Log: week 31 / 2024
Simple but incredibly effective horror entertainment. The premise is as basic as can be (a building gets overrun with lethal spiders), but the little creature looks pretty badass and director Vaniček keeps the pace high while providing some memorable thrills and action scenes. This is core genre entertainment. The performances are pretty good and the setting is perfect for this type of film. There's plenty of cannon fodder and the spiders spread like wildfire (while also getting a lot bigger, thriving in their new environment). People with arachnophobia will have a hard time with Infested, but that's exactly what you want from a film like this. Great fun.Read all
An old John Ford film. The start of the film isn't too bad, but once the psychological aspect takes the upper hand, my interest quickly waned. The performances just aren't good enough for this type of film and the presentation is pretty basic, making the second half a real hassle to get through. I just didn't care enough about the characters and the dramatic side of the story never took hold as the performances lacked nuance. The black-and-white cinematography isn't too remarkable either and even though the score received accolades, it only added to my frustration. Not a good one.Read all
Tarkovsky's best, but not quite as good as I remembered it to be. I do love the sepia scenes (Avalon, my absolute number one, took a lot of inspiration from this film), but I was less enthusiastic about the color photography and the pacing. I know Tarkovksy likes slow cinema, but there are scenes here that lasted too long. The setup of The Zone is mysterious and the trip within is intriguing, the characters, their forced conversations, and the performances less so. The cinematography is good, and the soundtrack is solid too, but there are a few too many scenes that overstay their welcome, leaving me a little disappointed. The presentation is great, but not great enough to warrant 160 minutes of snail-paced cinema.Read all
A prequel that couldn't be avoided. There's a different crew, a different cast, and a film that reminded me quite a bit of Cloverfield, only less intense. That's because there's a bit more time spent on the characters and their background. It's not the smartest choice if you ask me, but for a traditional blockbuster, it's pretty common. The aliens aren't quite as scary as they used to be and the characters aren't that interesting, even so, there are some pretty tense and fun scenes scattered throughout. The pacing could've been slicker and the horror is a little tame, but there's enough to enjoy here for genre fans. Not as good as the earlier films though.Read all
An action-led road movie, though the action comes in rather short bursts. The story is very minimal, as is the dialogue. The focus lies on the scenery (which is nice if you like the barren West, it's not really for me though) and the fast car, which takes on the police squad with relative ease. The lead is pretty cool and the chases are fun, the rather lengthy bits in between less so. I'm not the biggest fan of that "gritty 70s vibe" and the setting is dull as can be, but there are still some fun scenes scattered throughout. Not enough to keep me fully engaged, but not as bad as I'd feared.Read all
A fine Japanese turn-of-the-century drama. Looking at the title, you'd be correct in thinking this is a pretty chill film, sporting a trio of characters who don't know what to make of their lives. Not much is happening, and there isn't any true urgency, but that's not really the point of this type of drama. The performances are solid, but it's the moody presentation and the gentle pacing that makes this worth your while. It was smart to keep this film rather short, as the plot isn't a strong driver, making sure the film doesn't outstay its welcome. This was a gentle and pleasant little slacker drama.Read all
A cute Swedish slasher flick that combines horror and comedy. It's not a very original concept and there have been better films doing exactly the same, but the mix of dry Scandinavian comedy and slasher horror is quite fun in its own right. As long as you keep your expectations in check, there's some fun to be had here. The performances are decent, the buildup is funny and the horror scenes are pleasant. The first half is maybe a bit too slow and the deaths could've been a bit more graphic, other than that I didn't have too much to complain about. Just some proper genre fun, decent filler for fans of slasher movies.Read all
A rather typical Fukuda drama. The premise is interesting enough, but the presentation is a little too generic for my taste. He's one of those directors who manages to land European funding for his films, and that influence is tangible. It doesn't always result in a better film though, especially in a genre that is already extremely competitive. The performances are strong and the setup is promising, but once the core of the drama has been revealed, the continuation is a tad underwhelming. The cinematography is rather basic too and the film could've been shorter, even though there are some impressive scenes scattered throughout. Like most Fukuda's, the quality is there, but it lacks distinctive elements.Read all
A drama with noir aspirations. The film is pretty slow and deliberate, more focused on its core mystery than any crime/thriller elements, but the stark styling does give it a strong noir vibe. It's quite a bit better than most noirs I've seen, it was just a bit too slow for my liking. The black-and-white cinematography is cool though and the performances are decent. The setup is also pretty intriguing, though the more that got revealed, the harder it became to keep invested in the story. The finale was a bit better again, but by then the film had already lost me. Compared to most noirs though, this is a downright masterpiece.Read all
The concept of this Ki-duk is maybe one of his most interesting and elaborate ones, it's just a shame that the execution strays far from his usual fare. Rather than lean on enigmatic characters and a show-don't-tell attitude, Time is very direct and surprisingly loud for a Ki-duk film. That's what keeps it from greatness. The romantic setup with lead characters undergoing appearance-changing plastic surgery is certainly interesting, the performances are solid and the artistic setting is pleasant, yet the verbal fights and the lesser cinematography hinder the film. It's not quite as unique, refined or brutal as his best work, but it's still a worthy film for Ki-duk fans.Read all
An old favorite that lost a little of its original shine. I'm not too surprised, as I watched Werckmeister Harmonies very early on in my discovery of arthouse cinema. The stark black-and-white cinematography and the remarkable score are clear pluses here, but the setting was a bit too dire for my taste. Tarr serves arthouse poverty porn with a layer of fantasy and a nicer finish. While I appreciated the presentation, I've seen better over the years, so it didn't quite drown out the negatives as it used to. The slow pacing and lengthy runtime were a bit of a bother too, but there's still plenty to love here. It just wasn't as overwhelming as I remembered it to be.Read all
The quintessential alien invasion story, making it to the big screen for the first time. I was familiar with the story, and the age of the film tempered my expectations, but if you like cheesy 50s sci-fi (or Kaiju movies), there's quite a bit to enjoy here. Just don't expect any real greatness. The story is simple, the effects are very basic and the performances aren't too great. But the pacing is solid, the runtime is short and there's a certain cheekiness that keeps things charming. It's not a scary or thrilling film anymore, but it's not the worst way to spend 90 minutes either.Read all
One of those films where the city (in this case, a small quarter within the big Tokyo metropolis) is the main character. It's an affectionate look at Shimokitazawa, but it's a bit too classic in its portrayal of the life of artists. Much like films about films, I find there's often a little too much navel-gazing and self-aggrandization. Ichikawa's presentation is nice, sporting that typical early 2000 arthouse style, but the film's a bit too noisy for my liking and the focus on music isn't one I prefer when it comes to Japanese cinema. The performances are good though and there are some poignant scenes, but it's not Ichikawa's best.Read all
There's cringe comedy, and then there's just a film with annoying and despicable characters. It's pretty tough to root for any of the main characters here, nor is there much to laugh at. It's a comedy in the sense that there's no real drama, and the film doesn't take the romance very seriously. So yeah, that's pretty much it. A douchebag who wants to exchange his wife for the first blond that shows an interest in him. And he finds all kinds of ways to deceive and cheat on his wife. At least the tone is light and the pacing decent enough, other than that, this was a pretty bad comedy.Read all
A fun little film with a nice balance of thriller and horror elements. It never goes full out, but its restrained tension is what helps to set it apart. The moody presentation and solid performances help to ground the film, the slow build-up and the inevitability of the plot turn this into prime genre cinema. It's cool to see Renata's slow transformation, the cinematography is stylish and the performances are good. The pacing is a little slow but helps build up the tension and adds weight to the payoff. It could've been a bit edgier and the finale, while fun, was a little predictable, but other than that this was a blast.Read all
A cheap and pointless sci-fi vehicle that inexplicably (from a creative point of view at least) puts Jennifer Lopez in the lead. It's a tired old AI-goes-bad tale sporting bland aesthetics and sub-blockbuster CGI and makes things worse by saddling up the audience with a whiney old woman. Lopez' character is annoying (because she hates AI and ends up teaming up with an AI machine), the story doesn't have much interesting to say (except for the semi-hopeful ending maybe) and the sci-fi aesthetic isn't very interesting. A lot more could've been done with this film.Read all