EvilPhoEniX

I had a go at a relatively unknown horror film with ravens, which is surprisingly raven-free! According to the poster, I was vainly hoping that the main character sporting a motorbike, an axe, and machine gun would kill ravens like Ash in Evil Dead. But instead of a massacre with crows that attack people, gouging out their eyes, ripping their jaws in mass coordinated attacks, we get a war veteran fighting his personal demons. That's more interesting, isn't it? It's very cheap, the main character is unlikeable and doesn't say much. Even with a short running time of 80 minutes the film drags outrageously in places and nothing interesting really happens until the last 20 minutes (without any ravens). And that bit of Gore in a one-second flashback that you don't even catch – so unsatisfying in every way. The music was alright, but otherwise I don't see any reason to watch something like this. Nice clickbait! 4/10.

After The Innocent, Mario Casas stars in another Spanish film, I feel like this guy is acting everywhere and is perhaps a bigger star than Luis Tosar at the moment. Cross the Line is a bit more intimate and smaller affair with few characters, with Mario playing more of a nerd than a cool guy here, which didn't really work for me, but the film is colourful and decently suspenseful in the final half hour. The main character faces a deadly confrontation where he kills someone in self-defense and spends the whole movie trying to cover up the case. It's a good watch, there are a few suspenseful moments and as a one-off the film is alright. But I am used to more intense stuff from the Spaniards. There is little twist at the end here as well, but I don't feel like rating it higher this time. 6.5/10.

An intimate Spanish drama-thriller set in a prison. I really like prison movies, but this time the Spaniards chose don’t quite deliver. It's mediocrely shot, the characters are not very engaging, I didn't find the plot very interesting either. The classic tale of corruption and violence is raw in places, but not explicit enough for me to cheer. It's quite surprising that even though the film is only eighty minutes long, it drags in places and you feel like you are watching a two-hour movie. There is a rape scene, which is probably the most intense of the film, otherwise quite weak. 4/10.

Cruella is a Disney villain origin film that is surprisingly stylish. Genre-wise, it's completely different than what I normally watch and seek out, but it has to be said that considering it’s 140 minutes long and has no action or violence, I had an above-average time. Cruella has her own flair, a nice London setting, an impressive Emma Stone, who steals the whole show for herself, her entrances to the stage are always both epic and engaging, and the cool retro music playing all the time is a delight. Emma Thompson is also brilliant, playing the Baroness to a great standard, she commands respect and plays the bitch decently. The clashes between the two main characters are the strongest of the whole film. I also liked the dogs, the occasional humorous interludes. There are fine twists (though some are predictable), and it works as a heist genre film with a revenge theme all in one. The fashion element is also a big plus, with some of the dresses taking your breath away. Fashion oriented women will probably marvel here. A nice nice and entertaining film. 7.5/10.

An interesting short about a skeleton that can no longer get a job as a prop in a movie because of better CGI effects. I agree with the idea, it was quite interestingly shot, but I missed a stronger twist for a higher rating. 6/10.

Denis Villeneuve delivers a pretty solid original short that is slightly reminiscent of the Spanish film The Platform. I didn't find it very funny, but it was original and interesting. 7/10.

An unexpected animated gem from Thailand! Lore, like from “Warcraft”, incorporated into a classic martial arts beat-down in the style of Ong-bak! This is exactly something for me. It has amazing visuals (revolutionary by Thai standards in fact), a captivating story, breathtaking action (the choreography of the fights is top-notch), and most importantly, it seamlessly transitions from one action scene to another, giving it a great pace and drive. Although there isn't much blood and it didn't strike me as particularly funny, the action, the visuals, and the creative villains more than make up for it. Very good and highly recommended. A fantastic 7.6 overseas! 8/10.

Feel my Wrath! I'm shocked what a gem Wrath of Man turned out to be. I was expecting a classic Statham action movie, but instead I got a well thought-out revenge-heist and gangster film with an atmosphere so dense, raw, and unpleasant at times that I was genuinely scared. There is less action than I expected, but considering the overall result, I forgive everything. The trailer showed maybe 10%, and I was shocked at how the movie turned out. I had no idea where it was heading. Jason Statham definitely has the best role of his career playing an angry, pissed-off boss with a cold expression craving revenge, but at the same time, he has character and doesn't kill people who are not against him. This is the dreamed badass protagonist I love, and I finally got to see him. The young Scott Eastwood impresses as well. He shows for the first time that he can act, playing a slimy, cold, and evil character flawlessly. The story is told retrospectively from multiple angles and perspectives, just the way I like it. There are a lot of tough guys who command respect, blood is not spared, neither are corpses. The final heist plan is as well-thought-out as in Money Heist, and the action-packed half-hour at the end is more than satisfying. The sound effects of the guns are stunning! (no muffled gun barrels). The whole movie is accompanied by a gripping and dark soundtrack that elevates it even higher. I must praise the realism and authenticity of the entire story. (the scene with the SWAT team, those guys commanded so much respect that I started to wish they would never come out of that car, otherwise they would take me away!). The final reckoning is among the sweetest revenge endings I've ever seen, and of course, there was one unexpected twist. A truly amazing manly feat loaded in all directions, and I'm looking forward to watching it again! I enjoyed it immensely. A contender for movie of the year! 9/10.

The new mainstream horror fil Unholy, produced by Sam Raimi, unfortunately isn't worth much. it's nothing but a consumerist mainstream film, relatively nicely shot, but boring. The film was released in cinemas in the USA, so it's nice to know that it's not a completely cheap affair and a few people might enjoy Jeffrey Dean Morgan, though his character doesn't particularly stand out. The music didn't interest me much, there was maybe only one good jump scare, the atmosphere doesn't really grab you (unfortunately, most of the time it doesn't even happen in the dark), so probably nobody will be scared. The appearance of the Virgin Mary's ghost, especially towards the end, is slightly creepy, so at least there's that if nothing else. It's a shame it didn't push the envelope more (the body count is low), there are not enough scares and they not very effective, and at times it drags on quite a bit. An hour after it ended, I don't even remember what it was about, so I'm lowering my rating. 4/10.

I like anthology horror films, but unfortunately this one doesn't measure up to The Mortuary Collection and Southbound. It's kind of cheap, but you can survive it without any harm to your health. The story takes place in a library, where five writers are tasked with telling a scary story in which they themselves appear, and it has a surprise ending. Unfortunately, none of the stories are particularly interesting. They don't offer an interesting plot or any twists, which I could overlook if they were at least functional from a horror perspective, but there's nothing there. There's hardly any gore, just a little bit of blood, but that won't really surprise anyone these days. There aren't any jump scares either, and the atmosphere didn't strike me as dark or gripping. Visually, it's average at best. I can't think of many reasons why I would recommend this horror film, but there are worse things to choose from. The most interesting part was probably the third story, which has some pretty nice make-up effects, but again, they were underdeveloped and not fully utilized. 4/10.