Showing posts with label en_UK. Show all posts
Showing posts with label en_UK. Show all posts

Sunday, March 17, 2024

Halo (2022– )

Master Chief is humanity's most powerful weapon in the midst of an intergalactic conflict.

'Halo' is the TV adaptation of a very popular video game series. Based largely on the mythology and the story in the game, Halo offers an alternative of very effective sci-fi entertainment and plenty of action.

Director:  Otto Bathurst and others   
Production:  Paramount   
Creator:  Steven Kane, Kyle Killen   
Duration: 2 seasons of 9 episodes (1 hour each)
With: Pablo Schreiber, Shabana Azmi, Natasha Culzac, Olive Gray

Rating: 8/10

Saturday, March 16, 2024

Saw X (2023)

John Kramer is deceived by a group that promises him a miraculous cure and decides to punish them.

'Saw X' is the latest addition to the long-running franchise. A probably exciting event for the fans, but unfortunately the screenwriters decided to make quick money and ignore the need for consistency and credibility of the character.

Director:  Kevin Greutert   
With: Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith, Synnøve Macody Lund, Steven Brand

Rating: 6/10

Sunday, March 10, 2024

Hypnotic (2021)

A woman who begins psychotherapy discovers unexpected consequences.

'Hypnotic' is a psychological thriller with an interesting idea, but one that has been used before, not necessarily in better ways. The execution is not bad, but unfortunately the script fails to use the raw material in an effective, believable or memorable way.

Director:  Matt Angel, Suzanne Coote   
With: Kate Siegel, Jason O'Mara, Dulé Hill, Lucie Guest

Rating: 6/10

Friday, March 08, 2024

The Nun II (2023)

The nun Irene is sent to investigate a series of religious crimes that seem to be committed by the previously defeated demon.

'The Nun II' is the continuation of the story of the ghost nun from the films from The Conjuring franchise. It keeps the original distribution (with small changes) and somehow manages to obtain a more consistent and whole result, with as many horror-type actions as it can fit and many layers that manage to keep attention away from any possible flaws. Not flawless but attention grabing with what the audience likes.

Director:  Michael Chaves   
With: Taissa Farmiga, Jonas Bloquet, Storm Reid, Anna Popplewell

Rating: 7.5/10

Wednesday, March 06, 2024

Inkheart (2008)

A single father is able to give life to characters in books and must stop such a character from destroying the world.

'Inkheart' is an adaptation of a much-loved children's fantasy book. The idea and the story sound fascinating in theory and the various summaries one reads about it, but the adaptation leaves much to be desired, lacking that something that attracts the viewers like a magnet and unifies the magic of the fantastic into a whole that satisfies many requirements: originality (check, but that's about it), rich and coherent dialogue, fantasy that appears fantastic and characters memorable by something other than their name being Paul Bettany.

Director:  Iain Softley    
With: Brendan Fraser, Andy Serkis, Eliza Bennett, Sienna Guillory, Paul Bettany

Rating: 6.5/10

Sunday, March 03, 2024

La voz humana (2020)

A woman reacts to the fact that her partner left her, leaving his cases and dog behind.

'La Voz Humana' is a very intense and effective dramatic short. Tilda Swinton is fascinating and carries the film with professionalism.

Director:  Pedro Almodóvar    
With: Tilda Swinton, Agustín Almodóvar, Miguel Almodóvar, Pablo Almodóvar

Rating: 9/10

Saturday, March 02, 2024

Perfect Sense (2011)

A scientist and a chef fall in love with each other in the middle of an epidemic that causes loss of the senses.

'Perfect Sense' is a poetic drama, a metaphor of the modern world and the hope for intense and real feelings still being possible. The two protagonists are very well chosen, with a great chemistry and extremely expressive in portraying intense and traumatic experiences, which cause a variety of contradictory reactions. A real gem.

Director:  David Mackenzie   
With: Ewan McGregor, Eva Green, Connie Nielsen, Stephen Dillane

Rating: 9/10

Wednesday, February 28, 2024

Chaos (2006)

A suspended policeman is brought back into action to investigate a bank robbery together with a new partner, fresh from the academy.

'Chaos' is an old fashioned police thriller. It tries to suggest many complex and intelligent ideas but without providing the necessary basis to make them believable. The film has a strong cast, but a script that does not help it exceed the label  of "run of the mill".

Director:  Tony Giglio     
With: Jason Statham, Ryan Phillippe, Wesley Snipes, Justine Waddell, Henry Czerny, Nicholas Lea

Rating: 6.9/10

Monday, February 26, 2024

Dexter: New Blood (2021–2022)

10 years after he faked his death, his son manages to find him.

'New Blood' is an event (and just a one off) season that continues the story of Dexter after the well-known finale of the series that ended in 2013. Made for the sake of the fans, it tried to fix what displeased many, but unfortunately it seems that the effect of this one was even more negative. The new story is not bad, but the spirit and humor of the original is missing. Dexter is uncharacteristically clumsy and inept just for the sake of creating twists and knife-edge scenes, and the ending... is not worth mentioning.

Director:  Marcos Siega, Sanford Bookstaver  
Production:  Showtime   
Creator:  David Greenwalt, Joss Whedon   
Duration:  1 special season of 10 episodes (8 ore 49 minutes in total)   
Wth: Michael C. Hall, Jack Alcott, Julia Jones, Johnny Sequoyah, Jennifer Carpenter, Clancy Brown, Alano Miller

Rating: 7/10

Saturday, February 24, 2024

Mortdecai (2015)

A bohemian and pampered art dealer lives suspenseful adventures in his search for recovering a stolen painting with a hidden code.

"Mordecai" is an adventurous and fresh comedy that takes the viewer by surprise. It has a talented cast that is not afraid to appear in ridiculous circumstances.

Director:  David Koepp    
With: Johnny Depp, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor, Olivia Munn

Rating: 7.6/10

Friday, February 23, 2024

BlackBerry (2023)

The history of the first smartphone.

'BlackBerry' is a satirical history of the events surrounding the creation of the first smartphone. Well acted, with an alert script and intelligent dialogue.

Director:  Matt Johnson    
With: Jay Baruchel, Glenn Howerton, Matt Johnson, Kelly Van der Burg, Martin Donovan, Saul Rubinek, Cary Elwes

Rating: 8/10

Thursday, February 22, 2024

Chaos Walking (2021)

An all-male human colony goes through a shock when a ship with a female pilot crashes nearby.

'Chaos Walking' is an adaptation of a beloved YA Sci-Fi novel. With a ridiculous idea (men's thoughts are constantly exposed to those around them), the film has something to say in terms of entertainment, but as an artistic creation, it leaves a lot to be desired.

Director:  Doug Liman    
With: Tom Holland, Daisy Ridley, Demián Bichir, David Oyelowo, Mads Mikkelsen

Rating: 6.3/10

Monday, February 19, 2024

The New Mutants (2020)

Five young mutants try to come to terms with their new powers and past traumas.

'The New Mutants' is part of the X-Men world, but with teenage characters and YA adventures vibes. With a cast that includes names that were hot at the time (or are still popular now), the film is not bad but not special either.

Director: Josh Boone    
With: Maisie Williams, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Heaton, Alice Braga

Rating: 7/10

Saturday, February 17, 2024

Maniac (2018)

Two strangers are drawn for different reasons to an experimental drug that promises to solve all their problems.

'Maniac' is a sci-fi drama with a very eclectic and imaginative content. The two main protagonists are excellent and very well suited for an association that makes so much sense. Hard to describe in general, Maniac must be experienced.

Director:  Cary Joji Fukunaga   
Production:  Netflix   
Creator:  Cary Joji Fukunaga, Patrick Somerville   
Duration:  miniseries of 10 episodes (6 ore 26 minutes in total)   
With: Emma Stone, Jonah Hill, Sonoya Mizuno, Justin Theroux, Sally Field, Julia Garner, Gabriel Byrne, Jemima Kirke, Trudie Styler

Rating: 9.5/10

Friday, February 16, 2024

Meet Cute (2022)

A young woman has the ability to travel in time and change her partner's past traumas.

'Meet Cute' has the premise of a romantic comedy, but becomes a psychological comedy through the prism of a sci-fi twist. No one can accuse the film of lack of originality. The comedy is light but present, the romance is a bit depressing, and the  sci-fi angle is interesting and makes possible a terrifying distortion of not respecting boundaries.

Director:  Alex Lehmann      
With: Kaley Cuoco, Pete Davidson, Kevin Corrigan, Deborah S. Craig

Rating: 7.6/10

Wednesday, February 14, 2024

The Other Side of the Door (2016)

A mother risks a dangerous ritual to see her lost son again.

'The Other Side of the Door' is a horror film built around the drama of losing a child, which seems to be a subgenre all of its own. The actions of the mother are easy to understand up to a certain point, but the originality of the ritual and the interesting setting are not enough to raise the level of the result. Interesting for a run of the mill horror.

Director:  Johannes Roberts   
With: Sarah Wayne Callies, Jeremy Sisto, Sofia Rosinsky, Logan Creran

Rating: 6/10

Sunday, February 11, 2024

Baghead (2023)

A young woman inherits her estranged father's pub, in which is imprisoned a being that can bring back the deceased temporarily.

"Baghead" is a horror film that uses the traditional elements of the genre (nightmarish screams, sudden noises, etc.) but brings to life a popular idea ("the wronged witch") with an original reimagining. It has enough flaws (dubious choices of the main character, the unfounded and superficially treated vilification of the extra male character), but it deserves attention for its breath of fresh air and the clever ending.

Director: Alberto Corredor    
With:  Freya Allan, Jeremy Irvine, Ruby Barker, Peter Mullan

Rating: 7.6-ish/10

Saturday, February 10, 2024

Men (2022)

Harper rents a house in the country side to recover from the trauma of her ex-husband's death.

'Men' is at a first glance a dramatic story, full of trauma and painful memories and monotonous walks on forest paths and fields. Until it turns into something else, a kind of horror (which was expected) mixed in with morbid poetic analysis of the harmful effect of toxic male personalities. Although it is an often heard lesson, the film remains interesting and hypnotic through its quota of creepiness and its originality in execution.

Director:  Alex Garland     
With: Jessie Buckley, Rory Kinnear, Paapa Essiedu, Gayle Rankin

Rating: 9/10

Thursday, February 08, 2024

Saltburn (2023)

An Oxford student is drawn to the fascinating world of modern aristocrats through the lens of his colleague's family.

'Saltburn' is a slightly satirized drama about the highly favored human desire for more: more money, more appeal, more popularity. It seems inspired by the story of Tom Ripley, but with more comedy/satire, less depth and more scandalous content. The film has many intelligent moments, generally enriched by the secondary characters, but the rule seems to be script laziness which tries to overcompensate with shock scenes.

Director:  Emerald Fennell   
With: Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant

Rating: 7/10

Saturday, February 03, 2024

Tau (2018)

A young woman is kidnapped by a scientist who keeps her in an intelligent house to perform experiments on her.

'Tau' is a sci-fi thriller that involves the favorite topic of recent years: artificial intelligence. With few characters, the film manages to be intelligent, coherent and full of meaningful dialogue. Satisfying for fans of the genre.

Director:  Federico D'Alessandro     
With: Maika Monroe, Ed Skrein, Gary Oldman, Fiston Barek

Rating: 8/10