Log: week 4 / 2024

Kitaro and his crew are wandering around aimlessly, with no money and an empty stomach. Suddenly Kitaro gets a letter from an old friend, who asks him for help. The boy's teacher has gone missing after meeting a strange woman. Kitaro immediately understands he's dealing with treacherous Yokai and decides to help out his friend.

Some of the characters looked like school-play rejects, but there are so many fantasy elements that it's only normal corners had to be cut. The pacing is extremely high too and the film covers quite a bit of ground in merely 60 minutes. A fun fantasy outing, somewhat charming, but hardly cinematic.

During an expedition, a hidden world is discovered. While exploring it, a team finds a mythical trident. He who wields it is granted incredible powers, but the full power of the trident can only be unleashed by freeing its owner. Its owner isn't a very friendly man, so Aquaman will go to great lengths to save the Earth. Etcetera.

The first film was horrible, this is even worse. The visuals are an absolute eyesore, Jason Momoa has zero charm (or comedic timing for that matter), and the rest of the cast should be embarrassed to feature in such a terribly written film. James Wan needs to do better, or just stick to his guns.

Kong and Lok are two righteous cops surrounded by corruption. They do their best to keep their heads above water, but the system is so corrupt that their good intentions cannot prevail. Through the turbulent history of Hong Kong itself, we follow their lives as they spiral out of control.

Tony Leung, Aaron Kwok, and Du Juan shine in this star-studded crime epic, the rest of the cast is solid too. The soundtrack is interesting and the cinematography is a step up from the usual Hong Kong fare, but the plot is basic and the runtime excessive. In a niche that's been done to death, you need to stand out, and that's where Yung fails. Fine genre filler, but not the future classic it aimed to be.

Kolonel Kotov is considered a national hero, but his idyllic summer spent with his family is about to be turned upside down. When his cousin Mitya arrives at Kotov's summer house, Kotov suspects he isn't just there for a friendly visit. Mitya is popular with the ladies, which puts Kotov even further on guard.

The camera is often a little too close to the characters, actors are shouting half of the time and there's generally an abundance of noise and excitement. The plot isn't that interesting though and the film is at least 30 minutes too long. It's not a complete bust, the lighter tone does make for a somewhat easier watch, but it's not a film that will remain with me for long.

Saori is starting work at an escort service that only picks clients with a physical disability. She is looking for a safer environment to work in, but she's not entirely prepared for the emotional pain that comes with her new job. When she tries to befriend one of her clients, things don't go quite as planned.

Even though this is a film about a sex worker, there is no onscreen (explicit) nudity. This is a drama film pur sang, so people hoping for a pinku (to each his kinks) should look elsewhere. The performances are good, the drama feels genuine and the short runtime makes sure that the film doesn't outstay its welcome. A pleasant discovery.

When Tukaram's wife and child die of hunger, he loses all hope and turns his back on the materialistic world he's living in. He neglects his second family and turns to faith, collecting religious songs and poetry. Some people are enamoured by Tukaram and want to become his followers, while others envy his popularity.

The first five minutes will tell you everything you need to know about this film. If you can appreciate the music, the songs, and the performances, you're probably in for a good time. I on the hand had to turn the volume down just to cope. Not that I'm surprised that classic Bollywood isn't for me, but this was something else.

Hiroyuki is a Japanese journalist working in Thailand. He is investigating a story about illegal organ donors, but the closer he comes to the truth, the more he realizes that there's a much bigger and more sinister network hiding behind these crimes. Luckily, he gets some help from well-meaning citizens.

Sakamoto's direction is a little too dire, the performances aren't great (despite some real acting talent present) and the runtime is excessive for a story that is quite predictable. It's not a terrible film, there are some memorable moments scattered throughout, but it needed a better director.

Vic is one of the few survivors of WWIV. Together with his telepathic dog, he wanders the wastelands, looking for food and women while trying to avoid the violence that surrounds him. When he meets Quilla he thinks he has hit the jackpot, but Vic doesn't realize he's been observed from afar.

The conversations between Vic and his dog are rather silly, and the two halves of the film don't fit together all that well, but there's a lightness here that makes this an easy film to watch. Things get a little too childish at times and it wouldn't have hurt if the direction had been a bit edgier, but this was still pretty amusing.

Sabu is a young boy growing up in a poor family. He wants to go to school, but his parents lack the money. So he joins a gang of rascals who work together to get some bucks together. Not everything they do is legit, but they try to stay clear of true criminal behavior. Until one of them steals cash from the Yakuza.

The film has some pleasant action scenes, the performances are decent enough and there's enough variation to keep the 50 minutes engaging. Other than that, it's noticeably a film of a director still finding his signature style. Not Suzuki's greatest work, but it was quite a bit better that I'd expected it to be.

When Takuro catches his wife with another man, he murders her. He is sent to prison and is released again eight years later. He starts his life anew, in a small village, where he opens a barber shop. He tries to stay out of trouble, but when he meets Keiko, a young woman resembling his late wife, Takuro can't help but fall in love again.

Koji Yakusho's performance is solid but nothing too out of the ordinary, the mix of drama and crime elements works well, but it's been done before. There are some slightly more surreal scenes, but they feel a bit flimsy, the ending on the other hand was a bit too farcical. Not bad, but not all that memorable either.

Sophie is trying to honor the memory of her mother by restoring the hotel she once dreamed of. She is pregnant, but her relationship isn't going as planned. Meanwhile, we see how her mother got pregnant with Sophie and how it is that she is unsure of the identity of her true father.

This film is pretty much a redo of the first film. A pleasant Greek setting is about the only real appeal there is, the rest is just bad music and bad choreographies. The actors weren't picked for their voices, the plot is bland and the romance never feels genuine. Let's hope they don't go for a third round.