Log: week 38 / 2022

Vittoria is a young woman who breaks off the relationship with her longtime boyfriend. When she visits her mother at the stock exchange, she meets Piero. He is interested in Vittoria, but she isn't immediately won over by this slick-looking stock broker. He is so persistent that Vittoria finally caves.

Monica Vitti and Alain Delon are both solid, it's just that I never really cared that much whether they got together or how their relationship would fare. Maybe it was the something dull juxtaposition of their characters that left me cold, but it wasn't until the finale that I actually felt some emotion.

Mui works as a prostitute. She's a little dim and she already has a bastard kid, but she's fit for her job as she looks for a man who can satisfy her. She has three men taking care of her, but even though they're willing to try pretty much everything, they can't seem to give her the satisfaction she so desperately seeks.

While the premise sounds ideal for an erotic film, Fruit Chan goes for a mix of drama and comedy instead. The performances are solid and the film looks nice enough, but somehow Mui's quest isn't quite as exciting as it sounds, and some moments (like the scene with the eel) are quite questionable. Still, if you want something different from Hong Kong, look no further.

The film offers a somewhat grittier and more realistic take on the King Arthur legend, which means that it removed all the fun parts and leaves the story about a boarish man going on a quest to unite Britain and give the land back to its people. Much fighting and battlefields ahead in other words.

The performances are weak, the cinematography is bland and the plot didn't interest me at all. The two-hour runtime isn't that extreme, but it was still way too long for a film where I found nothing to amuse myself with. It's a good thing this was just a one-off for Fuqua because this was pretty terrible.

When World War I commences, the young and eager James joins the army. He is shipped off to France, where he spends his first days in a peaceful village. There he meets Melisande, a lovely young woman. They hit it off, but then his regiment is ordered to fight in the trenches and he has to leave Melisande behind.

I'm not really a big fan of these war epics, but I was surprised to see so many familiar elements in such an old film, executed properly too. The usual gore and massive battles aren't here, of course, the scale is a lot smaller, but the structure and themes are very recognizable. It's a shame the film is so long, otherwise, I might've liked it better.

When Sheila walks into a bar, she sees Gary and falls instantly in love with him. They get acquainted and spend the perfect night together. But Sheila is a little quirky and dishes out a weird story about being able to travel through time. Gary is amused but becomes a little worried when he realizes Sheila isn't joking.

The cinematography is colorful and dreamy, there's enough chemistry between Cuoco and Davidson, and the mix of romance, comedy, and drama works pretty well. The fantastical premise is just the icing on the cake. The ending was a tad easy, but it's a charming, sweet little film that shows promise.

When Glen's car breaks down, he seeks help from a nearby house. There he meets Arthur and Cindy, a rather peculiar couple. Glen ends up spending the night. Weeks later Arthur suddenly turns up on Glen's doorstep, telling him Cindy is pregnant. He isn't angry, but he does want Glen to take responsibility for the baby.

I really liked the fact that the film keeps things obtuse for well past the halfway mark, though the actual explanation isn't all that spectacular. The cinematography is pleasant though, the soundtrack is moody and the performances are solid. Ultrasound is a neat little mystery, a debut that shows lots of potential.

A brother and sister are separated when their parents die. They are placed under different martial arts masters and are both trained separately. Their masters are looking for the Holy Flame, a legendary martial arts weapon that was stashed away in a perilous cave years ago. Getting the weapon back is their main priority.

The plot is pretty messy, the special effects mostly functional and some of the props looked insanely cheap (the titular sword for one). But I love that "the sky is the limit" type of filmmaking that keeps pushing films like these into the increasingly crazier territory. It may not be all-time classic material, but it didn't bore me for a single second. Well recommended for fans of martial arts cinema.

When Juha's wife dies in a swimming accident, he is completely heartbroken, but he continues on as his daughter needs him. It isn't until years later when he meets Mona, a dominatrix, that something inside his warms again. Juha's a little hesitant at first, but he can't stay away from Mona.

Some effort went into the styling, but neither the cinematography nor the score really hit the mark. It's not that they're bad, it just didn't feel quite committed or thorough enough. The plot and structure of the film are decent but somewhat predictable, and in the end, this simply wasn't as memorable as it could've been.

Alice works in a lab where they try to breed a plant that brings joy to its owners. The pressure to deliver is on and Alice resorts to some unscientific methods to speed up the process. Everything looks to be progressing according to plan and the plant appears to be a success, but then subtle behavioral changes in people who have been exposed to the plant are being recorded.

The use of color is by far the most notable aspect of the film, but the camera work and mis-en-scene let the cinematography down. The soundtrack is just plain atrocious and a complete failure at making the film tenser. The performances aren't too great either and the finale fails to pack a punch. A few too many letdowns to make this a great film, but definitely worth a watch for its novel ideas.

A father drops two twin boys with their mother, who they haven't seen for a while. She just had surgery and is still recovering from the operation. She's a little agitated and the boys don't really feel at home with her. After a while, they begin to suspect that the woman in the house isn't actually their mother.

Even though I didn't remember much from the original, the big plot twist was easy to guess and was spoiled way too early. The original thrived on atmosphere, the remake is more focused on the narrative, which is by far the weakest part of the film. It's not a complete misfire, but if you've seen and like the source material, there's little reason to bother with this one.

Chau was once a fearsome assassin, after his retirement, he feels a bit lost. Together with two others, he starts a little service to assist senior citizens who want to end their lives. His life is turned upside down when a young girl approaches him and demands he kills her. Chau doesn't want to have anything to do with minors, but slowly a bond develops between the two.

The performances are pretty good (Patrick Tse is on fire and I'm always happy to see Lam Suet in a meatier role), the cinematography is very polished and the pacing is perfect. The story isn't too original and there are few surprises here, but this film is a nice reminder that Hong Kong cinema isn't entirely dead yet.

Rather than a coherent story, we get several vignettes depicting the lives of the original Franciscan monks. Morality lies at the basis of each segment, through which we learn about the order and its history. I will say that I had a hard time focusing during the second half, as this is a subject I really don't care much about.

The cinematography is bland, the performances are poor and the soundtrack doesn't really help the film forward. If you care two cents about religion and religion-infused morality there may something here for you, it just didn't interest me at all, and i'd had it with this film before reaching the halfway mark.

Marcel is a lonely shell. After his humans had a big fight, they left the house behind and one of them took Marcel's family with them. Now he lives alone with his grandmother. When a documentary maker moves in and discovers Marcel, he decides to shoot a film about him. In no time, Marcel becomes an overnight internet sensation.

The animation is decent, the character designs are cute, and the integration with the live-action shots is seamless. The voice acting is horrendous though, the plot rather dull and the glossy feel a tad too sentimental. There are lots of smart ideas and cute moments, but I never really cared for Marcel and his adventures.

A spaceship crew is woken up from their sleep for a special mission. A mysterious black sphere has appeared in Earth's vicinity, and nobody knows what the thing is doing there. The crew is briefed and tasked with the investigation of the object. The only thing they know is that the sphere is sending out signals that translate to the word God.

The effects team did a pretty great job, as I suspect Deus was made on a rather limited budget. The religious premise is also fun, but it never feels fully explored. The performances are pretty weak and some directorial/aesthetic choices are a little questionable, but all in all, this was a pretty pleasant sci-fi flick. The potential was there to be something more though.

Evie is a struggling artist who tries to get by. She has no family to rely on, just a close friend. Out of the blue, she is contacted by an English cousin, who asks to meet up. He convinces her that she has a family in England who are dying to meet her. Evie accepts his invitation and goes on a trip to England.

The setting is lush and the production design clearly shows there was a proper budget. Nathalie Emmanuel is a rather poor lead though, the rest of the cast isn't much better. The film gets pretty cheesy, the pacing is a tad too slow and the finale lacks punch. It's not the worst horror film around, just a bit too mediocre.