Log: week 4 / 2025
A remarkable fake doc. The first time I watched this, it was weird seeing a story about the death of a reigning president while he was still alive. This time, I was mostly weirded out by the fact that I was thinking "Bush wasn't so bad after all". Not that I believe he's a lovely guy, but comparatively, he wouldn't want him back now? The documentary style is adapted perfectly. The first half of this film is tense and uneasy, very hard to distinguish from an actual docu. The film loses some of its grip during the second half, where things get a bit more meandering. It's still good, just not quite as tight as the opening. It's worth a watch, certainly around this time of the year.Read all
The first Eye for an Eye was a fun Chinese take on Zatoichi, the sequel offers more of the same, just that little bit slicker still. It's an upscale iQiyi production that offers the same core genre elements as their other films but does so with a bit more class and eye for detail. And that's not a bad thing at all. The setup of the story is simple enough, this is all about the road trip and the cool action scenes, and in that sense the film absolutely delivers. If you've seen a couple of these types of martial arts films then there's not quite enough to make it a true standout, but fans of the genre are sure to have a good time with Eye for an Eye 2.Read all
After about 10 minutes it should be easy enough to predict where this plot is leading, but that's what you get with core genre cinema. It's a post-apocalyptic tale that puts the characters on a planet that no longer supports life. Much like the zombie films of the past two decades, what follows is humans making each other's lives harder than necessary. The budget was limited but the styling is pretty decent, the performances are fine and even though the plot is predictable, the pacing is solid so it never drags too much. Could Bristol have done more to make his film stand out? Certainly, but if you're looking for proper post-apocalyptic filler, this film has everything you need.Read all