EvilPhoEniX

I can’t remember the last time I saw Eddie Murphy, so I was curious about his comeback. It’s a decent black biopic based on the 70s blaxploitation star Dolemite. The main character makes his living as a stand up comedian and doesn't do too well at first, but once he hears the funny stories of the local homeless people he adapts them, passes them off as his own and it becomes an unexpected hit and a quest for fame. Wesley Snipes and Keegan-Michael Key are are very good, and Snoop Dog and Chris Rock make cameo appearances in smaller roles. I unexpectedly had fun. 80%.

The Hungarians have shown several times in the past that they can make films and this is no exception. A series of suicides starts in Budapest, and only one person claims that they are murders, Móni Balsai, a detective who has been locked in her office for ten years and suffers from severe panic attacks, so nobody believes her. The film moves at a slower pace, but it doesn't get downright boring because Móni is a very smart woman and does a perfect job at crime scenes. If you enjoy crime scene investigations you will be very satisfied. There is also an interesting denouement and a few unexpected plot twists, so definitely a noteworthy affair. 70%

October's Netflix horror extravaganza is over, but I'm also thankful for this historical flick, which it seems Netflix will serve up every year (last year it was Outlaw King, which I liked a little more, but this one is a blast too). We follow the story of young Henry V, who has recently been crowned king after the death of his father and will have to deal with the war he inherited. Brilliantly filmed, fateful, messy, authentic, historically accurate and above all breathtakingly acted. Timothée Chalamet shows a huge amount of talent on screen and I feel he has a rich future (the King's rage speech before the battle gave me goosebumps like nothing I've seen in a long time), but it was also nice to see Joel Edgerton with a perfect strategic plan and Robert Pattinson playing the sleazy French prince brilliantly. The film climaxes with the solid and glorious Battle of Agincourt, which is properly raw and dirty, and the final rather unexpected twist is brilliant. Even though the film has a slower pace, it doesn't get boring at all and is absolutely riveting. 85%

Son Yong-ho pulls himself up and after his mediocre debut, he delivers a solid action romp with the now classically excellent Ma Dong-seok, who keeps the quality bar high. After prisoner transporter crashes, a special unit is assembled to capture the individual prisoners. The premise is perfect and the film is also fun to watch thanks to its fast pace. The actors are likeable, the action is solid, especially the final half hour in the warehouse is an action inferno the likes of which Korea hasn't pulled off in a while. A nice surprise and satisfaction. 80%.

Doctor Sleep might put you to sleep! Mike Flanagan tries his best, but once again I was not pleased. I find his films terribly uninteresting. This one is a direct sequel to The Shining after 40 years and introduces the main character played by Ewan McGregor (the boy in The Shining) who follows in the footsteps of the True Knot cult who suck the souls out of dead victims. Filmed decently, both Ewan and Rebecca Ferguson, playing the villain, are solid. The music is also good, fans of the first film will be pleased with the many references and the finale is quite intense. But the film is not scary, suspenseful, brutal and certainly not entertaining, I haven't seen such a slow film in the cinema for a long time. I'm personally not a big fan of The Shining either, so this story and mythology doesn't do anything for me and actually doesn't interest me much. I don't want to put it off completely, fans of The Shining will probably enjoy it and IMDB praises it as well, so it's not a dud, more like nothing for me. 55%

This is this year's big hit and a clear Comedy of the Year! After all those teen comedies set in high school comes a tween comedy from elementary school and not only will it take you back 20 years nostalgically, but it will also make you laugh, smile, be touched and maybe even shed a tear at the end. Jacob Tremblay is a already big Hollywood star (13 decent films at 13 years old!). The film has a rather funny story featuring the first porn movie, the first kissing party and the first buying and selling of drugs (the scene in the drug den is one of the highlights). An unexpected hit that I will definitely come back to. 85%

Danny Boyle has made stronger films, but this likeable and enjoyable musical also has charm. Have you also noticed that they've been ripping it up lately? After Queen and Elton John there's The Beatles, but it's presented in a fairly original way, which is appreciated. I would appreciate it if more than three things disappeared from this world. Himesh Patel is solid and the finale is moving. 75%

After the action comedy Midnight Runners, Joo-hwan Kim serves up a horror film about exorcism, starring Park Seo-joon (Parasite). The protagonist loses his father as a child, leaves the Christian faith and decides to believe only in himself. He becomes an MMA champion and has more or less everything he ever wanted until a strange wound appears on his palm – you guessed right Stigmata. He seeks help from a local priest who is currently battling possessed beings. What I like about the film is that there are quite a few possessed people, so fans of exorcisms will enjoy it to the fullest, and it wouldn't be Korea if the main character and the main villain didn't give each other a proper Korean smackdown at the end. It has nice visuals, it's not boring, and it's quite original within the genre. 60%

After Kundo: Age of the Rampant, Yoon Jong-bin serves up another historical spy-themed drama with a perfect performance by Jeong-min Hwang, but for my taste the film was rather tedious and didn't offer enough interesting sequences for the given running time. There were suspenseful and interesting sequences when meeting the leader, but there weren't that many of those. Nicely shot, well acted and definitely an interesting insight into the political situation in North and South Korea. I'm not the target audience, so a neutral three. 60%.

Jennifer Kent, director of The Babadook, delivers an Australian rape and revenge drama that is definitely not for mainstream audiences, especially NOT for pregnant women! The year is 1825 and the protagonist, Clare, is a young Irish convict in the Tasmanian outback chasing the British soldiers who have committed an unforgivable and horrific act of violence against her family. She is aided by an Australian Aboriginal tracker, also traumatised by past acts of violence. Once again, after a long time, we have an oppressive, chilling, unflinching, damn uncomfortable and disturbing film that doesn't shy away from violence against women or children. The rape scene in the cabin will be the deciding factor as to whether you will tolerate or give up on the film. For a film directed by a woman, it has unexpectedly more balls than those of other directors. The downside for me was the slower pace and a slightly excessive running time, but otherwise this is a solid film that adds a different dimension to my favorite subgenre. 75%.