Log: week 19 / 2022

A pretty loud and basic Italian romance. If you ever wondered where the cliché of the "loud Italian" came from, look no further than this film. Other than that, it's a very classic romance. Fans of the 40s Hollywood films who wouldn't mind an Italian take might like this film, personally I didn't care that much for this early De Sica.

A considerably darker film from Akira Nagai. He does pretty well with it, but Character does lack that extra bit of edge to make it a real stand-out. It's a bit too formulaic maybe, and the short injections of horror aren't quite enough to lift it above the rest. Neither are the few twists at the end.

I haven't seen too many good Robin Hood adaptations yet, this blockbuster Hollywood attempt didn't do much to change that. It might've been decent in its day, but the film has lost almost all of its appeal, the only thing that remains are some garish performances and a dull story that's been done to death.

I'm a huge Tsutomu Nihei fan, but his Knights of Sidonia never quite pulled me in. I skipped the series even when I had easy access, and never really bothered with the manga. Maybe it's because it's one of his lighter/more commercial works, but when I heard Seshita was doing a film, I was willing to give it a go.

A Russian comedy for kids. There are a few perks there, namely that the film is quite light (not very common for a Russian film) and that it is rather short. Other than that, this is really aimed at younger people, as the film features some pretty bland comedy that was pretty hard to stomach.

Belgian found footage horror set in Antwerp. That certainly ups the appeal of Duyster, not too many projects shot here care to show off my hometown. The film itself is pretty basic though. It's certainly fun enough for people who love a faux doc horror, but it's not exactly a highlight of the genre.

I think I expected something a bit more special. The Green Knight is certainly no ordinary costume drama or Medieval adventure, but it isn't quite as magical and/or mysterious as advertised. That didn't come as too big of a surprise (not a big fan of Lowery's previous film, and A24 certainly has its limits too), but I think I was hoping for a bigger improvement.

A decent but somewhat uneventful Spanish drama. It all depends on how involved you are with the characters, those don't tend to be the dramas that pull me in. The film lacks the necessary visual flair, and the attempts to elevate it with the soundtrack were largely unsuccessful.

Yimou Zhang's rather subdued crime drama. I really liked this film when I first watched it, I think I've seen this done better since. It's certainly not a bad one, with proper intrigue and sporting a very nice setting, but somehow it lacks Zhang's visual flourish, which left me a little disappointed.

A very neat mystery from Spain. Director Ibáñez delivers a nice mix of genres, adds just a touch of arthouse flair and drapes it over a solid drama. The result is a film that thrives on atmosphere and is gripping from start to finish. Maybe Ibáñez could've pushed it just a little further, but that's just nitpicking.

A pretty standard American high school comedy, with slightly above average writing. The jokes are just a tad edgier and cruder (though not necessarily more vulgar) than most of its peers, which made this a somewhat easier watch. Not that this is suddenly a comedy highlight, but I don't think anyone was realistically expecting it to be.

Though Macoto Tezuka will forever be "the son of legendary...", he did manage to grow out of the shadow of his illustrious father. At the start of his directorial career, he spent most of his time making quirky, anime-like features, Monster Heaven is a perfect example. It's far from his best work, but if you're looking for something short and kooky, this is a pretty good fit.

Lars Von Trier's first full-length feature. I wasn't entirely sure what to expect, but it surely wasn't one of the best-looking films of the 80s. The Element of Crime, with its hellishly red monochrome look, deserves more praise for its looks alone. I was a little less taken with its arthouse take on the noir genre, but that's just a side note really.

Annabelle was enough of a success to spawn some cheap knock-offs, Robert is one of the most prominent ones. At least in name, as the film itself is utter shite. To the point where I couldn't help but wonder with what kind of aspirations a film like this is actually being made (if any, of course).

A second rate martial arts film. It's from the blessed year 1993, which means there's a baseline quality present that keeps it fun to watch, but the derivative setting, the minor cast and the lack of memorable scenes don't work in the film's favor. You're probably better off watching Once Upon a Time in China once again.

Even though I didn't connect with pretty much anything in this film, the title sure spoke to me. A visit to Alexandria was by far the worst bit of vacation I've experienced so far, but that's not really what this film is about. It's my fourth Chahine, also the worst of his I've seen so far.

Too often, dark comedy and morbid humor are seen as the same thing. While there is definitely an overlap, I crave the rawness and meanness of a good dark comedy. Not too surprisingly, there aren't that many good ones around, but All My Friends Hate Me pushed all the right buttons. The hilariously tragic lead character finds himself trapped at a hellish birthday weekend with some old college friends, the audience is invited to see his entire weekend go to shit. Gaynord's direction is confident and pointed, the performances are superb, and the comedy has that razor sharp edge, right until the very end. Didn't expect much going in, but this film won me over.

A truly capable adaptation of the Painted Skin story. Expectations are generally tempered when watching one of these contemporary Chinese streamer films. While fun, they pretty much always lack a level of polish that keeps them from ever becoming personal favorites. I will say that this new Painted Skin came awfully close. Liu Chen is definitely one to watch.

COVID lockdown was a weird period for many, I also understand this is a movie, which means you need about 90 minutes worth of material. The thing is, Hoekstra's character is so incredibly annoying that it's very difficult to believe anyone willing to communicate with her for more than 5 minutes. Which is the entire premise of this film.

Chinese fantasy made for streamer platforms. They have their martial arts films figured out by now, the fantasy work is a little trickier, as the reliance on CG is quite a bit more pronounced. Fighting Darkside isn't too bad, but it comes with the usual caveats, so don't go in expecting some kind of major blockbuster production.

Another archetypical noir. After more or less a year of getting myself acquainted with the noir genre, I'm starting to get a pretty decent idea of what to expect. Which isn't that hard really, since it's a pretty strict and well-defined genre, with a big selection of core films. This Gun for Hire is part of that genre core.

A somewhat lifeless cut-and-paste job. The Twin is like many other horror films you've seen before, but tries to be a bit more original by combining two different horror clichés into a single film. Not that director Mustonen gets away with it, and to make things worse, it only adds unnecessarily to the runtime.