EvilPhoEniX

Christian Alvart, who directed Pandorum and Case 39, makes his presence known after ten years with a decent German thriller. The story revolves around a pathologist who finds his daughter's number in a corpse that has been kidnapped by a sadistic psychopath, unleashing a cat and mouse hunt where the protagonist will have to search for clues to find his daughter. It stars the traditionally excellent Moritz Bleibtreu, one of the best actors in German cinema, and there are some nicely depicted viscera, especially during the autopsy. The overall experience was spoiled for me by the jumbled subtitles and it's perhaps a little too long, but otherwise decent. 65%.

After the failure of Independence Day: Resurgence, Roland Emmerich restores his reputation and serves up a decent war film that won't make a dent in the world, but thanks to familiar faces, dynamic pace and almost uninterrupted action, it's sure to entertain in the cinema, as long you don’t think too much. Of the actors, Ed Skrein stands out the most as the bold and brash pilot who steals most of the scenes for himself, but Luke Evans, Woody Harrelson, Patrick Wilson and Aaron Eckhart are also good, so there are more than enough familiar faces. It's just a pity that they don't work too well with emotions, because there are so many characters that it's almost impossible to form a relationship with any of them. The action is very decent albeit 80% through a green screen, but if you don’t mind a CGI orgy you will get over it. I don't think plane crashes and aerial gunfights have ever been so entertaining and gripping, and I was entertained by the behind-the-scenes of the Japanese. There hasn't been a WW2 war film in the cinema this year, so fans of the genre should be grateful and not hesitate to go. 75%

The story revolves around young entrepreneurs who have their own nightly stream and broadcast a fake exorcism, but trouble arises when a real demon enters their show and they suddenly can't handle it. The idea is definitely unusual and at least it brings something new to the sub-genre, the make-up effects are okay, the humour works occasionally, there are scares and the film doesn't get downright boring, so it's good for killing time. Fans of exorcisms can add an extra 10%. 50%

Travis Fimmel (Ragnar from Vikings) is commanding 108 inexperienced Australian and New Zealand soldiers against an entire Vietnamese battalion, and it's a decent wartime carnage for the first time in a while. After a brief opening, the action hardly lets off the gas and, although it's not a big production, it looks very good, the characters are likeable and the emotions work too, especially at the end. The only that disappointed me a bit is that they didn't have the courage to add gore, there are none of those raw scenes from Hacksaw Ridge, but still it's an engaging and entertaining piece for war movie fans. 75%

A film based on real events. A bus full of children is hijacked by Somali terrorists just outside the Somali border and a French special unit is sent to the scene to resolve the situation. The first hour is slower and offers a couple of moments we've seen before, but the last half hour breaks down into a solid action-packed carnage full of headshots and some nice sniper shots. Definitely decent and the beautiful Olga Kurylenko is always a delight. 65%

The follow up to the successful British series is finally here and although the initial Wow effect has slightly disappeared, it is still a tasteful, blackly humorous revenge genre stuff. Alyssa is still properly sassy and her constant "what" still amuses me and the new character with a good motive is decent too. Thanks to the short episodes, the show doesn't slacken in pace and the hotel scene and the pre-finale in the cafe are the biggest highlights of the second season. 80%.

I can’t remember the last time I saw Eddie Murphy, so I was curious about his comeback. It’s a decent black biopic based on the 70s blaxploitation star Dolemite. The main character makes his living as a stand up comedian and doesn't do too well at first, but once he hears the funny stories of the local homeless people he adapts them, passes them off as his own and it becomes an unexpected hit and a quest for fame. Wesley Snipes and Keegan-Michael Key are are very good, and Snoop Dog and Chris Rock make cameo appearances in smaller roles. I unexpectedly had fun. 80%.

The Hungarians have shown several times in the past that they can make films and this is no exception. A series of suicides starts in Budapest, and only one person claims that they are murders, Móni Balsai, a detective who has been locked in her office for ten years and suffers from severe panic attacks, so nobody believes her. The film moves at a slower pace, but it doesn't get downright boring because Móni is a very smart woman and does a perfect job at crime scenes. If you enjoy crime scene investigations you will be very satisfied. There is also an interesting denouement and a few unexpected plot twists, so definitely a noteworthy affair. 70%

October's Netflix horror extravaganza is over, but I'm also thankful for this historical flick, which it seems Netflix will serve up every year (last year it was Outlaw King, which I liked a little more, but this one is a blast too). We follow the story of young Henry V, who has recently been crowned king after the death of his father and will have to deal with the war he inherited. Brilliantly filmed, fateful, messy, authentic, historically accurate and above all breathtakingly acted. Timothée Chalamet shows a huge amount of talent on screen and I feel he has a rich future (the King's rage speech before the battle gave me goosebumps like nothing I've seen in a long time), but it was also nice to see Joel Edgerton with a perfect strategic plan and Robert Pattinson playing the sleazy French prince brilliantly. The film climaxes with the solid and glorious Battle of Agincourt, which is properly raw and dirty, and the final rather unexpected twist is brilliant. Even though the film has a slower pace, it doesn't get boring at all and is absolutely riveting. 85%

Son Yong-ho pulls himself up and after his mediocre debut, he delivers a solid action romp with the now classically excellent Ma Dong-seok, who keeps the quality bar high. After prisoner transporter crashes, a special unit is assembled to capture the individual prisoners. The premise is perfect and the film is also fun to watch thanks to its fast pace. The actors are likeable, the action is solid, especially the final half hour in the warehouse is an action inferno the likes of which Korea hasn't pulled off in a while. A nice surprise and satisfaction. 80%.