Log: week 12 / 2025
A horror/comedy with Weaving sounded pleasant enough, and the film delivers on its premise. Some kooky characters and absurd situations, mixed with oddball directorial choices, that's what you're getting here. My only issue with this film was that Warden tries a little too hard, without the proper results. The film is based on Madonna's stalker from the 90s, but that's a feeble reason to sprinkle Borderline with a whole bunch of gratuitous 90s references. The absurdity isn't top-tier either and the performances aren't extra enough. It's still an amusing romp, but the potential was there to do a lot better.Read all
These early Almodóvar films are pretty decent. This film about a slightly dysfunctional family (Visitor Q or Teorema it is not though) is amusing from start to finish. Don't expect straightforward laughs, the comedy is more of the absurd/dark humor kind, but it should be clear for all that this isn't a deep-digging drama. The performances are decent, the presentation is nice enough, but nothing too out of the ordinary. It's the way certain things are normalized (a 14-year-old drug dealer son who sleeps with his best friend's father) that makes this a fun journey. It's not going to be everyone's cup of tea, but better than I expected.Read all
I appreciated the first Batman Ninja film, so I had reasonable expectations for this sequel. There's some good stuff here, but the film gets weighed down by overexposure to a rather dull plot and an excess of pointless references, to the point where it starts taking away from the entertainment. I'm a bit tired of alt universes and overlapping timelines, and this film leans heavily into it. It takes way too long to introduce a range of alternates to familiar characters and up until the very end this film is very plot-heavy. Mizusaki also mixes too many visual styles and ideas, which makes it somewhat incoherent. There's still a lot to like, but it's mostly confined to individual scenes and moments.Read all
Kazuya Shiraishi's is a roaring samurai epic in the vein of Seven Samurai, only with a band of anti-heroes in the lead. Shiraishi's director is strong, as always, it's just that I'm a little less interested in this type of story. It didn't help then that the runtime clocks in at 150 minutes, which felt unnecessary. There's nothing inherently wrong with the film though. The performances are nice, the cinematography is on point and the intrigue is decent enough. Even the pacing is proper, but 150 minutes of the same thing was a bit too much to keep me fully engaged from start to finish. If you like a good samurai epic though, there's a lot to like here.Read all
An amusing and promising setup that leads to some interesting ideas and some funny scenes, but overall I don't think the directors made full use of the potential at hand. The film defaults too much to the old "detective noir" feel, which clashes with the comedy and the supernatural elements (and not in the best way). The cinematography is decent for what is clearly a low-budget affair, the score was a little disappointing though and the performances didn't really stand out either. It's still an interesting trip through a crazy universe, with some absurd and amusing details adding to the overall enjoyment, but it never shifts in overdrive, which is what a film like this needs.Read all
A goofy mix of comedy and crime elements, padded to fit the pinku mould. The pinku scenes don't feel quite as out of place compared to some of the other films in the genre, but the structure is obvious and despite Jojo's valiant attempts, it still bears many of the weaknesses of its genre peers. The comedy is over-the-top, but that makes the setup rather amusing. It's all a bit lowbrow and the crime elements are superfluous, but considering the short runtime and the slick pacing, the film remains entertaining from start to finish. Jolly fun, but still miles removed from Jojo's recent work.Read all
This was a big change of pace for Nakata, at least for those in the West who got to know him through his Ringu-style horror films. Kaidan is a classic Japanese horror tale. And it turns out it's not quite as novel or special as I thought it was when I first watched it, it's just that back then I didn't know any better. It's not a bad film mind, Nakata takes the classic formula and gives it a lick of paint. The pacing is rather slow though and the horror is very limited, but people familiar with the 50s-60s era films will recognize it for what it is. Decent performances, some moody scenes, and a nice finale, but not quite a personal favorite anymore.Read all
Confessions: The Secrets of Machiko Matsuoka
A slightly more narrative-driven film than I expected, with some pretty dark themes. It's still a pinku at heart, but those scenes are pushed to the second half and they're framed pretty well within the plot. It's still a far stretch from Jojo's recent work, but you can feel that he had ambition beyond the pinku scene. The performances aren't the greatest and the setup of the drama is a little flaky, but the build-up to the finale is proper and these final scenes are quite effective. It's also a pretty short film, certainly not the worst of its kind, but if you have little interest in Jojo's oeuvre there isn't any big incentive to go out of your way to watch it.Read all
The biggest slasher classic out there. From Myers' iconic mask to Carpenter's legendary score, this is the go-to film when someone wants to know what a "slasher flick" is all about. And sure enough, almost 50 years after its initial release it's still a good film, but it isn't quite the marvel it used to be. Carpenter's direction is on point and there are quite a few memorable scenes, but it's all a bit too familiar and the kills aren't that impressive. Yes, it's because the formula has been copied more than is healthy, but that's the price of success. I still had fun revisiting this one, but it didn't quite hit the way it used to (it was one of the first horror films I watched as a kid).Read all
If you're looking for something simple and palatable, skip this one. On the surface level, Jennifer Reeder's Perpetrator looks like it's pretty familiar horror fare, but once the puzzle pieces start moving it's not the easiest film to keep track of. The lore here is peculiar, but in my book, that's a positive. I don't think Reeder got the balance quite right though. There's too much drama floating around, only to shift to weird horror with little warning in between. It's not bad, it's just that I think the potential was there to take some of the more creative elements further. I had fun watching this, just know what you're getting yourself into.Read all
Also known as the fifth part in the Mr. Vampire series. This isn't up there with the best of the series, mainly because the middle part is a bit slower and modest than I'd liked, but stick around and the film will serve you an ending that is perfect for fans of oldskool Hong Kong horror action. Ching-Ying Lam returns to his iconic role, the effects are cheesy but the film makes up for that with sheer enthusiasm, and the finale is pretty rad (as is the start of the film). Wei Tung does well, even though he isn't the best director for this type of material. Nice filler in other words, but only for those who are already familiar with the franchise.Read all
Nakata making the best of the COVID pandemic. The setup reflects the limitations of the time this was shot, though the film doesn't entirely succeed in working around those limitations. Maybe it's because I've seen a fair share of these chatroom films already, maybe it's because it feels like a filler project for Nakata, but this wasn't too memorable. It isn't bad for the time it lasts though, which is quite short at 45 minutes long. The actors do a decent job, the mystery is proper, but the finale is a tad basic and the simplicity of some scenes is a bit too obvious. Nakata completists and Japanese horror fans will have a decent time with this one, others probably don't need to make it a priority.Read all
I'm surprised they actually made a second "live action" Lion King film, after the first one received quite some negativity, but I'm assuming the technology was there. This is more of the same, only this time focusing on Mufasa's origin story. As someone not at all in love with the other Lion King films, it did absolutely nothing for me. The technology is nice, but it never translates into a nice or impressive aesthetic. The voice acting is poor, the plot is bland and predictable, and the few songs that are in there are atrocious. Maybe younger generations are happy to see films like this, I prefer something with a bit more soul and originality. But at least it's a decent tech demo.Read all