EvilPhoEniX

I went for five stars. 212 Warrior was my dark horse and everything pointed to that: Ruhian, silat, Indonesia, jungle. However, fresh from watching it I have a very bitter taste in my mouth. It did not sit well with me at all, it went off in just about every direction. I was very naive if I thought I was going to get The Raid, but set in the jungle. What I got instead was more of a parody of action movies from the 1990s with Jackie Chan, but without Jackie Chan. Given that it is delivered it in a lighthearted way, I'm even more disappointed that I didn't laugh even once. I found the humour childish and awkward, the main character annoyed me to no end (his weird grins and dancing during fights were completely out of place). There is only uninteresting chatter for an hour, it looks quite cheap, a kind of B-movie made for Indonesian TV. Of course there is no R-rated, and they included unnecessary fantasy wu-xia elements (there's a bit of flying, magic and ropes), exactly what I hate. So the only plus point is Ruhian, who plays the bad guy and shows off his skills in fights three times in total, and the scenes with him are probably the most interesting thing in the whole movie – though unfortunately he didn't get any suitable opponent because the main character really can't do much. I have it between 2-3 stars, I'll give it 3 in the end out of mercy. I haven't seen anything from Indonesia in a long time and Ruhian is still cool, but I definitely won't be going back to this one in the future. Story***, Action***, Humor*, Violence NO, Fun***, Music***, Visuals**, Atmosphere**, Suspense**. 5/10.

I don't really watch musicals, but I was looking forward to this one and it's a summer sensation in full effect. Vibrant, energetic, feel-good, sexy, attractive, pompous, racy and very appealing, set in the exotic world of a Latino street in New York. I was a bit worried about the overlong running time (half an hour less wouldn't hurt), but there are enough songs, and they are catchy, melodic, and at times I felt like hitting the streets and dancing across the city! The choreography is also fine – the scene in the pool is the best. The actors are likeable, both the main character and Vanessa. Overall, a very enjoyable summer and fun piece with energy like few things. 7.5/10.

An up-and-coming trilogy set during Halloween about a mysterious magician with a pretty creepy mask, but it doesn’t show much of anything. It's not brutal or atmospheric enough for a horror film, the magic isn't attractive enough, and the visuals are mediocre too. It didn't really grab me. 5/10.

A neat short atmospheric horror film set in an orphanage with a nicely done central boogeyman (the Tooth Fairy) who gives the children money in exchange for their teeth. Very nicely shot, with decent atmosphere and an interesting idea. If they had tightened it up in the finale, I would have been even happier. 7.5/10.

A Filipino comic about a female detective who battles mythical creatures and various monsters in Manila. The animation is decent, it's quite engaging as a crime show, and when it comes to blood, it splatters nicely. Occasionally they conjure up a horror vibe conjured up (the zombie attack on the police station). I'm not quite the target audience, but I was relatively entertained. Anime fans can throw in an extra star. 6/10.

Netflix is doing a pretty good job with animation. The Mitchells vs. the Machines is still the clear winner, but this is a nice surprise. It’s similar to Aladdin, but it doesn’t matter. The protagonist gets a teapot from which a magical dragon comes out and can grant him three wishes. It’s nice entertainment for the whole family. The humor works (the dragon is awesome) and the villain who solves everything with his long legs was top notch. The animation is decent, the characters are great, and it oozes feel good atmosphere. I had more fun than I expected. A nice film. Story- ****, Visuals- ****, Action-***. Suspense-*, Gore-no Humor- ****, Actors- ****, Atmosphere- ***. 8/10.

Antoine Fuqua is a director whose every new film I look forward to (Training Day, The Equalizer, Southpaw and The Magnificent Seven). I've enjoyed his work, so of course I was looking forward to Infinite. I also like Mark Wahlberg, but this unfortunately won't be a film I'll remember. OK, the 43% is no doubt unfair, the film is really not that bad. The craftsmanship is okay, it doesn't feel underfunded, the actors are okay, and the idea of reincarnation is fine, but not used properly. I'm not one to criticize lack of logic, a stupid plot and such things, let fans of dramas and similar intellectual retirement movies that are unwatchable and unbearable for me deal with that. For one thing the film lacks R-rated action, that's just basic and points are always down for that. I wouldn't be angry if Fuqua had worked on the humour in the non-action passages, a bit of witty enlivenment would have done the film good. Also, given the reincarnations, I was hoping they would show flashbacks (like the Punic Wars, the French Revolution), hell if they had devoted 10 minutes to that I wouldn't be angry at all. I was also a bit puzzled by the fact that if someone has a few years of experience in martial arts, why the hell can't you see it? The enemies don't show much of anything, the threat is minimal and it's definitely underused and underdeveloped in that regard. The action is a bit plain, flat and lacking in proper spice, and that's a shame. I have to give a shout out to the steampunk shotgun, though, it was awesome. Overall, it feels hastily made, but I still didn't suffer with it, I wasn't bored, it went by relatively alright, so I have no problem giving it an average 3 stars due to my love for the genre. Next time I would prefer something in the style of Training Day, Antoine! Story-**, Visuals- ****, Action-***. Suspense-**, Gore-no, Humor-**, Actors-***, Atmosphere-*. 5.5/10.

Awake wants to be A Quiet Place and Bird Box, but unfortunately it's not even average. Of all the genre relatives, Awake is the worst and therefore the most useless, and anyone who gives this the same rating as A Quiet Place is really out their mind. It looks as cheap as toilet paper under the commies, a pure made-for-TV production instead of Netflix. I was already hoping it would end somewhere around the 20 minute mark. There's no denying Awake has an interesting idea, where after a global catastrophe the power goes out and people lose the ability to sleep. Unfortunately, it is only sketched out and I felt like the film didn't really engage with that premise. There is no chaotic outset of the apocalypse, no treatment for the disease, in fact everything potentially interesting that could have been addressed gets pinned on the central family and it's boring as fuck. I wasn't entertained at all, it's shoddy everywhere it can be. The gore here looks like something out of a 90s horror movie and there's nothing worth seeing, unfortunately. When cooking, when ironing, as a backdrop perhaps, otherwise I don't recommend it. I find it funny that people lose their ability to sleep in the film, but they do a damn good job of putting the viewer to sleep. Story**, Action**, Humor>No, Violence*, Fun*, Music**, Visuals**, Atmosphere*, Suspense**, Actors**, 3/10.

The start is still almost devoid of action, but it has its qualities. It is shot and acted wonderfully and the atmosphere absorbed me. The ending is surprising. 8/10.

An interesting premise for sure, a strange and weird atmosphere and a pretty decent twist. Unfortunately, it's a bit too long and nothing very satisfying happens in the end. It could have reached much higher levels. 6/10.