another man. A year later, she tells him she's going to marry the guy she left him for. Will is doing his best to move on too. He goes on dates and tries to spend more time with his daughters, but it's clear he hasn't really moved on yet.

Clement is by far the best thing about this film. His timing is what makes the comedy work. The rest of the cast is decent, but not that remarkable. The same can be said about the drama and the romance too, which is all a bit perfunctory. Decent filler in other words, especially when you're looking for something light, just don't expect a full-blown comedy.

After a woman is assaulted on the street, she finds it difficult to get out of the house. Staying all alone at home doesn't really solve her problems either, as she gets into her head and starts seeing things. Strange shadows visit her at night and a raging stomach ache slowly turns her mad.

Japanese cyberpunk is never expensive, but it's up to the directors to rise above that limitation. Guys like Tsukamoto and Fukui managed to do that through excessive visuals and music, Difficulty Breathing only has a soundtrack to fall back on. The rest is just too cheap and simplistic. Disappointing.

Johnny is a journalist who wants to win a Pulitzer and is willing to go the extra mile to get one. He gets himself committed into a psychic ward where the sole witness of a murder was placed. The longer he remains in the ward, the more Johnny starts to believe something is actually wrong with him.

The performances are exaggerated, the plot is pretty unsubtle and the sequences where Johnny slips into insanity are more than a little crummy. The pacing is decent though and Fuller does commit to the insanity, but it's not quite enough to turn this into a great and worthwhile film. This type of film has been done a lot better since.

A couple of years after the first film, crime has settled down in Hiroshima. Things start heating up again when Shigehiro Uebayashi is released from prison. He doesn't care much for the truce of his bosses and starts a rampage of his own. The police are surprisingly lenient, so much that detective Hioka begins to suspect something fishy is going on.

Performances are solid, the action is pretty brutal and the setup is intricate. My only issue with this series is that it doesn't really deliver something new. If you're familiar with the genre then Blood of Wolves won't have any surprises for you. The execution is spot on though, so genre fans can rejoice.

The Candyman legacy lives on. Anthony is a young artist who is struggling to paint, until he bumps into the story of Helen Lyle. He becomes infatuated by the story and decides to pursue it, hoping it might give him some inspiration for his next work. What he doesn't know is that he awoke the Candyman by doing so.

There are some visually inventive moments (like the shadow puppets and the upside down urban photography), but they are overused and don't add much to the overall mood. The murders are boring, the Candyman isn't scary at all, the horror is just drab. Peele's unsubtle messaging is pretty grating too, though that's the least of this film's worries. A disappointment.

Masao Mikami has spent the bigger part of his life in jail, most notably for Yakuza-related crimes. When he gets out after a 13-year sentence, he vows to better his life. There aren't too many opportunities for an ex-con though, and Mikami struggles to find a job to support himself with.

Having a veteran like Kôji Yakusho is a blessing, and he delivers. But the film seems just a little too content to put all the weight on his shoulders. The cinematography's a little plain, the drama is somewhat simplistic and there isn't quite enough meat here to support a 2-hour runtime. There's a base quality here and the film never derails, I just wish there was more to it. Not bad, but somewhat forgettable.

Salvador Mallo is a director who has reached an age where he simply can't run away from taking a good hard look at his life. He doesn't really like what he sees and through his past, he tries to come to grips with the man he became. When an actor friend introduces him to drugs, Salvador may have found an alternative way out after all.

Banderas' character is a bit of a boring cliché, Almodóvar's signature style isn't half as vibrant as it used to be. I get that the man got a little older, but that's no excuse for his films to get duller. The cinematography and score are decent and because there's quite a bit of plot to wade through, it never gets too slow, but this was far from his best work.

Destiny is a young waitress who looks up to the dancers in the club she work at. When she meets Ramona, she promises Destiny to teach her the tricks of the trade. For a while things are great, and they're raking in the cash, but then the financial crisis hits. With the big Wall Street spenders staying away, their main source of income is suddenly gone.

Performances are decent, and the film has plenty of flair thanks to the polished cinematography and poppy soundtrack. There's a bit too much drama at times and the story/setup is more than a little predictable, but it never drags down the film too much. A pretty fun, albeit simple filler crime flick.