EvilPhoEniX

Roland Møller is a guarantee of quality and although it has a tough Danish signature, it is ultimately a French-Belgian film. A freshly released prisoner would like to make an honest and fresh start, but gets into trouble again with unpleasant consequences. A raw drama that doesn't lack rape and corpses, and thanks to the awesome Møller, it's pretty good to watch. 7/10.

Adam Egypt Mortimer and his most interesting and best work. It's the story of a young man who has an imaginary friend in his head who encourages him to do bad things, helps him to achieve his goals, but also slowly gains control over him. Well acted, disturbing, psychological, dreamy and with a great beginning and ending. I loved the demon masks in the background and one crazy scene with a stretched jaw. Enjoyed it, liked it. 7/10.

Yeah, it’s fun. J.Lo is an incredible babe at 50, and her opening pole dance is hallucinogenic in its beauty. The film takes a fresh look behind the scenes of strip-clubs and besides the pretty half naked women, I also enjoyed watching them rip off Wall Street guys, especially with drugs :D. Nicely seductive thieving fun. 7/10.

I wasn't expecting much from 21 Bridges, but in the end it was a pleasant surprise that goes in the style of 90's cop corruption crime thrillers, where Black Panther excels. The story focuses on two thieves who go to steal 30 kilos of cocaine, but they find 300 kilos and are unexpectedly interrupted by a police unit and end up in a brutal shootout with eight dead policemen. Detective Chadwick Boseman arrives on the scene and orders a lockdown of Manhattan and has five hours to catch the cop killers. The film is very intense from start to finish, never slackens in pace and hurtles forward like a bullet train train. It has a great soundtrack, solid action and a good dose of suspense that brings an interesting conclusion. Not many films like this are made nowadays, it's more a thing of the last decade, so I enjoyed it in the cinema. 8/10.

A decent Spanish crime drama, the last 40 minutes of which turn into a satisfying thriller. The story revolves around a policewoman whose friend disappeared 20 years ago and since she hasn't been found yet, she is declared dead and the case is closed, but the strong bond of friendship is stronger than any verdict, so the protagonist searches for the truth on her own and soon finds herself in danger. The first hour is a little slow, but once the bodies start to pile up and the truth slowly starts to come out, it's a decent watch. 6/10

Fred Cavayé directed the excellent actioner Point Blank, but he's definitely good in comedy, too, especially when the excellent Dany Boon is on hand again. This time he plays a penny pincher who only eats dinner when the nightlights come on outside to save on electricity bills. Very funny, very original and in the finale there is one unexpected twist with very strong emotional undertones. I don't understand the average rating, for me classically excellent France. 80%

A perfect piece of work that most are probably already familiar with, but for those who haven't heard of it before, catch up quickly. An utterly fascinating series that immerses you in the early 20th century and informs you of the advances and inventions in both science and medicine, starring the astonishing Clive Owen, a cocaine addict who literally works magic on the set, breaking boundaries, rewriting history and fascinating the viewer with his skills. The operations are filmed in great detail so there’s plenty of blood and guts and is no shortage of local brothels with courtesans, copious amounts of drugs, the uncompromising racism of the time and a piece of history with a thick dose of information. Most of all I enjoyed watching the advances in medicine, the new inventions, dealing with increasingly difficult surgeries and serious illnesses. A genre gem. Taken in two days in one breath. 10/10

Those who are in the mood for an Indian dark mystery should not regret it. The story is set in rural India where two girls are raped and hanged from a tree and a third girl goes missing. The local corrupt police close the case as an honor killing, but a new commissioner comes to town, he’s very honest and intends to crack the case. The film believably shows the caste divide in the local society and teaches the ignorant viewer a lot. Excellent music, a great protagonist, decent atmosphere and an engaging story are definitely the film's strengths. The weaker side is the slower pace, which failed to fully immerse me in the plot, but it is still a solid effort that deserves attention. 6.5/10.

A solid directorial debut from Iceland dealing with drug trafficking. The story revolves around two brothers who smuggle cocaine into their country in the belly of a young Polish woman, but everything goes wrong when the woman gets sick, she can’t vomit the drugs, the police are on their tail and someone would like to get their cut. As always, those used to Scandinavian cinema will get an authentic, uncomfortable and gritty piece with an escalating and suspenseful finale. Very good and chilling enough. 8/10

An inoffensive Hong Kong crime drama with the traditionally good Louis Koo. There is a murder case and the only eyewitness is Ara, a parrot, who of course can talk, but is unlikely to succeed in court as evidence. A fairly original entry into the crime genre, there are two action scenes and it's not entirely obvious who the killer is in the end, so Hong Kong crime fans will be in for a treat, except I still find HK two steps backwards visually compared to South Korea. 60%