Log: week 3 / 2025
Kazan isn't the most subtle of the classic US directors, but this was pretty next-level. The setup of Splendor in the Grass is so crude that it loses almost all of its charm right away. And nowhere in the following 100-something minutes is Kazan able to recover from that. The result is dire. The performances are one-dimensional, the drama is unglamorously sentimental and two hours is way too long for a film with so little nuance. Kazan's films aren't for me, but this is by far one of the worst of his I've seen. It's probably a good film if you like classic Hollywood drama, for me, it was a nuisance.Read all
Tragedy disguised as dark fantasy. I never got around to watching Bustamante's La Llorena, but I'm sure to fix that soon, as this was one spectacular film. The fantasy elements are fabulous, the drama is intense and even though I'm not a fan of irregular aspect ratios, I prefer wider versions over more rectangular ones. If you liked Hadzihalilovic's Innocence or a series like Haibane Renmei, watching this is an absolute must. This is one of the finer arthouse/genre combos I've seen in quite a while.
Distant is the kind of film made to scratch and itch. If you're craving some outer space sci-fi with horror elements, this one won't disappoint. It sticks to genre conventions and has very few surprises, but the short runtime and slick pacing make sure there's no time to get bored or lose interest. The plot is simple and the sci-fi elements feel familiar. The creature design is nice though and the performances are decent enough. The direction could've been a little tighter and it would've been nice to see some original ideas, but other than that I had a pretty good time with this. It gave me exactly what I needed.Read all
A pretty decent, sometimes stylish horror by Sasanatieng, but I'm far from convinced this is the genre for him. The man is known for being crazy colorful and goofy, and the horror doesn't account for that. There are some solid, memorable moments here, but it's far from Sasanatieng's best work. The folklore has a few interesting twists, though Reside will feel familiar for anyone who's seen a few Asian horror films. Not all performances are equally great and the film isn't all that tense. The cinematography is proper though and the finale is impressive enough. It's not a bad film, but within Sasanatieng's oeuvre, it's far from a standout.Read all
The latest Wallace and Gromit film will surely please the franchise's fans. Personally, I've grown a little tired of the style. It's just a bit too childish and repetitive, and while I appreciate stop-motion animation there's too much focus on the technical aspects here, which takes away from the creativity. The result is a film that felt derivative from the start. The quality of the animation is top-notch, but the visual style feels outdated. As do the gags and inventions. The plot isn't very interesting either, the surface-level critique on technology is bland and the characters have hardly grown since their original inception. Vengeance Most Fowl is a relic, which is a shame because the budget was clearly there to do something more exciting. This just felt lazy.Read all
An amusing take on the Dracula legend by Kaneko. This isn't a very serious film, horror fans shouldn't get too excited. The vampire stuff is extremely light, the focus lies on light-hearted comedy with a sprinkle of horror on top. But if you're in for that, there's quite a lot to enjoy here. The performances are decent, the setup is jolly, and the pacing is proper. There's nothing truly outstanding about this film and apart from the goofy premise there's not too much I'll remember, but it's one of those films that just offers you a good time while watching, and there's definitely value in that.Read all
The more films I see from Hisayasu Satô, the more I'm convinced he's one of the hidden gems of Japanese horror/fantasy cinema. Hana-Dama is not the cleanest, most refined film, but it is certifiably bonkers and there are more than a handful of memorable moments that are bound to live in my brain for some time to come. The setup is simple, the first half of the film could've been a bit tighter too, but once the flower pops up the film goes completely off the rails. It's one of those films that is impossible to explain afterward, all I know is that I had a pretty good time watching. Not Sato's best, but great fun if you love wacky Japanese movies.Read all
One of the crazier entries in the Masters of Horror anthology. Tobe Hooper took a page out of Tony Scott's book, which makes this one of the more unique shorts in the series. I had fun revisiting it, but some icky performances and bad music kept it from maintaining its personal favorite status. The cinematography is pretty hectic and the setup is fun. There are also some pretty twisted moments and Englund is a nice addition. The rest of the cast isn't great though and the music in the club is atrocious. It wasn't as intense and maximalist as I remembered it to be, but still good fun.Read all
Haars teams up with Nick Frost once more, this time for a more traditional horror/comedy. The setup is simple, the mix of comedy and horror feels familiar and the twist, while fun, isn't exactly earth-shattering. Thanks to some spirited performances and a tight runtime, it's still an amusing film though. Frost is perfect for his part, Aisling Bea matches him with ease. The two kids are not quite on the same level and the locals are a bit too silly, but that comes with the territory. It takes a while before the film gets going, but the second half is entertaining and that's all I really needed from this film. Haars can do better, but this was fine.Read all
A very standard crime flick, made just a little better by Soderbergh's colorful direction. It's what saves this one from complete anonymity, but it's not enough to turn this into a memorable film. The dreary plot and poor performances are too much of a hindrance and Soderbergh didn't go all out. In all fairness, if you like (US) crime flick you probably won't be as bothered by the story, I simply didn't care for it. I appreciated the colorful photography and the pacing was decent, that's about all I'm afraid to say. Other than that, it's very generic and by the numbers, but at least it was bearable.Read all
Chinese animation keeps raising the bar. The Umbrella Fairy has a classic anime look and a typical Chinese fantasy plot. What makes it stand out is the quality of the animation, a level I've only seen in Studio 4°C anthologies. To stretch that to a feature-length film is madness, but they've pulled it off without much effort. The result is a visual feast, a style much better suited to bring these Chinese fantasy/folklore films to life. It's time for Japan to step up its game.