Log: week 19 / 2022

Teresa is a young orphan who falls madly in love with a doctor who visits the orphanage. She tries hard to get him to notice her, but when she finally succeeds she finds out that the doctor isn't the dream man she imagined. Still, Teresa is determined to make a good, honest man of him.

The performances are very basic, the plot isn't anything special, and the characters are a bit too loud for my liking. But the pacing is fine, and it's nice to see a film that doesn't overstay its welcome. It's certainly not the worst of its kind, but unless you're a big fan of classic cinema, there's not much of note.

A young manga artist wants to go independent. He's very skilled, but he just isn't good at creating compelling characters. That changes when his boss sends him out on a mission, and he is accidentally witness to a gruesome murder. That gives him the power to finally draw a successful manga.

The cinematography looks slick, the actors do a solid job and the pacing is perfect. But the second half isn't really that special, and it feels like I'd seen all the twists before. It's not a bad film, certain if you like this type of gruesome serial killer thrillers. I was hoping for just that little extra, and that wasn't really here.

When Robin escapes from imprisonment in Turkey, he returns home, only to find that his father was killed by the sheriff of Nottingham. He becomes an outlaw and hides in the forest. There he starts to work on his plan to get back at the sheriff, while helping others who have been wronged.

The performances are terrible, the plot has been done to death and neither the setting, cinematography nor score are worth a second thought. This is the type of blockbuster pulp that is half forgotten even before the end credits start rolling. And of course, it lasts well over two hours. Very poor.

The setup reminded me of Gunbuster, though a bit more intricate and not as focused on the school part. The film revolves around a group of trained clones, who pilot heavy mechas against a race of space aliens. Humankind is aiming to colonize a planet, but the aliens aren't having it.

The animation quality is not up there with Seshita's more recent films, and the film's TV roots are a bit too apparent. There are still some very cool designs (the aliens in particular), and the plot won't disappoint sci-fi fans, it's just that I was hoping for more, after the Godzilla and Blame! films.

The plot revolves around a summer camp for Young Pioneers. The kids go there to have a good time, but the camp leader has some stringent rules that ruins it for the kids. When the popular Kostja swims to the other side of the river, the camp leader is furious and throws him out of the camp.

The performances are weak, the cinematography is bland, the comedy never funny. But at least it's not some dreary drama that stretches way beyond the 2-hour mark. It's not a total disaster either, I just never got the impression this was a film aimed at my age group, more something Russians might look at with the proper nostalgia.

Three students are making a documentary about Johannes Duyster for school. Duyster was an executioner who lived here four centuries ago, and got involved with witches. The students hit a dead end during their investigation, but then they discover that witch-style executions have continued well after his death.

The setup of the film is good, so is the build-up. Things get a littler ickier during the finale though. There are some pretty shoddy effects and poor performances that do bring the film down a little. It's a shame, I think a less-is-more approach would've worked better if the budget simply wasn't there, but kudos for trying.

The film is a retelling of the story of Gawain, one of king Arthur's nephews. On Christmas day, the Green Knight is summoned and challenges the knights to land a blow on him. As a reward, they'll be given his axe, but in return to must travel to the Green Knight's chapel a year later and receive a similar blow.

Lowery chooses atmosphere over narrative, which is definitely appreciated, but neither the cinematography nor score is all that exceptional. The performances are decent, there are some memorable moments, but I wanted it to be bigger, bolder and gutsier. It seems that's just not something I should expect from Lowery in the future.

At the end of Franco's reign, the young Ana loses both her parents. She is orphaned and together with her two sisters she goes to live with an older aunt. Ana has a hard time adjusting to her new life, and she daydreams about her parents, so much that dream and reality start to converge.

The acting is decent and the drama pleasant, but the film doesn't really go beyond its premise. The cinematography felt a bit murky and the music wasn't really to my taste, even though director Saura made a clear effort. It's not a bad film, it just left me pretty cold, which isn't what I want from a drama.

Shuisheng is a young boy who is brought to Shanghai by his uncle. He works for Tang, an important gang boss. Shuisheng is given to Tang's mistress, who he needs to tend to. From the shadows, Shuisheng observes the lives of the wealthy, but he'll soon find out that this lifestyle comes with its own perils.

Gong Li is strong, as is the rest of the cast. I liked the inclusion of more prominent genre elements, and the mix of drama and crime works very well. I just remembered a more visually elaborate film. Maybe it was the restoration work that took away from the colors, but I was a little underwhelmed. A very good film, just not a personal favorite anymore.

Maria travels with her son Diego to Hierro, a barren little island in the Canaries. When Diego goes missing, her world collapses. To make things worse, she is forced to stay on the island until the judge arrives to take some DNA samples. Not sure what to do with herself, Maria starts her own investigation.

The cinematography is classy, the score is present but not overwhelming, the performances are strong. The ending may not be the most original, nor are the events leading up to it, but Ibáñez makes sure the film is a slick and pointed experience with a proper dramatic impact. Recommended.

Denis is the school nerd, he's always had a crush on Beth, the most popular girl in his year. During his graduation speech, he decides to come clean and tell the school how he feels. It's a desperate act that turns out better than expected. That night Beth comes to his door, hoping to get to know Denis a little better.

The budding romance is cheesy (and not very believable), the high school drama is dull and predictable and the performances aren't that great, but there are moments where the film is prominently meaner than expected. Knowing this is a Chris Columbus film makes it even more special. Not great, but certainly not the worst of its kind either.

The plot is pretty nonsensical, but that hardly matters. We're following a head scientist who is working with his team on some kind of hyperrealistic 3D CG projection system. One day he gets a document that outlines his family history. He learns that he is part of a long line of yokai hunters. Cue a bunch of yokai who will be making his life quite a bit harder.

The characters are familiar caricatures, the horror is played for giggles, and Tezuka has some fun with the costumes and cinematography. The pacing is snappy, the runtime is short, it's just that the film feels a little too flimsy and inconsequential. Tezuka never goes all out, and films like this need that extra bit of commitment and enthusiasm to truly shine. It's decent enough, but only if you appreciate this type of cheese.

The plot revolves around a detective who meets up with his previous mentor. The two of them had written a book in the past, detailing a methodology for identifying criminals. Eager to prove his theories, the detective begins to put them into practice when he is hired to solve a murder case.

The cinematography is outrageous, the setting pleasantly vague and mysterious. I'm not joking when I say that on those strengths alone, the film was close to becoming a personal favorite. I just didn't care for the noirish elements, which didn't necessarily feel out of place, just poorly realized. A very interesting film nonetheless, Von Trier started his career with a bang.

When Jenny and Paul fire their aging housemaid, she doesn't take the news well. Before she departs, she leaves Robert, her doll, with Gene, Jenny and Paul's son. Gene quickly takes to the doll, but soon enough strange things start happening in their house. His parents suspect Gene is acting out, but he points to Robert.

I'm no stranger to cheap and/or amateurish horror, but those film usually try to compensate with sheer enthusiasm. Robert is a dead serious film, and it actually looks like a genuine attempt at horror, it's just horrible, through and through. Even the low budget shouldn't be an excuse for such a dumb-looking doll, which is supposed to be the core scare element of the film. Unless you like bottom of the barrel cinema, it's better to just avoid this one.

China is under threat of foreign invasion, the White Lotus Clan makes handy use of that fear to get people to join their cult. San and Kuang try to stand up against the cult, but when Kuang joins them, San finds him myself stumped. Luckily, he gets some help from more experienced martial arts masters, so he has a fighting chance against the cult leader.

You can see there were some experienced people on board, as the camera work, cinematography, costumes are all on point. It's just that the film feels like a lazy copy of better (and older) films, with no intention to improve upon the established formula. It's fun filler, but I had hoped for something more.

The film is set in Alexandria, during WWII. Yehia is a young boy growing up in the city. He is smitten with American culture and media, and loves nothing more than to go to the cinema and watch American movies. So much in fact that he wants to become an actor, but his social stature doesn't really allow him to become one.

The performances are pretty weak, the cinematography felt bland and the story didn't really appeal to me. There was nothing to get me hooked, the overly long runtime only made it worse. Not that I was the biggest Chahine fan alive, but his other films felt more inspired to me.

Two demons want to infiltrate the human world, their hideous faces don't work in their favor, though. And so they seek out a spell that fixes their looks and turns them into alluring women. While the spell is effective enough, it's still not easy to conceal their true identities, certainly not when a demon hunter arrives in town and sniffs them out.

This new take reminded me quite a bit of Hark Tsui's Green Snake. The costumes and sets looks absolutely stunning, the cinematography is lovely, and the plot brings a fine mix of fantasy, horror and romance. The CG remains somewhat problematic and not all the actors offer an equally great performance, but give Chen a few more films and I wouldn't be surprised to see a true personal favorite from his hands.

Lucky and Miles bump into each other on the airport in Madrid, when they are back home, COVID hits. Lucky got the name tag from Miles' suitcase, so she decides to give him a call. It's the start of a screen relationship that sees the two growing closer together. But long distance relationships during pandemics aren't always easy.

Two people talking to each other over screens for 80 minutes is a very contemporary thing, but you better make sure those two characters are in some way lovable. Miles is pretty bland, Lucky irretrievably annoying, the film in other words sucked pretty bad. The relationship didn't feel genuine, I didn't care one bit for the characters, but at least it was short.

Zhang Ke is the son of the God of War. Twenty years ago, his father sacrificed himself to save humanity, Ke never really forgave his father, and he isn't willing to carry on the legacy of his name. But then the evil wizard reappears and together with his friends he seeks out the Heaven Heart, a magical trinket that can defeat the wizard for good.

The CG isn't great, but it is serviceable. The performances are mediocre too, but the sets and costumes are pretty lush, and the pacing is perfect. It's nice to see a story like this told in literally half the time of a regular blockbuster epic. It is a film for core genre fans, who are able to look past any budgetary limitations, but once you're past that, it's pretty fun.

Raven is a gun for hire who is hired to kill a blackmailer. He's a skilled professional, after finishing the job he gets paid and goes on his way. What he doesn't know is that his employer paid him in marked bills. Soon enough the cops are on his tail, when he begins to suspect his employer set him up, he wants revenge.

There are some cool locations, other than that this film has little to offer (unless you're a big noir fan, of course). The plot is pretty standard, there's too much dialogue and the performances are mediocre. I don't really understand all the fuss, but at least these films tend to be pretty short.

A car crash turns the lives of a young family upside down. Nathan doesn't survive the crash, leaving his parents and brother to fend for themselves. They decide to start anew in Finland (that's where the director is from), but soon enough his brother starts to act as if Nathan was still around.

The Twin is a well-made film, but it's also pretty boring. Predictable twists, easy scares and derivative plot points are scattered throughout. The acting is decent, and the cinematography is appropriately grim, but even that seems to be copied from better film. Simple horror filler.