Log: week 41 / 2021

Amanda takes her daughter Nina on a vacation to the countryside. There they meet Carola and her son David. David's a somewhat reclusive boy and after getting to know Amanda a little better, Carola why David turned out the way he did. Amanda has a hard time believing Carola's story, but the more time she spends with David, the more she starts to doubt her beliefs.

Llosa moody and mysterious direction is the main pull of Fever Dream. It also helps that the performances are on point and that the mystery remains largely unexplained until late in the film, but it's the delicate camera work and the atmospheric score that make this a neat little film.

Susan Cooper work for the CIA, but she's never given any exciting jobs. Her main task is assisting agent Fine, who is constantly chasing bad guys and saving the world from destruction. But then Fine is killed and Cooper is ordered to track down the killer. With the help from some friends at the CIA, she tries to make the most of it.

McCarthy is decent here, but it's the secondary roles that have the best jokes (Jason Statham and Miranda Hart in particular stand out). Feig had a solid to work with and there are some surprisingly fun chase scenes, the only problem is that two hours is a bit much for a simple spoof. A little extra cutting could've made Spy even better.

Three young girls find themselves stranded on a faraway planet. They decide that returning to Earth is the way to go, what they don't know is that one of them is a wanted criminal. Just hours after setting off they are attacked by malicious mechas, though this is only the beginning of their troubles.

Anime stereotypes by the dozens, quite a bit of sci-fi action and over-the-top comedy. Shinbo loves to indulge in these stereotypes, but thanks to his excellent direction, quality animation and unique pacing Tenamonya Voyagers feels different enough from all the other anime series and features I've seen. Good stuff.

A mysterious creature is threatening ships at sea. On land the tales are scoffed at, but the fact remains that quite a few ships are ending up on the bottom of the ocean, so an expedition is sent out to investigate the matter. After months at sea they deem the story false, but then they spot a suspicious-looking machine in the water.

The cheesy decors are certainly charming and the fight with the kraken is a classic, but it's enough to turn this film into a sprawling adventure. There's a bit too much dialogue and a few too many dead moments to keep the momentum going. This would've been a lot better had they cut about 30 minutes of filler material.

Don and Liz bought a new house, moving from the city to the suburbs. Liz is pregnant, so Don goes ahead to prepare the house for Liz' arrival. Once he starts cleaning up the place, strange things begin to happen. The house seems to harbor a dark presence, but Don is unaware of the danger he's in.

There are some fun ideas here, but the execution isn't on point. The performances are quite poor (Brooks in particular is hard to stomach), the horror elements aren't very effective and films drags, even though the runtime is relatively short. This could've been a pretty solid horror flick, but it needed a better crew.

Miles is taken into the hospital after an unfortunate incident, only to awake 200 years later. The future is not quite as rosy as Miles had hoped. Scientists awoke him from his cryostasis to fight an evil dictator. He needs to infiltrate their base, but a romantic fling with a female poet changes his course.

The main attraction of the film is Allen himself. If you don't like him, stay as far away from this as possible. If you love him, there are some good chuckles up ahead. I wasn't a big fan of the cheesy sci-fi elements though, also some of the more slapstick-like scenes didn't really do it for me. A decent laugh, but certainly not his best work.

The Wangs are a tight-knit, though somewhat odd family. When Mr. Wang takes in a shook up bus driver, who is related to a fateful car accident that killed all the kids in Wang's son's class, tension rises between the family members. Slowly the driver starts to remember the details of the accident, revealing more secrets than he was prepared for.

While the premise is clear from the start, Chen isn't too eager to reveal where the film will go from there. The mystery is upheld until very late into the film, a big plus in my book, but some might up feeling a little lost. Good performances, clean styling and a fun finale should make up for that. A more than solid mystery.

The saloon in Bottle Neck, run by a feisty woman called Frenchy, is the place to be. A high-stake poker game marks the start of major trouble, with the town's sheriff ending up dead not much later. Deputy Destry is called in to solve the murder. Without a gun and only his wit, he has his work cut out for him.

Marlene Dietrich has no problem playing a sassy lady, James Stewart on the other hand is his usual stiff self. They don't really work well as a couple, which is pretty crucial for a romcom. There are some pretty pictures and the pacing isn't too awful, but man do I dislike watching Stewart. He ruins the entire film.

Hanawa is something of a weapon nut. He isn't exactly dangerous, but he does own a couple of illegal firearms. When he is found out, he's given a three year sentence. Life in prison is different for Hanawa, but as he grows accustomed to the prison rules and his quirky cellmates, Hanawa rediscovers the beauty of the smaller things in life.

There isn't much of a plot here, instead Doing Time is a slice of life about a tightly run prison facility. Performances are great, the mix of drama and comedy is on point, it's just that the presentation is a little dry. Doing Time used to be a personal favorite, a good 15 years later I found the film has a bit more trouble distinguishing itself from its peers. It's still a lovely little drama though.

A group of friends is having a party on a small island off the coast of Stockholm. One half (carrying all the food) is already on the island, the other half (carrying the alcohol) is stuck on a little boat. Getting the boat ashore is proving a lot harder than expected, and an unfriendly neighbor on the island isn't making things any easier either.

The premise is pretty absurd, director Danielsson isn't afraid to milk it for all it's worth. The actors aren't very funny though, the gags are pretty childish, and it all feels very by the numbers, save maybe one or two inspired moments. A comedy needs more than an intriguing premise, which is all To Go Ashore really has to offer.

Withnail and Marwood are two unemployed actors. They live together in London, they get high on drugs, and they goof around all day. Still, they get tired of loafing around in the big city, so they plan a little vacation to Withnail's uncle's countryside home. As it turns out, they aren't really made for rural life.

Slightly goofy characters and endless banter, that's what you can expect from this film. I can't say I found it hilarious, nor did I care too much for the two leads, but the film does have its moments, and it never really dragged or got boring to watch. I'm not quite sure how it got its cult status, but it wasn't as bad as I'd feared.

Kitty is a true county bumpkin who dreams of making it big as a dancer in the city. Her father trained her in martial arts, but supports her dream and sends her off. Kitty gets lucky and lands a job as a janitor in a dance school. The other members regularly make fun of her, until they find out how skilled she is. They ask her to join their clique, but romantic woes stand in the way of success.

Jump sticks very closely to genre conventions. The country girl in the big city clichés are everywhere, so is the "work hard and you'll make it" message. There's a bit of romance, some drama, though always dominated by a lighter mood, as to make sure you won't doubt for a second everything will turn out okay for Kitty. The dance routines do look pretty cool though, other than that it's decent but very basic filler.

Chris is trapped in a loveless marriage, his nagging wife drives him up the wall. To escape from his dreary life, Chris like to paint. Through his paintings he meets Kitty, a young woman who loves Chris' work. Their budding romance stirs something in Chris, what he doesn't know is that Kitty is involved with a younger man, planning to scam Chris.

I've been watching quite a few classic noirs and the setup rarely deviates. There's a lot of empty dialogue, slightly too much drama that finds little support from the basic characters, and a more tense ending, usually involving murder in a rainy setting. That's pretty much what you can expect from Scarlet Street.

Libby starts working for CCC, a clothing shop that preaches ethical clothing. On her first day there, a new pair of auto-fitting jeans is introduced, said to revolutionize the clothing business. It turns out that the jeans does more than adapt to body shapes though, the first girl trying them out ends up dead not long after.

As a comedy Slaxx is pretty decent, even if some characters feel a little flat and overdone. Sadly, the horror elements are pretty subpar. The murderous jeans fail to look scary, too many of the kills happen entirely off-screen, and the effects are too basic. Slaxx is short and decently paced, sporting some solid laughs and a fun premise, but as a horror/comedy it's just a bit too flimsy.

Sheng Yung is a young lawyer who wants to make a difference. His boss treats him like shit though, it also doesn't help Yung's a cripple. Desperate to help the people around him, Yung uses a spell that turns him into a fierce monster, as long as there is some oil around. As this oily creature, he finally has the strength to play vigilante, but it doesn't take long before others are onto him.

The whole appeal of the film hinges on the appearance of the oily monster, sadly it looks like a rubbery reject suit from a Toho Kaiju shoot. His special powers are pretty drab too, the action scenes are dull and there's absolutely nothing horrific about the film. At least there's tons of cheese, just not enough to turn this into an enjoyable feature. Not really worthy of its status.

Judith is still young at heart, but her health isn't what it used to be. She admits herself into an elderly home, where she hopes she can live a comfortable life without bothering her family too much. It quickly dawns on her that something is off in the home, but when she tries to warn others, nobody believes her.

Director Carolyn makes no attempt whatsoever to do anything original, nor to add some necessary flair to the direction. It's one of those films that safely colors inside the lines, never oversteps its boundaries and just goes through the motions. Never very thrilling, never creepy or eerie, typical assembly line cinema.

Dave is a young kid who excelled at school. After winning a bike, Dave dreams of becoming a professional cyclist. He's a big fan of the Italian team, so when they're coming to his hometown he trains like mad to beat them. His dad isn't too happy with the cycling business though, he'd rather see his son make better use of his diploma.

It's a decent enough coming-of-age drama, with likeable characters, but it's also pretty forgettable. The drama is expected, the cycling bits are poorly executed, and the styling is negligible. Throw in some basic romance and a cookie cutter sports finale, and you should have a pretty good idea of what to expect.

Paula is an extremely gifted medical student. She gets accepted into a very prestigious summer program, where she'll learn everything there is to know about human anatomy. The students like to play pranks on each other, but it quickly dawns on Paula that something is off on campus. Some of the bodies that turn up appear to be murdered.

Anatomy has a pretty decent vibe. The film doesn't take itself too serious, the pacing is nice and there are some memorable sight (mostly the deconstructed corpses on display). The thriller elements are rather predictable though and the final is a bit underwhelming. Still, it's a pretty amusing film and a decent option for those who crave a bit of 90s horror.

Sylvia is still raising her daughter with the three bachelors. Work is taking a lot of her time, to make matters worse Sylvia decides to move to the UK, where she'll marry a rich English gentleman. At first the men are glad they can finally reclaim their freedom, but it soon dawns on them that they miss Sylvia and Mary.

The comedy is terrible (with the three "rapping men" scene being a true insult to good taste), the plot is bland and the performances don't save the film either. It's one of those family-friendly rom-coms that isn't really aimed at anyone in particular. A film best forgotten, though I'm pretty sure that won't be too difficult.

I'm not the biggest fan of the series (with only the second entry being really worth a watch), that probably explains why my expectations were pretty low. The time off seems to have breathed some new life in the concept, since there were some pretty inspired entries this time around.

Tjahjanto's short in particular is a real stand-out. Superb effects, great designs and lots of nasty gore. The Empty Wake and Storm Drain are simple but effective, Terror and Holy Hell (the wrap-around segment) are decent but clearly not up to par with the others. All in all, a jolly good time for fans of the found footage niche.

Nadja and her son Elias are taking a flight to New York. Midway the plane is hijacked and ordered to turn around. This isn't really an option for Nadja, who can't stand daylight, and so she stands up against the hijackers. The situation escalates and not long after the plane is filled with bloodthirsty vampires thirsting for blood.

Vampires and zombies aren't my favorite zombie creatures, Thorwarth isn't adding much to their lore either. It's a decent enough film though, combining action and horror elements to create a pretty tense and bloody spectacle. Not quite as gruesome as I'd hoped, a bit too long maybe, but if you're looking for decent horror filler, this film will do.

Yamamoto is a tactical genius and loyal to the emperor of Japan. That puts him in an awkward position, as he is ordered to lead the attack on Pearl Harbor, a mission he opposes. Yamamoto is overruled, so even though he feels the mission should be aborted, he'll do his best to make it work.

The first hour is pretty slow, it isn't until the second half that the war scenes introduce some much-needed action. With people like Mifune and Shimura on board this was certainly not an inconspicuous project, though it's not a film that really stands out as majestic nowadays. I'm not surprised Honda took a different path after this.