Log: week 14 / 2025
Cooper made an effort, but this is clearly a low-budget movie that struggles to escape its budgetary constraints. The somewhat bland presentation and mediocre performances get in the way of the mood he's trying to build, which is a problem for a film that thrives on suggestion and less-is-more horror vibes. The finale gets a bit more graphic and saves the film from being a complete disaster. As an added bonus, the mystery is kept intact throughout the entire film, which was smart too. Certainly not the best horror films I've seen, but after a tough start, there were enough interesting bits and pieces keeping me engaged until the end.Read all
A classic samurai drama by Kobayashi. He's a very reputable director, but so far his films haven't appealed to me, and Samurai Rebellion is no exception. It's a slow and dialogue-heavy drama about a woman who gets transferred between her lord and a samurai family, with just a little action at the end. The performances are unremarkable, the drama is dry, and the action scenes are static and uneventful. The cinematography is proper but very rigid, which doesn't really help either. It's certainly not the worst film of its kind, but I prefer something more energetic or aesthetically pleasing.Read all
A big improvement over the first one. I'm still not entirely sold on the character designs, and some of the humor is a bit too childish, but the fantasy elements are bold and epic, the animation is lush and overwhelming, and the action scenes are pretty extra. This is a film made to be enjoyed on the big screen. The intro is somewhat tepid, but once Ne Zha starts the trials, the action ramps up pretty quickly, only to go into full overdrive for the final hour. Chinese animation is making enormous strides forward at a frightening pace. While not my favorite, it's an extremely capable film that puts Hollywood to shame. Bring on part 3.Read all
Still a lot better than the sequel that appeared just recently, but not quite as good as I remembered it to be. The premise is fun, copying the structure of a prison camp movie and moving it to a chicken coop, but some of the jokes were a little tired, and despite the edgier start, the rest of the film is quite a bit softer than I remembered. The animation is lovely, the camera work in particular is often spectacular, but the art style feels a little unadventurous. The pacing is slick, the runtime perfect, and the plot is fun. It's just that Lord & Park appeared limited by their PG-appropriate approach. I wish the film had been a little darker, it would've added to the long-term appeal. Still, a nice movie for everyone who loves stop-motion.Read all
A straight-up dark comedy. Douglas doesn't even pretend this could be anything else. The characters, the dialogue, the music, the cinematography, it's all pandering to the jokes that get increasingly darker and bloodier throughout the film. And I think that's this film's main appeal: it commits to what it set out to do. The performances aren't superb, but they're self-aware enough to be fun. The horror isn't the goriest, but it adds some life to the film, and the comedy is a little predictable but comes with plenty of winks and nudges. This is a short, entertaining, and light-hearted genre film, targeted at all who like their comedy dark.Read all
A film that feels a lot like a longer Black Mirror episode, or a poor man's version of Primer. The sci-fi elements are feeble, and they're little more than a driver for the drama. But then the drama is pretty plain, and the emotional core of the film never gets to shine. So in the end, I'm not sure what the appeal of Aporia was supposed to be. The performances aren't bad, but the lo-fi sci-fi approach felt half-hearted, and I never got the impression that Moshe cared about the genre elements. Maybe if the drama had been less pedestrian, or the plot had been a little smarter, but this didn't really do it for me. It's a shame because the premise was promising.Read all
Not gonna lie, my only reason for catching up with this film was Aoi Miyazaki's involvement, even though she wasn't even the main character. The plot looked a little pedestrian, and the cinematic qualities of this drama were limited, but it's still a nice little drama, if you care for this kind of thing. The cinematography is a little too plain and the easy music a tad cheesy, but the performances are decent and there are some nice sentiments spread throughout. It's an average Japanese drama, too long and unable to stand out from its peers, but if you have some time to waste, it's a solid option.Read all
Known as one of the worst films ever made. Whether it deserves its reputation is a little doubtful, but great cinema this is not. The production is amateurish and on a technical level it's a complete shitshow, but there is some goofy cheese and the film is pretty short, so those are things that speak in its favor. The introduction is still too long, and as a horror film, it fails to make any kind of impact. Then again, there are some funny characters, and the plot is somewhat amusing. It's still a step up from films like The Room, if you ask me. This never felt like it was meant to be very serious, which somewhat redeems it. But yeah, crummy film making from start to finish.Read all