EvilPhoEniX

South Korea and an intense catastrophic airplane thriller (one of the best in the genre!). I like airplane movies a lot, the confined space, panic and chaos just works well on screen and Korea goes about it a bit differently again, because a bomb on a plane is a cliché isn't it? Why not just drop a deadly virus in there and make it bioterrorism of massive proportions that the whole world will have to get involved in. On the ground, we have the great Song Kang-Ho (Parasite) who plays a detective whose wife is on board the plane and does everything he can to both prevent the disaster and track down the culprit (one gesture he makes at the end is a total display of strong character). On the other hand, in the air, is South Korea’s biggest star Lee Byung-Hun (great to see two top actors together), who has one unexpected secret. A very uncomfortable and stuffy atmosphere haunts the whole film, there are some really unenviable situations that no one would want to experience first hand. The film raises the unpleasant question of Sophie's choice, whether to save the plane and endanger the whole world, or to shoot it down. The involvement of Japanese fighters gives a slight wink to the American Top Gun 2. I also enjoyed the politics, where the government and the surrounding countries deal with the whole situation, and the detective part where they try to find the origin of the virus. The finale is a decent emotional inferno that won't leave just anyone cold. A brilliant thriller with all the right ingredients. 8/10

Tim Burton made a spin-off of The Addams Family for Netflix and it's a future classic for modern audiences, but it will also please fans of Burton's work. Wednesday is an unexpected hit and another big success for Netflix, I was worried it would be a mere teen consumerist thriller, but it's awesome in every way. Wednesday is an honest and dark whodunit that would be the envy of Agatha Christie with the essence of Harry Potter set in the world of the Addams family with a dash of horror. This is a cocktail that tastes delicious. Stealing the whole show for herself is Jenna Ortega, the modern day Scream Queen (Babysitter, Scream, X, Wednesday), a decent horror career for 20 years, (I want to see Samara Weaving, Jenna Ortega and Anya Taylor-Joy in one movie!). Ortega was born to play Wednesday, her sarcasm and cynicism makes her an iconic character and a compelling detective that even Sherlock Holmes would want as a partner. It's rare that a female character can pull off an entire movie let alone a series, but Ortega pulls it off with aplomb, she doesn't take shit from anyone, and her wisecracks and cute looks are a downright hit. Visually, Wednesday is very fine, the script is decent, it's written very smartly (not just the dialogue itself, but the plot twists – the final one is unexpected!), the music is gppd, the supporting characters are likeable, the setting of Nevermore School is reminiscent of the best of HP, and I liked the unconventional central monster (it doesn't build on any explicit violence or jump-scares, but I don't mind that here). This is a fresh and fun genre thing that will please teens and adults alike, and that rarely happens. A big plus is also the fierce nature of the story, where fun plays a major role and the whole 8 episodes can be watched in one breath and it is really enjoyable. 8/10

Original, fun, smart, chilling, disturbing, refreshing and very tasty. The Menu is a well-crafted psychological thriller/satire that I rank among the films of the year. Combining a foodie film with a thriller is a hit with me and the setting in a top gourmet restaurant is a delight. The film immediately caught my attention with its unconventional approach and great actors. Anya Taylor-Joy here confirms her position as the best young actress of the moment (again stealing the film for herself !!). Nicholas Hoult plays the least likeable character and a terrible loser, but he plays it convincingly, and the excellent Ralph Fiennes, who has quite possibly his most distinctive role since Voldemort, commands respect and is mysterious and sharp. I enjoyed the whole experimental running of the menu, which the maker play with a lot. For a foodie and culinary fan and viewer, it's a very charming and mature film with original ideas (Boiling Point may have delivered a one-shot from one hectic night, but The Menu pushes those boundaries even further and I haven't seen a better film on the subject). As soon as the first shocking twist occurs, it switches to a more serious mood, where the smile will disappear from your lips, the chills come and there is definitely no shortage of tension. I liked where this was going, though I could imagine the situation could have escalated more explicitly and been more off the rails, but given the premise I'm satisfied without that. The finale will show who is the only one who has grasped the rules and the essence of the Chef. Excellent, I look forward to seeing it again. 9/10.

The new series from the Baran bo Odar, creator of the successful Dark and the great Who Am I: No System Is Safe, is a decent mystery thriller, but it’s not the discovery of the year, the rewriting of the charts, and the new Netflix smash hit, and I'm actually disappointed with the project. The series can rely on quality craftsmanship, it has great production design, the setting and the exploration of the ship new and old has its charm, the soundtrack always at the end of each episode is very fine. The acting is decent, although no character really impresses, the atmosphere is nicely mysterious in places, and the mystery itself seems ambitious and I don't doubt the director's qualities, he's devised it skillfully, but I absolutely stopped caring about it halfway through the series. At the beginning I was surprised, as I had no idea what to expect and one question after another was thrown at me without any answer and as soon as I got answers to those questions, I actually stopped being interested, because I find the concept is quite trendy these days and crammed in almost everywhere (I don't want to say what it is, but it bothered me). I would have much preferred if they had kept it more down to earth and relied more on the mystery or horror side, which is more or less absent here. It's really dense mindfuck in places. When there is a twist, no proper action comes out of it. I would have preferred if there were ghosts or clones on the other ship, I would probably have cheered. The pacing is also a problem, it's painfully slow and by the end I was suffering slightly and had trouble finishing it. I gave up on Dark for a similar reason, and this didn't sit well with me as a result either. However, fans of Dark and slow mystery stories should give this a chance. 6/10.

The return of Gareth Evans's spectacular gangster drama is still a solid London gangster series, but sadly it doesn't have the same quality as the first season (perhaps due to Evans only supervising but not directing this time). Koba, a new mob boss, comes to town and wants to take over London with his own rough methods. He commands respect, is portrayed very convincingly and is definitely a great asset to the series, even if he doesn’t get as much screen time the second half of the season. Old friends return and a few new characters are added, with drugs, guns and investors all being dealt with again, and the whole sleaze and corruption of London is downright palpable. I was a bit annoyed by the main character Elliot, who spent the first four episodes searching, not knowing quite whose side to be on, deliberately avoiding the fight, but it gets better in the end. Each character has a strong scene to themselves. Luan has a great opening home invasion, Lela has a perfect survival and escape from the house, and Elliot excels in the Paris club. The action this time around isn't quite as much as I would have liked and the gunfights dominate. There's probably only three purely physical contact fights. Season 2 lacks anything in the style of episode 5 in the first season, which was a half hour action inferno that's already iconic; there's nothing as epic here. Fortunately in terms of violence, torture and gore, Gangs of London is once again wholesome and they don’t fuck around. The music is uncomfortably creepy, underscoring all the brutal sequences and busting your balls. The visuals are decent, the craftsmanship is superb, the acting is excellent, the story is well paced and there are a few twists and turns, so definitely a great return and let there be a third, it promises interesting things again. 8/10

Another big stage over. My favourite post-apocalyptic series See comes to an end, and, although the highlight is still season 2, I'm still satisfied. Personally, I would have preferred See to have at least six or eight seasons, there's definitely still potential in terms of expanding the world, exploring new tribes or kingdoms, but the creators decided to conclude it as a trilogy and season 3 suffers a bit from that, there's not much expanding or exploring, as they try to finish up lines from the past to give the series closure, and a lot of times I felt like they were repeating things that had already been done, but I didn't mind that much. The script has never been one of the show's strongest points, and we loyal fans love it for the other values that work flawlessly. One more criticism about season 3. I found it to be the most lacking in terms of gore, there's less of it than the first two seasons, which I don't really understand (did they fire the make up effects artists?), but it's still a binge watch as it should be. The characters, both the good and the bad, are the great – they are all cast perfectly and the new characters are always a delight. I liked Ranger's new partner Baby Vosse, the new villain Tormada and the new witchfinder Lucien (the Irish fighter from Warrior, he was really good). Queen Sibeth gave probably the performance of a lifetime and one of the most impressive female performances I've seen – the woman makes your stomach clench. The biggest badass is without a doubt Baba Voss again (Jason Momoa has stepped up a lot as an actor during the series) and he steals the finale for himself again. Seeing Momoa in stealth action and absolute rage mode, charging in alone with a katana amongst a group of enemies and dismembering them all in a graceful and raw fashion had me screaming with delight. Visually, it is again very decent, albeit too often in the dark at times. The action is again plentiful and filmed superbly (the fight choreography is very polished), and there was even a detour with the cannibals which I welcomed. The finale had balls, a proper battle, philosophizing and thick emotions, so I'm very satisfied and the creators handled it decently. 8/10

Sexploitation from Dubai! Surprisingly for me, a very entertaining and attractive film. If Vega had taken it on, it would have been properly kinky and perverted, this way it's kept very much in check, even sexually it could have been wilder, but I didn't mind so much this time. A young girl starts out as a model and gradually works her way up to being a companion for rich men, to whom she will matchmake other girls. Parties, fun, sex, drugs in full swing. There are women galore and very nice to look at, and there are attractive men for the girls too, so a perfect first date movie.. :D Some of the lines were funny and I liked the luxury and opulence that oozed out of it. 7/10.

An enchanting and transcendent cinematic experience. Absolutely Beautiful! Marvel is back on top and Ryan Coogler has made the most complex and mature Marvel movie ever. Black Panther sets up a powerfully emotional and sad funeral from the opening, with all of Wakanda mourning in grief and it's very palpable. The plot then shifts a year and a brilliantly written political drama begins to unfold (the Queen's speech at the UN is like something out of an Oscar drama, not to mention the speech in Wakanda, everyone was holding their breath there!). The battle for vibranium begins and the new undersea civilization of Talokan comes into play with a stunningly filmed city, impressive depiction of life there and most importantly a villain who quite possibly is one of the best Marvel has ever created, Namor! Anti-hero, snake god, a symbol with good motivation, great backgrounds (the flashback with the conquistadors is great!), and the insight into Mayan culture was also brilliant. Tenoch Huerta is a strong cast hit and whenever he's on set he rips everything from action, to dialogue to dense drama for himself. I also enjoyed Namor's main fighters, they really commanded respect and that fight on the bridge with Okoye is an action packed treat. I liked the way the film is conceived in a very serious, adult, fateful and emotional way. There’s probably the least humour of all the Marvel films, but given the mood that's a good thing. The music is amazing, with Ludwig Göransson delivering another masterpiece and deserving another Oscar. The song “Con la Brisa” during the Talocan introduction is burned into my heart and I listen to it all day, but every single piece fits like a glove and I had my soundtrack list increased by at least 5 tracks. Best music in cinema this year without a doubt. I also enjoyed the action, even though there isn't much of it, it’s grounded, it's not the typical CGI mess where everything just explodes, but it cuts to the chase beautifully. The invasion of Wakanda is filmed in such a way that it takes your breath away, and the finale on the ship is such an epic carnage that it could be compared to the battle in Avengers. There are interesting themes and ideas running throughout the film, I enjoyed getting a glimpse into African culture again, the politics, drama, action, visuals, music, epicness and emotion all work, this is simply one hell of a mature film that has something from everyone and it all works flawlessly. I got goosebumps several times and even held my breath a few times. The peace and quiet in the cinema was really palpable, everyone was blown away. Audiovisual porn, brutal action, emotional inferno, that's all you need to know. Oh, and Letitia Wright handled it more than well. 9/10.

A good action caper from France for Netflix. The first episode was solid and the second one is in a very similar vein, i.e. it keeps its standard and it's a bit of a shame that it didn't bring anything extra to make me go higher with the rating. The plot is very simple and straightforward, so a fan of stories, drama and twists will definitely not find something to like here, but for those who enjoy proper stunt action, it's perfect for a boring evening. Visually, Lost Bullet 2 is on a decent level, the action is good – the fight at the police station is a highlight and the final car chase where the main character tunes up his Renault by sending the other cars 10 meters into the air was definitely admirable. Even the final short fight had something to it. The film is well paced and moves forward quickly, so there's definitely no boredom, it's simple and you don't need to think about it too much, probably like Cobra 11, you either enjoy it or you don't. 6.5/10

Oink Oink Oink! Disappointment from Spain. Piggy had the potential to be a great bully/revenge exploitation film with many interesting scenes, but everything was left unused. Personally, I was hoping that the first half would get a psychological charge with an obese girl being bullied in the worst way, to then take revenge on all the girls in the style of I Spit On Your Grave, but I was very soon misled with what they served up. There is only one bullying scene (that's downright mockery), this is exactly what the film should have built on to give the viewer some empathy for the girl, because sympathy is definitely not won and she is not pretty to look at. So instead of bullying or anything interesting, we get more of a social drama where nothing much interesting happens and the TV visuals make it a very uninteresting spectacle. Unfortunately, even the revenge itself isn't satisfying, anyone who has seen a few films in this genre can't be satisfied with this one at all. There is some violence at the very end, but it's so woefully little and late that it's hardly worth mentioning. Piggy tries for some sort of social subtext, but it's woefully boringly shot and uninteresting. There isn’t any gore or dirty exploitation. It didn't entertain me or satisfy me, it pissed me off. 4/10,