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An Italian comedy from the times of Seneca. Emperor Nero makes foolish decisions, while his mother Agrippina rules the empire. Overall, it could have been an interesting spectacle for viewers curious about Technicolor and CinemaScope, but in competition with many other films from the era of the early emperors, Nero's Weekend barely holds its ground.

A skillfully filmed schizo with an excellent performance by Jim Carrey. Most people will remember him for The Mask, but it's in Man on the Moon that he kicks it up a gear and his Tony Clifton is a great caricature. Socially still quite topical, thematically novel, it's just that after an hour the whole farce gets quite tiresome and stereotypical. The dynamics of the film do not reflect the fact that it was directed by a gentleman in his twilight years.

An enjoyable and intimate atmospheric little horror film, where Benjamin Barfoot shows that he is not a loser and that he can definitely still surprise. It's nothing original, it's a bit of a mash-up of Come Play and The Babadook, but I can't remember the last time when an atmospheric and chilling affair like this worked. The film makes do with few characters and minimal space, more or less just a mansion and a forest in the middle of nowhere, home to some shapeshifter creature that can take on the form of a dog or a recently deceased father, and I'll admit that when it's on set it's decently creepy and I wasn't comfortable. I also liked the decent performances, especially Julia Brown, who in one scene becomes so over-the-top that I immediately thought of Toni Collette in Hereditary. Surprisingly good, it held my attention, so I'll gladly round up. 7/10.

One of the most optimistic and light-hearted films by Woody Allen. Mighty Aphrodite does not lack solid dynamics and relatively short running time. We may be seeing a variation of the same thing, but Mira Sorvino's charming prostitute brings a nice twist. In contrast, the antic elements are downright annoying and unnecessary. Woody Allen has slightly better pieces in his filmography.

A decent Indian thriller on a serious note without the dancing and humour, which would not have been appropriate given the subject matter. Too bad there are no explicit scenes, but it's about children, so I can't blame them. That said, I was expecting the atmosphere to be darker and the pace a bit more exciting so I could be happy, but it didn't offend. Fans of crime dramas can add a star. 6/10.

It's a decent job for a debutant. Fine A-list actors, top craftsmanship and surprisingly enough action, that is also unexpectedly brutal with no shortage of severed limbs. For someone who was expecting PG-13, I'm definitely surprised. Of course, the plot didn't draw me in much, and aside from the action, it's a bit boring, but when they start cutting, it's something to watch. The finale, filmed in fog, is intriguing. Not much missing for a fourth star, but I'm not quite feeling it this time, it lacks a bit more drive and more interesting characters, but otherwise fine. 65%.

Alexandre Aja’s weakest film so far. The trailers made it look like this year’s dark horse, but I was bored as hell. I didn't like the concept of the story and the rules of the game at all, the horror attractions are very few and lack both gore and atmosphere or jump-scares, in fact it's very bland and, apart from nice visuals and decent acting performances, there's nothing worth mentioning. It couldn't keep my attention unfortunately. Aja this is not the work of someone with several years of experience. 4/10.

The television drama Bardot notes that it is inspired fiction. It is not a true biography; it takes only the thread of personal relationships from the star’s early puberty to the early '60s. We follow a tabloid biography filled with endless new affairs and escapes from paparazzi. And just incidentally, we visit the filming of a few films. But as often happens, it is crowded with famous names, and if the viewer were not familiar with Brigitte Bardot's career, they might think it all happened quite differently. But she worked hard, filming countless French movies, television, and international co-productions. Here, it seems that there were occasionally some iconic films, but in between, it's a vast emptiness. The series rides the trend of simplification, primarily to avoid overwhelming the viewer with anything too demanding. Six episodes should cover much more than just those bedroom moments and domestic humor. The production design is average, and while there are occasionally interesting new faces in the cast, that’s about it.

Tarantino level! A formalistic treat, a card game played with the viewer, brilliantly composed so that it builds curiosity and then surprises us at the right moment, just as it starts to gain momentum. The power of the edited composition to manipulate the viewer’s subjective perception. A sexually decadent game between ambiguous characters with a tense bloody standoff that (again) surprises with unexpected moments. At the same time, a psychologically attractive profile of a warped mind and a cleverly constructed reflection of MeToo. And a great performance by Willy Fitzgerald! [Sitges FF]

A high-octane night-time pursuit with an unconventional, harmless young protagonist in constant danger from a bunch of gangsters, kicked off with a great idea and propelled by a cascade of unexpected and superbly written twists. Tastefully and cleverly set amidst a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Brussels at night and wild places reeking of crime. Romain Duris is excellent as the surprisingly cast boss of the bad guys. [Sitges FF]

A stimulating sci-fi movie in the style of Alex Garland. Though with a more austere, more technical visual aspect (the Swiss spirit), but with emotions appropriate for the powerful subject – a brilliant scientist at a CERN-like institute in Zurich raises a young boy and models his personality in the environment of advanced virtual reality, while at home he desperately fights for the life of his newborn biological son with a congenital birth defect… An emotionally deeply felt drama with an experiential, almost surreal climax that constantly raises interesting questions in the viewer, even after the film has ended. [Sitges FF]

Ein unterhaltsamer Unsinn mit schnellem Schnitt, nahrhaft durch das exotische afrikanische Milieu Dakars, mit der Stimme von Willem Dafoe am Telefon und einem Duo absolut inkompatibler, gut besetzter und gespielter „Helden“. [Sitges FF]

An okay series with Lara Croft, but nothing that really grabbed me or sparked any strong emotions. To be fair, I’m not a huge expert on Lara Croft or the Tomb Raider games. I played a few of the older ones when I was younger, and they were fun, but nothing I felt the need to finish. Same goes for the newer trilogy—I played a bit at a friend’s place, enjoyed it, but didn’t feel hooked. And the live-action films? They were decent, though the main thing I remember is how sexy Angelina Jolie was as Lara. So, I’m coming at this as someone who knows the basics: Lara’s adventures are about parkour, puzzles, tombs, temples, ancient treasures, a bow, and her iconic dual pistols. And yeah, all that’s here. But whether it was the slow pacing or the simple story, I just kind of coasted through it. Something tells me in a year or two, I won’t have much to say about this series, or even remember this version of Lara all that well. The other issue is that the series feels like a continuation of something—maybe a game or a movie (which I barely remember either). It left me feeling a bit out of the loop. Here's a more natural, concise, and engaging rewrite of your review in English for Letterboxd: The struggles Lara faced didn’t really resonate with me. The story itself was solid, with plenty of myths, treasures, chase scenes, and a decent villain—plus that fun bit of "pseudo-history" in the style of Indiana Jones. But at no point did I actually fear for Lara’s safety, especially when she’s wielding a knife that defies physics and can stab into stone. The animation didn’t fully win me over either. It’s a mix of Japanese anime and traditional American style, like Kim Possible, but with a modern twist. While it’s not bad to look at, there’s room for improvement. Some scenes, like Lara sliding down a cliff, felt off, and the fight scenes weren’t always fluid, with some odd cuts here and there. Overall, I’d give the visuals—and the series—a 6/10. It’s decent, but definitely not the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Lara Croft.

Pedro Almodóvar is the Spanish Woody Allen. The core is always the same, just different variations. And so it is with Talk to Her, a sensitive, melancholic tale of oddballs that plays out an unconventional love story and bromance at the same time. The film doesn't stray from the director's artistic standard while bringing nothing particularly new to the table. A must in terms of adding substance, but it’s nothing special.

A sweet and intriguing short that explores the question: "Can a robot understand the meaning of family?" I really liked the animation style and character design. The creators leaned heavily on "show, not tell," and the story was simple but effective. The world they built, along with its challenges, was compelling, and even after just a few minutes, I found myself wanting to know more—especially about the young robot girl. Will she keep her promise and make it back to the beach? This definitely deserves a continuation, maybe even a full series. 7.5/10

While Season 7 of My Hero Academia wasn’t perfect and had a few issues that bugged me, one thing’s for sure: this show knows how to deliver on its big moments. The way the side characters step up and turn the tide of battle, the emotional depth of key moments—it all gave me chills and even brought a tear or two. Here's a more natural, concise, and engaging rewrite of your review in English for Letterboxd: The start of the season felt a bit weak. The major events in the first few episodes seemed rushed and a bit forced, clearly there to set up the final confrontation and give the heroes a fighting chance. Kōhei Horikoshi built up his villains so well by the end of Season 6 that I couldn’t see how the heroes could possibly beat them, especially with society in chaos. That’s where Star and Stripe came in—her role was obvious: weaken the main villain and show he could be defeated. But she didn’t get enough screen time or development to make her fate hit as hard as, say, Himiko’s. It’s a shame because she was a really likable character in the short time we had with her. The (SPOILER in the link) traitor plotline also felt undercooked. It came out of nowhere, with hardly any build-up, aside from a brief mention in an earlier season that there must be a traitor... Even the resolution and capture felt a bit rushed, coming across as too convenient to set up the final confrontation. Himiko’s storyline only really clicked for me in the very last episode—up until then, I struggled to piece together what was going on. But these are minor gripes compared to how impressive it is that the creator manages to give attention to almost every character we’ve met over the course of seven seasons (and there are a lot of characters). That’s what I love, though. No one feels insignificant—everyone, whether hero or villain, is trying to contribute to the bigger picture. It makes the final battle all the more satisfying—unpredictable, constantly shifting, and playing out across multiple fronts... I absolutely loved how the balance of power kept shifting, with plans falling apart and both sides constantly having to adapt. The show really delivered on all the relationships and storylines it’s been building up, and it did so on an epic scale. There were so many standout themes, like how people—and even society—can change. The heroism was full of symbolism, all beautifully connected. The final parallel between All Might without powers and Midoriya, especially with the backstory of Toshinori and his mentor, was fantastic. There were plenty of other great moments too, from the Todoroki family drama to perspectives on love and even issues like racism against those with different appearances. It’s clear the creator knew exactly what he wanted to say, and honestly, his understanding of heroism feels deeper than anything Marvel has offered since the end of Endgame. The fights were thrilling, the atmosphere was incredible, the animation was great, and even the music was solid. So, while it wasn’t a flawless season, it was an amazing watch, and I can’t wait for the finale. 9.2/10

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre by children, for children. The production design and camerawork are great and Michelle Dockery is good as the diabolical mother, but with its formulaic plot and individual details, Please Don’t Feed the Children is pure recyclate with a lot of clichés. With respect to emotional content, the film gets a third star for the intensity of its horror scenes, but thanks only to the roaring music. It doesn’t show any massacres and, in comparison with similar horror movies, it is innocently mild in its brutality. [Sitges FF]

Unfortunately, Tulsa King falls apart like a house of cards in the middle and Taylor Sheridan has a hard time stumbling to a mediocre finale. And yet the beginning is exceedingly good, offering a fresh, entertaining and offbeat gangster series from an exotic setting and Stallone in a role that he could enjoy and realise as he needed to. It may not have the authenticity and bestiality of Scorsese's mid 90's flicks, but it can still offer a decent script and a typically neo-western, or perhaps cowboy, feel. That leaves the problem with the climax of the first season, which gradually devolves into the qualities of the better episodes of Walker, Texas Ranger in the second half, and that doesn't bode well.

Ein Beziehungsdrama über eine verfluchte lesbische Liebe als Nebenhandlung des folkloristischen „Horrorfilms“ über einen verfluchten See und mysteriöse Todesfälle in seiner Fischergemeinschaft. Der erschreckt aber höchstens die Großmutter aus einer ähnlichen Fischergemeinschaft. Und wenn ein gruseliger Film nicht erschreckt und wenn seine Figuren, in denen man sich kaum orientieren kann, uninteressant sind, wozu ist er dann da? Aber das blutige Finale und das poetische Ende sind gut und außerdem hat endlich jemand in einen Film Oralsex mit einem Karpfen eingefügt. Auch wenn würdevoll, nur als Andeutung. [Sitges FF]

Eine weitere Drehbuchautorin und Regisseurin in einer Person, die eher „so, wie sie es fühlt“, als wie es den Filmzuschauer unterhält, schafft. Ein Familiendrama über eine zerbrechende Ehe und den Versuch der Mutter, ihren Sohn zu verstehen, der von der Magie des Wassers ergriffen ist und eine Verbindung zu Außerirdischen spürt. Als Metapher für die Angst eines Kindes vor der dysfunktionalen Beziehung der Eltern und die Furcht vor ihrer drohenden Trennung berührt der Film nicht. Und als Fantasy mit einem magischen Hauch von demselben, wie es zum Beispiel Guillermo del Toro könnte, funktioniert es überhaupt nicht. Man kann den Film nur als technisch solide, aber inhaltlich uninteressante Belanglosigkeit mit dem Schauspielstar Cécile de France betrachten. [Sitges FF]