Log: week 26 / 2022

A pretty silly 90s comedy. It's a film with some cult appeal, though I have to admit that I never heard about it before. It's certainly very 90s, so it's no surprise at all that talk about a possible sequel is doing the rounds. Not sure if that's such a good idea, as the core appeal of the film is really tied to its era of release.

It's nice to see Pixar finally taking some risks, even when most people's reaction is clearly not all that positive. It's just another indicator that people generally deserve all the sequels and reboots thrown at them. Not only is Lightyear only tangentially related to the Toy Story series, it's also a much more straight-forward animated sci-fi flick. A fun surprise.

Jim Cummings' breakthrough film. Credited as director, writer and lead actor, you're getting the full Cummings experience here, but that seems to be the case with all of his film. He's a pretty divisive character, somehow I seem to appreciate his commitment though, so it's no surprise I ended up liking Thunder Road.

A murder mystery with a more noirish feel and an "important theme". The film isn't too subtle about it (then again, very few classics seem to be) and it does regularly get in the way of the genre elements, on the other hand it did create a nice diversion from what otherwise would've been a very basic noir film.

Strickland latest is his maddest yet, and that's exactly what makes it a step up from his previous films. Flux Gourmet is weird, ambitious and pretentious, but it's also very funny, kooky and self-aware. It's nigh impossible to pin a single genre on it, and horror fans should probably think twice before having a go at it, but if you like to submerge yourself in a surreal and absurd universe, complete with sensory overload, then this is a film worth seeking out. Hopefully Strickland continues on this trajectory.

A pretty typical Chinese blockbuster comedy. Jian Bing Man is glossy, high-energy and sporting a wealth of cameos. There aren't too many explicit jokes, instead a somewhat wacky plot and light-hearted characters are meant to provide some giggles throughout. It's doing a pretty decent job too, but the lack of risk taking makes it difficult to stand out from the crowd.

A really, really dry comedy. And therefor, maybe not quite crazy or out there enough to create the contrast needed for it to work seamlessly. I wanted to laugh more, I recognized the comedy and appreciated the idea behind it, but the execution felt a little underdeveloped.

A very basic faux doc exercise from Shiraishi. Set up like an actual TV show, this film takes on the legend of the slit-mouthed woman. There are quite a few films about the subject already. Shiraishi's version doesn't really add too much to what's already out there, but if you're looking for decent horror filler this film definitely fits the bill.

One of Steve Martin's first feature film successes. I'm not a big fan of his work, it tends to be a little whiney and/or loud, and it's clear that's been there since the very start of his career. While the premise was rather silly, the rest of the film doesn't live up to it, and you're left with Martin being his jerky self.

A short Christmas special that's quite a bit better than it has any right to be. Thanks to the comedic timing of Stephen Merchant no doubt, though he also found a perfect partner in Asim Chaudhry. There's plenty of funny chemistry between the two leads, which is all this comedy really needed to succeed.

Chinese war propaganda from the hands of one of Shaw Bros most respected and prolific directors. It's interesting comparing this film with the current wave of Chinese war epics. Apart from the obvious budgetary differences, they're surprisingly similar, highlighting the dedication and pride of soldiers sacrificing themselves for the greater good.

Alex Garland's latest reads like a very expensive tweet. It feels as if every other horror film I watch these days is some flaccid social critique, not something I find very engaging. The A24 glazing is getting pretty stale too, either that or Garland isn't really suited to do this type of dark mystery/surrealism.

This isn't Shiraishi's greatest film, not by a long shot. And it's not that I had any real expectations based on the title, it's as basic as you can get. Still, Shiraishi is a pretty decent horror director, but this film falls into the category of quick and cheap filler. There is some fun to be had for sure, but it's purely and strictly for genre fans only.

One of Jee-woon Kim's earliest films. It was the last of his feature films I still had to watch, it seems I made the right call to keep this one until the very end. It's a pretty basic sports comedy with few of Kim's usual touches, which means there really isn't much there to get excited about.

A high-energy horror flick with strong 80s influences. Director Boyce seems to be going all-in too, which is pretty cool, until he starts peppering his film with lazy American (identity) politics. It feels so incredibly out of place that it was hard not to roll my eyes during some of the more nonsensical moments.

Mainstream Chinese comedy. These films tend to do pretty well locally, there isn't too much international appeal though. Maybe it is because they are extremely formulaic, maybe because the star power isn't there yet, or maybe this is just lazy cinema that Hollywood can provide on its own. You're not missing much by just skipping this.

The '24 adaptation of this story was a lot better than expected, sadly, the '40 version is every bit as bad as I'd feared. Color and dialogue don't do the film any good. Instead of being mystical and mysterious, it's just terrible cheesy and kitsch. At least, they were smart enough to cut down the length of the film.

A somewhat disappointing horror/thriller. The premise is tricky, with an American expat having the biggest trouble getting used to a foreign country. It doesn't make for the most sympathetic lead character, which in turn makes it pretty hard to believer and root for her when things are going sideways.