EvilPhoEniX

I thought I wouldn't live to see the finale!! An incredible action inferno with an emotional sting. The uncompromising nature of the characters here easily surpasses Game of Thrones. Awesome!!

McDonagh hasn't made a bad movie yet. He's a whiz at turning even an uninteresting premise into an ambitious work that will storm the Oscars. I was honestly worried, as this is his most intimate film without violence, but he still managed to win me over. We get the most out of the actors here! Colin Farrell – clear Oscar, Barry Keoghan – second Oscar. The landscape of the Irish countryside is amazing (I enjoyed the rough Irish slang too), it's just close to my heart and that can impress me. What's great though is the insanely bizarre black and bitter humour, I laughed really loud a few times and some of the lines are brutal, and that's what makes it just so great. “Wasn't it so much easier when we was all on the same side, and it was just the English we was killin'?” Good film. 80%.

An average horror movie with centipedes from Thailand. The story takes place in a hotel that is under quarantine because Covid 19 is on the rampage outside and there is a monster that can change forms running around, plus a bunch of centipedes. Really weak in terms of plot, but on the other hand I appreciate that Thailand tried something other than the classic ghost story, and centipedes aren't exactly on our menu often. They are harmless to humans, but they can be unpleasant. Visually it's pretty OK, the CGI is passable and I liked the monster. It's just a shame that there's no proper gore or scares, and the atmosphere doesn't really work either. It's kind of a bland thing, but at the same time it didn't offend me and it's watchable thanks to the concept, but the potential was much higher. 5/10

One of my favorite directors, Timo Tjahjanto, released a new action comedy for Netflix today and it's his weakest effort and the disappointment of the year for me. When I found out six months ago that Timo was making a new action comedy, I was looking forward to the next revolution (a new The Raid! A new Night Comes for Us, another evolution and a revolution of violence), but as time went by my enthusiasm started to wane. I was already very worried when I read Timo wrote on Twitter that he was glad that he could finally make a movie that his kids could watch, then the trailer came out and it looked like it was from another director. Now, after watching the movie, I can say that it's really misstep. I understand that every director wants to experiment and try something different from time to time, but Timo doesn't have strong storytelling skills, he's just a butcher who delivers extravaganza through Gore and action, and nothing else will probably ever work for him, so this experiment dedicated to his kids and Asian fans definitely didn't work for me. The plot is simple, a policewoman wants to find the person who killed her father, and he's a nutcase who leads a group of assassins, so she teams up with four former hitmen to help her get revenge. The premise itself sounds tailor-made for a good action flick, but there are a few buts. The main characters are supposed to be ex-hitmen, but they come across as a bunch of losers with zero martial arts experience and professionalism. The humour is cringe, cheesy, awkward and traditionally Asian – I can never get into it and it degrades the film a lot. The lighthearted tone doesn't suit it at all. Also, there are weak CGI effects for the explosions, and blood dust sprays during gunfights, really? Hong Kong inspiration in a negative way. Unfortunately, I'm not happy with the action itself either. The gunfights have bad sound and look like airsoft, the fights lack physicality, dynamics and proper contact – you can’t feel the punches – and the camera is strangely sped up, so the adrenaline is zero. It's as if without Taslim and Uwais, Tjahjanto can't cope, or the actors lack fighting skills. Lastly, there is no gore this time around. Off the top of my head, I can only think of about three scenes that are worth watching, which at a running time of 2 hours 20 minutes is downright mockery. The only one I enjoyed was the villain, who had about two nice knife scenes, but that's woefully short. Not like that, my friend. Disappointing year, but I believe the remake of Train to Busan will be a hit!

Luca Guadagnino has made a cannibalistic road trip romance through the American backwoods and it has its charms. It's clear that the director is a drama buff, but he probably also enjoys horror and likes to combine the two genres, though drama always takes precedence. His Suspiria, however, had its charm (I remember the dance scene vividly!) and I'm very curious how he'll handle the Scarface remake, because I have no idea how he'll handle the action scenes. We have two likeable young actors, the nifty Taylor Russell and Timothée Chalamet, who has already shown his acting skills a few times and only confirms them here. I enjoy road trips in films as they don't stand still, new places and people are explored and despite the slower pace they manage to keep my attention. Bones and All also benefits from the world of cannibals and it has to be said that this insight is really interesting and creepy enough. The two leads travel through America, have a taste for human flesh and can also sense their equals. Each encounter with a new cannibal is one of the highlights of the film. Mark Rylance is once again perfect, his dialogue is uncomfortable and gives you chills. But I must also praise the huge weirdo with the Bones and All story, the guy oozed evil and I wouldn't be surprised if he was a cannibal in real life, a really nasty unpleasant guy. There was a bit of gore as well, which was nice, though another director might have pushed the envelope further. The filmmaking is good, the atmosphere is bleak, and you could say it's one of the top in the cannibal-themed romantic horror genre (though the competition here isn't huge). Bones and All is the imaginary pinnacle of cannibal cinema and I would love to see it in action. 7/10

Nice fairy tale, just a shame in a story we all know by now and it's had three adaptations in a decade. While Del Toro's vision is the most interesting and his stop motion animation is magical, I still can't shake the feeling that I'd rather see this adaptation in another film and ideally aimed at adults. Due to the predictability, the film loses its entertainment factor. I prefer action-oriented fairy tales with humor, this is closer to drama and I can't really imagine kids being entertained by it. The funniest part is the one with the Nazis and thankfully there aren't many songs. All in all, I wonder where the Netflix and remake haters are hiding now. 65%.

Seasons Beatings! A beautiful film. Exactly one of those movies that highlights why I love movies. Tommy Wirkola reaffirms his status as a tough butcher off the rails and has quite possibly made one of his best films; at the very least he made a film that has the potential to become a Christmas classic and will definitely not be missing in my living room every Christmas in the future. Of course, for the introverts, weirdo entities, puritans and outcasts of society, this will be and American piece of shit without a story that is unnecessarily filthy and brutal, and I'm glad that the code of decency suffered incredibly in the process, I really enjoy torturing this bunch like this, probably like David Harbour, who played the best role of his career. Violent Night is one crazy, fun, perverse and brutal action ride that takes Christmas traditions, John Wick-like action, twisted humour and references to Home Alone and together it works incredibly well and cool. The story may be simple, but there's beauty in simplicity, and all the other filmmaking aspects and details are important; the work they have put in is very evident and I appreciate it accordingly. Apart from the excellent Harbour, for whom this was a tailor-made role (his flashback was also awesome, by the way, and I hope we will learn even more about him in the eventual sequel), the villains are also a delight, John Leguizamo plays a surprisingly decent bad guy, but his henchmen also have their bit of glory, and I looked forward to every disposal, which are brimming with original and entertaining ideas. I was sure of a decent 4 stars, but once it came to the barn scene, it was a done deal. It was such a carnage!!! Santa, with a skullcracker and skates for knives, performs the Christmas ballet of death, and for me it is without a doubt one of the best scenes I have seen this year. I'll be playing this before bed every night. This whole glorious sequence is then built up with traps like in Home Alone, and I was roaring with laughter and joy. I'm glad Wirkola put something like that, those were two top notch sequences (read orgasm) right after each other. The Christmas music was good too and of course I couldn't fail to mention the properly twisted and bawdy humour, which was perfectly fitting. The emotions worked on me at times thanks to the cute little girl and there were a few minor twists and turns, so very satisfied. A properly entertaining, crazy and brutal film like this year's Bullet Train. 9/10

Lesbian nunspoitation by Verhoeven set in a 17th century Tuscan monastery. Verhoeven has made an unconventional erotic religious drama that is not afraid of nudity and violence. The actress who plays Benedetta, Virginie Efira, looks very good at 45, and her full frontal nude will please many a male eye, but the rebellious Daphne Patakia looks good too – she is the hottest nun I have ever seen. The combination of sinful nuns and a corrupt Christian institution works surprisingly well. The historical period where Europe was gripped by the Plague, the very intense and exciting lesbian sex scenes, the Stigmata vignettes, the great nightmares of Benedetta (the snake scene or the brutal killing of the knights, surprised by the raw gore). I liked the harsh rules the nuns had to follow and the intense finale is solid, with a cool trial, torture and chaos of the townspeople. The pacing is slower in places, but the film managed to keep my attention thanks to the attractive interludes. Definitely a noteworthy affair.

Oriol Paulo is GOD and he is back in championship form! It was looking like the Spaniards were fading, but then Spain's David Fincher comes in and makes one of the best films of the year for Netflix. The Invisible Guest meets American Horror Story - Asylum! A private investigator hatches a clever plan to infiltrate an insane asylum without anyone knowing her true identity in order to solve a murder that's been ruled a suicide. Of course, it doesn't go quite according to her plan, and you can look forward to a pretty nerve-wracking experience that will twist your correct theories several times over. Paulo benefits a lot from the attractive setting of the asylum – one of the best insane asylums ever filmed, by the way. Some of the people are properly creepy and some of them may be slightly uncomfortable. Even with a running time of 155 minutes, there are no dead spots, my attention was immediately captured by the director, who manipulated me and led me around with real precision. Bárbara Lennie is excellent, displaying admirable acting skills, entertaining with her intellect and manipulation, and reminding me of Raquel from Money Heist in appearance and expression, but the rest of the cast do a fine job as well. Paulo strictly follows his signature style with twist upon twist, perfect manipulation of the viewer where you doesn't know what to believe until the last minute, a wonderful mystery atmosphere where even a book lying on a table is mysterious, and multiple plot lines unfolding at once that fit together nicely like a puzzle. Watching it I had several heart attacks, sweaty ass, chills, goosebumps, anxiety and my mouth wide open (and Paulo didn't even need gore to satisfy me and that's what I call true art). I really have no complaints, the master is in perfect form and the brilliant script set in an uncomfortable environment with an attractive plot and good music is a hit. Perfection itself. 10/10,

Another hit series this year! This year the series are doing better than the movies, with one hit after another coming out and I recommend to watch out. Steven Knight has directed both Peaky Blinders and See, and he's hit the jackpot for the third time. This time he's focused on the British Army rebels who kill Nazis in Cairo during WWII! There have been countless WW2 films made, but I have to say that perhaps for the first time I was learning downright new information, thanks to the unconventional setting (the infiltration of Benghazi during WW2 is just a blast), the Cairo setting has its own charm. The casting is impressive, featuring a lot of well-known series actors. I’m very pleased with Connor Swindells, who we all know only from Sex Education and here he plays one of the most important roles and does it brilliantly. The only female character is Sofia Boutella (Kingsman vibes, I love that woman), Alfie Allen from GoT is also good, but the absolute biggest cast hit is Jack O'Connel (the bad guy from Punisher), who plays one of the best roles I've seen in a show in a long time. The guy rips every scene to shreds and draws full attention to himself (now I'm wondering if he's a singularly excellent actor, or if he played a brilliantly written character hmm). He plays Paddy the Irishman, the biggest lunatic far and wide, who talks like a bitch, is an uncompromising asshole in action and is a strong alpha male who fucks everyone – really, the scenes with him are some of the best the show has to offer. Of course, the series is not flawless. I found the first two episodes too talky and slow that I didn't believe it would pull above average at all. The first action scene doesn't come until the 3rd episode, but by the halfway point, the series is a decently addictive ride and I was having a great time. The highlights were episode 5, the French paratrooper training, I was dying laughing, and the infiltration of Benghazi – I was breathless with suspense. Old farts will also be pleased with the numerous rock music acts. It's cool, fun, well-acted, knockout and testosterone-charged. Great and I'm looking forward to the second series. 8/10.