EvilPhoEniX

More was probably expected from a Paul Greengrass/Tom Hanks collaboration. For me, it's a an unnecessary and uninteresting film that didn't bring anything new. It's shot well, acted well (Helena Zengel, after System Crasher, proves once again that she is on an excellent path). The stumbling block for me is the story, did Greengrass really have to choose such an uninteresting subject? Watching a traveling journalist in the Wild West is probably the most boring option available. It lacks action, emotion, drive, and tension – everything I like basically. Weak three stars for Hanks. Story***, Action*, Humor>No, Violence>No, Entertainment**, Music***, Visuals***, Atmosphere***, Tension**. 5/10.

A nicely portrayed nightmare at the dentist's from the director The Mortuary Collection! A beautiful girl at the dentist's has a very hallucinogenic and unpleasant experience, which is a bit uncomfortable – the scene with the injection really shook me, and if they had shown a tooth extraction, I would have probably fainted. Great visuals and enjoyable psychological aspect. 7.5/10.

A brisk forest survival drama from my beloved France! A likeable blonde goes to a bar for a few drinks, she meets a guy there, they exchange a few words, and suddenly she's in his car. But only when they get there does she realize that this guy might not be the right one, because he's actually a psychopath with murderous intentions. Those looking for a story can skip this movie, but as a forest thriller, it's sufficiently suspenseful, and Arieh Worthalter plays the psychopath brilliantly, his performance elevates the whole film. The beautiful setting and plenty of shots of forest animals were nice, and, though they spare the gore, the least the arrow stuck in an ear and the boulder in the face will stick in your memory. I had a good time, and even though I expected something slightly more intense, I'm happy to rate it highly. Story***, Action***, Humor>No, Violence***, Entertainment****, Music***, Visuals****, Atmosphere****, Tension****. 7/10.

A teen horror series set in a high school in Sweden. I am a bit disappointed because after the first two episodes, I was literally excited (the scene where the teenager explodes is probably the best of a person exploding ever) and the sound design was well-deserving of praise, as the main character experiences quite strong hallucinations and the sound is truly perfect. But the excitement gradually diminished with the following episodes. I am a bit bothered that the series doesn't really know what it wants to be and includes a little bit of everything, but nothing is properly developed. There is a cult that doesn't make any sense, it's just there, but doesn't do anything. Something floats in the lake (when I say "something," it's because the creators don't show it), and when they tease a great scene in the beginning, you would hope to see it more than twice in ten episodes. Much more emphasis is placed on who sleeps with whom and who cheats on whom, which isn't as annoying thanks to relatively likeable characters, but dedicating 80% of the series to it feels deceitful. Additionally, I am angry that nothing is explained and you don’t get any answers to any questions. Fortunately, it is filmed relatively decently and the episodes are twenty minutes long, so the series doesn't have time to bore, but I definitely didn't get what I expected. Story***, Action>No, Humor**, Violence***, Entertainment***, Music****, Visuals***, Atmosphere***, Tension***. 5.5/10.

An incredibly strong, emotional, and intense experience. Knock Out is an unexpected gem that hit my emotions hard. The story focuses on a boxing champion who is attacked by gangsters with baseball bats in a bar after a match, he naturally gives them a sound beating and goes to serve a tough eight-year sentence. Upon release, he learns that his girlfriend is dead and has left him with a little girl to take care of. After the action-packed opening, the film turns into a social drama, which is fortunately very effective, as the relationship between the former champion and his daughter is beautifully portrayed. But the wealthy mother of the deceased girlfriend wants to take the girl under her custody. An emotional court process follows, which leads to a damn devastating twist that had me reaching for tissues (I thought to myself, the director must be the devil!). It's a tearjerker that literally shook an unprepared viewer like me. Fortunately, the main hero regains the desire to box again and challenges the current champion, and I must say that the final fight meets the strictest parameters of all boxing films. Cinematography, story, emotions, action, and actors (the little girl is brilliant). A tryly mature film. Story *****, Action ****, Humor> No, Violence *, Entertainment ****, Music ***, Visual ****, Atmosphere ****, Tension ***. 8.5/10.

The first hit of this year and one of the best movies on the theme of drugs in recent times. A series of dead young people associated with a new drug on the market called Synchronic show up in a city. The drug has bizarre effects, it allows people to travel in time, but whatever happens to you there, you bring it back with you. Anthony Mackie and Jamie Dornan are paramedics who more or less go from apartment to apartment, and for the first half an hour, the film has a very tense, unsettling, and unpleasant atmosphere that reminded me of the cult-classi Se7en. I would have preferred if the whole film followed a similar tone, or if they showed the trips of all the dead people, but that would cost more money. Anyway the film has a solid pace, great visuals, a hallucinogenic and trippy atmosphere, and enough corpses to keep the viewer's attention. Very good! Story****, Action***, Humor>No, Violence***, Entertainment****, Music***, Visuals****, Atmosphere*****, Tension****. 8/10.

A lighter version of the recent hit Beasts Clawing at Straws, quite entertaining and definitely not boring, but I prefer a darker and grittier style. Once again, there's a bundle of money around which a group of people revolves: a serial killer, a police officer, gangsters, and a delivery man. It has a good pace, the occasional humor works – the senile serial killer was very good – and the visuals are traditionally fine. As an entertaining one-off, Snatch-up does its job, but to earn a higher rating, it should have some sharper action. Story****, Action***, Humor***, Violence*, Entertainment****, Music***, Visuals****, Atmosphere***, Tension***. 6/10.

Niall Shukla’s debut is quite similar to his hit A Doll Distorted. The sound and image take the lead, but for my taste, it is unnecessarily long and not as intense, but Guilt definitely deserves attention. 6/10.

After a very long time, a solid old-school action film from Hong Kong. A diligent detective tries to track down a gang of six thieves led by the devilish Daniel Wu (who had a very prominent role in Into the Badlands) who have been successfully resisting the police for several years. The first half has a captivating pace, the gang robs one bank after another and ruthlessly shoots people in the process. It is filled with interesting ideas and occasionally there are short but decent shootouts, although there's only one truly remarkable action scene. In the second half, the film focuses more on bread and slightly deviates from the main theme, losing some of its tempo, which is a shame. However, I enjoyed watching the duel between the smart policeman and the smart gang leader, and fortunately, the film delivers a fairly solid fight in the finale, giving Daniel Wu a chance to show off at least once. Hong Kong's best years are behind it, others countries are dominating now (South Korea, Indonesia), but if this is meant to be a comeback, then it's on the right track. Story***, Action****, Humor>No, Violence***, Entertainment****, Music***, Visuals****, Atmosphere****, Tension****. 7/10.

Yuri Bykov is a decent Russian director and so far I have liked everything from him, but Guard didn't really interest me thematically. The film is more of a drama, which escalates a bit towards the end, but I didn't find it very entertaining. If these story-driven films don't have a captivating story and dialogue, they don't impress me. Story***, Action>No, Humor>No, Violence*, Entertainment***, Music***, Visuals***, Atmosphere***, Tension***. 5/10.