EvilPhoEniX

An enjoyable spring film packed with great actors, a fine setting and effective humour. I didn't expect much from Lost City and it could be said it is a spring surprise that combines several elements and genres in one, and it all works well together. Sandra Bullock is traditionally excellent as a sexy and smart woman. She plays a successful writer who is kidnapped by a mad millionaire (Daniel Radcliffe) because he thinks she her book describes the path to a lost city and hidden treasure. Sandra is about to be rescued by a bumbling dork played by Channing Tatum (quite possibly his best role ever). He hires Navy Seals Tracker Jack Trainer (Brad Pitt), who deserves his own movie, an unreal badass who has one of the best action scenes of the entire film (surprisingly solid fights!). Plot-wise it's a bit cliched and predictable, but it doesn't really matter that much as the chemistry between Bullock and Tatum works great (their banter is very entertaining, classy, intelligent and never descends into profanity). The whole film has a nice pace with fine action and a decent amount of humour. The jungle setting could have been used better (there are no animals or danger there, unfortunately), and the finale is weaker than the beginning and middle, but I still had a great time and will happily repeat the film. Story 3/5, Action 4/5, Humor 4/5, Violence 1/5, Fun 4/5 Music 3/5, Visuals 4/5, Atmosphere 3/5, Suspense35/5, Emotion 3/5, Actors 4/5. 7.5/10.

An instant candidate for Thriller of the Year from France. Black Box is a proper thriller with no weaknesses! The protagonist is a smart young black box analyst with a great passion, an unprecedented talent (trained as an acoustician) and a sense of hearing that is out of the normal spectrum. He is tasked with solving the crash of a brand new plane with 300 passengers where no one survived, quite possibly the hardest job of his life. Was it terrorists, a plane malfunction or something else? The film has the incredible advantage of benefiting from a very original and attractive plot, where the viewer is not only interested in the unraveling of the mystery itself, but also how such a job in a similar disaster takes place in the real world, for which I am grateful. The whole film from beginning to end runs like a Swiss watch, it is incredibly suspenseful, the atmosphere is powerfully unsettling, the main character's performance is almost Oscar-worthy, the soundtrack is creepily horrifying to the point of eeriness, the aircraft simulation ( carnage,wow,lol. that's all I can say). There’s a corporate conspiracy of aircraft companies, elaborate and intelligent twists and turns and a quite shocking and unexpected finale. Until the last moment the viewer has no idea how it will all turn out and the denouement is of course realistically frightening. It works as a whodunit, as a thriller and as a drama, and in all ways the director goes about it with a straight face and with his head held high. Bravo, I'm really impressed. I heartily recommend this to everyone, everyone should see this. Story 5/5, Action 2/5, Humour 0/5, Violence 0/5, Entertainment 4/5 Music 5/5, Visuals 4/5, Atmosphere 5/5, Suspense 5/5, Emotions 4/5, Actors 5/5. 9/10.

A solid atmospheric and uncomfortable horror film from Paco Plaza. The Grandmother is not as great as expected, but I was not offended and got what I expected. A Parisian model has to return from Madrid because her grandmother has had a stroke and needs immediate care, but it's no walk in the park. I’ve liked scary old people since The Visit and this time I was once again treated to a nice horror film. This source of haunting works for me more than ghosts or demons, it is very realistic and relatable and I certainly didn't envy the situation given to the main character. It has a slower pace, but it's beautifully shot and acted, and the atmosphere is awesome in each scene (the dream sequences are terrific and the finale reminded me of The Conjuring). There is great sound and camera work and strobe work – and I like that. The final twist can be predicted, but I still found it well thought out and properly unsettling. Anyone who likes Spanish filmmaking, scary old people and proper atmospheric fear without cheesy jump-scares the old fashioned way shouldn't grumble. A hair worse than last year's 32 Malasana Street, but fine nonetheless. Story 3/5, Action 2/5, Humour 0/5, Violence 1/5, Fun 4/5 Music 4/5, Visuals 4/5, Atmosphere 4/5, Suspense 3/5, Emotion 2/5, Actors 4/5. 7/10.

An insanely morbid cannibal-vegan horror comedy from France! Definitely a surprise for me and the film really hit the mood. The story focuses on a married couple who after twenty years are not doing so well, their little butcher shop is not making much profit anymore. Everything changes when they accidentally run over a guy who just happens to be vegan and decide to butcher and sell him, and of course the demand for new "vegan" meat grows. From that point on, the ultimate serial killer vegan hunt begins and it's a ride. It's full of morbid lines mocking vegans and with the typical French humour, which I personally quite like, so all these comical, ironic, sarcastic, black and morbid situations hit the spot. For more sensitive viewers this will of course be over the line, and for vegans even more so, they get trolled in incredible style (I've never seen that in any film form, you could say this film is a satire), and the gore, the various dismemberments of all sorts of limbs (there is a five-minute scene where the central couple comically murder about ten people in various ways) are a delight. The finale is more action packed, but you could definitely feel that the makers were running out of ideas to end the film properly, but it certainly doesn't detract from the experience. I laughed out loud, a breezy horror comedy for me. Story 3/5, Action 3/5, Humour 4/5, Violence 4/5, Fun 4/5 Music 3/5, Visuals 3/5, Atmosphere 3/5, Suspense 3/5, Emotion 2/5, Actors 3/5. 7.5/10

A magical neo-noir thriller by Guillermo del Toro! Nightmare Alley isn't for mainstream audiences and you need to be in the mood for it, but if you're properly tuned in like me, you're in for an awesome magical movie experience. The film benefits a lot from a perfect cast, with Bradley Cooper in the lead and Cate Blanchett also in a very prominent role of her career (the rest of the characters have less space, but Willem Dafoe, Toni Collette and Ron Perlman are good, too). The first hour was very close and appealing to me, set in a post war circus, a setting I like a lot and here they portray very nicely what goes on behind the curtain (all the shenanigans). The story of the wild man is awesome, it has quite a disturbing and sultry atmosphere. Visually it's absolutely breathtaking to the point of being mesmerizing, some of the shots will make want to pause the film and take a picture (Guillermo is a god in visual styling). The second half goes in a different direction, and I won't say which one, but it definitely builds up decently, the tension and uncertainty builds up and the finale is quite uncompromisingly ironic. The film is two and a half hours long and has a slower pace, so impatient viewers will probably fall asleep or give up on it, but I surprisingly stared open-mouthed and thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing. It's a perfect example of manipulation, psychology, scamming and deception with a nice period setting, magical atmosphere, excellent actors, stunning visuals and well written dialogue. The scene where the older gentleman explains to Bradley the trick of manipulating people with the right words- is great. I took away a lesson from the movie, I feel I was on top of things and it's definitely something to debate with friends for half an hour, so very good for me. Story 4/5, Action 2/5, Humor 0/5, Violence 2/5, Fun 4/5 Music 4/5, Visuals 5/5, Atmosphere 4/5, Suspense 3/5, Emotion 3/5, Actors 4/5. 8/10.

A proper werewolf horror movie after a few years! The film is set in the lovely late 19th century and has an A24 studio feel to it. A small village begins to be consumed by a curse after a cruel Baron has a Romany clan massacred and unpleasant events begin to happen in the town. Boyd Holbrook (an excellent actor!) is a pathologist wo arrives in the town and helps the inhabitants avert the curse. The film doesn't get boring despite being over two hours long, it has chilling visuals full of fog and impressive set pieces, great actors (Kelly Reilly and Alistair Petrie alongside Holbrook are a terrific), a creepy scarecrow, a decent werewolf (here forget about the plush animals of the past five years), proper gore, a few scares, a solid brutal introduction set in the war, a final massacre in a church, the town curse – I really don't know what more to ask for, there's something for everyone and to a decent degree. Decent work for little money, a horror addition like this comes along once in a while and should be appreciated. Story 3/5, Action 3/5, Humor 0/5, Violence 4/5, Fun 4/5 Music 3/5, Visuals 4/5, Atmosphere 4/5, Suspense 3/5, Emotion 3/5, Actors 4/5. 8/10.

Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett are a proven duo (Southbound and Ready or Not were no fluke) and the return of the famous slasher franchise is a great success. Those with knowledge of previous episodes have an advantage, I've forgotten most of it, but thankfully it didn't detract from the viewing experience. New youngsters are introduced and old friends return, Ghostface is in great shape (the high bodycount is a plus) and he definitely knows how to use a knife, he makes his victims uncomfortable and in all different ways and angles, so definitely a nice show. The nice thing about Scream is that it's one of the few slasher films that follows absolutely all the rules of the genre, even shapes and plays with them. The detective-like hunt for the killer, where absolutely everyone is a suspect and nobody can tell with certainty who Ghostface is until the finale works very well here. The various allusions and winks to other horror films and the the occasional wisecrack are nice, and the explanation of why Scream is a Legacy-seqquel and not a sequel or prequel was downright brilliant and very apt. It's not a horror film to be scared at, although the suspense works, but as entertainment it's almost impossible to fault. Story 3/5, Action 4/5, Humor 3/5, Violence 4/5, Fun 4/5 Music 4/5, Visuals 4/5, Atmosphere 4/5, Suspense 4/5, Emotion 3/5, Actors 3/5. 8/10.

An amazing Bayhem, for me the film of the year so far and one of Michael Bay's best films! Ambulance is a combination of Den of Thieves and Wrath of Man, and if you like purely male movies full of adrenaline and testosterone you won't go wrong with this one – I died and came back to life in the cinema, metaphorically speaking fell and rose from the ashes like phoenix! Bay sets a very fast pace from the opening and thrusts us into a heist where absolutely everything gets fucked up, and the action then shifts to the ambulance, which is where the whole film takes place, and although it sounds uninteresting, you better believe you'll be wiping your brow with adrenaline. Jake Gyllenhaal is excellent, a chameleon of an actor (he overacts at times, but why not), and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is terrific as well as a former marine playing a very charismatic hero. Eiza Gonzalez, nothing to worry about here, great acting, great looks, Bay couldn't have picked a better trio of actors for this project. The action is uncompromising, the gunfights (no one has better sound design for guns than Bay!), the car chases, the helicopters, it's all there and I didn't feel like I was watching a movie at all, I felt I was watching a live broadcast of a crime in progress in LA, so the authenticity and realism gives it a high dimension. In other words, Bay has made his own movie version of GTA and for me it was a dream come true. I must also single out the great soundtrack (the music was ear-splitting and added to the tension and adrenaline). Bay's drone-camera was downright revolutionary, the aerial shots were so riveting that Deakins and Hoyt are quietly envious. The operation on the fly – the best shot operation in a movie since Saw, even a gore lover gets their serving, so pure euphoria and bliss. On top of all that, the dramatic and emotional moments work (Bay can bring tears in the opening 5 minutes, not to mention the ending!), and praise must be given to the FBI who finally showcase a very good antagonist, two intelligent fighters on opposite sides of the barricade, awesome and add to that the military tricks and a cartel and there is really little left missing for the audience to have a stroke. Flawless for me, I'm going again next week and then again. I liked how Bay references his own films. Story 3/5, Action 5/5, Humor 3/5, Violence 4/5, Fun 5/5 Music 5/5, Visuals 5/5, Atmosphere 5/5, Suspense 5/5, Emotion 5/5, Actors 5/5. 10/10.

A surprise tribute to The Exorcist of Mexico? Exorcism is a stale topic, there hasn't been made a proper film of that genre for many years, and one would think that nothing new can be invented, but well, this one is definitely worth your attention. Exorcism has never been turned inside out before. The film has a B-movie look, but at the same time it has its technical qualities. Plot-wise, it's not completely silly, the main character is a priest who, after an initial exorcism, banishes the devil to another host (himself) and finds time to redeem him after 18 years, though he has to confess to one of his greatest sins. The film has great pace, there are loads of demons, scares, action, atmospheric scenes and there's even a bit of gore, so definitely welcome in every way. The opening exorcism has great visual effects and an uncomfortable atmosphere, and quite possibly some of the best work to come out of the last ten years, but the Mexican prison setting, haunted for the rest of the running time, is also interesting. The demonic Jesus is downright awesome, but the rest of the demons look creepy enough too (the make-up effects are very good). The whole thing culminates in a passable prison massacre and a terrific exorcism with a playful twist. For me, a successful piece of work. It's fun, engaging, funky and for fans of exorcisms I it’s think more than solid stuff. The rest will turn up their noses. Story 3/5, Action 4/5, Humor 2/5, Violence 3/5, Fun 4/5 Music 4/5, Visuals 3/5, Atmosphere 4/5, Suspense 3/5, Emotion 3/5, Actors 3/5. 7/10.

Noomi Rapace in a post-apocalyptic thriller that doesn't live up to its full potential, but it worked for me as a one-off. The film starts off with a pretty dense realistic opening where the atmosphere is quite topical, with a scenario that we could easily be experiencing ourselves in a few weeks, so that definitely makes the film engaging and entertaining. It's clear that first-time director Adam Berg doesn't have much experience, but he definitely has talent. We don't learn much about the war itself, it gets straight to the point: Operation Black Crab, where a group of soldiers are tasked with carrying a mysterious package across a frozen archipelago and if the mission succeeds, they can end the war. Of the cast, Noomi Rapace and Dar Salim are the best without question. There is fine cinematography, visuals and music, and a couple of plot surprises with a rather shocking twist and a not-so-typical conclusion. The little action there is doesn't really pull much, but that's thankfully not the point here. Soldiers on skates are great and the frozen cemetery is probably the most atmospheric scene of the film. Those expecting an action flick will be disappointed, but as an atmospheric post-apocalyptic drama I have no problem with it, I enjoyed it. Story 3/5, Action 3/5, Humor 0/5, Violence 2/5, Fun 3/5 Music 4/5, Visuals 4/5, Atmosphere 4/5, Suspense 2/5, Emotion 3/5, Actors 4/5. 65%.