EvilPhoEniX

A solid action miniseries from South Korea that's kind of a variation on Terminator and Universal Soldier, directed by the guy who brought us the excellent The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion, and this series belongs in the same universe. Story-wise, it doesn't quite pull it off, since the mini-series only has four short episodes, so there's not much time to tell a quality story, but the action alone is so worth it. The shootouts are properly gory – I enjoyed all the bloody shootouts, there were even knives, so Korea didn't disappoint in this classic. Besides the traditionally high quality craftsmanship it serves a good portion of violence and blood. The final episode is a spectacular action-packed finale and even though it was already very much science fiction, it was a decent "super soldiers" massacre. Fun. 75%

It's a strange horror film, but its concept is quite novel. It's quite slow and I'd say the strongest aspect is the idea rather than the horror attractions, but the stalking granny has something to it and the music is good as well. Too bad the ending is resolved with gunfire and not something shaper. The acting is fine, the atmosphere is interesting, the craftsmanship is decent, the idea is novel. Cuckoo has its moments, it just never completely breaks free from its chains. 55%

It's a pointless remake, but if I take it on its own as a revenge movie, it's good. The first hour is slow and nothing much happens, Bill Skarsgård makes a good effort, the impression improves only in the final 40 minutes when some action comes to the scene. The finale in the opera is unexpectedly excellent- nice brutal, well used R-rating, and it also saved the whole film to the average. Fortunately it was not boring. 5.5/10.

Kim Joo-Hwan handles these action comedies well. MIdnight Runners is very popular all over the world, this one won't make such a dent, but it's a decent and likeable Korean flick. It has a pretty interesting theme where the main character is a martial arts master and starts fighting crime by guarding newly released prisoners. The opening is still a bit boring, but once the bad guy comes out of prison (a sexual deviant of young children), things start to get very heated. The highlight is the action scene in the middle, it’s pleasantly long, with a nice display of proper martial arts and solid moves, it's all nicely paced and decently suspenseful as well, and it climaxes nicely with the final duel. The second half is a nice 4 for me, the first is more of a weaker 3 and overall a very strong 3. I enjoyed it, there could have been more action and the plot isn't as surprising as it’s usual for Korea, but it's fine. 65%.

That was awesome!!! A Polish version of Rocky with the works, an incredible spectacle that grabs you by the balls right from the opening and holds them until the intense ending that emotionally throws you around like the craziest roller coaster. Not only have the Poles dominated the gangster genre, but now they have completely dominated the boxing genre as well. The film works great in the ring (the punches hurt even me, with perfect cinematography and rough fights that make it a full-fledged competitor to Creed). But it works surprisingly well outside the ring too. The family drama is delivered downright brilliantly, the acting is top-notch. Eryk Kulm is amazing, but his wife, played by Adrianna Chlebicka, is also excellent, Eryk Lubos also excels; everyone impressed me with their performance, the retro atmosphere, the dialogue and the script are also perfect, and the chase for a better life from Poland to London is really enticing. In the end as everything classically starts to go to shit – I was shaking my head – it's an incredible powerhouse that emotionally destroyed me like nothing I've seen in a long time. I can't remember the last time a story got me so excited that I was engrossed and biting my nails for two and a half hours. Really top notch and the best Netflix thing this year. 9/10.

So how did one of the most praised horror films of the year turn out? The film currently has a 7.1 rating with 1,000 reviews on IMDB and is directed by the acclaimed Joko Anwar, who is Indonesia's guarantee of quality. Even though he didn't make a blockbuster like Satan's Slaves 2: Communion for me, at least in terms of scariness, he still holds his standards high and made a solid spectacle. Anwar has tried to make a slightly more ambitious thing this time, a ghost story crossing the Islamic religion and themes of graves and life after death, which is definitely interesting and unconventional. The film establishes a pretty evil atmosphere from the start, where we witness a terrorist bombing where the parents of some children are killed (Anwar even shows a glimpse of mutilated bodies, which is not pleasant) and then we watch as the daughter tries to prove that religion and fanaticism, not ghosts and post-mortem torture, are to blame for their parents' deaths. The first hour is slow paced, but it doesn't get boring thanks to the interesting story. In the second half Anwar starts to work his magic and proves in a couple of scenes that he is an excellent craftsman and has a rightful place in the horror genre. There aren't many atmospheric or scary scenes, but when there is one, it's worth it. The washing machine scene! That was pretty bizarre for me, and then of course the highlight is the finale, the atmospheric uncomfortable walk through the tunnel and then the coffin with a cobra! The last five minutes are one of the most shocking things to see in horror this year. That was awesome, it wiped my vision clean. Overall, solid stuff, though I won't see it again due to the slower first half. 7.5/10

How did this promising dinner invasion flick turn out? On IMDB the film is doing decently so far with a 6.6 rating, but for my part I was expecting a more intense and brutal ride. The film impresses with the beautiful main character (although her behaviour is not that likeable), a decent soundtrack and good craftsmanship. It also has a decent momentum and offers one solid and unexpected twist in the middle – plus points for that. The problem for me was the final showdown, which lacked a bigger pull and wasn't very effective or brutal, making it just a likeable and digestible one-off, good enough for a debut, but it could have been better. 6/10.

A decent Irish cult flick that grabs you with its interesting characters, cheekiness, solid music, drugs and Irish dialect. I didn't really know what to expect, but I had a great time. Plus for the steamy sex scenes. There could have been more humour, but still a fine film. 8/10.

Scarborn is a Polish Tarantino-like flick that deserves your attention! The spring of 1794 was a harsh time in Poland, with the Russians occupying the country. A general arrives in Poland to mobilize the local peasants and start a national uprising. Scarborn has excellent craftsmanship, looks really cinematic, has decent acting performances, a good dose of interesting history, decent pacing and above all a lot of brutal and raw action. It reminded me of Volhynia a couple of times and the finale is like from a Tarantino movie. This one entertained me! Another strong Polish hit, they are just different. 75%

An enjoyable teen comedy, not many of them are made anymore, so I had a good time. It's not as funny as I had hoped, maybe because of the lack of an R-rating (Good Boys is simply different in quality), but it's decent entertainment for a boring evening that doesn't offend, nothing more. The party could have been wilder and the girls could have let loose more too. 55%