Log: week 40 / 2023
A pretty fun and slick Chinese mystery. Plenty of twists and turns help to bridge the two-hour runtime, but it's the lush production and the lovely setting that provides the biggest payoff. Apart from some small details that cheapened the film, this is a film that should do well internationally (if it gets the chance). The cast is top-notch (happy to see Ni Ni is still around), the exotic setting adds to the appeal, and the plot is pleasantly twisted (though not all that clever). Add some slick cinematography and you have a perfectly fine genre flick that kept me interested from start to finish.Read all
A pretty tough Cassavetes. I liked the setup, in theory, but the characters never really came to life and though it felt as if they were supposed to be lived-in and lifelike, I found the performances forced and awkward. The excessive runtime certainly didn't help either, making this a slog to sit through. The empty lives of the rich and wealthy is a subject that has made quite a comeback these past couple of years, but it has the tendency to be a little shallow. What bothered me the most were the exaggerated performances though, especially as most of the film is spent on conversations between the different characters. Not for me.Read all
The final part in the Fifty Shades trilogy. It's better than part 2 and on par with the first film. Great cinema this is not, but as thriller filler, it does a pretty solid job. Bonus points for shaving about 15 minutes off of the runtime, so it doesn't drag as much compared to the first two films. The performances are a bit flakey, the plot is generic and a tad ridiculous and I really didn't care too much about the outcome, but the production is decent and the pacing is okay. Not a film I'll be remembering for long, and I'm glad I'm done with the trilogy now, but I've seen much worse.Read all
I'm not the biggest Kazan fan, nor the biggest fan of noirs, so my expectations were pretty limited going into this film. The result still wasn't great, but it sure was a lot better than I'd figured. Maybe because it is a rather simple narrative without too much padding, but it never dragged as I feared it would. The medical danger adds a little extra urgency to the film. It's still a little too dialogue-driven for my liking, but at least the pacing was solid and the chase for the killer keeps things moving along at a brisk pace. Thanks to the slightly more original premise, it's a film I might remember a bit more vividly than most other noirs I've watched.Read all
Pretty dull. That's what you get when you try to make an elevated horror flick that isn't all that elevated. The build-up is slow, the drama is tepid and the payoff is insufficient. In the end, Believer is nothing more than an extremely basic exorcism film that can't justify its two-hour runtime. There are some references to the original film, but they feel forced and pandering. The introduction is way too long (shortening it could've cut 30 minutes without losing anything substantial), the performances aren't that great and most of the horror is bland and derivative. Things do pick up during the finale, but by then it was too late to salvage this film.Read all
There's no doubt some cult appeal here, but I'd never heard of this film before, and I'm not big on cheesy 80s cinema, so whatever appeal there is went completely past me. All I could see was a terribly acted, ridiculously scripted action film that never felt like it was deliberately funny. It's hard to explain how bad Fred Ward is in this film, but it comes very close to Tommy Wiseau levels of shame. It's also crazy they managed to stretch a simple flick like this beyond the two-hour mark, as to make matters worse, the action scenes aren't even any good. Unless you love bad cinema, it's probably best to just skip this one.Read all
A surprisingly fun noir, though afterward this was clearly a film that was more tailored to my sensibilities. I generally don't care much for noir cinema, as it is quite a dialogue and character-focused genre. Diva on the other hand has an outspoken aesthetic that is carried through until the very end. The styling is what sets this film apart. Stylish camera and color work, moody lighting, and an atmospheric score kept me interested in what was otherwise a rather basic crime story. It could've been a tad shorter, but some well-placed action scenes made sure the pacing never dipped too low. A cool surprise.Read all
Early Uchida that showcases the man's talent. Sisterhood is a nice mix of drama and crime cinema, not meant to change either genre forever, but offering a solid dose of appeal for fans of both niches. It earns bonus points for harboring some of that 00s grit, but overall it doesn't quite stand out enough for a higher rating. The performances are strong, the styling is on point (sporting a sepia-colored hue throughout) and the drama comes with a pleasant edge. If you've seen your share of Japanese dramas it might be a little too familiar, but it's an easy recommendation for people who haven't seen this little gem before.Read all
A quirky little sci-fi. It's not an outright comedy, but Finley leans into the weirdness and absurdity of the story and the result is a remarkable film. It's a peculiar mix of genres that makes it difficult to compare to any other film I've seen. If not for the lack of urgency, this could've been a true gem. The aliens are strange little creatures, weird, square blobs of meat speaking an unintelligible language and sporting a few key cultural differences. The effects can be a tad too crummy and the plot is somewhat meandering, but the performances are strong and the film kept me on my toes until the very end. A fun surprise.Read all
A biography from the 30s. I honestly didn't expect too much, 30s cinema is generally very dialogue-focused and the biopic is one of the least adventurous genres out there. Combine the two and you get the kind of cinema that really isn't for me. And indeed, this wasn't really my type of film. It's an old film, so even though it is set in Paris, don't expect to hear any French. And you'll get plenty of chances to verify, as this film is all talk. The first half of the film focuses mostly on Zola's writing career, while the second half is dedicated to his part in the Dreyfus affair (a piece of history I was unaware of). I didn't really for either though.Read all
A pretty simple but amusing thriller/horror. It's a retread of the "people go hiking in the woods" premise, nothing very original, and Hendrick doesn't even make a real effort to hide the fact he's going for core genre work here, but with Halloween right around the corner, it's a decent enough film to warm up to the horror season. The performances are decent enough, the characters are slightly less annoying simply on account of them not being American teens, and the slow rise of the tension is proficient. The film is a tad long though and with nothing there to set it apart from so many other films, it's just simple genre filler.Read all
It's been a while since I've watched a blockbuster this bad. Cruise seems to be banking on oldskool action appeal, the result is that the newest Mission: Impossible film feels like a cheesy relic of the past. Its worst offense is that it takes itself way too seriously, even though it's clearly all nonsense. The stunts are rather dull, Cruise is an absolute eyesore, the music is ridiculous, and the 2+ hour runtime is a big mistake. But what did you expect from a film that starts on a Russian sub, with the first line morphing from actual Russian to English spoken with a thick Russian accent? Not my cup of tea, I'm disappointed there will be a second part.Read all