Log: week 45 / 2021

Most of the plot and the dialogue are copied from the original. There is a bit more padding (to clear up certain plot points) and some slight changes that take some edge off. Gyllenhaal isn't at his best and the film does leave the call station for a single scene, which was pretty unnecessary. Not terrible, but make sure you watch the original first.

Shang-chi is a typical "USA does China" film, stuck in uncanny valley. There are quite a few parallels with the cheesy Chinese CG fests that have plagued Chinese movie screen though. The CG's a bit better, the aesthetics are a bit worse, the result is pretty much the same. Very mediocre film making that will be quickly forgotten.

The muted color palette adds to the dramatic tension, performances are fine and the slow unraveling of the mystery was aptly paced. The film isn't exactly subtle though and even though the intrigue is there, Granik never takes it anywhere surprising or truly exciting. Solid genre work, but nothing more.

2.5 hours is a lot, then again the film covers a lot of ground. Performances are decent, and somehow I do like Levinson a tad more than most of his Hollywood contemporaries, even though his directorial style isn't all that defined. The plot is pretty standard though and the film has few surprises, nor does it dare to get very graphic. Just decent.

It's a tragic story no doubt, but Nair's direction is pretty bland. The performances aren't always great either, the drama is a bit too predictable, and the conclusion felt a bit random. People who love this kind of social drama will certainly get more from this film, for me, it lacked cinematic quality.

It's clear from the start that the film is about to stick with Asger throughout the entire runtime. Not knowing what exactly is going on the other end of the line is what drives the tension, still director Asger could've done more with it. Performances are decent but nothing special, the added drama feels a tad too much like filler and the ending is a bit silly, but the foundation is pretty solid and the short runtime makes sure the film never drags on for too long. Decent.

What will stay with me the most though is how amateurish the games were back then. Of course, the original Olympic Games were set up for amateurs only, but if you compare the events (the gymnast disciplines in particular) with today's athletes, this is complete amateur hour. Not completely uninteresting, but hardly worth the runtime.

The premise is neat and Flanery's performance is on point. The drama is vintage Hollywood though. Quite cheesy, with dumb bad guys, predictable hurdles and a downright kitsch ending. The film keeps on alternating the good with the bad, so it never becomes a true disaster, but Silva isn't really the man for this type of thing.

Downey is the heart of the film. His typical delivery makes the comedy and narration stick. With a little help from Black (some fun editing and nice visual touches), that's well enough to make this an entertaining film. It's just not quite as special and original anymore as it was the last time I watched it. I still like the film a lot, but the genius is gone.

The first half of the film is passable. The snowy setting and stark black and white cinematography go well together. The second half becomes a lot more dialogue-heavy and the blunt, almost screamy philosophical claptrap really didn't do it for me. Not that I expected the world from this film, but I did expect it to be better than this.

The film starts out pretty tame, the first half hour offers little more than simple Raymond Wong comedy sketches. The film does pick up steam during the second half. The comedy gets crazier, the pacing is excruciating, and the finale is pretty wild. You probably don't need to see the earlier films to enjoy part IV, but some prior experience with Hong Kong comedy is an absolute must.

The shorts left me pretty cold, mostly because they weren't long enough to get me in the mood. This is the kind of film that transfixes, but it actually needs a certain run-in period to get you in that mood. The aesthetic quality of the film also seems higher, the ambient sounds are soothing, and the length is just right. Pretty hard to recommend, but this film like Tsai making a real effort again.

The start of the film is a bit basic, not in the least because the streaming thing is becoming a little overused. But the film more self-conscious than most of its peers and the execution is actually pretty nice. The effects aren't top-notch, even so LeVeck transcends that and delivers a pretty amusing horror flick. Good fun for genre fans.

There's a lot of fighting going on here. The story advances through rather short bursts of dialogue, the rest is just extended fight sequences, tournaments and trap building. The choreography is a bit mixed, but there are some cool weapons and a pleasant level of creativity. You really have to love martial arts flicks, other than that there's really not much here, but if you do, you can't really go wrong with this film.

All characters are inherently good here, and when their vanity pops up it is immediately remedied with some wise words from the rest of the cast. The plot is completely saccharine, the styling is bland, but the pacing is decent, and it's also somewhat refreshing to spend some time with characters that aren't total douchebags. Some redeeming qualities, but not a great film.

Dinosaur is all tech, no aesthetic. Twenty years down the line that means that visually, it's a very unattractive film. The story isn't much to look at either, the characters are pretty annoying and Disney's magical life lessons are best soon forgotten. At least the film is pretty compact, that's about the only positive here really.

There are some flashes of quality here, mostly some dreamier moments in between the more traditional drama parts. Performances are decent, but the plot is awfully dull, the styling feels a bit bland and the runtime is inexcusable. It might've been a better film if they'd gone full fiction, this felt like a contrived and lazy attempt to pay homage to Elsa Andersson.

Stone has quite a bit of fun with the rise of Nixon. The pacing is solid, there's some (limited) visual prowess and some memorable scenes. Once things go downhill for Nixon the film grinds to a halt. Hopkins is too much of a caricature, the drama doesn't really register, and the film goes on for way too long. If you're really interested in Nixon, it's probably better to watch a good documentary.

Pearce is surprisingly weak, Lutz is better but isn't given all that much to work with. Some settings are moody, Baird does his best to bring the place to life and the second half does add some intrigue, but the film never really escapes the shadow of its big brothers. Decent sci-fi filler, but I'd hoped for a bit more.

Performances are nice enough and the yellow glow gives the film some welcome flair. The first half of the film is pretty fun, when things get more serious though it quickly becomes clear that there's simply not enough meat here to warrant the epic scale and runtime of the film. Not bad, just a bit overblown in places.

For a film celebrating a female artist, Claudel is a surprisingly weak and dependent character. Adjani and Depardieu both put in commendable performances, the film sports a pleasantly warm, romantic look, only three hours is a bit much. Nuytten could've cut at least 60 minutes of material, and he would've ended up with a better film.

The recurring musical theme (in different executions) is fun, the lead character is charismatic and Altman doesn't take the story too serious, which is always a plus. The plot itself is pretty basic and the film could've been a bit shorter, other than that it's one of the better USA 70s classics I've seen to date.

A simple plot that pits the same characters against each other once again. The characters are pretty silly, so is their feud, but the world they inhabit is quite interesting and Yates doesn't skimp on the fantasy. It's not a great film by all means, but it is a slight step up from its predecessor.

Though the film is called Stepmom and there's plenty of potential drama there already, it wasn't quite enough for Columbus, so he introduced a character with cancer. It's a really odd turn of events that puts the film on an entirely different track, which just seems to underline that Columbus had no idea how to fill two hours of film with genuine, human drama. A very poor effort.