Kaka

A grittier, darker and more cynical version of the 1999 film. Helgeland did what he wanted to do and with the Straight Up cut he gives a final goodbye to this neo-noir uber cool gangster one-shot that doesn't say much, but looks damn stylish throughout.

At times halfway between a travesty and a worthy ending to the story of a legend. The action is still enjoyably dynamic and spectacular, but the script is pulled out of thin air and Scott Adkins gives one of his most unlikeable performances. The third film was also a mess in many aspects, but at least it didn’t take itself so seriously (Mike Tyson). The issues around racism are presented in a stupid, one-sided, superficial way. So hopefully, definitely the fourth and final act, no resurrection.

Netflix has stepped up to the plate and made a grim, dirty and very believable period piece that can stand up to the best in the genre. Although we don't see any lavish battles with Zimmer's thunderous music, nor any camera games with a digital Collosseum, there is still a little bit of action and the filmmakers have not done themselves any shame in this aspect. But The King goes in a different direction and it's obvious from the beginning. It's a quiet, creeping drama about politics, scheming and the dirty Middle Ages, where there are only subjects or enemies. The King stands and falls primarily on the realistic presentation of the material it deals with and on Chalamet, who matures like wine. And when he walks out in front of the soldiers with his speech, it’s brilliant.

Surprisingly, a very entertaining threequel that skillfully combines deadpan and imaginative action, along with a touching emphasis on family values. By the way, the involvement of Mike Tyson turned out to be an excellent move, and his moments are by far the most entertaining in the whole film, but at the same time the story moves to a much stronger personal level than it was in the second film. They also got a bigger budget, and you can see that in the result.

We've fallen from a relatively complex and multi-themed action flick into a second film full of the classic vices of most sequels in general. It tries to copy the good stuff from the first one in an even more over-the-top fashion, and anything new has to be better, bigger, noisier. Unfortunately, the film is also much more straightforward and flat, like a Rocky IV from the East, where, instead of ideological hyperbole, everything is taken almost deadly serious. A worse average.

Conceptually and ideologically much more impressive than the action scenes. A tribute to Eastern culture, philosophy, values and martial arts. The story of a legend that could have done without the wild jumps and several metres of flying in front of the camera. But that is also part of the East.

Anyone who liked the directorial and aesthetic set-up of Blade Runner 2049 will rejoice with Dune, for it is one step further in its monstrosity and technical opulence. Villeneuve knows how to be epic, pompous, sublime and flamboyant, but as a whole it never slips into excessive pathos or kitsch. Audiovisually this is one of the most compelling films in years, but plot-wise it's hard to judge, maybe it's better to wait for part 2. Zimmer fantastically functional in the film, harder to listen to on its own.

A small, fast, down-to-earth western; decently made on a shoestring with a couple of actors, but also with a love of filmmaking, starring the great Blake Nelson. It's nothing groundbreaking or innovative, but all the fun aspects that a viewer wants to see in a good western are there.

Colombiana, Ava, Atomic Blonde, The Protégé and many others. Over the last decade, the bag of badass action heroines has been ripped open, but there are few with a distinctive signature and innovative elements. Perhaps the only one worth mentioning is the heroine played by Charlize Theron, who a few years ago showed a new level of female action filmmaking with her stunning stunt performances and hard-to-beat physical condition. The rest, including the latest film by Martin Campbell, an otherwise seasoned hotshot with a handful of hits to his credit as a director, sort of follows the same old playbook with little to stand on. And this film with Maggie Q, who clearly wanted a very A-list role and apparently wasn't too expensive, is no different.

A peculiar indie effort with no chance of commercial success, for which it is too slow, intimate and intellectual. And practically the same could be said of its artistic values, for which it’s too sedentary and sentimental. However, it plays the emotional strings more than well. A unique one man show from Billy Bob Thornton, who is completely distinctive both behind and in front of the camera.