EvilPhoEniX

A gripping story set in 1907, with miners facing hard times and difficult conditions. The story revolves around a young boy, Konrad, who escapes from a farm where he was forced to work for free. He applies for a job in a mine and has a pretty tough start, it's a not a job wimps and he's an outsider among the adults who don't give him much of a chance, but he surprises them and soon becomes a full member. The film tells a compelling story that immediately draws you in, captivated by the nice period setting, the rough work of the miners, who are treated badly, their pay is cut, they are given tough assignments and the management are getting greedy and want more money, but as it happens action provokes a reaction and rebellion is inevitable. Visually the film is very nice, so is the acting, it's even quite suspenseful in certain sequences, there are some skirmishes and minor plot surprises. All in all, a well made film with a strong story from a tough setting. 75%.

I picked up this not rather unknown but highly praised film from Germany set in a religious facility! It is reminiscent in its concept to Nordic films like The Day Will Come, and its qualities are certainly not far from them. A young 14 year old who has problems at school and rebels against his stepfather is sent to a religious institution for hard to handle juveniles to "reform", but he is in for a very difficult time. Bullying by inmates and guards is rampant. Freistatt is a horrible place in the middle of nowhere, with bogs all around, and the wardens are, as is their wont, petty bitches with no compassion. Suspenseful, authentically unpleasant and decently gritty. Quite shocking at the end. Yeah, if, like me you haven’t heard of it, you should give it a go! 80%

I was curious about this praised drama, what makes it so special that everybody admires it and it's not bad. I won’t get any hate from me, but at the same time I don't find much reason to be happy. It's just too ordinary for my taste, the premise was definitely not thought up by 10 heads over half a year, and for a film that can only rely on the story and the actors, I was expecting something more interesting. At least in terms of humour and emotions it's quite bland. When I compare it to films like Whiplash or Green Book, it's a different cup of tea. Paul Giamatti rather annoyed me with his squinting eye, but Dominic Sessa was fine. I would have enjoyed it more if it was set in a school with students. It was okay for one viewing, but I definitely won't go back to it again. 6/10.

A decent Russian war film set in Syria. A Russian soldier goes on his own to free his captured captain from ISIS and uses the US army to do it. The handing over of the prisoners for ransom turns into a firefight and so begins the hunt of the terrorists for the Russians through the war-torn territory of Syria and there are even Bedouins! Visually, the film is on par, you root for the main character through his courage and humanity, it's quite suspenseful and it all culminates in an action-packed shootout with snipers and machine guns. The finale raises it to a higher rating for me. Those who like films set in the Arab world should give it a chance. 7/10.

Decent job for a debut. It's more of a detective story than a mystery thriller though, and it's of a very classic cut, the whole film is about solving one 10 year-old case. Russell Crowe is back to digging into the case, as there may very well be an innocent man in prison and he wants to get to the bottom of it all. Crowe is well suited to roles like this and anyone who enjoys these genre films that involve an investigation, an interrogation and a chase for the truth might be satisfied. The ending is surprising, just when you though you’ve guessed the identity of the killer, there's a pretty major twist that adds plus points. It has a rather slower pace. 6/10.

Fuck old people!! The Elderly is a decent Spanish film that slowly builds up the atmosphere to culminate in decently intense horror in the last act. The film focuses on cases of Alzheimer's disease, hallucinatory senile symptoms, climate change and electromagnetic pollution. The craftsmanship is good, the unsettling atmosphere works throughout and the ending is really very good and uncomfortable. Pity there wasn’t a final girl who picked up a machete or a chainsaw and started cutting things up real good, I would have pretty much wrung my head in excitement – maybe Jaume Balaguero would have done that :) Anyway, still a decent three stars, I had fun. 65%.

Kong Skull Island remains unsurpassed in this modern Monterverse. If I were 15 I'd be cheering with joy, today it's just a pure washout that, while it doesn't hurt to see in the cinema and doesn't outright offend, there can be no question of any great enthusiasm. When the film kept it down to earth, it was fine. The clash of the apes was quite reminiscent of Planet of the Apes and visually it's quite nice, unfortunately the human characters once again trip it up, they're redundant and slow the story down. By the end, the film was a digital mess, with lights flying from pink to white, and I'm not really into that anymore. Too bad the whole movie didn't take place in the Hollow Earth with no humans, just Kong and monsters, that would have been nice! 6/10.

I was actually quite surprised. It's definitely the more acceptable mainstream for me, not as obnoxiously generic and clichéd as say Night Swim or Imaginary, but going for a slightly different route that's reminiscent of the recent Talk to Me. A girl inherits an ancient house from her father that hides a secret in the basement, there's a witch who has the ability to turn into someone dead, but only for a certain amount of time and there are rules to follow. The look of the creature is great, technically the film is on the level, I was intrigued by the whole mythology around the witch (I have more affection for them than for ghosts), the scares don't work and it's not scary, but it's quite suspenseful, it's not boring and the ending is definitely unexpected. Decent. 6/10.

Streams of blood are replaced by streams of tears, but the fact that it's so emotionally charged that it even took down Evil! It's a good idea not to find out anything about the film beforehand, it hits the unprepared much harder. While it's not quite the kind of film I seek out and the central theme is not one of my favourites, it has to be admitted that the film holds the attention (the excellent child performances pull it up a lot!). The whole film has a very heartbreaking mood and the sadness is conveyed to the viewer in a really respectable way. I wouldn’t recommended to mothers, there is a risk of emotional breakdown, seizure and lifelong consequences! Sometimes I need something this touching and strong after all my favourite twisted hogwash and martial arts flicks. 8/10.

I was honestly expecting a bigger bang, but it's fine. For me, it's better than the two-part Japanese film, and the series is only 6 episodes long. The theme of the world being invaded by alien parasites that can impersonate humans is very cool, and the make-up effects and the CGI of the parasites look great. It's pretty much action packed, even pleasantly brutal, the characters are fine, the plot could have been more nutritious, but I had fun and it went by quickly. It's between 3-4, but I'm leaning towards the better mark.