Log: week 34 / 2020

Yellow Earth is a widely celebrated film of course, everyone in the West loves it when China portrays itself as a nation full of country bumpkins who are trailing at least one century behind Western civilization. I've grown tired of these films and without the stylistic prowess of his contemporaries, there's just very little here for me.

Performances are mediocre, the soundtrack is a struggle and the landscape photography isn't as nice as it should've been. The entire film ends up being a test of patience, with only a handful moments that break free from its depressing reigns. At least it's not too long, but I prefer Chen's more recent output.

The film follows Satoru, a young kid who finds a miniature samurai along the river banks. The samurai isn't doing too well after being exposed to the polluted river water. Satoru decides to take care of him, but a pesky raven is tailing the samurai and keeping him hidden from his parents also proves to be quite a challenge.

Don't expect technical excellence, instead Ôbayashi aims for charm, with some fun stop motion scenes, plenty of odd camera angles and hyperactive camera work. It's a bit weird to see this in a children's film, but it does a good job of setting it apart from its peers. A fun an amusing diversion, though not his best work.

Repeat the same trick and it would feel derivative, make a more straightforward film and his limited cinematic prowess would get in the way. Special Actors tries to do a bit of both, but in the end the film's a bit too transparent and ends up a decent but middle-of-the-road attempt to repeat his earlier success.

Ueda can't hide the film's lack of budget and performances are mediocre across the board. The plot is pretty decent though, about a young kid who joins a company of actors who are deployed in real life in order to solve people's issues. Special Actors isn't terrible, but it's too long, too simple and it lacks distinctive qualities.

This was the kind of social drama that reminded me of the Dardenne films. Everything and everyone is made to appear as drab and unattractive as possible. The characters are in a constant shouting match with each other, drama is the norm and whenever the film allows for some pleasantness, you can be sure it ends up being a daydream.

The performances are extremely over-the-top, the characters are grating and annoying. The few moments Dolan forces them to shut up are by far the best scenes of the film. The soundtrack is also painfully bad, a worst off pop music that just adds insult to injury. Some consider Dolan to be the future of cinema, Mommy to me felt like a film made by some 50-year-old director.

Aileen Quinn's Annie is the star of the show, at least if you can appreciate the smug, Hollywood-cheese that drips from her performance. It's not easy feeling for a character that appears fake as a cardboard and annoys from start to finish. And it's not like her singing voice is a saving grace either.

The music and songs are pretty terrible, the cinematography is poor for a musical and with a runtime over 2 hours it's a real test of patience. Not that I'm a big fan of Huston's older work, but at least he was visibly comfortable directing darker, noirish films. Annie turned out to be a pretty dire and unattractive musical.

While it starts off relatively subtle, the film becomes increasingly weirder and the final half hour is pretty damn absurd (though often by being quite literal). Saying too much would spoil the surprise, but it's safe to say that Riley's vision is completely unique, the film industry could use more people like him.

Stanfield's performance is amazing, the social critique is abundantly present but doesn't bog the film down, there's some fun visual trickery and the soundtrack is on point. Even so, some small but vital part is missing to make this truly great, though I'm certain Riley will get there if he gets a second chance. While it stops just short of being a masterpiece, this is definitely worth a try if you like films that are different from the norm.

High Society was decent because of its charming cast. Sinatra, Crosby and to a lesser extent Kelly made the constant banter amusing and fun to follow. Grant, Stewart and Hepburn on the other hand are completely unfit for the task. Wooden performances, uncomfortable dialogues and complete lack of charm sink this film.

Though director Cukor also bears some of the responsibility, as the direction feels flat and lifeless. In the end I couldn't care less about these characters. The comedy doesn't shine through, the film looks way too functional and at 110 minutes it's at least half an hour too long. Not good, they made the right choice remaking this one.

I will say that "besting" is pretty much limited to making the action bigger, crazier and more explosive. If you want serious character development, a solid plot or engrossing drama you better look elsewhere. If on the other hand you're content with some of the best action scenes ever put on screen, F8 has you covered.

The cast does a decent job, though mostly because their characters are tailored to their own personas. The introduction is a bit long and Theron is a disappointing villain, but once the car action begins that's all quickly forgotten. The film doesn't really slow down after that and the finale is one of the best in the series so far. Good fun.

Jong-su, an aspiring writer working as a delivery guy, runs into Hae-mi, an old friend. The two hit it off, and he promises her to take care of her cat while she's away on holiday. When she returns she introduces him to Ben, a well off, confident guy who seems to share a special bond with Hae-mi. When Hae-mi suddenly disappears again, Jong-su suspects Ben.

There's an uneasy atmosphere that lingers from the very start. It's pretty clear that something is off, but it's hard to tell what it is exactly. The film itself is also sparse with information and the ending leaves plenty of loose ends. While that's all nice and interesting, the pacing is just too slow and neither the mystery nor the audiovisual qualities are strong enough to cover it up. A bit disappointing.

The film makes an interesting point on how the media idolizes both celebrity lifestyles and the people who rob from them for their own gain. As long as is it glitters, the media and the public will love it. It's also a coming of age story focused on the rich and the famous, the kids who are so pampered they grow up feeling they can get away with everything.

Coppola's direction is on point. The social media lifestyle, a soundtrack filled with appropriate party music and performances that perfectly capture the greed, nihilism, but also the rebellion and freedom of the characters. It's a tight, compact, fun and poignant little film, which sadly is a bit too contemporary to appeal to a large audience. I wouldn't be surprised if this film is going to be looked at with different eyes a few decades from now though.

The entire film hinges on Christine's character. She calls herself "Lady Bird" though, that and the fact she grows up in a rather traditional American family is probably all you need to know to fill in the remaining blanks. Some generic drama between Christine and her mom ensues, but I can't say I really cared.

Ronan at least tried her best to make something of it, but she can't rise above her character. The rest of the cast is pretty basic, the film feels timeless (which is extremely odd for a coming of age drama) and the styling is bland. The decent pacing and the short runtime are pretty much the only things saving this film from complete damnation.

It's not a big surprise that the director didn't make any more films after this one. The effects are absolutely ridiculous, the performances are beyond camp and the sets look like Longo himself made them in his backyard (or in MS Paint, for the digital ones). Add a wooden Reeves, a faltering Lundgren and Kitano who tries to mutter English dialogue and you have a recipe for disaster.

The film's only saving grace is that it goes all in. Longo clearly believed in this film and introduces some pretty far out ideas, including a cybernetic dolphin and a killer monk. It's a big mess and it's really not a good film, but it's so stupendously cheesy that I still had a bit of fun watching Johnny Mnemonic unfold.

Like most other Brooks films I've seen, the comedy just doesn't do enough for me. It's not that I don't like Brooks' style, he is after all a major influence on the likes of Naked Gun and Hot Shots, it's just that the jokes feel a bit simplistic, and they're too few and far between for this type of comedy.

There are a handful of funny moments here, mostly when they're breaching the fourth wall or just being completely daft, but the scenes in between the jokes are pretty dire and when they don't land, there's really very little that kept me interested. Blazing Saddles is slightly better than an average western, but that's not saying much.

The main selling point of Dear Ex is the cinematography, which is definitely a step up from its peers. The beautiful colors and strong camera work really stand out, then again this is a Taiwanese film, so I'm not that surprised. The soundtrack is pretty nice too, though not quite as distinguished.

The story revolves around the clash between a man's ex-wife and his gay lover. When the man dies his inheritance goes to his lover, not his son, which angers his ex-wife. Through a series of flashbacks, the entire backstory is revealed, though sadly it's all quite predictable and the dramatic impact isn't as big as I'd hoped. It's not a bad film, just a little too familiar.

At least, when you're in the mood for some simple, over-the-top action antics. Con Air isn't to be taken serious, though that's hardly a big surprise with Nicolas Cage headlining the film. I would even go as far as to say it's exactly what makes this film bearable, a more serious approach would've sucked the fun right out of it.

Crazy characters, random explosions and a solid mix of action and thriller elements are the main ingredients here. The film's a bit long maybe, but West makes sure it never slows down too much. John Malkovich also deserves a bit of praise for his part as the bad guy, apart from that there's not much to say about Con Air. A decent action flick, nothing more, nothing less.

I'm not familiar with the original Montgomery novel, nor with the original anime adaptation, but I've seen plenty of similar series on Dutch TV when I was younger. The style is very typical, charming but rather basic, with a clear love for rural environments and traditional values.

The animation is basic, but there are some dream-like sequences that rise well above expected TV quality. Anne is also a fun character. Quite chatty and a little exhausting, but her inquisitive outlook on life is refreshing. The film is a too slow though, with hardly anything happening within these 100 minutes. It's not bad, but it's clear the pacing is better suited for a TV series than a feature film.

Having spent a long time in prison comes with its own set of challenges. Jack lacks social skills, isn't up to speed on technological advancements and doesn't even know how to behave around girls. A woman at his job fancies him though, and she is willing to put in the extra effort.

Crowley delivers a decent drama. Performances are solid, the flashbacks to the jack's crime add some welcome tension and even though the plot is a little predictable (it's no spoiler that people will find out about his old identity), it doesn't really weaken the emotional impact. Nothing too exceptional, but good filler.

Dustin Hoffman plays a talented but overly demanding actor who can't get a decent part anymore. Desperate as he is, he dresses up as a woman and lands a job in no time. He falls in love with the character he created, but when he starts making friends the situation becomes quite complicated.

There's some (rather obvious) subtext on how women are often treated as second rate citizens (both on the job and privately), but in the end Tootsie is little more than a basic romantic comedy. The film looks pretty bland, performances are unremarkable and the plot is very predictable, no idea why some people got so excited over this film.

After a short (somewhat pointless introduction) on Santa Fe - the city where this takes place - the documentary quickly shifts focus to the people living in the Tire Dié neighborhood (meaning 'throw me 10 cents'). It what they shout whenever a train passes in their quarters, as the people living there are all struggling with poverty.

Using a mix of voice over narration and interviews, the film gives a pretty decent insight into the lives of the people surviving there. The thing is that I've seen this subject done so many times before, that there's really little value in seeing it once again. Sure enough, this doc is about Argentina, but it could've been about anywhere else really.

The concept of the film hasn't changed a bit. Monster Hunt 2 is a pleasant mix of comedy, fantasy, action and adventure, blending whatever is popular and draws people to the movie theater. Hui keeps a pretty decent balance though, making sure that no genre drowns out another.

Sadly the biggest problem is still here. The monsters/creatures look like generic, unattractive big blobs of CG. It's definitely a stylistic choice, because technically the CG isn't all that bad, and they blend in with the real world well enough. It's just that design-wise they look like a toddler crafted them. Monster Hunt 2 is more of the same, which makes it a decent blockbuster, but nothing more.

A group of young girls run into a ghost on a camping trip. Lucky for them it's a friendly ghost, who decides to help them with their everyday trials and tribulations. That means school dances, exams, bullying and of course, boys. Not really the most inspired plot and Ko tackles it with a straight face, which wasn't the best of ideas.

Performances are poor, the structure is rather fragmented and the wayward drama feels unnecessary. The film is fun for a while (the first 30 minutes or so), after that it becomes dull and repetitive. A somewhat disappointing Ko that needed to be a lot crazier to be actually funny. Quite the dud.

I quite like the camping/animal attack niche. The better films in the genre tend to do a good job at getting that feeling or remoteness and helplessness across. In combination with some mad/dangerous animals, it usually makes for 90 minutes of simple but amusing entertainment.

Adam MacDonald does a pretty good job. The introduction is a tad long (and a little misleading, which doesn't leave that much time for the actual animal attacks) and the ending is a bit too convenient, but the setting is nice, actors are decent and there's more than enough tension to get through the 90 minutes without a hitch. Add a few gruesome injuries and you can't really go wrong with this one.

Stuart and his brother George are slowly growing apart. George has made friends of his own, which leaves Stuart without anyone to play with. Until he meets a bird (an actual one, though she's also female), who literally drops into his little car. The two hit it off, but the bird is hiding a secret.

The animation is cute, the designs and colorful and charming, but the rest of it is extremely safe, mushy and clean, to the point where it can get a little sickening. Characters are dull, Stuart's adventures are quite lame and the drama is way too geared at US morality. It's decent for the little ones, I like a bit more edge, even if it's just children's entertainment.

The first part is spent in Germany, where Trudi finds out her husband suffers from an advanced stage of cancer. Unable to tell him directly, she pushes him it's time to take some time off together. They go to visit their children in Berlin, but they are living their own lives and don't quite understand this sudden visit of their parents.

The second part is set in Japan and is more focused on mourning. There are some very poignant and beautiful scenes hidden away here, but not everything works and some moments feel a bit too construed and emotionally dishonest. Nice performances, decent cinematography and a fine ending make sure the good prevails in the end though.

Reeves is back to his wooden self, though the rest of the cast isn't any better. The setup is very transparent and introduces a plot without any surprising revelations or novel twists and turns. There's a little action, some cheesy and borderline outdated sci-fi concepts and a bit of poorly executed drama, none of it very impressive.

Director Nachmanoff feels lost, Reeves was probably disappointed he didn't pick a better film and not even the holographic UI designer appeared to be out of fresh ideas. This might've been decent two decades ago, but nowadays the execution here simply doesn't cut it anymore. It's still somewhat amusing in a daft/cheesy kind of way, but it's not enough to safe this film.

Keiko, a young woman, travels to the islands all by herself. It's the first big journey she undertakes on her own, as she's looking for a little white island that is supposedly the place where God descends if you want to talk to him. Keiko is part of a travel group, but she quickly separates from them and ventures off to explore on her own.

New Caledonia is a pretty pristine and idyllic place, Obayashi makes excellent use of the natural beauty to give his film some extra flair. The performances are rather weak though, the drama can get a little saccharine and Keiko's quest feels a little random. But most importantly, non of the Obayashi quirk that makes his film stand out. It's not bad, but it started to feel a little dated.

I've seen other lengthy classics before (like Gance's Napoléon), but at least they made a real effort to stand out. Les Vampires is just a 7-hour long crime narrative, with few ups and down, little cinematic prowess and simply a ton of plot to wade through. Oh, and don't expect any Gothic horror creatures either, Les Vampires is merely the name of the criminal gang.

The runtime is simply ridiculous, then again I'm not a big fan of series either. Watching this from start to finish was quite a chore, especially because the story is way too basic (it's only epic in length) and the cinematic qualities are below par. No doubt the film has historic significance, but that's not enough considering the excessive runtime.

Arnold follows Star, a young woman stuck with an abusive family and three younger siblings to take care of. One day she runs into a group of travelling kids who move around and sell magazines for a living. She decides it's time for her to pack her bags and start living her own life, so she joins the group, and they're off to Kansas.

The soundtrack is pretty decent but a little on the nose, the aspect ratio is distracting (I get the reasoning, it just doesn't work for me) and the film can't really sustain its runtime. But there are also plenty of moment with beauty. The cinematography is fine, characters feel realistic and there are a couple strong performances to enjoy. A solid film, though not the masterpiece some make it out to be.

A struggling artist finally gets a break when a hole in the wall becomes his muse. It's not just a regular hole though, it has its own voice, hopes and dreams. Quite mysterious indeed, but also rather silly, so you need a solid foundation of capable actors and strong audiovisual qualities to keep the mystery going.

That's where Deep Dark falls flat. Performances are rather poor and the film looks and sounds quite cheap. There are a couple of half-decent scenes and there's enough intrigue to reach the end of the film without too much trouble, but ultimately it's really not convincing enough to make it work.

Russia is doing a good job pushing genre films nowadays. The horror and sci-fi genres are thriving and Egor Abramenko was smart enough to combine the two. There's a bit of Alien and Apollo 18 in there, though the film itself is a bit slower and slightly more focused on the psychological aspects.

Performances are fine (but please watch the original Russian dub), special effects are on point, the soundtrack is quite majestic and the stark, clean Soviet architecture gives it a some extra flair. At times a bit too slow and the ending could've been slightly better, but overall a very good genre film.