EvilPhoEniX

This year's biggest Netflix event could have had bigger ambitions, but for me, it's still a fun spy actioner that I have a soft spot for. Extraction is still one of Netflix's best actioners, and I have 6 Underground above it, thanks to the merit of the R-rating, which Gray Man lacks, and it's a great shame. It doesn't reach the level of MI or Bond, but that doesn't bother me at all, it's still an above average genre flick that reliably entertains for two hours. The Russo Brothers were more impressive in Avengers and I liked a lot Cherry, we'll see what they come up with next, I wish they'd do horror, that could be a nice challenge. Gray Man benefits the most from its attractive cast. Ryan Gosling is a decent hero you can root for, Chris Evans enjoys playing the bad guy, and Ana de Armas is traditionally a hottie. The visuals are fine, though the CGI was occasionally jarring and could have been done a bit better for 200 million, but it didn't downright bother me. The action is decent for a PG-13 rating, and there were some interesting ideas – the red smoke on the plane looked great, the stealth action in the opening was likeable, the fight with the Indian star was awesome, and the whole Prague arc is very cool. I liked that there's a lot of location changes and lots of interesting cities to see. Plot-wise, the film doesn't bring any surprises, but I enjoyed the dialogue – I love that macho banter. The biggest minus is definitely the lack of an R-rating and the sound design of the weapons isn't exactly dazzling, and I won't be rushing out for a second viewing either, but I still enjoyed Gray Man. Definitely better Netflix. Story 3/5. Action 4/5, Humor 2/5, Violence 1/5, Fun 4/5 Music 4/5, Visuals 4/5, Atmosphere 3/5, Suspense 3/5, Emotion 2/5, Actors 4/5. 7/10.

Amazon continues with the manly, gritty military action series and after Jack Ryan and Reacher comes Terminal List starring Chris Pratt, with Antoine Fuqua co-directing, and for me this is the best of the three and an instant contender for series of the year. Terminal List is for me the prototype of proper lads' entertainment, a mix of my three favourite films: Sicario, The Equalizer and The Fugitive, and I watched it in one go without blinking an eye, in fact it's impossible to stop watching, it's that good. Women may see it differently. Chris Pratt is absolutely superb in his most serious and best role, and it's clear that he has carefully rehearsed the part of a Navy Seal. The series has a very appealing story about one fucked up mission where almost the entire Seal unit dies and only Chris Pratt escapes. When he returns home, people around him start dying and he himself tries to figure out why they were ambushed during the mission. I liked that in the opening episodes, the creators keep the viewer guessing, not knowing if Chris is just traumatized by the war, losing his memory and having all his memories blurred, or if there really is someone out to get him and his family. The whole paranoid atmosphere is rendered believably and very interesting. I must also compliment Taylor Kitsch as the operative who was also born to play a Navy Seal. I also enjoyed the FBI unit representative and Jai Courtney, who played a first class cocky bastard – I've never seen him act better. The awesome technical aspect deserves praise too – the money goes a long way here and I love that. The soundtrack is also awesome – I have the opening theme playing in my house all the time – but it has some decent moments throughout. Of course, the action comes in for praise as well, and it's some of the best you can find on a series production. There are some perfect tactical shootouts (R-ratomg!), the training camp of the new Sicarios in Mexico will make you think of Rambo, the opening shootout in the tunnel is uncompromising and that goes for the shootout in San Francisco as well, not to mention the finale! There are also awesome fights, proper espionage, the detailed production of a bomb (hands fuckin’ up for this), the escape through the wilderness from the FBI, the army tricks, the decoys, the bullet pulling, the lock picking, the perfect use of the environment to his advantage, the camouflage... The professionalism just oozes from Pratt and I believed every move, every punch and every shot. On top of all that, I have to praise the awesome dialogue between the corrupt corporations, I could feel the bitchiness and tension in every dialogue. It's been a long time since I've been so intensely invested in a series and lived every moment. In the finale, the series completely disarmed me emotionally with a crazy twist that will leave a scar in me forever! You better don't end up on my fuckin’ list! Awesome. In two sentences: fucking good looking and fucking good to watch. Story 5/5. Action 5/5, Humour 2/5, Violence 4/5, Fun 4/5 Music 5/5, Visuals 5/5, Atmosphere 4/5, Suspense 5/5, Emotion 5/5, Actors 5/5. 10/10.

I've despised and hated this film for a long time and with that I apologise and now award it a rightful five star rating. it's a powerful experience and one of the highlights within the genre. The film could also work as a stage play, it's built entirely on excellent performances. Johansson and Driver both give career-best performances, but it's also nice to see Laura Dern in a very strong role as a sharp and tough lawyer. The film has a longer running time, but it immediately draws you in with intelligent dialogue and I didn't blink for the entire film. Probably the most detailed film of one of the most difficult chapters in life that you just don't want to experience, especially if you live in the USA. Once the film switched to the battle of the lawyers and the trial, I was on a cinematic high in pure cinematic perfection. There are scenes that had such a big and powerful impact on me that I'm anxious to watch them again. I forgot to breathe during the scene where their argument culminates in powerful anger. A really perfect, suffocating and unpleasant film. 10/10.

An excellent indie film with great actors, a great idea, and a powerful and touching story that could have easily happened. From the start, the film takes a look into the life of a molecular biologist and his work, and I found it both refreshing and engaging. The interesting scientific facts and intelligent dialogue kept me on my toes. Once the protagonist falls in love, the romantic level works, which then turns into an instant shock and a maddeningly uncompromising twist, which was properly shocking considering the genre. I still found the following events very unexpected, with one unpleasant situation after another, and luckily the finale comes with a strong emotional dose that swayed me decently. I never thought about my eyes like I did after watching this film. Clever and with a drive. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it in the end. 8/10.

The worst "Resident Evil" adaptation, the worst Netflix series and the worst series of the year, an absolute joke, in which Netflix unfortunately failed. I'm not a fan of the game, so the fact that it's not a proper adaptation doesn't bother me, but I can understand the annoyed fans who love the game series and then get this kick in the balls. I, however, just wanted a fun and brutal zombie slaughter with monsters where limbs will fly to my living room like in the much-maligned and beloved Army of the Dead, but no, that doesn't happen here either and with that the developers have signed their verdict. The creators made a teen post-apocalyptic story with two sisters in two timelines and 80% of the show is flashbacks, their relationship with each other, teen problems, well in short stuff that nobody cares about. The zombies themselves are on the scene for about 30 minutes total out of the 7 hour runtime, and that's pathetic. The whole series has uninteresting, dysfunctional and badly acted characters, it has a cheap look (the crocodile at the end was already quite bordering on Asylum), it's all artificial, uninteresting with all the modern trends (The Boys had that too, but they went for it in a smart and bold way), the story is about nothing and the action is at least average, but there is so little of it that it's not even worth mentioning. The spiders in the 3rd episode and the motorbike games in the 4th episode were passable. Maybe if they'd upped the budget, swapped the two central girls for two likeable marines who would make a lot of noise and cut to the chase, I might even be relatively satisfied despite the aforementioned negatives, but as it is, it's a teen soap opera with zombies in the background and with an Resident Evil label. Some people have written that if it wasn't called Resindent Evil, it would be a blast. I disagree, I don't think it matters what the show is called, it’d still be the same shit. I miss Racoon City! 3.5/10.

The Unreal Engine is definitely a game changer in the entertainment industry that will gradually turn indie creators into the mainstream. This is the future of film and it's a blast. Get Netflix to order an entire movie and series immediately. Again, a short that could be classified as sci-fi with a touch of Alien. Great atmosphere and visuals, nice monster.

Beautiful CGI visuals. An episode that could easily belong to Love, Death & Robots. Dystopian Sci-Fi packed with action, a stunning planet and an original central monster. Delicious.

This short is awesome! Amazing CGI visuals of a polluted underwater world where mutated creatures eat each other. The shark is again a bad ass villain. Great, suspenseful, dark, brutal, breathtaking. I want a feature film immediately and in horror!

Solid retro psychological-detective-supernatural kidnap thriller. The Black Phone was talked about as one of the potential horror films of the year, unfortunately that didn't happen, but it's still a solid film and one of the better ones. Scott Derrickson is well-versed in the horror genre and is one of the better filmmakers of the last decade, but I found his previous horror release Deliver Us from Devil to be sharper. From the start, The Black Phone impresses with its chilling 1970s visuals that add to the sultry atmosphere of gloomy Denver, where there is a man who kidnaps local children and kills them known as the Grabber. It has that feel of an proper crime drama, too bad we don’t get to really enjoy the investigation itself. The film is not officially based on real events, but it’s inspired by them. The main characters include sibling duo Gwen and Finney, both impress with strong child acting. Gwen in particular steals all the scenes for herself in the beginning of the film – the conversation with her father is downright uncomfortable and emotionally powerful to the point of being Oscar-worthy. Finney is the boy who is kidnapped and even though he comes across as a pushover at first, he shows skill and talent as the story progresses. The film flows at a slower pace, there are purely only two horror scenes, and they are two decently executed scares. Ethan Hawke is solid as the bad guy but I agree he could have had more space and the mythology around him could have been explained to the viewer in more detail. I enjoyed the concept where Finney has the ability to communicate through a black phone with previous Grabber victims. Pulling it up to above average for me was the nicely paced finale, where there was a bit of violence in a well put together duel. All in all, the film builds more on atmosphere, acting performances and confident direction, but those expecting first-rate horror may be slightly disappointed. Story 4/5. Action 2/5, Humour 2/5, Violence 2/5, Fun 4/5 Music 4/5, Visuals 4/5, Atmosphere 4/5, Suspense 4/5, Emotion 3/5, Actors 4/5. 7/10.

An Average Korean gangster movie. The lack of any names both in front of and behind the camera makes it clear that this is more of a cheaper film. Although the Korean visuals are again on a decent level, it just doesn't have the necessary style and flair. The story doesn't have the necessary build-up and I didn't find it very interesting. The material itself has been done several times before and much better. The main character has been working for a mob boss for 20 years, but wants to get independent and start something of his own, yet a guy comes to town who is a murder suspect and starts causing mischief around town. There's not much action, occasionally someone gets disemboweled with a knife, which looks pleasantly gritty, and there's some pretty good music in one sequence, but that's not enough for me. What to do with a film where there's little action and the story isn’t very engaging? A watchable average. 5/10.