EvilPhoEniX

The first sexploitation flick of the year. The story is about prostitutes satisfying horny truckers who are joined by a strongly religious girl from a cult to perform a cleansing. So we have a clash of religion and prostitution, a corrupt sheriff, and the American backwoods in Montana. Visually, it's not as cheap as it might first appear, it's quite skillfully shot, the girls aren't afraid of nudity (showing boobs twice is insufficient given the topic though), and the genre delights are not over-represented. Most of the murders are either out of frame or done in the same style (stabbing in the stomach), don't expect any gore, just some blood, which won't get anyone off their seat these days. There is a gay rape and a creepy priest, which are probably the most interesting scenes. The rest unfortunately offers nothing new and doesn't even cross the boundaries in the genre. It's short and watchable, so it doesn't offend. 5.5/10.

One of the most lauded South Koren films of last year is finally out and I have to say, it got on my nerves and made my skin crawl! The protagonist gets himself locked up in a juvenile delinquent institution to get revenge on the murderers who killed his brother, and it's definitely not a place you want to be voluntarily. If the North is famous for having the worst juvenile delinquent institutions, Korea doesn't fuck around either. Bullying, violence, fighting and humiliation of the deepest grain. As soon as a new scumbag enters the institution halfway through the film, there's total order and respect, a spineless scumbag you definitely don't want to be in the room with. The director is a classically insidious bastard, and this whole colossus of violence culminates in a shocking catharsis in the bathroom, with plenty of blood. Definitely awesome. There's also a lot of melancholy and sad music playing throughout the film that will make sensitive individuals weep. To make matters worse, the finale is topped off with a brutal twist that will give you a boner. I didn't see that coming. No wonder the film has an 85% rating on IMDB and is another Korean masterpiece on an unpleasant subject.

Alice in Borderland director Shinsuke Sato is making his presence known very soon with the sequel to one of the best-selling Mang Kingdom. I really liked the first installment, it had a bit of an RPG feel to it. The protagonist travels the countryside, recruiting new people to his team and killing opponents along the way, each with a different difficulty level; it entertained me, and when you have great visuals and awesome action, there's not much to complain about. The second part brings a more epic scale and you could say it's a two-hour battle between two nations with Hollywood effects and a cool soundtrack. There's not much of a story and historians will grumble that it's a rape of Chinese history, but it's fantasy, it's manga and ironically the battle is better filmed than anything China has ever done about the Qin dynasty. The protagonist dreams of becoming a great general and really does everything to do so. The action has great choreography and cinematography, the assassins, the ninjas, the samurai – I just love it. At times I thought back to Rurouni Kenshin and thought that there hasn't been an action flick like this since Kenshin from Japan. It was also nice to see a new female character on the scene, trained to kill since she was a kid, and she goes for a very nice solo (very over powered). I also have to praise the costumes, hairstyles and overall look of the generals, it's really iconic and you can like all the characters, which is terribly important. Those who like epic and long battles, without any lengthy explanations and boring bullshit, will enjoy it as much as I did. 75%

A solid martial arts ride from Vietnam and a strong step forward for Vietnamese cinema. Vietnam is one of the underdogs in Asia for me (Korea and Indonesia definitely reign supreme, then comes Japan, Hong Kong with Thailand, Tai Wan and only then would I include Vietnam), so I certainly didn't have high expectations, but the highly positive reviews abroad got my attention and it's really decent. The plot is classically straightforward, but it's also about love, family and its protectiveness, which will evoke emotions in most viewers, and that's a plus – it's a bit of a variation on the Korean film The Man from Nowhere. The protagonist is a trucker who has his beloved daughter kidnapped by a psychopath and will have to fight his way through a large criminal organization to catch him. So we have a determined father, who is a martial arts whiz, so he goes up against 50 himself and makes clever use of the national Vietnamese fighting technique, Vovinam. There are plenty of action scenes and I liked the interesting alternation of locations. The fight between the containers against a large outnumbered group where he gets help from a handy woman was very cool, and the fight against the female biker gang with different weapons was also great. The finale has its charm too, we finally get some 1v1 fights against henchmen, and they are choreographed well. The great technical aspect is also good. The film looks really nice, the main character is likeable, it's well paced, so a fan of martial art films should have no reason to be disappointed. The only thing I'm a bit disappointed about is the lack of gore and no limb breaking, so not many characters die as a result, but I can live with that. A nice surprise. 7.5/10.

Season 1: Middle East/Islam, Great. Season 2: Venezuela, Great. Season 3. Russia, BORING. Quite a topical subject, but I was hardly entertained. There is woefully little action (almost no fights), nothing to remember. Lots of politicking, betrayals and bullshit, but this isn't Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon, so it didn't work at all for me and I had great difficulty finishing it.The Terminal List with Chris Pratt was like much better in every way (story, action, pacing, militarism). For me, barely average. 5/10.

John R. Leonetti is back with a new demon ghost story and it's average again. The court cinematographer of the Insidious universe and James Wan alumn has learned a thing or two from the master, but none of his films deserve more than 3 stars, and Lullaby in particular could be considered the brightest moment of his career. We have the classic three-member family in an apartment and the demon Lilith who steals people's newborn babies and raises them her way. I liked the mythology around the demon, they give a pretty decent background, one of the best things in the film, and the look of the demon itself is also interesting, especially the two headed baby demon looked great (the newborn graveyard on the other hand is one of the visual highlights). The downside is the rather slower pace, the ineffective jump-scares, and the atmosphere, which only starts to work in the finale, but throughout the film it's all kind of tepid and unscary. A couple of scenes were okay, but as a whole it comes out as average at best. 6/10.

A crazy B-movie flick from Switzerland by fans for fans. A girl named Heidi is kidnapped by Nazis and moved to a harsh women's prison with harsh rules. Luckily she manages to escape, gets proper martial arts training and kicks everyone's ass with a halberd! The plot is silly and the visuals are very B-grade, but it's teeming with cool and original ideas, absurd and twisted humor, grotesque gore with practical effects, a heroic female protagonist, Swiss Nazis, allusions to Switzerland (chocolate, cheese, Swiss pocket knifes), 1970s nudity and a national obsession with cheese. Lactose intolerant people belongs behind bars! The action is good too, it has a very Rodriguez touch, like in Machete, Iron Sky, Sky Sharks – those who like that kind of shit, will come to their own here. Some of the lines are really crazy. Among the actors, Casper Van Dien as the dictator and the attractive Alice Lucy as Mad Heidi are great. A fun and twisted one-off for a narrower audience. Swissploitation first of its kind. 65%.

A stylish whodunit mystery genre film, which is an order of magnitude better than those unwatchable Poirot chick flicks. I slept through the first one in the cinema, so I wasn't too interested, this was a bit more entertaining, but still not my cup of tea. Rian Johnson never deserves 4 stars from me. What I liked most was the attractive setting of the island itself, which looks nice, it's all fancy and I dig that. Of the actors, Daniel Craig again reigns supreme, and Janelle Monáe, for whom I have a soft spot, is likeable. I was expecting comic relief from Dave Bautista, unfortunately that didn't happen and Edward Norton is just alright. It's nicely filmed, well acted and the mystery itself seems intelligent, though this time I found it too predictable (the ending of the first part was better). I didn't find it very funny, there are no gags and the 140-minute running time is unnecessarily long, considering it is just a conversation piece. I got through it without much distress, which is appreciated given the genre. There's nothing like Korean and Nordic mysteries. 65%

Shinsuke Sato is for me the best Japanese director, his films have quality action and visuals, which can rarely be said about other Japanese films. I recommend his Kingdom, Inuyashiki and I Am a Hero. The second series of Alice is quite possibly the technological pinnacle of Japanese filmmaking, and any fan of life and death games will be satisfied again, because it is again very nourishing. The second series is more epic in some ways, the games are more thoughtful and polished, and it's cool that there's a person from the other side in each game, so they have a bit of an edge. The old friends and new characters on the scene are a delight, and once again it's an 8 hour ride that doesn't let the viewer breathe a sigh of relief. For me the best character is Chishiya, he's terribly charismatic and intelligent, and surpasses everyone with his intellect; he's always one step ahead, he keeps a cool head and the games with him are some of the best the second series has to offer (I'm a bit disappointed that he's not the main character). The prison game is an uncomfortable test of human character, where you really can't trust anyone and what people are capable of when their lives are on the line is highly disturbing, it’s a sophisticated game, with a strong psychological undertone and an amazing twist. I also loved the mathematical court, I was almost breathless with suspense. The course of the game is intense and when you lose, a weight of boiling water is poured on you – seeing someone being fried alive on camera is so gratifying! The absolute highlight of the whole series is episode 7. It’s quite possibly the greatest action orgy Japan has ever presented, a brutal carnage in the streets of Tokyo. The King of Spades! The biggest bastard I've ever seen on the show. I haven't wished death on anyone like him in a long time. The villain of all villains. The human Thanos cuts it out like Breivik in Utøya, he's unstoppable like the Terminator, a former elite mercenary who mercilessly executes anyone who gets in his way, and there were a shitload of people! Add to that the wonderful teamwork of the protagonists as they try to take this invincible fucker down and I was screaming with bliss as as a in The Raid. What this guy does is so awesome that I thought I wouldn't live to see the finale. The finale is a bit slower, but it explains all the events nicely, it makes sense, and I would say that this rational explanation is acceptable. The important thing is that emotionally it wrung me out more than adequately. With this series, you have to take into account the fact that it's still a Japanese production, so it's a bit over the top at times, the characters survive the impossible, but it's Sci-FI, so why the fuck not. Amazingly, all the characters are awfully cool, the viewer grows to like and sympathize with them, and the women are one hotter than the next. 8.5/10.

I thought I wouldn't live to see the finale!! An incredible action inferno with an emotional sting. The uncompromising nature of the characters here easily surpasses Game of Thrones. Awesome!!