EvilPhoEniX

The action movie of the year arrives just before the end of a year where Netflix is clearly winning on the full front. Michael Bay is let off the chains like a hungry pit bull and serves up perhaps the purest action ecstasy, orgy and orgasm I've ever seen. From start to finish, this is an adrenaline-fueled, uncompromising, explosive, glammed-up wild ride that features two potentially iconic scenes (the opening chase in Florence and the finale with Magneto). Ryan Reynolds is traditionally excellent and his actor boost is nearly 100%, but the rest of the crew is impressive as well, with everyone being a pro at something different. On the action side of things, there's pretty much everything you can think of ( fast cars, beautiful women, parkour, shootouts, slow motion, location changes, explosions, destruction and juicy gore). The only thing I found lacking here was a proper fight, but otherwise a Bay beauty that I would love to have framed. Those who complain about the script should run against the wall to realize they're watching an action movie, not an Oscar-winning existential art sophisticated drama. 10/10.

Jeff Chan made a short film in 2016 and since it was a success he decided to make it a feature film, and it's a very enjoyable sci-fi B movie. The film has an interesting world that happens to be similar to the recent Freaks (X-men from the other side), except here the police have robots, there are drones patrolling the air, people are being destroyed by the new drug Psyke, and people with superpowers can't work normally and if they do, it's illegal and they can be shot. The protagonist can control electricity and is one of the most capable of his kind, and he nods at a black job for a local gang, and since his powers make him useful, he starts working for them until things go classically wrong. The script could have been more interesting, I wouldn't have been angry if the film had an extra half hour and made better use of the well-chosen premise, but if a good idea, a likable main character, great technical aspects and very solid action are enough for you, you should be as satisfied as I am. 7/10.

A solid film depicting the conflict in Northern Ireland, specifically in Belfast, where a likeable British soldier is accidentally left in the middle of a city torn by a chaotic war and everyone is after him. Even though the Irish hate the British with all their hearts for what they have done to them in the past, the film emphasizes that they were no saints either. Gritty, authentic, suspenseful and very interesting. Silly me for ignoring this film for so long. 8/10

Lilja 4-ever is a Swedish-Danish film set in Russia in a small town after the fall of socialism and follows the disturbing story of a 16-year-old girl who experiences a living hell and perhaps the worst possible fate a woman could ever face. As soon as she is left by her mother and her new boyfriend, her life goes downhill and she goes from one bad situation to another, and you as a viewer feel anxious, uncomfortable and sad all at the same time. A hopeless, disturbing, authentic, uncomfortable and very sad film (I had tears flowing at the end). The Scandinavians in full force, no one can present human trafficking as raw as them. I also see the music as a big plus, in the form of hits of the time like Rammsten and Nas ne dogonyat. 8.5/10.

This film flew under my radar, but it’s definitely enjoyable and entertaining show. Jon Favreau is very good as a chef, and even though it's more about the relationship between father and son, the cooking comes through and it's very nice to watch. The icing on the cake is the gorgeous Sofia Vergara and the hilarious verbal shootout with the renowned critic. 7/10:

A solid film in the style of End of Watch. The film takes place over the course of one night, with a rookie LAPD officer and a seasoned veteran experiencing their first night of crime and bleakness together. Great dialogue, great actors, solid cinematography and an intense finale. I was entertained, intrigued and surprised, really good. 8/10.

Netflix heats things up at the end of the year and serving up literally the best animated movie of the year, and from Spain! Visually, it may not be Pixar's equal, but the story is so magical, emotional and immersive that it gets under your skin. A very nice and informative origin story of Santa Claus, set in the ugly looking town of Smeerenburg, where two families have been at war with each other for centuries. Funny, sweet, touching and decently suspenseful towards the end. Good stuff. 9/10:

An ambitious little thriller that looks uninspiring at first, but from the second half onwards it's a decent ride full of twists and suspense. Children are disappearing in town and strange things start happening in the detective's family's house, and thankfully it's not ghosts. From the second half onwards the film throws up one surprise after another and it all fits in nicely and works. I expected almost nothing and got a decent inoffensive one-off. 7/10.

The Poles already are almost a guarantee decent craftsmanship and The Convoy is undoubtedly an interesting thriller. The story revolves around the escorting of a murderer who someone doesn't want to survive the transport. Decent atmosphere and an interesting conclusion, but there was something missing for 4 stars. 6/10.

Another excellent series this year, which will no doubt be in this year's top 3. Apple TV hits right on the mark for me, serving up an imaginative post-apocalyptic world 600 years in the future, where humanity has lost its ability to see due to an epidemic and had to adapt and learn how to survive in these conditions. There are a lot of complains that the blind people in the show do things they couldn't really do, which is debatable because unless you are blind yourself you are not entitled to judge, secondly it is a series from the future, not a documentary based on real events, and thirdly in 600 years humanity will have definitely evolved, so the other senses work very differently than they do now. So much for the haters and now for the rest of us who love cinema and like to be entertained. See is a spectacularly filmed production (visually there hasn't been anything better looking since Game of Thrones) with an excellent Jason Momoa, who rose perhaps two levels in acting during the series, but the other characters are great too: Commander Tamacti Jun is perfect, the Tyrannical Queen who gets fawned over by servants while praying, the Bow Lion or the Shadow, who has the ability to move around in silence, and of course the two newborn children who are the only ones with the gift of sight. Every episode features at least one riveting action with unorthodox choreography, and violence is not spared. The series gradually doses surprising twists and turns, with danger lurking at almost every turn (slave traders selling people on the black market or the city of worms where workers make silk maze). At times the series is so suspenseful and gripping that I found myself in bed, sweating, tearing my hair out and breathing with great difficulty. The finale is surprising with a beautiful final fight (you wouldn’t want to fight Momoa blindly) and a nice lure for a second season. A fun, addictive and engrossing series like I never dreamed of. 9/10.