EvilPhoEniX

A low-key revenge romp in the style of The Punisher! A young boy loses his mother, a prostitute, bumped off by the local Yakuza gang. Once he grows up he decides to take revenge and go over dead bodies. The story may be nothing original, but formally the film ticks all the boxes. For a B-movie, the film is technically good, the acting is decent (the lead has charisma) and the action is great, both the fights and the shootouts – there is no shortage of severed limbs or heads. It's Hard R-rated, so there's a lot of sex and naked women, lots of violence and there's also a lot of drug use, so those who like films like this will definitely have fun. For me it's decent. 75%.

It's nice to say that France is back! Revenge is another enjoyable addition to my all time favourite subgenre rape and revenge (I Spit on Your Grave is still unsurpassed, though). The film impresses especially with its excellent cinematography and beautiful visuals. The desert, the beautiful Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz, who runs around the entire film in cut-off shorts covered in blood with a stick in her stomach and a sniper rifle in her hand, decent bad guys, nasty gore, a lot of unconventional retro disco music and a few standout scenes. The only problem is actually the not very explicit rape scene and the small body-count. Intellectuals and geeks may not get past the immortality of the main character and the almost minimal story, but everyone else will have a great time with this juicy sexy ride from France. 80%

Quite possibly the best film based on a manga that is not only watchable, but offers more than solid action scenes. The Ajin are demi-humans and have the ability to revive themselves every time they are killed, making them nearly immortal. There are only a few of them in the world, and the government is after them so that they can research them. The story focuses on one Ajin who becomes a fugitive. The only thing that bothered me a bit about the movie was the digital ghost that each Ajin can summon, but thankfully that didn't get as much space. It's got a decent pace, surprisingly solid technical execution for the Japanese, and the action scenes are very colorful, bloody and gritty, in short, my style. Decent film and Takeru Sato from Rurouni Kenshin was great. 75%

Pretty decent utopian sci-fi crime film with a decent Clive Owen and Amanda Seyfried. Andrew Niccol apparently wanted to follow up his success with In Time with a similarly interesting theme, but didn’t quite make it this time. The premise is certainly interesting and there are some solid sequences (there’s no shortage of blood and nudity, plus points for that) and the conclusion could have been more intense. It's good for a watch. Definitely a better effort from Netflix. 60%

The anticipated new release from Ryuhei Kitamura, whom I quite like (Midnight Meat Train and No One Lives are solid bloody genre films), but his new release Downrange was unfortunately the weakest for me. A group of friends get stranded in a car in the middle of nowhere because of a flat tire, and soon find a ruthless sniper lurking to execute them all. The premise is quite original, but I found it kind of bland. The group of friends hides behind the car for almost the whole film, the dialogues are useless, the characters are unlikeable and whiny. I didn't really enjoy this film, and even though it's quite bloody, the sniper gets boring after a while. The nail on the coffin is the very last scene, that will make you grab your head. It's average, but I expected much more. Total wasted potential. 55%.

Unexpected enthusiasm and a spectacular conclusion to ten years of building the Universe. It couldn't have gone better. Everything works here. Superb visuals rather than CGI mess, the best villain Marvel has ever had, thanks to the great Josh Brolin, plus his unpleasant cronies, the Black Order, where Ebony Maw in particular excels. There’s less humour, but it mostly worked (Drax was the most entertaining), and I really liked the entrance of each hero into the action (whether it's Captain America or Thor, who absolutely blew me away with his arrival in Wakanda), and the gradual introduction and meeting of the heroes is very enjoyable especially for fans. I'm also very intrigued by the alien planets (especially with the dwarves where Tyrion appeared), I would love to see a Marvel movie from that planet. The bleak finale is slightly annoying as we have to wait a year for an explanation, but there's nothing we can do about that tribute. Solid entertainment that didn't spear me with me goosebumps or emotions. 100%.

A wacky comedy about a crazy woman who has trouble making any kind of decision is a great premise, but they could have done better with it. Average for France, but I was still entertained, I laughed a few times, Sabrina Ouazani is truly loveable and the two leading men that the main character has to decide between are both likeable.

Joko Anwar, the acclaimed Indonesian director of films such as The Forbidden Door and the atmospheric Ritual, delivers one of the most frightening horror films of the year according to critics, and a foreign rating of 78% from 2500 people is truly admirable. The story revolves around a poor family where the mother has been suffering from a strange illness for three years and can't get out of bed let alone speak (the scenes with the sick mother in particular are among the very disturbing ones), and when she suddenly dies, she returns as a ghost for her children. I'm not exactly blown away by the film, since me and ghost stories are not really friends, but I definitely have to admit that a few scenes were decently chilling, the scares are not spared, the atmosphere is dense, visually it's not bad (although there are a few flaws, but still hats off by Indonesian standards), and the finale is solid. Fans of ghost stories will probably change their underwear here, others will acknowledge the solid craftsmanship and move on. The bell is an effective haunting method though! 70%

The legend is back! The anticipated horror movie with Big Foot is finally out and for me, I am completely satisfied and got maybe even more than I expected. A young couple have a car accident and get lost in the woods where they encounter a group of poachers. Together they will face the harsh outdoors where the uncompromising Big Foot (known among Native Americans as Oh-Mah) is on the rampage. I was completely transported back to 2007-10 where these woodland gnarly slayers were made, Timber Falls was the one I remembered the most. There aren't too many horror films like that being made today, so Primal Rage is a nice refresher for me. The first half is slightly slower, but once Oh-Mah goes on a rampage, it's uncompromising carnage. He's doesn’t fool around, ripping jaws, stomping heads, arrows in throats, decapitated heads!! A total fan's delight. The gore is of course top-notch, the make-up effects are amazing, Big Foot is awe-inspiring, and there's even a nice mystical ritual. The ending opens the door for a sequel and a very pleasant surprise. A raucous ride in the woods that I enjoyed and will definitely be mentioning it in top list this year. The best horror movie with Big Foot! 80%

After the brilliant Train to Busan, Yeon Sang-Ho has chosen another interesting subject, but it's a pity that the film is more comedic, I could imagine it in a horror version. The protagonist gets the super power of telekinesis after drinking water from a spring, he can use it to defend himself against a construction company that sends workers to threaten local businesses. Visually, the film is cool and the telekinesis games look good, the humour also works occasionally, but otherwise the film didn't offer me anything to be happy about. Fine stuff, but next time please do something horror again. 60%