Log: week 13 / 2024

After escaping from prison, a notorious gangster plans to escape to Italy. He needs money and plans one more heist, but a detective gets to him and traps him into disclosing the name of his partner in crime. The gangster loses his credibility, and he's not just running from the law anymore.

The performances are decent, the pacing is solid and the lack of a soundtrack actually plays in the film's favor. The crime elements feel quite realistic but are still stylized enough, it's just that the 150-minute runtime was a bit too much. A more compact film would've been better, but I've seen way worse noirs.

Michael wants to become a pianist, but his parents don't support his dream. Then his brother jumps back into his life, dragging Michael into the Rotterdam nightlife, dominated by drugs and hard beats. It's the perfect escape for Michael, but he slowly starts to spiral down a dangerous path.

They could've done a better job incorporating the music, and the plot is extremely basic. If you have no affinity with the Dutch gabber scene of the 90s there isn't much here, for me, there was a tinge of nostalgia that kept me interested. But it wasn't enough to turn this into a great film.

A mad scientist develops a tractor beam that is able to pull a meteorite out of the sky. Her experiment fails when the stone crashes on Earth and destroys the headquarters of the Paw Patrol. The meteorite houses unique crystals that give the dogs superpowers, piquing the scientist's interest.

The animation and art style are pretty bland, the voice acting is downright terrible and the story is as predictable as can be. There's a little fun to be had with the tech designs, but that's the only thing that stood out in a positive way. It's a film for kids with very limited expectations and needs.

Cathy has the perfect life and the perfect family. That image is shattered when she discovers her husband has a thing for men. Meanwhile, she befriends the son of their old gardener, a young black man. These two scandals are a bit much for one woman to bear, and slowly her life starts to unravel.

It's interesting to see how Moore's character handles the two scandals in very different ways, which begs the question of how open-minded she truly is. The performances are solid, the presentation is polished, and the buildup of the drama is competent, but ultimately it felt a little stale and crusty. Not a bad film, just not entirely my cup of tea.

The two are related to Jackie O, they live in a big mansion in East Hampton, but the place is completely in ruins. The mother and daughter don't seem to care too much, though they love complaining and shouting at each other. It's more their way of communicating though.

And so you're watching two women make an absolute nuisance of themselves. It's not my idea of a good time, I also don't see the point of building an entire doc around people like that. Instead of helping them, they're put on display, which I found neither funny, nor fascinating, nor enjoyable.

Atsuko is in an open relationship with his wife. When he meets Miharu, the two are immediately drawn to each other. They are both respected writers, but their connection runs deeper than mere professional interest. Their relationship slowly develops into something more profound.

Shinobu Terajima is one of Japan's treasures, she carries a difficult role like this one with ease. The rest of the cast is good too, it was fun seeing Ryoko Hirosue again for one, but they all pale next to Terajima. The presentation is clean but a little static, the drama is profound but not exactly riveting. It's a quality film, just a bit too prim and polished for my taste. That said, if you like Japanese drama, this is a must-see.

Emperor Akbar is looking for someone to inherit his kingdom and his riches. His son would be a very likely candidate, but he has fallen in love with a lowly courtesan. Akbar doesn't approve of this romance, but his son is absolutely smitten by the girl and won't let his father determine his fate.

A pretty simple story that doesn't need three hours of film. Not in the least because a lot of it is narrated in plain song, which is pretty dire to look at. The dance choreographies aren't too exciting either, the performances are frigid and the runtime is an insult. Not a film I'll remember fondly.

Topic of the doc is Masaru Konuma, a dedicated pinku director who made 55 films and died just last year. Konuma made a name for himself during the original Nikkatsu Roman Porno run. It's not the first doc on the subject I've seen (others have focused more on Adachi and Wakamatsu), but it is one of the more focused ones.

It's always interesting to hear from these directors directly, but this film also spends a lot of time with some of the more renowned actresses who featured in Konuma's films. There are a few too many scenes from his films and there are no spectacular revelations, but it remains a unique niche and it's nice to have seen a couple of docs on the subject.

Thana is a young, mute seamstress. After a random guy on the street takes advantage of her and a robber breaks into her house, he snaps. She kills the robber and keeps his gun, using it to seek out lecherous men and end their lives. She gets a taste for killing though, becoming less choosy with every new kill.

Lünd is great in the lead, Ferrera gives the film the necessary flair and the short runtime keeps it from getting stale and/or boring. I wasn't a big fan of the soundtrack and the setup of the film is pretty basic, but nothing that kept me from enjoying it while it lasted. A very interesting discovery.

Dar was meant to be sacrificed by a dark wizard, but he was saved at the last minute by an old man. He raises Dar and teaches him to defend himself. Dar doesn't just grow up to be a fearsome man, he can also communicate and control animals. With the help of his trusted companions, he travels far to kill the wizard who had it out for him.

There's quite a bit of unique lore here, which adds to the appeal. It's a shame Coscarelli didn't have the money to execute it properly. The performances are also terrible, the visuals are crap and the lead is way too silly. But dull it is not, and that also counts for something. People who love Conan-like fantasy will get something out of it for sure.

Charulata is married to a wealthy man, who relieves her from her chores. That leaves Charulata with a lot of time on her hands,k but very little to do. So her husband invites his nephew over, knowing they both share a love for literature. What he didn't expect is that soon enough, they also share a love for each other.

There's a dream sequence halfway through that is somewhat unique, the rest of the film felt stale and uninteresting. The romance is delivered as pure drama, the cinematography is dull and the performances are poor. It's a far cry from the usual Bollywood cinema, but that doesn't make it any better.

Philippe has been working hard to land a much-deserved promotion, but at the last minute, it falls through. He tries to cheat his way to the next one but is found out, and as a result, he has to travel up north and work there for two years. His wife stays behind as she hates the idea, but Philippe powers through and grows to like the people there.

The premise is quite local, but even when you're not familiar with the inner politics and differences in France, it won't be too hard to figure out what's happening. Boon is pleasant and there are some cute scenes, but it's rather predictable and the film never really manages to surprise. Just decent.