EvilPhoEniX

For me, the first satisfying Hong Kong film of this year, which breathed some fresh original air into the genre in the form of a gangster film, with Donnie Yen playing a drug lord, and doing it perfectly. Andy Lau as a policeman and Donnie's friend is also a treat. There could have been more action, Donnie Yen really only shows off three times, which is due to the director's twist in the first half, which is rather a detriment, but as long as he stuck to realistic basics there's no reason to blame him. I also enjoyed the bloody shootouts in the second half. I liked the plot, I wasn't bored, the visuals are traditionally solid and the action is varied. Colombia had Escobar, Hong Kong had HO. Loved it. 75%

I wasn't that impressed by this anticipated Cambodian prison carnage. The comparison with The Raid is completely out of place. Cambodia has a lot to catch up not only with the art, but also with the acting, editing, cinematography and the action itself. At times it comes across as a bit cheesy, but given the country the film comes from I can't be too surprised, though there's definitely a big effort to be seen. The action is varied and pleasingly unedited and the camera has a decent shot at times, the choreography is not bad, mixing in various martial arts elements and the performers themselves are no doubt mastering something, but sadly the fights lack verve, punch and proper sound design. The ending is usually very fast, the lack of broken limbs and the minimum of brutality (they cut each other with machetes and no blood spurts, that’s weird). The only impressive fight is a katana duel of a woman with a black man, but it ends before we get into the fight, which I rather regretted. As a martial arts fan, I'm definitely glad for this entry, but I couldn't enjoy the fights as much as I have in other similar films. Still, the film is worth watching. I have higher hopes for Hanuman. 65%

I honestly didn't believe that Scott Adkins would make a good action movie and I didn't trust Jesse V. Johnson at all, but miracles can happen and these two made quite possibly the best and most crystallized B-movie of recent years. It impresses not only with uncompromising fights with broken limbs and a choreography that leaves your breathless, but also with a very compelling story revolving around assassins (where every single person involved is interesting and different), at times I felt like I was watching an unofficial Tarantino. A big plus are also the excellent wisecracks that made me go to my knees a few times and the surprisingly intelligent dialogues. This B movie has everything that any other should have. Michael Jai White and Ray Stevenson are a nice cherry on an already pretty tasty cake. Great, this was a good one and after the trailer I didn’t want to watch it. 90%

Crap from head to toe, it would Winchester himself to shame. The trailer a few months ago had me hyped up for a gothic horror film with an unusual setting and decent actors, and the Spierig brothers gave me hope as I liked their Jigsaw, but this was really, really bad. The acting was solid though. Helen Mirren and Jason Clarke are both above average actors for the horror genre, and visually it's not downright bad either, but to make such an impressive house so uninteresting and especially lacking in atmosphere is really a shame. The film has no atmosphere whatsoever, not a single scare is functional (if you are an experienced viewer, of course), even the teenage girls behind me were yawning and that's saying something. If James Wan had taken up a similar material we could have had another potential Insidious, but have the useless film of the year that is more boring than scary and after a long time I regret the money I spent going to the cinema 40%.

A solid thriller from the German-Luxembourg waters about a successful lawyer who, with a lady he meets at a party, gets a taste of the local magic mushrooms and experiences a horror trip that turns a decent, successful man into not only a wreck but also a maniac with a thirst for violence. A very intense and raw film that kept me entertained from start to finish. 80%.

After a long hiatus, John Woo returns to what he does best, trashy bloodshed in slow motion, although this time he didn't overdo it so much. Story-wise, the film didn't interest me too much and especially in the first half I was slightly bored, but from the first big shootout in the house, which was quite possibly the best of the whole film, things gained momentum and didn't let up until the end. It's pretty bloody, there's not much room for fights, it’s mostly shootouts, and sometimes I felt that it was too mindless, but the purpose of an action B-movie is fulfilled. It's okay for one viewing, but I'm not impressed. 60%.

A nice laid-back German comedy with a topical theme of refugees, featuring Elyas M’Barek from Suck Me Shakespeer in a supporting role. The humour didn’t hit me that hard, I was smiling rather than dying of laughter, but the film maintains a very pleasant pace, it has likable characters whose fate you care about, it manages to move you at times, and it deals with traditional family troubles that hopefully never get old. Fine entertainment for the whole family. 75%

After watching Narcos, I'll take anything by Escobar, and I also enjoyed this one a lot. Benicio Del Toro was absolutely flawless as Escobar, even though the plot focused mainly on Josh Hutcherson falling in love with Escobar's niece and that brings trouble. The final half-hour is packed with so much tension that I almost didn't breathe. Very good and rough. 80%.

Another time loop film, this time in the comedy genre with the beautiful Alexandra Daddario. It has a nice pace, a decent script for a comedy, good performances and even though you won't die laughing, it's good entertainment which, thanks to the time loop, is engaging and interesting enough with a message in the end. I had fun. Netflix hit it again. 75%.

You could tell it was a debut, because for a South Korean film it looks unusually cheaper than the usual technical standard. We have a Korean historical B-movie that is action-packed and the fights don't look bad, but the CGI blood spoils the impression a bit, the dark filter didn't work for me and the plot is also quite shallow, so it's clearly average, but OK for a first attempt. 60%