Log: week 32 / 2022

Horror anthologies are usually a good way to discover new talent, but when the talent isn't there they can turn bad real fast. Maniac Tales makes a genuine effort to deliver something worthwhile, but none of the shorts manage to leave an impression, and the wraparound segment is wholly incompetent.

Moland remakes his own original for a global audience. And what better actor to front a revenge flick than Liam Neeson? That means you pretty much know what to expect from Cold Pursuit, except maybe the dark comedy that pops up from time to time. Probably because of Moland's Norwegian roots.

Jordan Peele's latest is his best to date. Maybe it's because he finally abandoned the horror genre, or maybe he's become just a bit more confident as a director, but this mix of mystery, sci-fi, and self-aware comedy was a lot tighter than his previous films. Nope is the first Peele I thoroughly enjoyed.

Techno isn't my musical homecoming, but it is a nice holiday vacation, and so I was pretty interested to see that one of the biggest names in the scene got his own documentary. Certainly when I noticed the people being interviewed. There are the usual suspects of course, but also much more underground artists like Manu le Malin and Lenny Dee. Luckily, this portrait of Garnier (and the rise of techno in Europe in general) didn't disappoint.

This felt like a spiritual successor to Man Bites Dog, even though the comedy isn't as black and/or biting. Death by Death goes for a more absurd take on a dramatic subject, and boy does it deliver. The deadpan delivery starkly contrasts with the oddball characters, the absurd setups, and some random, nonsensical intermissions. Add grainy black and white cinematography, a quirky soundtrack, and a dash of Wallon charm, and you have a film that is sure to puzzle (and no doubt annoy) people who aren't cruising the same comedy wavelength as the director. Pretty hilarious, but also very niche.

An interesting time capsule experiment. It's funny to watch this film a quarter of a century after its initial release when its nostalgia appeal is finally in full effect. 20th Century Nostalgia isn't a film about looking back at the past, it is a film about documenting the now, so people could feel nostalgic about it later. It's also a cute little video diary about love, where both aspects live happily together.

Early Yamashita. If you're familiar with his other films, you'll easily see some of his trademark elements popping up. No One's Ark is a deadpan drama with some absurd moments scattered throughout. It's a bit raw and unpolished still, but fans of Yamashita's later films should give this one a shot.

A peculiar little film, mixing action with a quest for a Japanese identity. I'm not entirely sure if the film was very successful in what it set out to do, but the result is pretty interesting regardless. Don't go in expecting a straightforward genre film though, it's more like a slightly overambitious blend of different styles and approaches.

The problem with seeing more and more noirs, especially with most of them failing to make any kind of impression, is that they start to feel like parodies of what they are supposed to be. Cape Fear is a good example. What should be a tense and dark crime/thriller, is really just a tepid and spun-out revenge plot.

Directed by Spider One, the younger sibling of Rob Zombie. Allegoria is a horror film consisting of five vignettes, which are loosely coupled. There are some good ideas here, and it's a fun idea for a first film (as it allows the director to play around with different styles and ideas), but the result is a bit messy.

A pretty decent action flick from Vietnam, but the new Ong-Bak this is not. Veronica Ngo does well as an ass-kicking mom and the pacing is perfectly pleasant, it's just that the film fails to raise any bars. The neon-drenched second half doesn't really make much of a difference in that, though it does raise the overall appeal ever so slightly.

A very literal road movie. If you like the 70s and classic American sports cars, this is a film for you. If not, you might be left wondering what the fuss is about. There isn't much plot, the characters are cardboard and the film fizzles out towards the finale, but the slacker vibe is at least somewhat interesting.

Tattoos as art. Not quite as inventive as writer/director Kevin Chicken imagined it would be, but there's quite a bit to like here. From the pumping score and a creepy lead performance to some moody visuals, Chicken has the basics down. It's a shame the film runs out of steam towards the finale.

The fifth in the series continues where the last one left off. Slowly a bigger story is weaving itself through the individual cases, but the core hasn't changed all that much. It's not a very remarkable horror series, but each new episode feels snappy and to the point, making it extremely easy to return to the franchise to catch a new entry. Even five episodes in.

Mel Brooks takes on Hitchcock. You don't have to be a tremendous Hitchcock fan to get the jokes though, Brooks goes for the familiar bits (bird chases, shower scenes, etc) and layers some of his typical punny/daft comedy on top. It's a shame it's never really all that funny, not even for a simple parody.

The Tina Turner biopic. I wasn't very familiar with Turner's older work or her relationship with Ike, so in that regard, it was an interesting enough film. The film itself is pretty basic though, a very classic and predictable biopic that piles on the drama and tells a typical artist's story.

A documentary that takes a closer look at the current state of the Yakuza. After the crackdown on the infamous Japanese crime syndicate, the Yakuza have a hard time surviving. The doc looks at the impact on the members of the clans, but also how this affects the police and the rise of other criminal gangs.