Log: week 39 / 2021

Though the films boasts (literally, in the intro monologue) about its use of outside locations, there are still many indoor scenes. These are incredibly dull, just static shots of men endlessly discussing the murder case. It isn't until the very end that New York is used to its fullest potential, but I'd stopped caring at least an hour earlier.

The family is pretty annoying, so it's easy enough to root for the "bad guy", brilliantly played by Willem de Wolf. There's a coldness to his performance that makes his character really memorable. The pacing is perfect, the horror elements are limited but effective and the film has no excess cruft. A very entertaining bit of genre cinema.

Turner and Douglas fall short here. Not that it's easy, playing characters who are fundamentally flawed and annoying, but they manage poorly. I did like the more over-the-top scenes (mostly near the ending), the introduction is a bit long in the tooth though. Not dark enough for a black comedy, not funny enough for a plain comedy.

There are some nice shots here, and the performances are decent, but not enough to make me care for the characters, nor their romantic problems. I'm sure it's a film that will sit well with fans of classic romances, it's certainly not too long or dragged out, it just wasn't all that interesting.

More action than horror this one, with mediocre CG car chases and lots of fire weapon action (the lame kind). The zombies are pretty generic, the horror elements are very limited and there's a bit too much melodrama, but the pacing is decent enough and the film serves a nice enough adventure. Decent filler, but nothing more.

The production values are surprisingly good, the creature designs are fun and creative and the pacing is perfect. There's no cruft here, there's hardly any drama that holds up the plot and the film delivers a fine mix between sci-fi and horror. Fingers crossed this is the first of many, I would really like to see more of this.

Chou struggles with the budget, but she makes the scenes that matter count. The performances are decent, the characters are intriguing, and the plot is full of surprises. Wrath of Desire is a gripping romantic drama with solid mystery and thriller elements to push the intrigue, no doubt knocking down some taboos in the process.

The performances are decent, the sets are grand, the cinematography is neat, and the soundtrack is proper. I admit, it's borderline kitsch, but Wright gets away with it. The plot's a bit too sentimental though and the film is quite long, it's also not a very memorable film, but that's probably just because it's really not my type of film.

Brick is a simple whodunit, executed with a lot of flair. The camera work is deliberate, the soundtrack is very moody, performances are solid and Johnson manages to keep the mystery alive until the very end. Brick's a good film for sure, it just didn't feel as special anymore. It's probably because I watched a lot of other films since then, but the core quality is hard to miss. Very good.

The performances are decent, but it's the mix of the eerie cinematography and the moody soundtrack that makes sure the tension is grounded. Someone around the midpoint I started to wonder whether the film would be able to bring anything new to the table, the ending surely shut me up. Good stuff.

The animation style is pretty interesting, especially for a CG film, but the limited budget doesn't do it justice. The plot on the other hand is rather mediocre, feeling more like filler ep material, though maybe the second film is going to set things straight. As it stands, Tartaros is fun enough, just not really at the level where I expect an Appleseed production to be.

Skarsgård's performance is grossly overstated, the music is overdone, and the light fantasy elements are incredibly kitsch. All that combined made it impossible for me to care about the characters and the drama. I wanted to like this more, Alfredson had some good ideas, but the execution failed on every count.

Fionn O'Shea and Lola Petticrew are both hilarious and endearing, the chemistry between them is perfect, and they have no trouble carrying the weight of the film. The comedy is a little crude but perfectly executed, and it's balanced well with the drama. Certainly not the most dashing film, but it's not as needy, and thus a lot better than most of its peers.

There's hardly a coherent plot, characters merely exist to symbolize the Chinese spirit, the way China handled the beginning of the pandemic is described as some kind of incredible success story and there's not a single ounce of critique or self-reflection. A film like this is really in bad taste, I generally don't care too much about a little extra heroism in films, but this was just utterly insane and completely tone-deaf.

Even though I wasn't the biggest fan of the soundtrack, it does combine well with the visuals. The cinematography is interesting, especially the editing of still images resulting in a semblance of motion is something that stood out. While certain parts are certainly better than others, it never got dull and the film does work up towards a pretty impressive finale. An interesting find for sure.

The cinematography is dark and grainy, the performances are solid (with Daniel Gillies as the obvious standout), the moral ambiguity pretty interesting. It's nothing particularly new and/or original, but Ashcroft does a fine job and delivers a very good genre flick. Prime filler, especially with Halloween drawing closer.

After seeing oodles of Shaw Bros films, something like Clans of Intrigue does have trouble standing out. The characters, the plot, the trademark sets, it's everything you'd expect from a 70s Shaw Bros production. But Chor's set designs and eye for visual detail do stand out. Not as much as with some of his best films, but it makes that Clan of Intrigue is a worthwhile genre flick.

The cinematography is the clear winner here, the scenes in the swamp in particular are very beautiful (and reminiscent of similar scenes in Come and See). The film could've used a better soundtrack and a little less dialogue, the story itself isn't too special either, but at least Tarkovksy makes sure there's plenty of pretty images to look forward to.

Daddario and Hasson aren't really suited for their parts, the film is neither funny nor gory enough and the final act doesn't deliver. Even so, Meyers does keep you guessing what direction the film will go in next. Though the destination itself may be somewhat disappointing, the trip there was at least interesting enough.

Still, it's nice to see these familiar faces talk about some of the biggest action classics of the 80s. These were golden times for Hong Kong, though also somewhat of a wild west, which makes for some interesting stories. At the end it felt a bit too close to a promo video for a certain age/group of film crews, but it's a must-see if you fancy yourself some Hong Kong martial arts.

The performances are pretty dim, the direction is lifeless, and the film is as predictable as they come. I didn't find any characters to care about, neither did I see anything to suggest the director had a real vision for this film. It's just a tale about a young racer that lacks the proper flair and pacing to keep things interesting.

McCarthy and O'Dowd are decent (though clearly gunning for comedians-can-handle drama points), the lighter vibes offer a pleasant twist on the seriousness that generally goes with this subject and the styling is slightly better than the norm, but the drama lacks impact and the rest of the film just isn't memorable enough.

Yonfan is ambitious here. The film reflects on Hong Kong during the 60s, works in a love triangle and tackles a bunch of classic cinema in the process (not unlike Millennium Actress). The animation is a bit limited, but the art style is pleasant and the music very stylish. The film is a bit too meandering at times, but Yonfan never loses grip and delivers a beautiful and complex film.

I'm not a big Swank fan, but she performs surprisingly well here. Sevigny is also good and there's some real chemistry between the two, but it's not quite enough to save this film. The second half is pretty heavy-handed, the cinematography and score feel a bit uncontrolled and the finale is not as emotional as intended. A missed opportunity.

This is only the first part, I don't think I'll be watching the second part in the near future. The sport segments were rather dull and apart from some nice shots left and right there's really not much to enjoy here. A doc that was ahead of its time, but is hopelessly trailing the current norm.

While I like some of the concepts that drive the film, the characters are absolutely maddening and the film itself is pretty crude, not doing a very good job at making its point. The performances are weak, the direction isn't very appealing either. I wanted to like this more, but it just didn't really work for me.