Log: week 12 / 2024

An army major survives WWI, but he can't remember who he is. He escapes the mental hospital and ends up with Paula, a variety artist. They fall in love and get married, but fate isn't kind to the man, as he gets into an accident and suffers another bout of amnesia, forgetting he was ever married.

The plot is pretty ridiculous, the English setting is grotesquely boring and the whole thing is just dripping in sentimentality. If it's oldskool romance you are after then I can imagine these films hold some appeal, but it's the exact opposite of what I look for in a good film. Not for me.

Qin and Xiaoxiao are separated again, after Xiaoxiao decides to travel around the world, trying to rid the beaches of garbage. Qin is lonely and when his friend develops a new android model, he is gifted one in the shape of Xiaoxiao. He's finally able to settle down again, but then Xiaoxiao returns from her trip.

You Ge and Shu Qi feel comfortable in their roles, there are some amusing comedy bits and Feng's clean, colorful styling gives the film a little extra flair. The romance is tepid though and two hours is a bit too long for a simple film like this. It's pleasant enough filler, but I don't think we need a fourth part.

A young Korean family is moving from California to Alabama. They hope to start their life anew and become more self-sufficient. They start a little farm, growing Korean vegetables. Subtle racism and barren living conditions take their toll on the family, as the American dream is slowly being punctured.

The performances are decent and the setting is idyllic, but that's about it. The drama is pedestrian, the themes aren't all that original and the characters are very stereotypical. It's not a terrible film, but it isn't that noteworthy either. I guess having A24 plastered on top of it must've helped with the prestige, but that bit of branding didn't make the film better.

Two United States Treasury agents are picked to infiltrate a notorious counterfeit gang. The gang is incredibly good at what they do, so these men have their work cut out for them. They start all the way at the bottom and meticulously work their way up in the organization, hoping to catch their big fish.

The story is pretty crummy, the voice-over makes it worse, and the performances are incredibly stilted. The stark black-and-white cinematography has some appeal, but it wasn't enough to win me over. T-Men is a pretty drab noir, and little more than a subsidized warning for people willing to go down the wrong path.

A man is traversing the Arizona desert, when his car breaks down. He manages to reach a remote town, but the guy at the garage isn't very helpful and it seems he'll be stuck there for a while. The longer he remains in town though, the more trouble he gets himself into. And that's even before his past catches up with him.

Penn is fun in the lead, and it's quite amusing to see his character gradually getting more and more messed up as time passes. The film's a bit long though, and some scenes don't add all that much to the film's core appeal. The finale also lacks that little extra to push it over the edge, but other than that, good fun.

The Hong Kong police are called in to protect a wealthy businessman. At first, it seems like there's no real case, but then they get wind of a man who considers himself the savior of the common folk. Even though his intentions seem genuine, he is still committing crimes and the police can't let him continue.

Some very familiar faces and a plotline that's pretty popular these days, that's what you're getting. The problem is that Danny Pang's films used to have plenty of flair, and that's exactly what's missing here. Break War plays like a mediocre Hong Kong flick from 15 years ago, which isn't all that terrible, but I expect more from him.

A young man wanders around and walks into the forest to finish his drawing. There an old flame of his appears before him. The girl denies being the same woman, but this encounter triggers a trip down memory lane, as he recalls the events that kept him from getting together with the love of his life.

It's cute to see a young Obayashi, the grainy, fuzzy film stock has a fitting charm and while the setup is pretty simple, the short runtime keeps the film from losing steam. It's far from Obayashi's most memorable film, but it's a cute little experiment that foreshadows an impressive career. Good fun.

A ronin ends up in a small village, where two competing clans have formed. They're holed up on different sides of the village, with the few remaining villagers living in fear of violence every single day. The ronin decides to make the most of the situation and he exploits both sides for maximum profit.

The soundtrack is misguided, the comedy is offputting and 110 minutes is way too long for the simple premise. The performances aren't great either, it's only the decent cinematography and the proper finale that redeem the film ever so slightly. Jidaigeki fans will no doubt love it, I didn't really care for it.

Two cops are always together on the job, so much so that they've become friends outside of work. Their latest case will test their friendship though. They are hunting down Boss Sin, helped by his crafty righthand man, and they get involved in a romantic dispute that drives a wedge between them.

There's a bit of action, there's lots of comedy nonsense, and you get lots of banter between Eric Tsang and Anthony Chan. On top of that, Pak-Cheung Chan is trying to play the bad guy. It's all very silly and fun, but there are so many similar films that it's difficult to imagine this one will stick out in any way. Amusing filler though.

Klenskiy's life is going too well. A group of Jewish doctors is plotting to kill Stalin, and even though Klenskiy isn't involved, he feels this puts a target on his back. His luck changes when one day he is summoned and brought to Stalin himself. The man is ill and he demands that Klenskiy heals him.

The film is surprisingly lighthearted, though the comedy contains a pretty dark undertone. The radiant black-and-white cinematography is something else though, given even more prominence by the moody settings. It's a shame the runtime's a bit excessive and the film does run out of steam in the second half. Still, a fine discovery.

A spaceship gets stuck in a wormhole. Instead of the prospected 30 minutes, they'll be spending 7 years inside, before they'll come out the other side. There are too few survival pods and two killer plus their engineered killing machine are loose on the ship. Some tough decisions lie ahead.

The CG really isn't good (and often quite pointless), but the setting is fun and the mix of sci-fi and action is amusing enough. The film is pure genre filler and never pretends to be anything more, apart from the ending maybe, which felt a bit too drawn out. 70 minutes would've been better, other than that, amusing filler.

When Dundee's girlfriend gets mixed up in some drug business, our fearless Australian doesn't hesitate and sets out to recapture his kidnapped woman. He gets her back, but by doing so he angers the criminals. They fly back to Australia, where Dundee has a better chance of keeping them from harm.

The first half of the film's a little iffy, but the second part makes up for it. There are some decent jokes packed in the latter half, as long as you keep your expectations in check. It would've been nice if the film had been a little shorter, and the performances still aren't that great, but it's amusing enough.