Log: week 53 / 2024
Coppola comes with a fictional/futuristic recreation of Rome's history, with obvious parallels to our current world. With a name like Megalopolis, this was bound to turn into a big mess, the question is if you're bothered by that, or if you can enjoy the epic train wreck that Coppola serves his audience. I appreciated his mad, maximalist take. Some scenes go on for too long, the voice-over is a bit dry and the film can feel quite incoherent, but it's always interesting and there's always something crazy happening. It's not a modern classic, but if you're looking for a passion project that doesn't hold back, you can't go wrong with this one.Read all
Alice Lowe is cool. She may not look it, but she has a twisted mind, and whenever she takes on a role there's going to be something unique about the film. She also wrote and directed Timestalker, which means you shouldn't be too worried about this being just another unmemorable filler flick. There are some great ideas here. The comedy is funny, the mix of genres is bonkers and there are some good actors who know how to handle this type of material. My only complaint is that the film looked rather cheap. Some effort was poured into the cinematography, but the result wasn't there. Other than that, great fun.Read all
A combination of 1920s slapstick, Looney Tunes, and cheap lo-fi/DIY filmmaking. I don't like any of it and it's not entirely surprising that this film didn't do anything for me. Both the presentation and the comedy annoyed me, it wasn't until the very end that some slightly more interesting ideas started to sneak into the film. Everything is very "cheap haha" and the comedy is dusty and predictable. The effects and animation are horrid, the performances annoying and the runtime excessive. This might've been fun in the hands of a different director, as a modern reimagining with a bit more edge to it. In its current form though, it's an unfunny eyesore.Read all
The Chinese streamers are getting more and more into contemporary action cinema, and that's not a bad thing. There are some awesome fight sequences here, combined with colorful cinematography and fast-paced storytelling it makes for some great entertainment. And for once, there's no overload of bad CG. The plot is a downright mess though (it feels like an entire TV series condensed into a single film) and the crime elements are pretty generic. Of course, originality isn't high on the priority list with these streamer films. In the end, I think I would've preferred a simpler action flick, as the cool action sequences are the obvious highlight.Read all
It takes a little too long to start, but this moody and mysterious horror film with slight Lovecraftian elements gets the tone right in the second half. I wish a bit more time were spent in the asylum, but Ponce shows a lot of promise and he'd be a great asset to the horror genre if he persists. The performances are strong, the cinematography is stylish and the build-up of the tension is nigh perfect. I loved the ending but would've preferred a bit more of that. The added drama in the first half also felt a bit unnecessary, but I had a great time with this one. An easy recommendation for horror fans.Read all