EvilPhoEniX

I can't break any rules because I make them myself! I'm happy when Netflix buys anything from South Korea and this was a hit. John Wick style action carnage driven by social drama and it works great. Director Sung-hyun Byun hasn't had a varied career so far, I've only seen a mediocre actioner from him called The Merciless, but this is a step up to the big leagues. He's got a decent cast too. I've seen the main character Jeon Do-yeon in 6 films in the last 5 years alone, and Sol Kyung-gu is a well known veteran who's been in just about everything, but there's some young new talent as well. The film has a very interesting and engaging story focusing on an organization of assassins, which is presented much more realistically than in the Wick films. There are again interesting rules, different agencies with their assassins, killer evaluations, even training of new assassins where a hitman gets a trainee assigned to their first job – I really liked how the whole thing works (I wish it went more in depth though, but maybe in a sequel), and the main character is one of the best of the bunch, so she is feared, gets the best jobs and her boss likes her. However, her problem is more in her personal life, as raising her teen sassy daughter is more challenging than killing people. Surprisingly, I enjoyed the social line as well, the relationship between mother and daughter is portrayed well. The daughter harbors unexpected secrets and nearly stabs a classmate at school – her mother's genes are undeniable. So I praise the story, which manages to surprise, entertain and hit you emotionally. Then again, I have no complaints about the action, except perhaps that there could have been more of it, but when it comes down to it, I was screaming and falling off my seat with excitement. The action sequence in the bar in Vladivostok with the Russians deserves a place on YouTube. I watched it three times and it really was an action-packed delight. The sequence in the restaurant with the protagonist is also excellent and again lacked nothing from excellent choreography, great cinematography, excessive brutality and plenty of interesting ideas. The final duel has something to it too, definitely a delight with the original insert where the main character is thinking in how to disable the enemy and we see dozens of different variations at once, I call it a hallmark of originality to the action genre. There was also one quite powerful and emotional twist in the finale, and as I empathized with the main character, it made me as emotional as it did her. The Koreans have brought out two of their best aces and are tackling what they do best. A social family drama and an action-packed assassin flick, this complements each other perfectly. The drama scenes are powerful, well-acted and emotional and the action is brutal, uncompromising and superbly shot. I had a royal time, this is right up my cinematic alley and the first Korean five star! 9/10.

It's a shame that Elizabeth Banks took a potentially bizarre and wacky premise, where it was already decided that it would be a bad film, but I was hoping that it would at least be stupid-funny and it's kind of boring. The bear itself looks pretty cool, and the best scene is with the ambulance, which is also one of the coolest, the rest of it wasn't worth much. There's not enough gore for my taste (there was some guts and some severed limbs), but when I think of the bear attack from The Revenant, there was nothing as intense here. There is very little humour, I didn't laugh once, it's mostly cringe and insipid. By the end, I was wishing for the ending and I was struggling not to turn it off. Had I seen it in the cinema, I’d be pissed. 3/10.

The second season of the solid Your Honor series returns, pitting respected judge Bryan Cranston against respected gangster Jimmy Baxter. The first season was a pleasant surprise, mixing courtroom drama, crime, family drama and gangsters and it all worked well together. The second is unfortunately a bit weaker as it strays from the original theme and felt a bit redundant as well, but it's still decent craftsmanship with fine actors, plenty of suspense and decent pacing. Bryan Cranston is coming out of prison and is a bit of a train wreck (it kind of sucks that he's not a judge anymore, so the court battles are missing). He wants to start a new life, but the FBI is after him and wants him to help take down Baxter's criminal organization. Again there's a lot of corruption between politicians and cops, and the two rival gangs are probably the best thing about season 2. Jimmy Baxter still has charisma to spare, and I enjoyed his acting and his lines a lot. I also enjoyed the other black drug gang, Desire. It's nicely tense, but unfortunately the gang war doesn't happen again (what I hoped for in the first season didn't come here either), so we don’t get much action. Occasionally someone gets shot or beaten up, but that's the end of it. I found the first half of the season a bit slower, but in the second half, once the cards are dealt, it's solid. Especially the final two episodes that deal with the trial are among the highlights. There was emotion, tension and density in the air. However, I could do without a third season, the creators have already pulled the best aces out of their sleeves and have little else to surprise. If you like crime dramas with gangsters, the second season will not be wasted time. 7/10.

An action-packed flick from India from the makers of WAR! I visit exotic India once a year, they can also make something slick, but it really has to be a huge hit of blockbuster parameters to entice me and Pathaan is just that. It caught my attention with the trailer and the film itself certainly didn't disappoint. It's a sort of variation on Mission Impossible, slightly over the top in a few scenes (typical of India, but not so much that it becomes annoying or too ridiculous). I definitely appreciate the fact that the film is half an hour shorter than the traditional three-hour Indian running time and also that there are only two dance numbers, and one of them is in the end credits (surprisingly, both dance numbers are good, as they make use of pretty destinations, attractive models and lively music). We have a top agent, played by Shahrukh Khan, looking very good at 57 (women will be tearing their panties off!!), who has to take on a traitor to his own country who plans to destroy it. John Abraham is a great bad guy with decent motivations, commanding respect, dangerous and sneaky, in short a well written villain for an action film. To top it off, Deepika Padukone is one of the prettiest women I've seen in a while, her hypnotic and seductive gaze will put male viewers in a trance and her character exuding sex-appeal induces unstoppable erections several times during the two and a half hours. (+ for the great choice of outfits, the woman is a treasure and manna from heaven!!). I must also praise the great technical aspect and the amazing choice of locations – we see Dubai, Spain, France, Afghanistan, Russia, India and Pakistan. The music is excellent, it adds verve in the action sequences and the entrance of the bad guy with this soundtrack gave me chills. There are a couple of plot twists that can surprise and the emotional side works at times. The last big draw is of course the action itself, there is plenty of it and it is filmed very well. The fights have great cinematography and decent choreography (the highlight for me is the fight with the Russian prisoners on the train, I was drooling with bliss and thinking, this is an Indian version of The Raid!). The shootouts may lack blood and the CGI sometimes hiccupped on the bigger action set-pieces, but you can see better progress in India too, so definitely the biggest progress I've seen in India so far. For me, a very mature and complex piece of filmmaking that reliably entertains for the entire runtime and pulls up a lot with great likeable characters and rip-roaring action. A proper ride for me. 8/10.

A Romanian folk horror based on the well-known fairy tale about goats and wolves, only it features children and has an A24 studio feel to it. It's a praised hit in Romania (7.8 pm IMDB), but overhyped mainly because Romania doesn't film anything interesting and it's their national folklore, so most automatically overrate it just because of that. From my point of view, it's nothing remarkable, though the effort is undoubtedly there. The film is set in 19th century rural Romania, where a single mother lives with her three children. As soon as the mother leaves the house, an unexpected visitor, Marius Bodochi (who is to play the wolf), arrives at the house with one intention and that is to murder the children. Admittedly, Bodochi plays the psychopath brilliantly, he is unpleasant in appearance and I have no complaints here, but he lacks the motive to commit such a horrific act. The whole home invasion sequence is rendered fine (it's actually the only horror scene in the film), but it's a bit of a bummer that the slitting of they slit the child's throat off-camera – the shocking effect would definitely have been more intense. The final showdown is still interesting, but unfortunately nothing much happens beyond that and for me it's more of a grim drama with one grittier sequence. Watchable, but don't expect miracles. 5/10.

There may be mild spoilers, but nothing major to the plot, more of a scene-by-scene tease. The best Wick and quite possibly the best action flick that already fully competes with The Raid 2, and in some ways even surpasses it. Stahelski is an incredible dude who made a 3 hour action orgasm; I died in the cinema, saw my funeral, was reincarnated and rose from the ashes as a brand new Phoenix whipped up with fire and pumped full of adrenaline. The whole movie is so sexy and exciting it makes me horny as fuck. (Never happened to me in any movie before!!). The film has four action sequences that are around 20-30 minutes long each and could serve as a finale for another film. (Seeing 4 finales at once makes is awesome!!). The samurai massacre in Osaka Continental had a strong Asian feel to it and I definitely purred with bliss. The likable Rina Sawayama and Hiroyuki Sanada are a great addition and the whole thing has a very dense atmosphere, you slowly hold your breath. The next chapter belongs to Scott Adkins in Berlin, who plays a kingpin and his character is a nice caricature. The table scene definitely has its charm, and is topped off with a gnarly fight at a swanky rave party that I would love to attend as well. The sequence on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris impresses with its unconventional setting. Incorporating fights and gunfire during rush hour traffic is a brilliant idea, and the whole scene is breathtaking in its adrenaline rush. Wick here makes nice use of oncoming cars to take out his opponents – delicious! Then the highlight is the shootout in a building with the use of a 2D camera, where Wick uses fiery shotgun blasts (heart attacks!!!) – one of the best ideas in the history of action movies ever, those camera raids were simply breathtaking. The final set-piece on the stairs to the Sacré-Cœur Basilica are again impressive with the setting and the barrage of adversaries. It simply has the feel of a computer game, with one enemy after another coming at you, and I dig that. The new characters on the stage were a great pleasure. Apart from the aforementioned Adkins and Sanada, the character of Hitchhiker Nobody was very good, as he and his dog were in great sync and it was again a solid insert in the action passages. Bill Skarsgård is not a fighter, so less kudos to him, but he was definitely very confident in the dialogue passages. Marko Zaror is also a decent surprise, he has perhaps the best role of his career and entertained me. The biggest draw, though, is without a doubt the blind Donnie Yen (I understand the filmmakers decision to make him a blind man, otherwise no one would have had a chance) who does some nice stunts with a katana. (A bit of a minor criticism here that he didn't use his famous Wing-chun, but I'll get over it). He's got great character and charisma, and an incredible assassin code. So much for the characters and action, what about the rest. Visually this is a masterpiece, all the locations, interiors and exteriors look sumptuous and lavish, the colours, the staging, the use of the environments to the max (rain, neons, lighting, monuments a great feast for the eyes in that respect), the music is great too (it's great throughout the franchise, but I found it the most intense here). For my part I have to praise the lore around the high table and the assassins, some complain that it could have been more in depth, but I don't know of any action movie that has a more interesting mythology than Wick. I was also excited by the detailed introduction of the Pit Viper gun! My only criticism is the bit of overkill (falling out a window and down some stairs), but a proper fan will just smile nicely at this and move on. This is what it's all about. Stahelski and the entire team should be applauded for their incredible creativity, attention to detail, and all sorts of different ways to disarm a person. It takes more work to come up with all this than any script for an Oscar-winning drama. I once again enjoyed this sublime and luxurious ride and look forward to visiting the cinema again. An amazing 3 hours spent and I would take another hour. I don't understand why someone who doesn't like or understand action movies goes to a preview. Instant bullet to the head. 10/10.

Donnie Yen in a new historical Wu-xia big film, which he is also directing this time. It looks like Donnie's dream project, but I'd rather see him in another variation on Ip Man or a pure action movie – he chose the least attractive material out of the whole of Asia. (Luckily John Wick 4 is around the corner). The film is based on a well known story, which in China is probably what Arthur and Merlin is to us. The main character is a feared and respected warrior who is accused of murder and voluntarily leaves his group to find answers, and those who falsely accused him, and beats up a bunch of enemies along the way. Visually the film is classy, Donnie has fine charisma and the action is passable (as long as he stays on the ground it's not bad at all). However, once he starts flying and jumping on rooftops my interest went sideways. It's a shame they had to incorporate elements of magic, so instead of Donnie using his martial arts abilities, you see him creating a wind-blow many times. Personally I'm not into that kind of stuff and I like straight up brawlers with hands and guns, unfortunately this has always gone past me, and it's mostly PG-13 stuff. I guess the Chinese are into it though. But those who like movies in the style of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and House of Flying Daggers might find something to like here. 5.5/10,

Christopher Smith was an interesting horror filmmaker worth watching. His Triangle and Black Death are both decent horror flicks for a lot of fans, but nowadays he's just a routine guy whose films don't impress anymore, and Consecration is a nice example of that. Once again he has chosen a rather unconventional subject and setting. We have nuns, a Scottish convent and a murder mystery. You almost wonder what could have gone wrong here, except that it's a slowburn that has little to do with horror, and it's not very engaging. The attractive elements are minimal and Smith has quite a problem keeping the viewer's attention. In terms of the story, it's not a completely bad effort, the craftsmanship is relatively fine and the childhood flashback is probably the most interesting thing about the film (creepy father in action), the finale is also interesting, there is some blood and some twist, so in summary it's not a shit film, I just didn't enjoy it and I didn't care about the characters at all. It's a pity that the atmosphere and violence were spared, the result could have been more interesting. For me it's more like meh. 4/10.

A milestone in the computer screen thriller genre and a unique masterpiece with an instant contender for Thriller of the Year. Searching was already a hit, but Missing enriches this subgenre even more and creates a clear cult-classic potential. Combine the best true crime documentaries from Netflix, give it a load of twists and turns with a touch of Oriol Paul, the uncomfortable and oppressive atmosphere of the best thrillers, all the apps of today's world and you'll come out with a tasty thriller cocktail that will make you shiver and hold your breath like never before. A young girl starts searching for her mother who hasn't returned from Colombia and starts an investigative and intelligent show that piles up one twist after another. Your theories will be twisted every 5 minutes, that's what I call a decent fuck you to the viewer, you don't see that kind of clever tug of war in Hollywood these days. Each new twist is more bizarre than the last (I was physically uncomfortable at times, imagining what was really going on). It oozes authenticity and you really get the feeling that this really happened, which is an excellent calling card. The main character's acting is very good and she handles the PC to a tee, so everything is spot on. The film also has an excellent pace, it manages to keep the viewer's attention to the maximum, the atmosphere is riveting and uncompromising, they don't coddle the viewer here (it's filmed in a style where they don't care if you faint or have a heart attack in the living room, they simply won't spare you). A film that, when it's over, immediately starts to resonate in your head and makes you want to watch it again to catch all the details and enjoy the experience even more. This year with Babylon and Creed 3 the strongest five star. 10/10.

Overhyped. I haven't played “The Last of Us”, but I've seen the gameplay, so I'm not that enamored with the premise, but the result is embarrassing for me anyway. Craig Mazin, the creator of the brilliant Chernobyl, had a very good chance, unfortunately he chose the less attractive option for me. Instead of horror, he delivers us a post-apocalyptic drawn-out drama, where nothing much interesting happens most of the time, until you think that you definitely wouldn't want to play such a game. Fortunately, he had a lucky hand in the casting. Pedro Pascal is a great choice, but we don't see him much in action, so he's not used to his full potential. Bella Ramsey is not likeable, but she's a great actress, so I was less bothered by her in the end than I would have expected. Visually, the series is good, but that's to be expected, so I won't give plus points for that. Story-wise, it's not bad, but I can't say for myself that you will get any significant twists or emotions here, unfortunately. The best episodes are 1, 2 and 5, which were also the only episodes to feature the Runners and Clickers – the look is great, but the creators skimp on them. On the other hand, episodes 3 and 7, purely flashbacks that don't move the plot anywhere, seemed completely unnecessary to me (the fact that they are about gays and lesbians is another thing I won't comment on). The finale could have kicked it up a notch, but it's barely 40 minutes long and again we don't get anything worth paying attention to. There is zero gore, minimal action and zombies, little atmosphere, the pacing is slow – in short it’s lacking all my favorite attributes. That the relationship between the two protagonists develops brilliantly? Fine, that didn't have to take place in the post-apocalyptic world, but in the present day without zombies and ideally in some idyllic LA neighborhood. The creators have made it clear that they are fans of drama, so anyone hoping for something to change in the second season is naive. We'll get shit again. For me, the biggest disappointment of the year so far. The best video game adaptation is still Warcraft. Hopefully Apple will fix my taste with their Silo. 6/10.