EvilPhoEniX

A solid directorial debut from Iceland dealing with drug trafficking. The story revolves around two brothers who smuggle cocaine into their country in the belly of a young Polish woman, but everything goes wrong when the woman gets sick, she can’t vomit the drugs, the police are on their tail and someone would like to get their cut. As always, those used to Scandinavian cinema will get an authentic, uncomfortable and gritty piece with an escalating and suspenseful finale. Very good and chilling enough. 8/10

An inoffensive Hong Kong crime drama with the traditionally good Louis Koo. There is a murder case and the only eyewitness is Ara, a parrot, who of course can talk, but is unlikely to succeed in court as evidence. A fairly original entry into the crime genre, there are two action scenes and it's not entirely obvious who the killer is in the end, so Hong Kong crime fans will be in for a treat, except I still find HK two steps backwards visually compared to South Korea. 60%

An intense claustrophobic thriller from Denmark. The film focuses on a reporter who goes to visit the underground of Copenhagen, where construction of a subway is underway, but an alarm goes off and she is forced to lock herself in an airlock with two other people. The first hour is kind of slow and nothing much interesting happens, but the last half hour is a decent claustrophobic and oppressive ordeal with an unpredictable ending. Those who suffer from claustrophobia and like thrillers like this should give this one a chance. 5.5/10.

Once in a while it doesn't hurt to catch up on an old film and this is just the ticket. Mark Wahlberg, then a budding actor, gets the opportunity to break into the porn industry and his life changes radically. Along with a fancy house, a car and fucking beautiful women, there are also parties full of booze and drugs and a personality change. Very funny, exciting and educational. 85%

After a great first film comes a great sequel, and not everyone can do that. The Poles literally excel in the romantic comedy genre, serving up both a dense emotional romance and a very funny comedy, and that's mostly thanks to the leading actors. The emotionally charged finale has a decent edge. 80%

A decent thriller mystery about a love triangle set in 1980s Tokyo with Alicia Vikander perfect as always. The film is more of a romantic thriller, so I'm guessing it will appeal more to a female audience, but I wasn't bored either, though the pace is slower. Alicia Vikander is interrogated at a police station, and the story is told in long flashbacks, and while it doesn't completely pull off and the film doesn't offer any standout scenes, it works quite well thanks to the good actors, the decent music, the uncertain atmosphere and the well-dosed psychology. 6/10

Solid Italian gangster movie with young thugs. The film is set in Naples and focuses on a gang of 15 year old boys who crave money to buy designer clothes and get involved in the drug trade. Their life changes drastically and it was nice to see the fervor with which they slowly take over the neighborhood and since the competition doesn't just give up they need to get guns as well. It's not a smash like City of God, but those who like similarly-themed genre films where kids do illegal activities will be satisfied. 8/10

A solid crime thriller based on true events. The bodies of three young children are found naked, mutilated and tied up in a lake and the suspects are three teenagers who listen to heavy metal music and are believed to be Satan worshippers. Since they are facing the death penalty and there is no direct evidence, Colin Firth offers his services for free and tries to help them at any cost. Bleak atmosphere, great actors, awesome trial scenes and a shocking finale. I have no idea why I ignored this six year old film for so long, but it's definitely worth a watch. 7/10.

The Spaniards come up with another chilling and disturbing thriller! The protagonist travels home from work in the middle of nowhere in the evening to catch his daughter's birthday and, tired, closes his eyes for a few seconds only to accidentally hit a drunken teenager who was loitering by the side of the road. The problem arises when her friend turns up and the protagonist is left with only two options: confess and go to jail, or kill them both and save his family. A very unenviable situation that the Spaniards handle with a chilling atmosphere. Suspenseful, bleak, rather unpleasant and even though it doesn't whip up twist after twist as is usual with the Spaniards, it is a very decent piece. 7/10.

We move from Iraq to Venezuela and it's again very decent and timely. John Krasinski is traditionally excellent and of the new characters, Noomi Rapace and Tom Wlaschiha as a professional hitman (the Man of a Thousand Faces from Game of Thrones) are really good. There is a bit more action than in the first season and the shootouts in the middle of the Venezuelan Jungle in particular are awesome. The storyline is engaging and the series definitely doesn't get boring. The first season, however, is a little bit better. 75%