EvilPhoEniX

At first I wasn't too keen on the film, I'm not really into crazy Korean comedies, but this one was very good. Police academies and the recruitment of new cadets is a welcome theme with me (I would have left the training longer though) and the main pair of cadets are very likeable and entertaining. The first hour focuses more on humour, training and studying, but once they witness a crime, they'll be trying to get to the bottom of it all. There is one excellent and very suspenseful chase and a great action finale, where the final fight with a very combat proficient bad guy is a joy to watch. A very entertaining film that goes by quickly. 75%

My second most anticipated Korean film from the director of Confession of Murder. I liked it, but this time it lacked something for a 5-star rating (Battleship Island remains unsurpassed). Villainess picks up a strong pace from the opening and wreaks bloody havoc, alternating elements of POV and normal camera, which makes the film both more interesting and more appealing, though the normal camera suited me better. The protagonist is properly uncompromising and she’s certainly skilled, especially with the katana. There's not much room for proper fighting (they either shoot or slash). The strongest and best moment for me was the scene on the motorbikes in the tunnel where they cut each other with katanas while driving, I've never seen anything like that in my life and it's quite possibly one of the best action scenes I've seen this year. Too bad that in the middle there’s less action hence the pace, but otherwise a decently dynamic ride that I will never despise. 80%

A fine affair, but given the casting, more could have been extracted. Seeing the cute Qi Shu, Jean Reno and Andy Lau in one film is fine, but it doesn't try to impress with anything else. The action isn't much and is rather average, but at least it's entertaining and doesn't slip into boredom. The scenes from Prague with the accompaniment of Smetana's “Vltava” are a plus, which I really didn't expect in a Hong Kong film. The Korean The Thieves was more sophisticated. 60%.

Fucking awesome!! S. Craig Zahler didn't impress me much with his debut Bone Tomahawk, he did revive the dead western genre into horror with two solid gore scenes, but boredom was inevitable for me. His second effort, however, is thankfully different stuff! It stars Vince Vaughn, an actor mostly known as a B-movie comedian, but here he is transformed into an uncompromising badass that no one can beat both physically and mentally, and he delivers his strongest and best acting performance of his career! The first quarter of the film is rather tepid, but upon entering the prison, a very macho and tough guy ride begins, where the authenticity and realness literally gives you chills. For me, Red Leaf was quite possibly the toughest prison I've ever seen on film and the head warden played the heartless and unpleasant asshole with absolute grace. The very rough Zahler shoots the fights without a single cut and there is no shortage of broken arms, legs, spines and crushed skulls!!! The gore is shot very differently than in other films, so the question is who comes closer to reality? A very uncompromising, vicious, bleak, cold, intelligently written and brilliantly directed prison flick, the kind we haven’t seen for the last 20 years. It will definitely be fighting for the top spot this year. 95%

I admit that at first I was worried that without Escobar the series wouldn't have enough balls (the first two episodes even hinted at that), but from the 3rd episode onwards Narcos again became a frantic ride and the hunt for the four godfathers of the Cali Cartel, where everyone had something to offer. The new DEA agents are not as likable as the previous pair, at least Pedro Pascal is still there. Strong, twisted, brutal, and above all interestingly informative. 95%

Philippe Lacheau as director, writer and actor for the third time and once again excellent. The actors are exactly the same as in his previous films, and it's great to see a bunch of friends who really like each other and go crazy together in the movies. The premise is very original, there are plenty of funny situations, more than enough twists and turns, but overall it's one big crazy adrenaline ride that doesn't pull any punches. Quite possibly the funniest comedy of the year and the French rock again. 95%

Unfortunately, this one missed me. I turned off the old Blade Runner halfway through and it would have turned out the same had I watched this one at home. I consider Denis Villeneuve to be a very promising and skilled director, Sicario with Prisoners are among my favorite films, but I find Blade Runner 2049 unrewarding as an audience member. Visually, of course, it's a treat and makes you want to take a camera and photograph a every single scene. Ryan Gosling was a good fit for the lead role, but that's probably all there is to it. The vaunted Harrison Ford shows up 30 minutes before the end, a time when you are tired and exhausted, Jared Leto as the bad guy is there 10 minutes overall, which is perhaps one of the biggest problems, because a good bad guy makes a good movie. The R-rating is very underused, there are no twists and the action makes up about 15 minutes of the 163 minute running time, well no wonder 5 people left the theater and if I wasn't an proper movie fan I probably would have left too. Too artsy, surreal and dreamy, it almost gave me hemorrhoids from the constant changes of positions in my seat! 45%

A decent affair for Japan. It's a whodunit that follows the trail of Se7en about a serial killer with a frog mask. I like the reason why he wears the frog mask and also why he chooses his victims, everything has a logical reason, which I thought was cool. The actual execution of the murders is not shown, rather the "climax" of the murders is still rather bizzarely shown. The downside is the longer running time, but I didn't get to any significant boredom. Decent and also very nicely shot, which is unusual for the Japanese. 65%

I didn't enjoy New Trial very much, unfortunately. It annoyed me that there is no trial, and I don't find the retrospective gathering of evidence attractive at all. Nothing happens in the film to please my eyes and so I had a hard time finishing it. Uninteresting and without violence. 50%

Another variation on Home Alone like the recent Better Watch Out, and it succeeded just as well. Better Watch Out focused more on story and twists, whereas The Babysitter focuses mainly on gore and humour, so both score points with me, although seeing them all together in one film would have been even more of a kick. The film is nicely shot, very sexy, decently suspenseful and above all very gory, the deaths are impressive and will please the eye of many a horror fan. Definitely one of the best horror comedies this year. 75%