Log: week 40 / 2024
Stuffy old comedy, written by Billy Wilder and directed by Howard Hawks. If you like classic Hollywood this is a film for you. If you dread American cheese and anything AFI-related, it's better to stay away from this one. It's an overly long film that has nothing to offer besides a rather odd premise. That's about the only fun thing about Ball of Fire, which gets you through the first 15 minutes. After that, the film settles into more classic patterns and all that is left are dusty dialogues and crummy performances. I have no idea why they thought this had to last almost two hours, there's hardly enough material to fill half that runtime.Read all
A sweet and poignant little love story. I expected a little more from Igashi after seeing her previous film, but if this is the quality of her filler work, then I have nothing to complain about. It's a simple romance, there is nothing explicitly special, but she hits every beat and there is no excess material. Like many Japanese films, communication is one of the underlying themes here. Though the film is short, it is properly explored and illustrated. The performances are solid, the presentation is pleasant and the drama effective. It's a good film, nothing to complain about, it just fails to stand out amongst the competition.Read all
A unique premise, which the director forces you to take at face value. It makes for an interesting, but slightly confusing first half hour, as Rino keeps losing the love of her life whenever he falls for her. The film won't leave you completely in the dark, though I feel I would've preferred the mystery intact. Mikami is spectacular, the setting is lovely (rural Japan during summer), the cinematography is bright and colorful and the romance is original. The film is just a little too frivolous at times and the ending was a little too simple for my liking. There's a lot to love here though, so if you're looking for a sweet and fun romance, this won't disappoint.Read all
Cheesy Hollywood drama, that wouldn't have been so bad if it hadn't taken a full three hours to include some horrific romance elements. There's a better (though still not great) film hidden away in there, but with Redford directing and taking on the lead, it's clear that this was more about ego than good filmmaking. Thomas is decent, Johansson is rather annoying. The setting is nice though, rural America felt pleasant enough and Redford's relationship with the horse felt genuine. The human drama was less interesting and the romance between him and Thomas felt off. If anything, this is another good example that few films are worth a 150+ minute runtime.Read all
A pleasant drama, but a bit too old-fashioned and predictable to make a lasting impact. The setup is cute and the women are rather funny, each in their own way, but I think you need to be a bit older to be full on board with their problems and concerns to get the most out of this film. The performances are pleasant and the conversations between the women are quirky enough. The presentation is a tad disappointing though and the pacing is quite slow for a film that doesn't have many surprises, nor puts a lot of focus on the visceral experience. Decent entertainment, but not too memorable.Read all
It's probably best not to approach this as a horror film. Just think of it as a serious dash of 90s nostalgia with mystery elements and some "horror" plot points. It's certainly a unique film, it's just that I don't care that much for the lo-fi, alternative vibe it serves, despite some commendable ideas. The performances are very muted (an acquired taste, but not bad), the neon look is nice (though hardly exceptional) and the rhythm of the film is different. The problem is that I don't care for all that nostalgia, nor the particular balance of genres here. The film left me cold, even so, I still appreciated the will to do something different.Read all
My rewatch of The Twilight Samurai wasn't the biggest success, so I expected The Hidden Blade to have lost some of its shine too. And right I was. It's an extremely old-school take on the samurai genre. It's nice to see a film that focuses more on the mundane and pedestrian parts of their lives, but that isn't enough. The performances are good, but that's no surprise with Nagase in the lead and Takako Matsu in a strong supportive role. The presentation is rather static and lifeless though, even bordering on cheesy. The film is also too long, but there are still some moments of beauty scattered throughout. Just not enough to make it a great film.Read all
A pretty dry western. At first, the setup works in its favor, but the middle part is extremely dull and the slow pacing makes this a big drag to sit through. It might be different for people who appreciate this setting and these types of characters (western fans in other words), but that's not me. The performances are poor, the colors are ugly and the build-up is simplistic. I didn't care for the plot or the characters, so the finale lacked any kind of impact. It's not my genre and by now I think I can safely say it never will be. It's not the worst one I've seen, but there's hardly anything to set it apart from the other terrible ones I've seen so far.Read all
Spanish horror cinema had a little renaissance during the late 00s. The Orphanage was one of the front-runners, but there have been so many copycats since, that this film lost some of its original appeal. It's still a stylish slow-burner with some decent scares, but that's not enough to set it apart from the many others. The film is a bit slow to start and the scares are predictable. The performances are solid though and the cinematography is pristine. The soundtrack adds to the mood and the tension ramps up as the finale draws closer. But there's no real climax here and there isn't enough to make the film stand out. Worth a watch if you haven't already, but it's not what I call a personal favorite nowadays.Read all
Stylish horror film shot in Oostende by a director with roots in Antwerp. Yes, I probably should've watched this a lot sooner, but then I never cared much for classic Belgian cinema. I was proven (somewhat) wrong by Daughters of Darkness though. This wasn't too bad, despite some rough patches. The performances are terrible and the horror elements are quite tame. But the setting is moody and the presentation is quite stylish. Kümel does a good job establishing a mysterious atmosphere but fails to deliver when it matters. If you like the colorful Argentos, you'll probably have a good time with this one too.Read all
Four French directors move to Tokyo to combine their horror shorts into a fun anthology. There's some talent here, but also quite a few rougher edges. I did appreciate the nihilistic endings of the various shorts, but the way there was often a bit too bumpy to speak of an overpowering success. The performances are a tad disappointing, as are the scores, but the horror elements are fun and there's enough variety here to keep things interesting. The third short is probably the weakest, and the first one is the best of the bunch, but the quality is surprisingly consistent. Not bad now that Halloween is getting closer.Read all
An old horror classic I hadn't seen in ages (from before I started logging my watches on the internet). I didn't care too much for the remake, the original isn't any better I'm afraid. It's a rather tepid and unspectacular rendition of what could've been an exciting premise, but at least it wasn't a complete dud. The performances are contorted and the children don't impose the dread or fear they're supposed to. The pacing is decent enough though and the film is rather short, so at least things keep moving about swiftly. A better finale and a moodier setting could've made this a better film, but alas.Read all
A basic romance film that turns into an Instagram self-help post in the latter half. As a simple romance it's not the worst film, the drama on the other hand felt fake and bland. I guess that's why It Ends with Us got quite a bit of flack from the book's original fans, though I doubt they could've expected anything more from a Hollywood adaptation. Lively and Baldoni are decent, the setup is nice and the direction appropriate for the genre. Once the domestic violence angle enters the film the quality takes a pretty big dip and things only get worse from there. That's a bit problematic considering it's the core theme, but at least it only takes up a small portion of the runtime.Read all