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.

Netflix’s latest german action martial arts brawler is more or less a manly variation of Run Lola Run. The MMA protagonist doesn't want to lose his daughter, so he blows off an important fight and rushes across Berlin to find her. He has 60 minutes to do so, but dangerous people have bet on his match and they are now after him. It is very suspenseful and intense and it moves forward fast. The main character is likeable, the fights are captured in one shot and although they are a bit staged and artificial, it didn't bother me much because the camera work is clear, dynamic, and brutal (although it lacks limb-breaking and blood). There is plenty of action, visually it's fine, the story is silly but fortunately that’s not a problem this time. It's an easygoing action flick without ambitions, but I liked it. 6/10.

From the first trailer, I was looking forward to a grittier dinosaur affair, but unfortunately the film disappoints on multiple levels. It's a huge mistake that only Adam Driver is stuck on the planet, if there was at least a 15 man crew stuck there we could have got a proper R-rated dinosaur survival, where they wouldn't have skimped on the gore or darker atmosphere, and I would currently be drooling with bliss and screaming with excitement to the heavens, and wouldn't mind at all that it's silly and story-wise flat, but too bad. The dinosaurs looked cool though, and when they are on set they are something to watch. I liked the high tech weapons and the pretty decent scares. But everything in between was pretty mind-numbing and uninteresting, with no pace, no tension and no atmosphere, which is a mystery they couldn't use. 5/10.

A decent B-movie about a hot hooker who decides to steal money from her Sugar Daddy with her boyfriend, only for the whole thing to turn into a mess full of twists, surprises, dead bodies, twisted characters and blood. Very decent entertainment that's colorfully shot, pleasantly gory, deliciously exciting and even funny in places. It's admittedly an unpretentious B-movie, but it meets all the criteria expected of a film, making it an ideal choice for one viewing. The final carnage in the trailer was great. 75%.

An excellent Spanish heist film reminiscent of Money Heist. The story focuses on a woman who comes to the bank to borrow 35,000 euros she urgently needs by tomorrow morning, but when two armed robbers enter the bank, everything quickly becomes complicated. An interesting plot development, sharp and entertaining twists, smart dialogues, gripping negotiations, and a surprising finale. Another Spanish romp packed with twists that is very enjoyable and captivates with the original unfolding of the story. Very good. Story****, Action**, Humor**, Violence**, Entertainment****, Music***, Visuals****, Atmosphere****, Tension****. 8/10.

Another long overdue film and I am very satisfied. The harsh setting of Detroit is portrayed believably, Eminem is cool and the only thing that disappointed me is that there weren't more Rap battles. Anyway, the finale is awesome. Anthony Mackie showed that he can handle the role of antagonist. 80%

The French took the current theme of Covid and gave it a comedic twist. With Dany Boon in the lead, it sounded like a hot candidate for comedy of the year, but unfortunately they kept it a little too grounded at times. Not that there aren’t a few funny scenes. Dany steals it for himself again, but doesn't get enough space, and I found Francois Damiens as the janitor the funniest ever. Too bad the film is more drama than a pure crazy comedy, and relies more on emotions towards the end (they are effective, but I'd rather laugh than cry). A nice film on a topical subject that suffers from a two-hour running time, which is simply too much for a film of this nature. 6/10.

The highest grossing film of 2020 (460 million) is an instant classic and the best war film of the last ten years. From start to finish, it's an adrenaline-fueled, atmospheric, brutal and uncompromising ride as we follow 800 Chinese soldiers defending a warehouse in the middle of Shanghai from an enormous Japanese army. The spectacular visuals and attractive cinematography are so great that several times I felt like pausing the film to take a picture. The film rushes incredibly forward, it hardly leaves the battlefield as we follow the brave Chinese tasked with defending the warehouse for five whole days from waves of enemy soldiers. I liked that the action is everything one can expect in the war genre. Gorgeous and well thought out stealth action, sniping people trying to escape across a bridge, air raids, suicide bombers, close range knife fights and engaging firefights. As you watch, you feel like you're with the soldiers in the middle of a mad carnage where bullets are flying and tearing everything apart. The level of violence is really high and it's a joy to watch. I must also praise the great cinematography, the awesome sound design, where every siren or gunshot gives you instant goosebumps, and I enjoyed the characters, who don't get that much space, but there's a favourite for everyone. The atmosphere engulfed me like no film has in a long time and already at least five scenes have a chance to become iconic. An absolute must for fans of history and spectacular warfare. A gem to be archived! Anyone who gives less than three stars is permanently unfriended and will become Infernal Enemy numero uno. Story*****, Action*****, Humor>No, Violence*****, Entertainment*****, Music*****, Visuals*****, Atmosphere*****, Suspense*****. 10/10.

An unexpected animated gem from Thailand! Lore, like from “Warcraft”, incorporated into a classic martial arts beat-down in the style of Ong-bak! This is exactly something for me. It has amazing visuals (revolutionary by Thai standards in fact), a captivating story, breathtaking action (the choreography of the fights is top-notch), and most importantly, it seamlessly transitions from one action scene to another, giving it a great pace and drive. Although there isn't much blood and it didn't strike me as particularly funny, the action, the visuals, and the creative villains more than make up for it. Very good and highly recommended. A fantastic 7.6 overseas! 8/10.

Utter crap. The Japanese can't make movies. It's weird in every way, plus the villain is some kind of creepy transvestite. The characters are flat and uninteresting, nothing much happens for an hour, and there’s only a bit of action at the end, but it's poorly shot, and the bit of gore doesn't save the film. I found it excruciatingly unbearable, bordering on embarrassing and far beyond digestible.