Log: week 6 / 2023

Atsushi is good at his job but he is somewhat unattractive. The love of his life is taken from him and he struggles to continue living. A wife is neglected by her husband and is mistreated by her mother-in-law, and a gay man picks the wrong lover. All three struggle with the darker side of love.

The performances are decent, but Hashiguchi really delves into the misery here. The presentation is a bit bland and the mix of the stories (they're not told separately, but interwoven without really connecting) is somewhat awkward. A decent drama, I'd just expected a bit more going in.

Sakura is a young girl growing up in Yamato, next to an American air base. She's really into hip-hop and she writes her own lyrics, but she has stage fright and doesn't dare to perform. Then the daughter of her mother's boyfriend comes to live with them. At first, the two don't really get along, but after a while, it turns out they have quite a bit in common.

The music is really cool and well-used (a mix of hip-hop and trip-hop), the characters are fun, the performances are solid and even though the start of the film is a bit slow, Miyazaki makes up for that in the second half. It lacks that little bit of extra polish, but I was pleasantly surprised by this film.

Yasuo grew up an orphan, when he finally meets the right woman he gets his life on the rails. The two of them have a son together and they are happy, but when Yasuo's wife tries to save her boy at work she pays the ultimate price. Yasuo will have to go on alone while facing some of his old demons.

The cast is solid and the drama has potential, but Zeze forgoes subtlety. A somewhat cheesy and heavy soundtrack sets the tone, and the glossy cinematography and strong focus on the drama do little to hide the film's tear-jerker sensibilities. There are some decent moments, but overall it's a bit disappointing.

A stranger gets lost in the swamps during a pretty hefty storm and ends up at Wuthering Heights. It's the house of Heathcliff, a man torn apart by unrequited love. Heathcliff arrived at the house when he was an orphaned child. He immediately fell in love with Cathy, the daughter of the household.

It's a pretty dramatic tale with some less-than-desirable characters, and Wyler doesn't mind driving the drama straight into sentimentality. The setting and cinematography are quite moody though, more so than other films of its time. The film is also relatively short, certainly when comparing it to the other romantic powerhouse of that time (Gone with the Wind).

When Cady loses both her parents in a car crash, she has to go live with her aunt Gemma. Gemma works for a toy company, where she designs AI-assisted toys. The company is in a race to the bottom, but Gemma is working on her own little side project: a prototype named M3gan that pushes the boundaries of what a toy can do.

AI gone wrong is not a very interesting premise, but in the right hands, it should be enough for a slick horror film. The doll's a little dull though, the kills are boring and the styling is pedestrian. I'm a bit baffled by the hype surrounding this film, it's not the worst sci-fi/horror I've seen, but it's pretty plain and unmemorable. Mostly good marketing I guess.

After Riki killed a Yakuza boss, he is sent to a private prison. It's not a very pleasant place, nor a very fair one. The prison is run by a depraved warden, but the real threat comes from 4 extravagantly strong fighters who each control part of the prison domain. Riki doesn't fear them, as he himself is as strong as 50 men. A revolt will be inevitable.

The art style is pretty crude (though some of that crude bulkiness is definitely intended) and the quality of the animation is poor. The plot and setting aren't too exciting either, and for a series that is known for its over-the-top violence, it's really quite tame. Still, this film is short and properly paced, with some decent action scenes. I just don't see how it got its reputation.

Coming back from the war, veteran Macreedy arrives in a little town called Black Rock. He is looking for a Japanese farmer who has a ranch in the neighborhood, but the people in Black Rock don't take kindly to strangers. Certainly not when they are visiting someone who is still considered a public enemy.

I didn't care for the setting, nor for the characters. They are still caricatures to me, trying to survive in what is supposed to be a tense and poignant drama. It's a combination that simply does not work. I'm not a big fan of the technicolor cinematography either, which just leaves the short runtime.

Lucia is a dancer in a discotheque. One night she robs the place and flees with a bag of pills. She's badly hurt and she turns to her sister Rocío for help. Rocío lives in a rundown apartment building with her daughter. She wants to move away from the place, but when Lucia arrives on her doorstep, Rocío decides to help her out.

The film builds up towards a lovely finale, only the way there is a little bumpy. The horror setup is cool, but the heist/robbery feels tacked on. I understand it's an attempt at misdirection, and I guess it works, but I'm just not won over by the concept. Other than that, this was another quality film by Balagueró, I just hope he'll be making an all-out, dedicated return to horror in the near future.

Boy meets girl in a modern Japanese city. After bumping into each other, the girl carries home the boy's notebook and reads the story he has written. When they meet again, he takes her with her him into the fantasy world he created, a world that lies waiting behind the cold exterior of the city they both live in.

The art style is pretty interesting, the animation itself isn't quite as elaborate though. It's not a big surprise considering the limited appeal of a project like this, but some extra budget could've made a real difference. The score too was disappointing, a bit too poppy and cheesy for my liking. Still, it was a pretty fun, unique journey, so I'm not complaining too much.

The film follows the happenings around a golf course at a posh country club. Some are trying to win big money, others are trying to score a boyfriend, and the caddies are focused on earning an extra buck. And then there's the groundskeeper, who is chasing a rather malicious gopher.

The performances are bland, the comedy is grating and the plot is negligible. It's a film of a different time, and I can see how it could've been a hit back then, but any critical acclaim this film is getting is completely beyond me. This was the first time I saw the film in full, I'm not surprised I never managed before.

Thale tracks down a prospective boyfriend in the woods where they are attacked by a fearsome wolf. Thale is hurt but survives, the boy's girlfriend isn't so lucky. When her body is found, it becomes clear that the size of her wounds doesn't match that of a regular wolf. Meanwhile, Thale is undergoing some changes.

The first part is pretty cool. A nice setting, a pleasant sense of dread and a few gory moments combine to make a moody horror flick. Once the werewolf makes his full entrance, the quality dips, and the film never fully recovers. It's not a bad attempt, it's just a little disappointing that it's the film's core niche elements that bring the overall quality down.

We follow four young island girls as they are trying to make their way to Tokyo. They're all major fans of CreepHyp, a minor J-Rock band, who are doing a rare live concert. It's a spur-of-the-moment decision, but the four decide to attend. They start off their 1000km trip by bike but they quickly realize they won't make their target that way.

The performances are strong, the road trip feels pretty animated and the use of handy cams and text conversations gives the film a more dynamic vibe. As a coming-of-age drama, Our Huff and Puff Journey is a bit light though and while the ending is interesting, it's not quite powerful enough to leave a lasting impression. It's a very pleasant and agreeable film, just no masterpiece.

Tomas is a small-town priest, who preaches to a small congregation. One cold winter day, he struggles immensely with his faith. He has lost his belief in God and he fails to find a new direction. He talks with a fisherman and a local teacher about his problems, but even though they want to help Tomas, he remains cold to their caring gestures.

If I'm honest, I've had it with the "classic masters" and their struggles with faith. Especially when their characters feel like empty shells draped around this very theme. Tomas isn't so much a person as he is an abstract meant as an excuse to talk about faith. There are some decent shots, but they are wasted on tiring dialogue and uninviting drama. Pretty horrible.

Jo and Spencer are happily married and expecting a baby. Jo's a successful businesswoman, Spencer an artisanal butcher. When the baby finally arrives, their lives are turned upside down. The constant crying, the lack of sleep, and the inability to get work done destabilizes Jo. Things get worse when she suspects her baby might hate her.

The build-up is solid, the arrival of the baby is nerve-racking and the constant crying really gets to you, which makes it easy to sympathize with Jo. But then the film seemingly starts to sway, unsure of where to go next. What remains is a fun and tense little horror film, with the unfulfilled potential to be more than that.

The plot is completely negligible. Professor Sun was lost during an expedition to the Dragon Ridge Shrine. Old Ho and a couple of friends start up a new expedition to find out what happened to him, while also taking a closer look at the secrets this old tomb may hide. Of course, there are other interested parties who want to get to the riches without doing all the hard work.

You get intricate tomb designs, some traps, giant spiders, and competing raiders. At 90 minutes (that's about 15 minutes of extra fluff) the film feels too long, the budget wasn't there to deliver some half-decent CG and the comedy really didn't work. There's still a bit of basic adventuring fun to be had, but there are so many better films doing exactly the same, it's a tough recommend.

Hana grows up in the L family, a family of notorious thieves. She'd prefer to have a normal life, but that's not in the cards for her. When a forgotten member of the family resurfaces, secrets from the past are sure to turn some heads. The family has to travel back in time in order to protect their lives.

The performances are quite poor and the direction feels rushed. It's a pretty lively and colorful film though, with some amusing ideas and memorable moments. I wish Takeuchi could've had more time or access to a bigger budget. This could've been a lot more fun if it hadn't felt so cheap.

Ava is a skilled assassin who executes hits on important people. When an operation goes sideways, her former employer wants to eliminate her. Ava escapes and seeks out the family she abandoned years ago. She soon discovers that trying to make amends when a contract killer is on her tail is pretty tiring.

Chastain is somewhat of a miscast, the action scenes are poorly edited and the story is pretty bland. On the other hand, the secondary parts are pretty decent, the pacing is good and the runtime is pretty short. It's not a great film, but it's proper genre filler when you want to give your brain a little rest.

Princess Kahm is trying to invade Earth when she bumps into Tetsuya and falls in love with the boy. She kidnaps him and wants to marry him as quickly as possible. Tetsuya is a little apprehensive at first, but Kahm is a pretty girl and he swiftly adapts to the new situation. The only problem is Kahm's father, who isn't too happy with his daughter's choices.

The art style is decent (with some cool alien/sci-fi designs), the harem comedy (without an actual harem) is passable and while the plot feels generic, it leaves enough room to have some fun with the genre elements. It's not the most memorable film, but if you have a stray hour to bridge and you like this kind of thing, you could do a lot worse.

Nino Brown runs a pretty bold gangster outfit. His gang takes flight when they start making and distributing crack, a drug that's quickly taking over the city. The police are on their tail, hoping to shut Nino down as quickly as possible. Scotty, a seasoned cop, will have to infiltrate the gang himself if he wants to get close to Nino.

Snipes and Ice-T are enjoyable, the film has the necessary flair, but Van Peebles's direction is pretty basic and the plot isn't winning any prizes for originality either. It's a rather generic crime effort, decent enough filler, but I'm not too surprised it's a film that has slowly faded from memory.

Jess is trying to pick up her life after her husband divorced her. She moves into the house of her late aunt with her two kids, but after only two weeks there her son's dog runs off. The dog returns the next day and immediately attacks them. Jess' son is badly hurt but recovers in the hospital after drinking human blood.

The film is helped by some solid performances and Anderson's direction is on point. The concept is a bit simple though and the drama may be a little much for a genre film. A better balance between the drama and horror elements would've been better, but if you like a more subdued take on horror, you won't be disappointed.