EvilPhoEniX

Quite possibly the best romcom of recent times. The film benefits a lot from the cool central idea that makes it feel fresh. Jennifer Lopez plays a famous celebrity who is about to get married in style (20 million viewers), but just before the wedding she learns that her husband-to-be is cheating on her with her secretary, so she decides to make an unexpected gesture and thus marry a random person in the audience (Owen Wilson). Sure there's the classic romcom cliché and everyone knows how it's going to turn out in the end, but the premise alone makes Marry Me a compelling film where we watch two different people who know nothing about each other, live completely different lives and yet have to form a couple in front of an audience. It's funny in places, with good songs, the emotions worked, the acting was great, and surprisingly I was terribly entertained for the whole two hours. Ideally watched as a couple. 7.5/10.

A solid fun B-movie! Wyrm Wyrm Wyrm! I didn't enjoy the first film at all the first time, suffered less with the second time round, but still couldn't get into it. The sequel, however, is significantly better in many ways. Wyrmwoood doesn't have the best craftsmanship and technical side, it still has that semi-amateur, but it's genre-playful, original, brutal, and action-packed, it has its own look and style and that has to be appreciated nowadays. The film picks up right after the first one and it doesn't really matter if nobody remembers it anymore. I enjoyed the main character of the soldier, a likeable tough dude who has subtly adapted to the zombie apocalypse. The film has no convoluted plot, it moves along in a straightforward manner and that's not a bad thing. The film has a lot of creative and cool ideas that I haven't seen in Zombie films (a zombie Farm! Zombie Kamikaze! Zombie drugs! Telepathic zombie! Zombie Frankenstein controlled by VR). Everything is well put together and handmade (guns, cars, armory, gore!), and the half hour finale is very juicy, especially the duel with Frankenstein – that was really good. Good for me. I'm glad to see that finally gore is coming to the fore again and now those introspective individuals have to suffer. Good for them, there's been enough drama. Story 3/5. Action 4/5, Humor 2/5, Violence 4/5, Fun 4/5 Music 3/5, Visuals 3/5, Atmosphere 3/5, Suspense 3/5, Emotion 2/5, Actors 3/5. 7.5/10.

I'm glad Netflix is buying South Korean films and letting people know more about them, especially not having to wait half a year for English subtitles, so thumbs up, but this film in particular seems only slightly above average by that country’s standards. It pretends to be a cross between James Bond and Mission Impossible in Korean guise, but unfortunately falls short of the dreamlike quality the makers probably intended. The acting is very polished, with lots of familiar names (I've seen every actor at least five times elsewhere). The best character is Yaksa (Sol Kyung-gu), he leads the agents and does black ops missions, and comes to investigate the prosecutor who has just arrived in town (I didn’t like this character too much), a nerd who can't do much, I don't like this kind of heroes in action movies. The city is full of spies and intrigue, a theme I enjoy, so the two hours pass by just fine. Visually, it's the Korean standard, so high quality, and the action, well, there's not much of it for my taste and I didn't enjoy it much. By Korean standards there's practically no proper fighting (knives, hands whatever), it's more like shooting, but in PG 13-rating – I don't know who can enjoy bloodless shootouts nowadays. I miss the dirty, brutal and uncompromising Korea I like best, this is too slick, fancy and above all mainstream, so I'm not flabbergasted time, but for a flick for genre fans it sure doesn't hurt. Story 3.5/5. Action 3/5, Humor 1/5, Violence 0/5, Fun 3/5 Music 3/5, Visuals 4/5, Atmosphere 3/5, Suspense 3/5, Emotion 2/5, Actors 4/5. 6/10.

The Sadness – D-day. It has finally arrived for us, the "Chosen Ones". Robert Jabbaz shocks the world and the audience with his Tai Wan debut, just like Gareth Evans did a few years back with The Raid and Timo Tjahjanto with The Night Comes for Us. I want to see a film made by this trio sometime, it would make blood spurt from the TV into the living room! The Sadness is without a doubt the genre event of the decade and it will go down in history and later gain cult status like The Human Centipede and A Serbian Film, but The Sadness is far more ambitious than those two. After a quieter 20 minute introduction, it kicks off with the original viral infection (watch out not zombies, just infected, more like crazies) who will turn the streets upside down, and blood, guts and corpses will be lying everywhere for the next intense 60 minutes! If I thought that the bus scene in the new Texas Chainsaw Massacre couldn't be topped this year, the Metro scene at the 30 minute mark did it. It was such intense carnage that I almost shat myself! The Sadness takes a very extreme and shocking form, it crosses all cinematic boundaries and breaks all cinematic taboos (I'm sure in any other country in the world, they wouldn't get away with what the director got away with here). There are absolutely insane fucked up gore scenes that I almost started squinting with excitement and thrill! There was also necrophilia, rape (in a hole that had to be made first!), mass group sex (all covered in blood), unbelievable carnage, brain eating, gallons of blood (if in Macabre the whole house was covered in blood from roof to basement at the end, here the whole hospital is completely covered in dark red. There's some very disturbing music playing in all this carnage, and at the end a virologist even cleverly and intelligently explains how the infection works, which surprised me. You can even chuckle at the occasional madcap wisecrack. The make-up artists did an incredible job, the form clearly wins over the content and the purpose to shock with its perversity and extremity works perfectly, so without any hesitation I give it a full score. Heavy warning to others, this is definitely not a film for people with weaker stomachs, just for a hardened and very marginal audience. It's hardcore horror- gore-porn-extremity! There hasn’t been greater carnage since Macabre and the Evil Dead remake . Sheer delight and euphoria. My perverted appetites are once again satiated for a few days. Story 2/5, Action 5/5, Humor 3/5, Violence 5/5, Fun 5/5 Music 4/5, Visuals 3/5, Atmosphere 3/5, Suspense 3/5, Emotion 1/5, Actors 3/5. 9/10.

A Polish masterpiece for tough guys! I've been lucky with my choices lately, it's been one hit after another. Netflix's collaboration with Poland turned out well again and an unknown director served up a good piece of mature filmmaking. Furioza is quite possibly the best Football hooligans themed film, and also a gritty gangster flick, a crime thriller, a cop thriller, a fighting actioner and a steamy drama. The British and American hooligans look downright funny next to the Polish ones. The protagonist is a former hooligan, now a doctor, and his former love is currently a policewoman, which gives him two options: either he becomes a police informant and infiltrates the criminal Furioza Gang, which is led by his brother, or they immediately send his brother behind bars for several years. The movie, despite being 2 hours 20 minutes long, never gets boring, the viewer gets sucked into the plot immediately, it's very well shot, with an excellent soundtrack (Polish Hip Hop is great), there are some decent unexpected twists, and the atmosphere is pretty thick (sweaty ass guaranteed in some scenes). All the characters are well acted (the policewoman is a very badass female character), but the one I probably enjoyed the most was Golden, a sleazy skinhead who gave me the chills (the transformation of the actor into such a physically dense role is incredible). Technically and visuall, it's on a high European level (the Czechs can only dream of such film quality), there is occasionally a decent wisecrack thrown in, and of course the action itself is also a pleasure, it’s incredibly raw, bloody, brutal, uncompromising and realistic. The mass fight in the woods in the first act was an incredible blast, but I also loved the opening 3v3 fight in the ring. The finale is also great (awesome fist fight ) – I believe many of the people in the film participate in MMA and other combat sports. I like a proper tough guy movie and this one has drive and balls. Softies and bookworms can take a step back, this is definitely not a movie for kids. Story 4/5, Action 4/5, Humor 3/5, Violence 4/5, Fun 5/5 Music 5/5, Visuals 5/5, Atmosphere 5/5, Suspense 4/5, Emotion 4/5, Actors 5/5. 8.5/10

For me, an instant favourite that flies into the TOP 10 movies of all time. I've seen the film twice in the cinema already, but I'm still excited that I don't know how to properly express my feelings. The director, Philippe Lacheau, is a guy I've been following for eight years now and you can say he's my idol too, he's fulfilling my dream and making movies with his best friends and they are smart, bold, funny, original, but most of all with heart (I think Phillipe is a movie nut like me and I respect him for what he's doing for the movie world and for France). Superwho? is arguably their Avengers film and the best film of the bunch (the rest are also borderline 8-9/10 though) – by the way, great timing releasing this film at the time of the new Batman. The main character is a not very successful actor who accidentally comes to star in the new Badman movie. He has a car accident and wakes up with lost memory in a batmobile, a batsuit and a bag full of money, all indicating that he is a real superhero. The premise is presented in a very clever and entertaining way, and Phillipe has incredible timing throughout the film. It's packed with jokes from the first minute to the end (downright roaring and crying, I stress!), there are countless easter eggs and references (maybe even more than in Ready Player One). You can see the director has really studied movies, and there are not only references to Marvel and DC, but also to other movies (The Intouchables 2 Lol). There are also a lot of politically incorrect references to other things (illegal immigrants, burned-down Rotterdam and Alec Baldwin, and the prop gun), it got me. Of course the action works too (the Batman vs Joker knife fight is excellent). The cinematography is great, with playful slow motion, it has a European feel and swing and elegance. As if that weren't enough, the emotions and dramatic moments work as well (the scene with the father is really great), and of course there is also great music (as soon as the Marvel theme song started playing, I had tears in my eyes), but the main themes eof Guardians of the Galaxy and KickAss are good, too (not to mention Survivor from Tomb Raider!). And yes it's also packed with intelligent and surprising twists. It's unbelievable how someone can cram all the film's ingredients into 90 minutes and present them in such a fresh, clever and compelling way. By the end of the screening I was shaking and crying with happiness and emotion that I had seen a movie with a capital M. I can't have a single complaint about it, but I do believe that for some viewers the humor will be a little too over the line at times (it's unexpectedly morbid and WTF at times, but I welcomed it warmly). I'll be watching this about five times a year. There are so many hidden things, details and little things in this movie that everyone will notice something different and on repeat viewings and feel they are watching it for the first time, which is great! Excellence. Story 5/5, Action 4/5, Humour 5/5, Violence 2/5, Fun 5/5 Music 5/5, Visuals 5/5, Atmosphere 4/5, Suspense 4/5, Emotion 4/5, Actors 5/5. 10/10

This new revenge drama, praised by critics and abroad, was in my radar, but unfortunately for me it was a misstep that managed to present even my favourite subgenre in a dull and uninteresting way. Plot-wise it's not very original, it's actually quite simple and straightforward. The main character returns to town after ten years to settle scores with the people who screwed him over and that's it. It alternates between non-linear present and past, so it's both annoying and confusing at times, but that is something I could overlook if the rest of it worked, but it doesn't. Visually it's as cheap as communist toilet paper, there's a bunch of unlikeable and not-so-good English actors, and the violence, I various reviews said was gritty, bloody and dark, was so downright ridiculous due to the low finances (a knife cutting through sweatpants, off-camera, etc)that it really didn’t grab me. There's no gore like gore, if I had to rate the gore here with hotel stars, Bull would get one or two. On top of that, despite the 90 minute running time, it doesn't entertain much. The film flows slowly and tries to make some sort of social commentary and a point about crime in London, which isn't much to cheer about. There's also an awkward twist, which relegates the whole film perhaps one level lower for me. Story 2/5, Action 2/5, Humour 0/5, Violence 2/5, Fun 2/5 Music 2/5, Visuals 2/5, Atmosphere 3/5, Suspense 1/5, Emotion 2/5, Actors 2/5. 4/10.

It has a bit of an Independence Day 2 feel. I like Emmerich, he handles the VFX attractions well, but the rest is noticeably inferior to the competition. I found everything here to be incredibly rushed forward (it's quite a ironic that Don't Look Up was able to present the threat in a much more interesting, exacerbated and intense way), which is a shame, I believe with a strong background this could have been very good. At the same time it's a shame that Emmerich had to mix in artificial intelligence and aliens, in other circumstances I would have welcomed it, but here the threat of the moon alone would have been enough to give the whole thing a more serious feel. It's cheesy and quite entertaining, but it's a shame that the destruction itself takes a while. 5.5/10.

Unexpected hit! The biggest fail of the whole film is probably the rating here. (in Rotten Tomatoes is 75%). The movie comes across as a mix of Bourne, Clancy, Ryan and others, but who cares. It's not some underfunded crap with terrible actors, cheap visuals and bad action, everything works here, but already saw similar stuff elsewhere a few years back, so I'm happy for any tactical military action movie. The film nicely shows that even if you serve your country for a few years, you can lose absolutely everything in an instant, and that's the situation Chris Pine finds himself in, with enforcers on his ass and nothing to support his family – right from the start, any normal person must immediately empathise with the protagonist. The only way out of this is one secret black ops mission that doesn't go to plan and the consequences are fatal. I'm happy with the premise, it feels realistic and authentic and thus I view it more as an actual ongoing mission than a movie. I was immediately impressed by the great details of the film: the elaborate equipment of the unit, the modern gear with all the trimmings, it can make any military fan grin from ear to ear). The sound design of the weapons is very good, and Pine behaves intelligently, exactly as a man with that experience should behave, but most of all, he is wounded, exhausted, physically absolutely fucked up, and the viewer has the uncomfortable feeling that his life is on the line. It's also R-rated, so there are a few grittier shots (the shootout in the woods with the cops is very intense), and there's some nice action in Berlin in broad daylight and a few minor elimination fights. I have to praise the music, it was such a blast that it stomped the whole of Dune into the ground (some scenes reminded me of the the recent Ambulance). There is one minor twist and one superbly acted emotional situation in a car park. Ben Foster also gives a very strong performance. The atmosphere is thick as hell, I enjoyed it a lot, found it quite suspenseful and intense, I really don't know who has a problem with this film. I see only positives here. Story 3/5, Action 4/5, Humor 0/5, Violence 4/5, Fun 4/5 Music 5/5, Visuals 4/5, Atmosphere 4/5, Suspense 4/5, Emotion 3/5, Actors 4/5. 8/10.

A likeable family road-movie drama that follows a familiar template, but has nothing to offend. The kind of feel-good movie for a Sunday afternoon that will please the ladies because of Tatum, and also dog-lovers. The premise is a bit unconventional, Tatum is a Marine who, due to a brain injury, is no longer wanted in the Army, but is given the task of transporting a dog to her former master's funeral. The dog is very aggressive and taming it will be no fun, and that leads to some comical situations in the first half. It probably needed a stronger emotional pull on the gate, but still the good feeling of the film remains. 6/10.