EvilPhoEniX

It could have been the first good horror flick of the year, but unfortunately I didn't enjoy it at all. The isolated setting, the test subjects, the fight for time, the experimental drug is a theme I like a lot, but unfortunately nothing works here in terms of horror. It wanted more imaginative deaths, this just can't interest anyone today. The finale is at least a little suspenseful and only really slightly gory, otherwise it didn't really grab me with the characters, the story let alone the atmosphere. 4/10.

An accurate representation of a lost generation. An unexpected blast from Russia set in the late 1980s from the gritty city of Kazan, where young siblings fight for territory. The entire series is interwoven with a spiral of violence and rough fights, where you are either a wimp bullied by everyone, or you become a man and join a gang where the rules are rough to the point of being a prisoner. The series focuses mostly on three characters: Andrei, who is initially bullied by everyone and decides to join a gang. Marat the bully and tough guy who undergoes a distinct and unexpected transformation, and his brother Vova, an older tough guy who returns from Afghanistan to be their leader. The series grabbed me from the very beginning, with its impressive retro atmosphere, well-acted and aptly chosen characters, sharp and gritty action, and I must also praise the soundtrack, which I instantly fell in love with as soon as it came on during a fight, I always got goosebumps. I also liked the romances of the three protagonists and the emotions. I really liked Andrei's mother, who is slowly breaking down mentally as her son changes before her eyes, that was quite a strong element for me. The series doesn't offer any major plot twists, but the faithful and chilling depiction of that time is absolutely perfect, and it makes me glad I didn't grow up in that world. I'd play this in schools too. Very good. The individual episodes rated with four stars, but the overall impression is five stars, as it's a powerhouse, and I haven't seen anything better from Russia.

The best true crime of the year so far, with twists and turns that would put even the most convoluted thriller to shame. If it were a movie, few would believe that such a thing could happen, but it's based on true events and it's wild! A mechanic tries online dating, but things take a scary turn as the woman he meets is a proper psychopath! Women can be such bitches and the police do an extremely bad job here. At 90 minutes, it has a great pace and fans of true crime and thrillers shouldn't hesitate.

Nice surprise. I wasn't expecting miracles from Land of Bad, but it's a solid military action flick with an A-budget and a fine cast that keeps a great pace and is pleasantly intense. We have five soldiers who are sent on a mission, only for things to go classically wrong and they will have to fight for their lives. Liam Hemsworth runs through the jungle from enemies and is helped by Russell Crowe on a wire, using drones to fire bombs at the enemies. The film has a great pace, the dialogue between Crowe and Hemsworth is fine, there's no shortage of tension, and there are some one-on-one fights and shootouts at the end. It's nothing groundbreaking, but it certainly doesn't put the genre to shame, and those who like this kind of military stuff won't go wrong.

A Czech unconventional black-humor home invasion. The film is strange in that the genre classification of horror is a misnomer, but what the main characters experience could be called horror, because it’s something you just wouldn’t like to go through. The star is Simona Pekova, she does a very good job. There is a kind of light psychological terror that carries through the whole film and to my surprise I quite enjoyed it. Fucking squaters! The finale could have been handled better, unfortunately no satisfaction comes in the end.

An enjoyable feel-good sports film by Taika Waititi with likeable characters and a very good Michael Fassbender. Story-wise, it's a stale tale, but it doesn't matter that much as the film flows on a pleasantly positive mood throughout. Don't expect fits of laughter though, but it held my attention very well. 70%.

I was looking forward to it, but I'm disappointed. I usually like sports dramas a lot, but this one just missed the mark. It's an ungratifying slow-burn that is only two hours long, but feels like three, because I thought several times in the cinema that it should have ended long ago and it just kept going on and on (things that could be summed up in like ten mintes minutes are dealt with for an hour, etc.); I just wasn't enjoying it at all and by the halfway point I was looking at my watch. The performances were okay, Zac Efron and Allen White were the best, I like them both, but the backstage of wrestling was a lot less entertaining than I expected. You don’t really get to enjoy the fights, the whole thing is uninteresting and the family drama didn't work for me either, I found it emotionally cold. It's also shot quite amateurishly and the story based on true events is interesting, but it somehow goes without any significant surprises or drama. Again, I don't understand the positive general reception, a pure festival film for a fringe audience that is annoyingly long and drawn out. 55%

Bloody awesome! The Dutch, outsiders on the film scene, are absolutely shocking with this series, crushing the competition and winning by a landslide. Amsterdam is overrun by organised terrorist attacks by Muslim scumbags and it's done so realistically and authentically that you'll shiver like never before! I haven’t been as uncomfortable watching a movie or series as I was here, part of the reason for that is that European terrorism is quite topical and here, watching it, you get the feeling that it's really happening and you are in the thick of the action and the chaos itself. I really appreciate that the series doesn't once slip into family drama or any other plot digressions, and we don't have just one attack here, but several! The protagonist is a detective, originally from Afghanistan, who learns that his childhood friend has come to Amsterdam and immediately afterwards the city is in chaos, so he searches for him on his own, only he becomes the main suspect in the case – The Fugitive and Hotel Mumbai in one! The highlight is definitely the 2-part massacre at the mall, where they fire uncompromisingly and coldly at everyone with a Kalashnikov. The hopelessness, helplessness and fear is unbelievable. The atmosphere of all those corpses rolling on the ground, including children, is uncompromising! I was a bit annoyed by the rules of the police waiting half an hour for a commando while the terrorists shoot 200 people, with the police waiting outside, but that's the lame protocols. For me, excellent stuff that keeps the pace, the tension, is uncomfortable and action packed enough. Quite possibly the best series or movie on terrorism I've ever seen. 10/10.

A very pleasant surprise that took my breath away. I like animated films with animals the most and I honestly didn't expect much from this one, but I'm even more surprised what a hit Migration turned out to be. Honestly Universal and Netflix are knocking it out of the park and kicking the ass of Disney and Pixar, who both suck lately. Migration doesn't have revolutionary visuals and plot-wise it doesn't bring anything new to the table, but it features a very likeable duck family that decides to leave the nest for the first time in their lives and emigrate to Jamaica specifically, having wild and unseen adventures along the way. So yes, even though it's only about getting from point A to point B and also about parent-child education, I didn't mind that at all because the humour is awesome. I really don't remember when I've laughed as hard at an animated movie as I did here and to my surprise it's also pretty suspenseful – the scene with the heron is actually pretty creepy, it might scare the kids, and the kitchen heist has a bombastic build-up. After the arrival of the parrot (Keegan Michael Key) my excitement increased even more and the duck paradise with meditation, water slides and massages was a nice touch. Very funny, enjoyable, beautiful and touching. 8/10.

A pleasant Spanish surprise. The film has a very original premise. The protagonist is a Projector, he has the ability to create illusions in the minds of others and it's very original. His father is also a likeable Berlin from Money Heist and he has a nice friend, Maria Pedraza (coincidentally the teen hostage from Money Heist, who then grew up to be a proper babe). A secret agent agency is after them and another Projector appears on the scene. It's very well paced, there's a lot of action (the fights are very stiff and have a lighter Matrix feel to them, so I'm not too put off by them), but I liked the well dosed twists and turns, and overall, thanks to the novel premise, it's an interesting film that got my attention. Fine for me and pleased with the playful and cool ideas (the spider illusion!). This needs an American remake with a proper A-list budget. 7/10.