Log: week 32 / 2022

A Mexican refugee (Juan) is rescued by an older man, and given a job as a concierge in a small building. The people living there are pretty peculiar, but a screenwriter for a popular horror series takes the cake. Juan investigates her disappearance and finds a video with the films she wrote.

The horror is pretty scarce, the tension is disappointing, the cinematography and score are well below the norm and the performances are weak. There are some nice ideas, but the execution simply isn't there and at nearly two hours long, the film overstays its welcome. A pretty weak horror anthology.

Nels is a simple man who loves his family and his job. When his son is reported dead, presumably because of an overdose, he refuses to believe his son was a drug addict. Not much later he finds out a local drug cartel was responsible for his death, so Nels starts to plan his revenge.

The plot isn't too original, but Moland's another-man-down setup is pretty funny and some dry and deadpan comedy interludes contrast nicely with the usual revenge/thriller motives. The cast is pretty decent, the snowy setting pleasant, and the pacing on point. Nothing too remarkable, but pretty good filler.

OJ helps out his dad on their ranch, where they train horses to be used in Hollywood productions. One day a freak accident kills his father and all the weight lands on OJ's shoulders. When his sister comes to visit the strange events start anew, and OJ confesses that he might have seen a UFO circling above.

There are some nifty ideas and cool designs that help the film stand out, but it's Peele's peculiar and focused direction that set it apart from other alien invasion flicks. The length never got in the way and the mystery is maintained until pretty late in the film. Also, the comedic moments worked well for a change. Better than expected.

Like most of these docs, it does become quite clear that it's impossible to cover the various European scenes in the span of a single feature-length film. They are each so different, with their own local myths, legends, and history, that it just doesn't fit. I was still happy to see nods to the Dutch, Belgian and German scenes, but the main focus is Garnier's own techno niche.

The film does manage to touch on various core electronic concepts (club culture, faceless artists, societal stigma) while showing a bit more of the person that is Lauren Garnier, even when he keeps his family life very private. Off the Record is a pretty balanced, respectful, and well-made doc, and I certainly wouldn't mind seeing more of this, covering similarly influential artists from different scenes. Good stuff.

Anzu and Toru spend the summer together working on a film. But then Toru suddenly leaves for Australia and Anzu is left to finish the film alone. She struggles to end the project and is on the verge of abandoning it altogether, when looking through all the tapes they shot finally reveals some hidden truths about their relationship.

What appeared to be a Hirosue vanity project is actually a very sweet and touching film that documents the summer of two kids finding themselves through the shoot of a daft little amateur film. The acting is fine, the pacing solid and even though the start is a bit rocky, the film really grew on me. 90s nostalgia isn't even necessary to appreciate this one, but it does help. A fine discovery.

A young couple commits to starting a business. They've got a health drink to sell, but their attempts in Tokyo failed miserably. So they move to the countryside to try their luck there. The problem is that the drink tastes horrible, and they don't really have a proper game plan to get their business off the ground.

Odd characters, weird turns, twists, and some completely bonkers moments add some comedy to the drama but don't expect to laugh out loud. The pacing is slow, the performances dry and the drama a little hermetic. It's a tough little cookie, but knowing what to expect, I had good fun with it.

Tateushi is a young Japanese actor who returns from the US after he causes an accident on set. He goes to work in a samurai-themed village where he becomes a show fighter in a play. His past still haunts him and when he tries to help a local family who is being bullied by some local Yakuza he just makes things harder on himself.

The film works towards a showdown between Tateushi and the Yakuza, but also digs deeper into his US roots, even introducing some (semi)medical test that is supposed to tell someone how pure his Japanese roots are. The two elements never really come together that well, but there are some memorable scenes and the pacing is on point. Not bad, just oddly convoluted for what could and should have been a simpler film.

When Max Cady is released from prison, he has just one thing on his mind: take revenge on Bowden, the lawyer who put him behind bars. He starts to stalk Bowden and his family, who calls on the police to protect himself. But as long as Cady doesn't pose a physical threat, there is nothing they can do.

It's a pretty simple setup, followed by a lot of dialogue and postponing the inevitable finale. I was a bit surprised to see the big finale on the boat wasn't even present in the original (the most iconic scene from Scorsese's remake), but truth be told, it wouldn't have made much of a difference. Pretty dull.

An aspiring actress goes to an acting class helmed by a renowned actor, a painter is looking for his muse, a writer becomes haunted by his own creation, a sculptor sources human bodies for her art and a musician discovers the notes to call evil. Those stories are then glued together by crossing over various characters.

The vignettes are pretty witty and the different styles of horror keep it interesting, but the way the stories are tied together is pretty lame and the film isn't quite as original as it presumes to be. I felt as if I'd seen most of these stories before, and the same goes for the execution of each segment. There's potential here though, I'm looking forward to seeing what the director comes up with next.

Hai Phuong has to raise her child all by herself. Jobs are scarce, so she collects money for some low-ranking scalpers. One day, her daughter supposedly stole someone's wallet. After an argument, the girl takes off and is promptly kidnapped. Phuong chases behind her daughter, but the kidnappers escape to Saigon. Phuong is determined to track them down and rescue her daughter.

Ngo does well and comes off as a formidable force, without appearing too overpowered. The action choreography is rather basic though and the editing/camera work could've been a bit tighter. This keeps the film from standing out, turning it into a pleasant but somewhat inconspicuous action brawler. Not bad, but nothing too memorable.

Two car freaks cruise through America. All that binds them is their passion for cars, other than that they don't have much to tell each other. They pick up a girl along the way and bump into another man, who challenges them to a race. They oblige, but before they reach their destination they've already moved on to other things.

Two-Lane Blacktop is more about the characters hanging out together and driving through 70s America than anything else. I'm not big on the 70s, so I can't see I really cared for the time capsule this film offers. I can see the appeal though, and the sluggish, slow mood isn't the worst, it's just not very appealing.

Bob is a tattoo artist suffering from Parkinson's. After his recent divorce, he has only one more dream, which is to find a girl and turn her into his final masterpiece. When he meets Katia, he immediately knows she's the one. Katia isn't into tattoos, so Bob kidnaps her and starts transforming her against her will.

The industrial-based soundtrack is a hoot, Richard Brake is creepy as hell and Katia's transformation is impressive. Once all the pieces are in place and the direction of the plot is clear, the film struggles to keep the energy going, even though there are still some interesting scenes scattered throughout. An interesting film, but shorter would've been better.

A new case presents itself to our team of paranormal investigators, but the previous story still lingers. Their last film is seen as proof that another realm exists, which is a perfect excuse to bring the crew together again for a new project. This time they're checking out the Oiwa legend, while past events are about to catch up with the TV crew once more.

The compounding lore is fun, though it doesn't change all that much about the setup of the film. It's still all about ghostly apparitions caught on crummy HD camcorders. The exorcism is pretty cool and the Oiwa legend is interesting enough, the film has no extra fat and dives right into the action, but unless you're really new to the found footage genre, there's nothing here you haven't seen before. Easy filler.

Dr. Thorndyke goes to work in a mental asylum. When he gets there, he discovers the doctors are probably more insane than the patients who reside there. They're also hiding some nasty secrets, and to make things worse, Thorndyke is suffering from a nasty case of acrophobia.

Brooks is front and center in this production (he's directing, writing, and acting), but he's just not funny enough. It's a plus that the film goes all in on the comedy, which makes it somewhat watchable, even when the successful jokes are few and far between. I'm just not a big Brooks fan.

Anna Mae is abandoned by her mother and left for her grandmother to raise. When they finally reunite, Anna Mae joins her sister in the bar she works and promptly falls in love with Ike, a young performer. When Ike hears Anna Mae sing he immediately understands he struck gold, and the two go on tour together.

Bassett and Fishburne do well, but they don't have too much room to shine. While tragic, the plot doesn't offer anything particularly exciting and the rise and fall structure of the film is tried and tested. I wasn't really bored, but it's not a film I'll fondly remember. A problem I have with most biopics.

Crucial here is the way the Yakuza see themselves. Not just ordinary criminals, but people who live on the fringe, living by the Yakuza code and actually performing a public service. With the Yakuza gone, other Mafias are slowly taking their place, and they are less friendly and/or disciplined.

The subjects who are interviewed aren't too interesting though and some of the segments are pretty random (like the inclusion of the Tsunami). I understand getting access to more key figures might have been tough, but a shorter/more concise docu would've been better as an alternative. It's not bad, there just isn't enough there for 2 hours of film.