Log: week 26 / 2020

The biggest problem is that the film isn't even half as camp as the real thing. Eurovision is an alternate universe that is a bit hard to explain when you haven't been subjected to it for most of your life, maybe that's where it went wrong with this mostly USA-led production? Ferrell's version of the festival is pretty dull.

Dobkin has a pretty bad track record as a director and surely can't rectify it with this film. Almost all the jokes fall flat, the characters are boring and the showmanship is pretty poor. Rather than a sprawling show, the Eurovision competition looks like a second-rate concert. Nah, very poor use of the potential.

The lead actors do a decent job, but the rest of the cast is well below par. Loudness and overacting are often confused for comedy, the soundtrack feels like a complete afterthought and the cinematography is plain and uninteresting. If you ever wondered what Hong Kong filler looks like, look no further.

The plot itself is slightly amusing though. It's not great, but at least it kept my attention until the end of the film. It's definitely not enough to actively recommend Happy Family, but I've sat through worse films. At least it's short and mildly amusing, at the same time it's also wildly plain and forgettable.

The performances are extremely overdone, the romance and drama are overworked and never feel genuine and the film's many genre excursions all seem to be working against each other. And then there's the incredibly sappy, cheesy soundtrack that adds insult to injury and makes everything so much worse.

I can't say I was very surprised by all of this, it's pretty typical for Zwick's work. He's not my type of director and this film checks pretty much all the checkboxes of why I dislike many of his films. It's archetypical Hollywood sentiment, loud and demanding, but ultimately empty and extremely boring.

The cheap TV look is a big part of the problem. The film simply looks cheap, the special effects are pretty bad and the direction is mostly functional. Luckily the cast is on point, with solid performances by Yukie Nakama and Hiroshi Abe and the comedy is pretty noteworthy too, but it's not enough to elevate it above mediocrity.

When Trick gets pleasantly weird, its potential becomes clearly visible. Sadly these moments are quite rare and stand out compared to to the rest of the film. While it never gets truly bad or boring, I'm always a bit disappointed after seeing one of these films. I can never escape the feeling that this should've been much better.

As far as lazy sequels go, this one is pretty damn lazy. The plot is just a lame cut & paste job from a throwaway Glee episode, the characters are still the same old stereotypes that go through all the familiar motions once again, while the finale is utterly unimaginative and predictable. Or what did you expect.

The first film made plenty of money, so they made a sequel. Either you like this kind of comedy, or you're an enormous fan of billboard-type pop music (and you don't mind chipmunks butchering the songs), otherwise I don't see anyone liking this terrible piece of junk. A complete and utter waste of time.

There's something about the tone and rhythm of the film that makes it stand out. The introduction is a good example. Very soft and cute, but also a little strange and weary. It contrasts well with the quirky main character and her somewhat dry but ultimately upbeat romantic woes. Ohku alternates regularly between these two approaches, keeping the audience on their toes.

The cinematography is beautiful, performances are also on point. The first hour or so feels fresh and invigorating, the second half is just more of the same though and clocking in at almost 2 hours the film's a bit too long. Also, I didn't think the turn to drama at the very end was really that necessary. But otherwise well recommended.

It's not quite as insane and/or depraved as the middle entry, which is a little odd as the middle episodes in these types of trilogies are usually the tamest. The episodes here don't form a coherent story arc though and act more like stand-alone stories within the same universe. Probably the smart thing to do, considering that narrative and characters aren't really the series' biggest assets.

The story is pretty much negligible and the characters are pretty static. Whenever nobody is being ripped to shreds or blood isn't splattering across the screen, the overall quality quickly plunges. Luckily there's plenty of the aforementioned going on, but I felt a bit disappointed that Hell's Wind didn't push the boundaries just a little more.

Both Dano and Deschanel are fine actors, and they don't disappoint. There are also some very solid secondary parts, with a stand-out role for John Goodman and a fun cameo by Zach Galifianakis. It's more than enough to make this a decent film and that's exactly what Gigantic ends up being.

The romance is pretty basic but works well and there are some goofy moments that earn the film some indie points, what I missed though was something that truly sets it apart from the rest. It's a bit too safe, even the weirdness feels a bit too expected and by the numbers. Not a bad film, but it lacks flavor.

The story revolves around a young, wealthy guy who has everything going for him. He has a beautiful, dedicated girlfriend, a baby on the way, and he just moved to Italy to direct his first film. But when he downloads a dating app he gets infatuated with a mysterious caller. She seems so in tune with him that he is willing to risk everything he has, just for a meeting with her.

If you haven't figured out already where this is going, you probably haven't seen much recent sci-fi. The film is pretty predictable, but the execution is on point. The cinematography is dreamy, the soundtrack adds a lot of atmosphere and performances are overall strong. Nothing outstanding, but very solid, worthwhile genre filler.

The film does touch upon some some less idyllic aspects of the job, like the pressure of serialization, the competition and the harsh working conditions, but none of that really makes a big impression. The characters are a bit too stereotypical and the drama a little too convenient for that. Then again, big drama and social critique is clearly not what this film set out to do.

The cast is likeable, the cinematography slick (with a couple of stand-out scenes) and the film flows well. Even though it's two hours long, it never drags or loses momentum. It's just a very warm, easy-going drama that has its heart in the right place, but doesn't really excel at anything particular. Premium filler in other words.

The art style is less detailed and the animation isn't quite as energetic. The characters aren't as crazy or over-the-top either, giving it an overall cheaper feel. While there is still some gore and weirdness, it never makes much of an impact. It's still amusing to watch though, but it's really hard not to compare it to the much better second part.

The comparison may be a bit unfair, on the other hand I'm not sure if I would've continued with this series if I'd seen Slum King first. It's not terrible, but it is quite underwhelming and apart from a handful of solid moments, it's too cheesy and forgettable to make a lasting impression. Persevere though, because it gets better after this.

The problem is that this isn't the first film to go so meta, in fact the meta itself has become a trope of horror/comedies. So as with most genre films, it's the execution that counts, and that's where things falter. Performances are rather poor and the overall quality is pretty uneven, though for an anthology featuring mostly unknown directors, that was to be expected.

The first two shorts are nice enough, so is the finale. They're not outstanding, but the comedy works and the horror is quite over-the-top. The middle shorts slow things down though and without any real standout material, the film at least one short too long. Overall it's not too bad, but it feels just a little lazy.

The plot is extremely trivial. Three talking chipmunks end up in some annoying guy's home. He turns out to be down on his last luck as a music writer, but lo and behold, the chipmunks can sing, and they become an overnight sensation. There's also a romantic subplot and an evil studio mogul, but who cares really.

The blend between the CG and live action footage is pretty decent, that's about the only good thing I can say about this film. The acting is terrible, the comedy is bland, the music simply deafening. But it's a successful film that spawned a bunch of sequels and spin-offs, so I guess there's an audience out there that digs these kinds of films.

A city boy takes a leap of chance and goes off on a one-year course to become a lumberjack. He isn't really cut out for the job and when he ends up lodging with some boorish mountain folk, it doesn't look like he'll be sitting out his training. But, as is always the case in these films, people slowly learn to respect each other etc etc.

It's one of those films that would never work in real life for me, but is still invigorating to experience on film. The amazing setting has a big part in that, the overall solid performances of the cast only add to that. The direction is nice, but nothing too out of the ordinary. If you can appreciate films like Breathe In, Breathe Out or Only Yesterday, this is a fine recommend.

Performances aren't up to par. There are some familiar faces here, but most of them fail to land their jokes. The soundtrack is absolutely dreadful and feels like an afterthought, while the film itself looks like something out of the 80s. It all feels very rushed and put together without putting too much thought into it.

It's a little odd because Ko is capable of making good comedies. Without the proper actors, a decent script and the necessary funding though, it seems he can't perform miracles. At least the pacing is decent and the film constantly propels itself forward, but unless you're absolutely starved for a Hong Kong comedy, I can't really recommend this.

The problem with Alone in the Dark is that it goes for pure suspense, but never really gets there. The psychopaths on the loose are rather plain and fail to be menacing, while the main characters are too daft to care for. Add a very slow first half and few confrontations between both groups and you're left with a pretty dull film.

The intro was by far the most interesting scene here, it all goes downhill after that. Performances are pretty bad, the film looks dim and lifeless, the score fails to add atmosphere and the kills look terribly fake. Would've been better if Sholder had loosened up a bit, but that clearly wasn't what he was going for. Not good.

The introduction is mostly spent on capturing the mood and energy around a train station. It's a bustling environment and while the noise levels aren't that pleasant, they are an essential part of the setting. The problem is that once the film shifts its focus to the characters, the noise doesn't really go away. It makes for a tiring experience.

The dialogue and drama isn't that interesting either, luckily the cinematography is decent and there are a couple of scenes that stand out from the rest, but it wasn't until the finale that the film had truly grabbed my attention. That was a case of too little, too late though. Not a terrible film, but it left me rather cold.

Kanta's luck seems to be changing when he meets Shoji, a more composed character who moved to Tokyo to attend school there. Things are looking up, but Kanta's troubled past is going to prove hard to overcome. If that sounds pretty dramatic, nihilistic even, it's because it is, but Yamashita's execution makes it bearable.

Some colorful characters and slightly absurd situations give the film a somewhat lighter tone. The cinematography is decent but nothing too special, the same goes for the soundtrack. Performances are strong though and give the characters the necessary weight. All in all a pretty good film, but it lacks something that makes it truly stand out.

The art style is a little clunky and butch, but the character designs are distinctive and fun. The animation is fine, considering the limited budget. Some very nice-looking scenes, but if you're familiar with the typical anime cheats, it is clear where they cut some corners. For an 80s OAV though, it's not bad.

The plot is a pretty basic, nothing more than a solid setup for some very bloody, violent and gory fun. It's clearly not for everybody, but if you love over-the-top violence and depravity then there's plenty to like here. A film for a particular audience in other words, not my favorite kind of anime, but I do appreciate it from time to time.

The start is a little hesitant though. The comedy is subtle and elaborate, lacking clear punch lines or quick payoffs. Because there's no real introduction and the film keeps jumping between random interviews and the main story thread, it takes a while to get on board with what Krasinski is trying to do.

Performances are good and the final half hour really drives its point home, sadly the film looks a little shabby and barren and the soundtrack feels like it's made up of left-over scraps from Woody Allen's films. The presentation is a bit of a let-down, but if you sit through the struggling first half, there's a neat little film here.

This film is not to be confused with Woo-Ping Yuen's 2017 blockbuster version, which deals with pretty much the same story. While it's clear that the 2020 remake didn't have have quite the same means to its disposal, Hesheng and Qiuliang Xiang did their very best to make this just as enjoyable.

The CG is actually quite solid, the nifty creature designs and spell effects are also of great help. Actors are decent and the sets look pretty impressive. Nice action cinematography, perfect pacing and a fun story do the rest. It's not quite up there with the best Chinese martial arts/fantasy hybrids, but it was great fun nonetheless.