EvilPhoEniX

Paolo Genovese knocked me out a year ago with the intelligent conversational piece Perfect Strangers and this year he's done it again and I'm absolutely blown away by the genius of a director who, once again, using just one location and a few actors, can make a film that is smart, suspenseful, twisted, brilliantly acted and shocking all at the same time. This time the film is set in a restaurant where a mysterious man sits with a book willing to grant people wishes, but every wish has a price and something mostly nefarious needs to be done. It shows nicely that human desire can cause things that one wouldn't normally do. Some of the quests are very gritty and I liked that all the people are interconnected and intertwined. The cast is the same as in Perfect Strangers, which I also take as a big advantage, and even though the quests are all talk it still has drive and energy. The final twist is again left a bit up to the viewer's imagination, not difficult to unravel. Great fun and I even worked up a sweat. I'm curious to see what he comes up with next. 90%

A perfect affair after a long time! Gerard Butler plays another great, tough anti-hero, and I don't think he's had a better role since Law Abiding Citizen (it's a shame this dude does comedies, these movies suit him!). There's a great bunch of thieves, all ex-Marines, capable, intelligent, solidly equipped, who plan to rob a bank that no one has ever managed to rob before. There's less action, but when it gets down to it, it's gritty shootouts that with perfect sound, feel gritty and real, and most importantly, strategic. Butler entertained me a lot with his performance and he played the gangster cop brilliantly. Suspenseful, well shot, well thought out with an unexpected twist at the end, with the highlight of course being the bank robbery itself, which left me holding my breath. A proper guy’s flick. 85%.

Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache set a very high bar for themselves with The Intouchables, and now they've come up with another original idea, but for a French film made by great filmmakers it doesn’t have enough balls. Clearly watching a wedding from the perspectives of the caterers hasn't been done before, I guess, and putting together the perfect wedding is certainly no easy job. I expected there to be a lot more of those screw-ups and, especially towards the end, I was hoping it would escalate into a bigger mess. There is quite a bit of humour, there are intelligent dialogues and reflections, but it didn't happen that I caught myself laughing at least once. That said, I enjoyed the duo of Gilles Lellouche and Eye Haidara, but there is a lack of a more prominent French comedic presence and it's easily noticeable in this film. Decent, but the potential was greater. 65%.

I didn't believe in it too much, but in the end I'm surprised how much I enjoyed the film. Ridley Scott's direction is slick and precise, Mark Wahlberg is classically good and Charlie Plummer was solid, though I think Kevin Spacey would have been better. Quite suspenseful towards the end and there was a twist, so I'm satisfied. 70%

Tarek Boudali and Philippe Lacheau are on a rampage for the fourth time and it's great fun again. This time it's Boudali directing, and he hands it decently, but I find Lacheau more skilled (Babysitting and Alibi.com were better). But the idea is excellent again, not missing the classic dog and funny situations that entertain with their typical French humour. These two comedians are slowly building their own cinematic universe and I wish them well. I wonder what they will come up with next. 75%.

Thematically quite close to my heart. Child prostitution, people trafficking, but in this film everything is so blandly presented that even the decrepit Joaquin Phoenix, whom I usually like, failed to impress me. A visually cheap film, artfully shot, interesting cinematography, off-screen violence, and most of all, never-ending boredom. We Need to Talk About Kevin was a far better film by Lynne Ramsay. This is a failure. 35%

A Quiet Place, though I didn't quite believe it at first, is definitely the best modern horror film since The Conjuring. People who are stuck in the 80s and condemn anything new don't even deserve to see it. It's amazing to see a horror film in the cinema after a long time where you experience those uncomfortable feelings like chills, cold sweat and repeatedly jumping out of your seat (one gentleman fell down the stairs on his way to the toilet). John Krasinski clearly loves the horror genre, he has a great idea which he handles with grace, he avoids clichés, everyone involved behaves rationally and the monsters kick Alien's ass with ease (the appearance, the annoying noises, their speed, intelligence and the way they work in general is awe-inspiring). Kudos to Krasinski!! The contrast of the absolute silence that flips to an intense rumble in a moment stands out very nicely, creating an uncomfortable atmosphere as well as some very sneaky jump-scares that are unexpected and very effective. High praise for the music. Emily Blunt is better than ever and I felt the birth scene with her (and it f*cking hurt). Pleasingly, the film is R-rated, so there's a bit of gore too. A very powerful intense 90 minutes of terror that has some nerve wracking scenes and is very emotional and depressing at the end. My only criticism is the last few seconds, which will please the critics, but not much for me as a viewer. The cinema was packed, I hope a sequel or prequel is around the corner! Quite an experience and I'm glad I saw a scary horror film that didn't work with ghosts or demons. I'm curious to see if anyone can dethrone A Quiet Place, for now a clear number one this year. 95%

The anticipated Re:Born is finally in full swing and even though I was slightly skeptical (I don't Japanese action much), this one actually succeeded, but I can't talk about any great enthusiasm either. Story-wise, I was hardly entertained at all and sometimes got lost in who was against who, but the action is definitely interesting and offered something new. It does hurt at times with the camera, which is often too close and there’s plenty of that hated editing, but it wasn't as bad as other films. The main character is really cool, a new Bruce Lee at least in speed. The agility, dynamism and effectiveness with the knife is incredible in places and I loved the duel with the little spade, something I haven't seen anywhere before. Most of the action takes place in the middle of the jungle, and there's only two I think for pure hand-to-hand combat. It's mostly knives and other slashing weapons that are used and it's thankfully pretty bloody too. The finale introduces a new fighting style, but I wasn't too impressed. Technically, it's rather average. I had fun and I think the guys deserve 4 stars for their efforts. 70%

An excellent comedy that is nothing of the American style, avoids clichés and is very smart. Rachel McAdams is adorable, Jason Bateman gives a classically decent performance, and I found Jesse Plemons as the mysterious cop very funny. It's has a great pace, a good idea, decent lines and fine situational humour, nicely dosed twists that get more and more wacky towards the end, and there's also action and a dose of suspense, so for me a lot of great satisfaction and perfect entertainment. I wouldn't be opposed to a sequel. 85%

I'm satisfied. Jung Woo-Sung is for me the second biggest South Korean star after Lee Byung-Hun, so I'm curious about every new film of his, and this political-warfare spree suited me. Admittedly, it's a mess at times to figure out who is who in the characters, but I'm more concerned with the action and I'm happy with that. It's bloody, the gunfights are gritty, and there's the typically dynamic Korean fighting style, so I can't complain too much. The scene with the mass destruction of civilians especially young girls was very rough but at the same time awesome. A good movie that didn’t bore me. 70%