Log: week 22 / 2024
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress
My first introduction to Sijie Dai's work (and that might be the case for Xun Zhou too). I was still finding my way in Asian cinema when I first caught this, and it gave me a similar vibe to Postman in the Mountains. The film has lost some of its charm the second time around, but it still offers pleasant romance in a stunning setting. The Chinese mountains are idyllic, even though the life there must have been pretty harsh. The actors are solid, the romance is sweet and the pacing is pleasant. The only thing lacking is something that elevates the film, something to set it apart and make it truly memorable. It's a fine film though, just not the personal favorite I remembered it to be.Read all
Oh my. Now I get I'm not the primary target audience of a film like this. It's squarely aimed at younger kids, but that doesn't mean there can't at least be a little quality in there. There isn't none here. It's cheap, lazy, and annoying from start to finish, but I will say the film does commit to its nonsense, which kept me from dishing out an even lower score. So dogs are supposed to be the good guys here, but they're made to sound like a very conservative status quo species. Not that it matters much. The talking animals are dreadful, the CG is poorly done, and the live-action shots are dire. But the plot does get pretty insane, which offered at least some laughs. Sadly, it wasn't enough to save this film.Read all
The remakes of this film are dreadful, and it turns out the original isn't any better. Apart from a short dream sequence halfway through, it's a film built on endless dialogues that fail to be amusing and/or funny. It's a towering bunch of boring clichés, fired away at the audience at breakneck speed. Spencer Tracy is a decent cast, but his character is dull and the plot doesn't give him much to work with. The story is terribly predictable, there's not even a thing to smirk at and while 90 minutes is relatively short, the film feels at least twice as long. Not a film I'll fondly remember if I remember it at all.Read all
Schumacher's Falling Down is a smart piece of entertainment. It's a film with a clear and loud message but presented in such a way that it enhances the entertainment value. Watching it back it didn't feel quite as special as the first time, even so, I still had a good time revisiting it. Douglas is great, Schumacher's direction is a little extra and there are some fun and quirky characters who get what's coming to them. Duvall's role is a bit underwhelming though and a slightly shorter runtime would've been preferential, but all in all Schumacher's film survived the test of time very well.Read all
An elongated family argument, told through the power of words. It's a film that feels more like a play than a cinematic adventure, with a limited cast, limited locations, and endless dialogues about past (and lingering) trauma. It's not at all what I'm looking for in a film, so no surprise this one didn't do it for me. The drama is pretty pedestrian and the performances weren't all that impressive. And that's all there is to it. It's a very minimalistic film and when the characters nor the drama hit the mark, there's nothing else to get you invested. One of the drearier Bergman films I have seen.Read all
A very peculiar film. The story is a little iffy and there are some pretty awkward scenes, especially for a film that looks like it was made to have a rather broad appeal. No doubt some people will take offense, but at the same time there are some very poignant points about love and relationships here. Yes, relationships are more than just physical attraction, but that is also a part of it. And when your wife suddenly inhabits the body of your daughter, that presents some problems. It's a surprisingly dark and troubled theme for a film that is quite light-hearted, the weirdest thing is that director Takita handles it pretty well. If not for the somewhat bland presentation this could've remained a personal favorite because the ending is strong and emotional. An odd film indeed. Read all
Somewhat better the second time around, without the expectations and the hype bearing on the film. It was easier to enjoy the boundless enthusiasm and the bold confidence of both directors, though I still feel the execution wasn't quite up to par, which keeps the film from becoming a personal favorite. There's also a lot to love though. The film is crammed with crazy ideas, the editing is insane, the level of creativity is mental and the film has a rhythm of its own. As eager as it is to refer to other films, there's nothing really like it and with so many memorable scenes and moments, it's impossible not to fall for its charms.Read all
Download: Devil's Circuit
A Rintaro short I had never heard of before. Now, that's not completely unheard of, while I like anime I'm not the biggest connoisseur, but what makes this a little different is that the animation is high quality and the subject matter is right up my alley. It's the kind of thing you'd expect to be very popular. For an OAV, the animation is pretty rad. The art style is cool and distinctive too, I love those early 90s sci-fi elements and the pacing is slick. The film may be a little lewd for contemporary sensibilities, but I can't say it bothered me much. This is just fun, quality entertainment but one of anime's most distinctive directors.Read all
A Monroe vehicle, exemplified by the random song she (has to) sing halfway through. It's a pretty simple crime flick, but because the film isn't too serious it's somewhat watchable. It's not good by any of my definitions, but I've seen much worse noir films, so at least I wasn't as bored as I feared I would be. The film is in color, which helps to make it stand out from most other noirs, but it's the jolly performances that make the biggest difference. It keeps the film light, even during the more tense second half. This is probably making it sound better than it was, but at least it's something.Read all
A fine romantic drama with slight fantastical touches. In Her Room had everything to become a personal favorite, but something didn't fully gel with me. There are some standout scenes and moments here, it's just the scenes in between that weren't quite good enough to tie everything together. The sets are lovely and the cinematography is splendid. The soundtrack too adds a touch of mystery, but Ito is a bit too focused on individual scenes, leaving the movie as a whole somewhat underdeveloped. There's lots of potential here though, can't wait to see what she does next.Read all
Asian directors love to come to France to make a film, but it rarely results in anything worthwhile. Aoyama's attempt is a short low-budget TV affair, a film that isn't worthy of Aoyama's otherwise great oeuvre. You have to wonder what even prompted him to go through all the trouble. The performances are rather poor, the cinematography looks cheap and you don't need to expect much from the score either. The setup is at least somewhat intriguing, but it wasn't enough to keep me engaged throughout, which is a little disappointing for a film that's barely 40 minutes long. Disappointing.Read all
A war movie that felt quite jolly and upbeat. I can't say this British classic was riveting, it's a lighthearted coming-of-age drama set during WWII, with decent performances, but nothing much else. If you like pompous Hollywood cinema this is probably a stand-out, but it's not my kind of cinema. The performances are decent enough, especially considering the lead character is a young kid. The rest of the film is pretty mediocre though. It's all very much by the numbers, with no risks taken, with some light drama that makes the film easily digestible for everyone. Pretty generic.Read all
A somewhat more saccharine take on Koreeada's After Life, but director Fujii's firm hand keeps this film on the rails. I would've preferred a slightly less sentimental take, but I can't complain too much as I adored the warm and fantastic glow that's draped on top of everything. Franky and Terajima are highlights, the story is sweet and Fujii juggles the different plotlines like a pro. The soundtrack is probably the weakest link, but the cinematography offers plenty of compensation. It's an easy recommend if you like somewhat more animated Japanese dramas.