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Godzilla Minus One

3DD!3Godzilla Minus One(2023) 

Englisch Godzilla -1.0 is a film about the tragedy of inaction and fear and the motivation that drives individuals to action and the ultimate sacrifice. The opposite of the cheerful American fooling around, made for relaxing entertainment I saw a few days ago. The Japanese open old wounds here, using a metaphor derived from the two nuclear bombs that Oppenheimer served up to the US military for quick use. Broken people slowly getting back on their feet after a lost war, only to be trampled by another disaster. Stunning destruction, backed by a roaring musical score, vivid characters where you care who survives and who doesn't. Surprisingly, the main character, a coward, lives.

Sand Land: The Series

JeoffreySand Land: The Series(2024) 

Englisch Sand Land feels like the anime version of Mad Max, infused with a dash of fantasy and sci-fi from the mind of the late, great author of the Dragon Ball series, Akira Toriyama. Toriyama's signature humor style and overall atmosphere are unmistakable, reminiscent of the original Dragon Ball. Despite its simplicity, the series never loses its charm, keeping viewers engaged with straightforward yet intriguing storytelling. The characters, particularly the seasoned fighter and current sheriff Rao, are compelling and likable. However, the animation, especially the CG character animation, leaves much to be desired, like a sort of 2.5D. While it occasionally shines, it often feels heavy-handed and unnatural (such as Ann's hair), detracting from the overall experience. Additionally, the world's potential feels underutilized, failing to captivate enough to warrant further exploration or rewatches. Overall, Sand Land is a pleasant watch, earning a 6/10 from me. For fans of Akira Toriyama, it's likely a must-watch, but I suspect they will appreciate the series much more than I did.

Kakurijo no jadomeši - Season 1

JeoffreyKakurijo no jadomeši - Season 1(2018) 

Deutsch Es ist zwar dank der starken Hauptfigur und der überwiegend charmanter männlicher Charaktere definitiv ein Anime, der sich mehr auf das weibliche Publikum konzentriert, aber auch ich habe mich nicht gelangweilt. Wie ich bereits erwähnte, ist der große Anziehungspunkt hier eine sehr nette Hauptheldin, die normalerweise die treibende Kraft hinter der ganzen Geschichte und gleichzeitig die Lösung für die meisten Probleme ist. Es ist selten ein Glück, dass eine Anime-Heldin umgeben von so vielen charmanten und fähigen Meistern (gut, hier Ayakashi) selbst ihre Hand so intensiv und freundlich an die Arbeit legt (allzu oft lassen sich die Heldinnen in solchen Werken einfach nur retten). Darüber hinaus die Art und Weise, wie sie es tut (mittels Essen und Freundlichkeit), kann für das männliche Publikum sehr attraktiv sein. Dank der Art und Weise, wie Aoi Probleme angeht, in Kombination mit der interessanten und magischen Umgebung der hiesigen Welt, bekommen wir auch eine sehr angenehme, wärmende Atmosphäre. Es ist jedoch nicht nur ein Spaziergang durch einen Rosengarten, die Autoren können manchmal Spannungen erzeugen, eine dramatische Situation zeichnen, die unsere Heldin selbst oder mit Hilfe ihrer Gefährten überwinden muss. Die Handlung ist recht interessant, auch wenn sie den Eindruck erwecken mag, dass jemand nur zweimal dasselbe macht (SPOILER Aoi wird gegen ihren Willen irgendwohin gebracht, um nach und nach alle zu gewinnen und alles zu retten SPOILER ENDE). Wie auch immer, wenn ich die schöne Animation und passend ausgewählter Musik dazu zähle, komme ich auf angenehmes 8/10 Ergebnis, was für jemanden, für den dieser Anime eigentlich nicht gedacht ist, im Grunde eine hervorragende Leistung ist.

Arthur der Große

EvilPhoEniXArthur der Große(2024) 

Englisch A pretty nice movie with Mark Wahlberg going on an adventure race in the jungle where he meets a dog and becomes a full-fledged member of the team. I'm a bit disappointed that the race itself lacks any sort of typical survival parameters, there was no significant thrilling obstacle apart from the cable car, and the whole thing is mostly about the doggie's relationship with Marky, which can stir up some minor emotions at the end, but I won't scratch for a higher rating. Nice but ordinary. 6/10.

Dead Boy Detectives

EvilPhoEniXDead Boy Detectives(2024) 

Englisch Teenage silliness with a fresh idea involving two dead guys who are detectives solving supernatural cases and various ghosts, witches and other monsters. I was quite looking forward to it, I'm just disappointed that it's conceived in a teenage style. It's kind of a combination of Wednesday, Ghostbusters and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, leaning only lightly on the horror theme, but more darkness and and R-rating would have done it a lot more good. It also deals with a lot of relationship and LGBT stuff, which I'm not a big fan of, and it lacks stronger characters and a better developed script. The best episode was #3 with the time loop with a father murdering his family for several years. From episode 5 onwards I watched it purely out of obligation and wasn't really enjoying it. I'm not the target audience. 5/10.

Shōgun

EvilPhoEniXShōgun(2024) 

Englisch Shogun is definitely a revelation in the series field this year and should be seen by everyone. Until the 5th episode I was sure of a 5 star rating, but then my great enthusiasm started to wane as my faith in some epic battle started to fade away, and it ended up being very intimate. The series has spectacular sets, great performances – Hirojuki Sanada is awesome, Mariko is perhaps the most beautiful Asian ever, and Aijin is also great. It has meticulous dialogues, great atmosphere, strong emotions (episode 9 is probably the strongest) and it's also quite suspenseful. The series is actually flawless in all respects except for the lack of action sequences, and I can't forgive that because the samurai didn't just conduct political intrigues, they also cut each other and there was obviously a budget here, so they could have easily crammed a 15 minute battle into those 10 hours. Considering the whole 4th episode was dedicated to cannons (there was even the best gore scene of the series), it's a shame that they didn’t use them once more during the series and the ending just disappointed me because nothing was resolved properly. I'm sorry because there won't be a samurai movie or series this expansive for quite a while. I still enjoyed it, but there was no ejaculation. 8/10.

Humane

EvilPhoEniXHumane(2024) 

Englisch I think in this duel of the daughters of horror greats, Shyamalan vs Cronenberg, the winner is decided. The daughter didn't didn’t do a very good job and delivered a sort of talky drama that cuts to thriller at the end. I don't think daddy will give her any praise for this one because it was boring as fuck. It's got a pretty interesting theme that could have turned out well in more capable hands, but the acting is pretty bad, the pacing is very slow and there's definitely nothing satisfying at the end, where some gore could have come in handy. This was quite painful. 3.5/10.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

3DD!3Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire(2024) 

Englisch Godzilla is enjoying a vacation in Europe and Kong is looking for more apes in the hollow earth and has a toothache. A modern version of the Verne films, which degenerates into unadulterated Kaiju-porn at the end. Swashbuckling battles, solid visual effects, 80's soundtrack backed by Holkenborg synths, tremendous destruction and people who don't get in the way but are props for the main fighters. It's rubbish and digital crap, of course, but it's fun and even in neon colours with a pink Godzilla who justifies the change by sucking out nuclear power plants in Europe to fulfil his part of the Green Deal. It's got a bunch of subliminal messages. The villain is OK, but the main asset is Adam Wingard's wacky ideas, which somehow manage to get implemented. The most entertaining entry in the franchise.

The Fall Guy

MrHladThe Fall Guy(2024) 

Englisch Stuntman Ryan Gosling must find a lost movie star in order to save the film of his beloved Emily Blunt. And for her, he'll go through hell. David Leitch delivers an entertaining tribute to the stunt craft and all those who practice it. He combines great action with surprisingly even better romance, a nice bit of wit and humor, and the obvious joy of goofing around on set with the friends he's spent his entire career with. And it's great to watch.

The White Lotus - Season 2

EvilPhoEniXThe White Lotus - Season 2(2022) 

Englisch The first season had the more attractive setting of Hawaii, not that Sicily isn't beautiful, but the Hawaiian exoticism had its charm. Yet I have to say that the second season has more interesting characters, better plot twists and overall I enjoyed it a lot more. Of the familiar faces, I liked Theo James, Aubrey Plaza and the return of Jennifer Coolidge. Simona Tabasco as the hooker was an instant crush, and for the biggest likable character there's Will Sharpe,  I felt quite sorry for him, that relationship was pretty toxic. You really care about the characters, their development and their relationships are very well written, you hate the opening theme song of the first season and then love it and the final twist is really very good. Very entertaining, gripping and addictive, I'm glad I gave it a chance. 8/10.

Friends - Die lesbische Hochzeit

NinadeLFriends - Die lesbische Hochzeit(1996) 

Deutsch Damals, im Jahr 1996, war eine lesbische Hochzeit immer noch teilweise der Höhepunkt eines running jokes. In den nächsten Jahrzehnten konnten wir beobachten, wie sich die reale Welt um uns herum verändert. Und vielleicht auch dank eines solchen feinen Schleifens der Kanten wie in dieser Serie. Auf dem Gebiet der amerikanischen Sitcom gab es auch schon wenige Wochen zuvor eine schwule Hochzeit in Roseanne - Leons Hochzeit.

Vánoce s Alžbětou

MattyVánoce s Alžbětou(1968) 

Englisch My Sweet Little Village without Menzel’s refined touch. Both when he is at home in his dingy studio apartment and when he is at work, the solitary truck driver played by Vlado Müller sticks to his routines, which long sections of the plot are dedicated to depicting. In her only film role, Pavla Kárníková portrays his unpunctual assistant, who conversely has no respect for order or authority. They can’t stand each other at first. They’re sure about that in advance. He sees her as a “whore” and a “bitch”, while for her, he is a grumpy “old man”. Through their dark past, however, they gradually find common ground and come to realise that it is possible to step out of the roles to which they have become accustomed or that society has assigned to them. In his case, it is the role of a curmudgeonly bachelor who holds others at arm’s length, whereas her role is that of a troubled “slut”. Unable to express their feelings in a healthy way, the two outsiders come together during Advent, and the undecorated tree and lonely Christmas dinner add a sense of melancholy to the raw, authentically gritty story. In the context of the collaborative works of Kachyňa and Procházka, Christmas with Elizabeth fits in with Hope, which took a similarly humane approach to depicting the relationship between a prostitute and an alcoholic, other social outcasts who in the 1950s were condemned to the roles of criminals unworthy of any understanding. 75%

Die Drei Musketiere: Milady

KakaDie Drei Musketiere: Milady(2023) 

Englisch I enjoyed Eva Green in the corset more, but otherwise I enjoyed everything else less. The first one was better. Still top-notch production values, big-movie ambitions and the right dynamics and visuals, but the second part doesn't stand out in any significant way and only serves as a necessary bridge for the finale. Sort of like The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, a good second part, necessary for the great first and third.

Die Drei Musketiere: D'Artagnan

3DD!3Die Drei Musketiere: D'Artagnan(2023) 

Englisch A swashbuckling, raucous and modern adaptation of Dumas' classic. More emphasis is placed on the action scenes, which are gritty, dynamic, and with great choreography. There have been so many versions of “The Three Musketeers” that I'm not even sure how it was supposed to be done, but the snipers in the church is a very good sequence. Eva Green is incredible as Milady, and overall it's a very strong cast. The ending is outrageously open and I'm looking forward to the second one.

Love Lies Bleeding

EvilPhoEniXLove Lies Bleeding(2024) 

Englisch I once suffered through Rose Glass' Saint Maud, but I was looking forward to this one thanks to the stylish trailer. It's okay and I'm very much between 3 and 4 stars, but I'm going to be stricter in the end because the plot is pretty straightforward with no significant changes throughout, and Kristen Stewart is not a pretty sight to look at. Luckily the testosterone-soaked Katy O’Brian was the best character in the whole movie, I could see her as a final girl in some kind of monster movie. The film has a nice retro look of the American backwoods, a nice lesbian romance with R-rated erotic scenes, a sleazy Ed Harris, and there were some corpses, so I liked it, I enjoyed it, but I was expecting a bit more. The bizarre fantasy ending didn't quite work for me. 65%

Vermines

EvilPhoEniXVermines(2023) 

Englisch Sébastien Vaniček and his instant ticket to the A-Horror League. I'm gonna go give out prizes, because this is where history is made. So Vaniček made a dream debut (right on the lines of the recent successful debutants like Robert Eggers, Jordan Peele, Ari Aster, Zach Cregger), the best spider horror film of all time (it's quite funny that the previous king is already 30 years, Arachnophobia), kicked off this year's French wave and at the same time made the best horror film of the year – no one could ask for a better way to start. Whether Infested will be dethroned by the new Alien or Nosferatu at the end of the year is another matter, but until then it can enjoy the pedestal merrily. And now for the film. After a long time, I experienced very uncomfortable feelings with horror, and since ghosts and demons don't do anything to me, spiders as a real evil definitely had an effect. The housing estates of the French ghetto evokes an interesting atmosphere in itself, you don’t get to really form much of a relationship with the characters but that didn't bother me. The craftsmanship is excellent and once it gets going, it really is a spider atmospheric hell crammed with jump-scares like Sam Raimi's Drag me to Hell, and I twitched along decently (I also praise the aptly chosen musical score!). Admittedly, it got more intense as the spiders got smaller, but even the big ones had something going for them – that's where the CGI came in handy. It's a bit marred by the ending, I was expecting a bigger carnage, the mass battle spiders vs cops was over too quickly for my taste, and the whole thing ends quite hastily – I could have easily managed 20 minutes more – but these are minor flaws in the beauty of a film that is born once every three decades. Anyone who doesn't appreciate that is an arrogant scumbag and an enemy of the state and me. 9/10.

Kameňák 3

NinadeLKameňák 3(2005) 

Deutsch Troška schließt seine Trilogie mit einer Reihe von Witzen über Roma ab. Und das ist auch schon alles, was man dazu sagen kann. Im ersten Teil hat er aus der Not eine Tugend gemacht. Der zweite Teil war so etwas wie eine typische tschechische Volkskomödie. Im dritten Teil kam keine weitere Entwicklung. Es ist viel los im Sport, Dolly Buster kommt zu Besuch... Und Troška lehnte es dankend ab, noch mehr zu machen. Warum eigentlich? Weil er Babovřesky genießen wollte.

Případ pro exorcistu

NinadeLPřípad pro exorcistu(2015) 

Deutsch 3/3 Verfilmung des gleichnamigen tschechischen Detektivromans von Michal Sýkora. Ich verfolge die einzelnen Fälle nicht linear und mir ist klar, dass die banalen Krimisituationen praktisch nur durch die Dialoge zwischen Melíšková und Krobot unterschieden werden. Das ist jedoch sehr wenig, wenn jeder Fall in drei Episoden aufgeteilt ist.

Rebel Moon – Teil 2: Die Narbenmacherin

3DD!3Rebel Moon – Teil 2: Die Narbenmacherin(2024) 

Englisch About the same as the first part. The battle is maybe a bit better, because we have lightsabers in a bigger extent. The script is a big mess. The idea is there, but Zack Snyder can hold it with all the weird dialogue and nonsensical behavior of the checkerboard pieces. I want to see the uncensored version to see if anything interesting can be done with the material or if it is just bullshit. To be continued. P.S: There's still not enough of Anthony Hopkins' Jimmy out there.

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