Log: week 6 / 2025
Wordholic Prisoner
I'm not the biggest fan of TV movies, but Kurosawa was quite apt at them. I've seen a bunch of him so far and they tend to be surprisingly amusing. Wordholic Prisoner is no exception. Thanks to a spirited performance of Ren Osugi and a kooky premise this turned out to be very amusing. Mind you, this is a comedy first and foremost. It's not to be taken seriously, but there are some crime and thriller elements present (namely the kidnapping of a person). It's all pretty absurd though and you shouldn't expect anything too fancy, but if you've got an hour to spare, you could do a lot worse.Read all
Chi Zhang's first feature film. It's a bit more classic arthouse fare, with light crime and mystery elements, but Zhang's eye for beautiful framing and lighting is already in full effect. It's a moody, dreamy film with an interesting lead character and an intriguing setting that weaves drama and genre elements skillfully together. I'm not sure why this film slipped through the cracks (apart from winning a festival prize in Russia), but if you like Chinese arthouse cinema peppered with minor genre elements, this is a film worth seeking out.
McCarthy started his career strong, but he shifted from movies to TV work, and so I lost track of him. Bagman isn't a return to form. It's a rather generic horror flick that shows some potential but fails to set itself apart from a truckload of similar films. So what remains is simple horror filler. The creature isn't too interesting, the performances are doubty and the plot is as unoriginal as can be. There are still some nice moments and McCarthy shows that he still has the chops if needed, but this project simply wasn't strong enough to allow him to do his best work. It's not terrible if you're starved for horror cinema, but it's certainly not a priority.Read all
A decent enough drama with crime and thriller elements, but somehow the film struggled to set itself apart. The indie feel isn't enough to make it special, I've seen this setting and this kind of drama before, and even though the lead character is a bit quirkier than usually the case, it's not enough to make the film shine. That's not to say this is a bad film. The crime elements are interesting enough, the second half has a fun twist and the performances are solid. The runtime's a bit excessive though (this should've been a 90-minute film) and there simply wasn't enough to get thoroughly excited about. Decent filler, nothing more.Read all
Another film about the filmmaking process. This one's a bit funnier than usually the case, but the crux remains the same. Artists are wacky, crazy people, and knowing what goes on behind the scenes makes it implausible that films ever get released. And yet, thousands upon thousands of films each year see the light of day. Like most of these films, Official Competition is incredibly self-aware, but at least there's a bit more self-mockery present, even when none of it is very original. The performances are good and there are some decent moments, but most of it is too predictable. It's not the worst of its kind, but it's not exactly a standout either.Read all
Films to Keep You Awake: To Let
Balagueró's solid entry in the Films to Keep You Awake film series. It's not a real contender with his best work and two decades later the horror doesn't feel quite as sharp or novel anymore, but it's still a fast and entertaining film that should please horror fans who are looking for some core genre fun. The setup is simple but comes with a little twist. The setting is moody, the cinematography is fitting, and the performances are good. The villain is a bit too soft maybe, but the short runtime makes sure that the finale comes fast and there are some tense moments to keep you entertained in the run-up to it. Good, but not as great as I remembered it to be.Read all
Another Russian film that got dubbed in English and became so much harder to watch because of it. The dub is terrible and it turns the actors into a C-grade cast. It's a real shame because the sci-fi elements and the CG are proper, and films like these are quite hard to find nowadays. And seeing the ratings on film platforms, these dubs aren't helping anyway. The setup isn't original, but the sci-fi designs are cool, the pacing is good and the film is enjoyable (if you can somehow black out the dub). It's a good thing the performances aren't pivotal to this film, but not everybody will be able to look past them. It's just incomprehensible why such unnecessary barriers are introduced for a film shot in 2022.Read all
This starts off as a rather generic horror film. I was a little disappointed as I have come to expect more from Shiraishi, but good things come to those who wait. The second half is a lot more fun and offers some neat and surprising twists on a simple formula. It's not enough to turn it into a future classic, but horror fans are sure to have a good time. The haunted house trope is a tried and tested one and at first Shiraishi sticks to the rules of the genre. He's a horror veteran though and he knows how and when to subvert expectations. The grandma is hilarious, the dark comedy is spot on. A fun and funny little horror flick, one that fits snugly into Shiraishi's oeuvre.Read all
One of those films I liked from before I got serious about cinema. I remember liking the tone and the dark comedy elements, but almost two decades later they're hardly worth mentioning. It's still a decently funny film, but the direction is too plain and the two-hour runtime is a bit of a puzzle. Thornton is fun (Paxton isn't), the plot has some funny moments and the snowy setting is like a separate character, but it's all rather predictable and the presentation is dim and unremarkable. This could still be fun in the form of a Du Welz remake, but in the hands of Raimi, it fails to stand out.Read all
It seems that the Chinese streamer films have plateaued for the time being. Most of them still struggle with shoddy CG and they keep on recycling the same plotlines. The only thing setting this film apart is the breakneck speed at which the plot is told (it almost feels like a 70-minute recap). There's still some fun to be had of course. There's a lot of fantasy lore, it's all quite maximalist and the sets and costumes are nice enough. It would be nice to see a bit more progress though. A year or so ago I felt some of these films were finally crossing over into genuinely strong film territory, but those are still the exceptions to the rule. Decent fun, but only for hardcore fans of the genre.Read all
I love Ikeda's vibe. His preference for absurd, loopy, dry comedy is the purest I've ever seen. Stark camerawork, bone-dry performances, and increasingly silly gags make up most of the film, and the result is glorious. It's not going to be for everyone, the film is one-note (by design) and you genuinely need to love his style of comedy to get anything out of it, but it made me laugh out loud more than once, which doesn't happen often. It's not quite as good as Ambiguous Places, but an absolute treat for people who can embrace the absurdities.