EvilPhoEniX

This is definitely not a family comedy for kids! I wouldn't be surprised if they were handing out barf bags in cinemas, because some of the scenes really kick the gag reflex solidly, to the point where I'm surprised at such a positive general reception. As a horror connoisseur, I'm hardened and used to this sort of thing, so I laughed out loud at the comedy, though the scenes like the cannibal cow devouring the entrails of another cow, the attractive babe being hit by a truck or the bath in shit and corpses will rather gives viewers pause and send a thousand WTF signals to the brain. I liked the cameos of Keegan-Michael Key, Chevy Chase, Michael Peña, Norman Reedus and the great Chris Hemsworth, who enjoys his seductive role here to the fullest. Vacation undoubtedly has a rough, filthy, disgusting and even morbid style of humour and I had a great time. Not for everyone! 80%

Fairy tales your mother never told you.. A great fairy tale three-part anthology with the beautiful exotic setting of Italy, gothic castles, breathtaking costumes, beautiful music, solid actors, but also purely morbid-horror elements that are breathtaking in their uniqueness. All three stories are original and have something to offer. I was most entertained by the crazy, horny Vincent Cassel with his harem and whores rolling around on the floor. Solid stuff. 80%.

Japan is not lagging behind in this year's spy genre and its contribution is certainly not a disgrace, on the contrary, it deserves praise. The Joker Game draws the viewer into the action from the opening minutes and leaves them reveling in the colourful, cleverly written and entertaining set pieces. Kamenashi, the protagonist, is a likeable, very bright, hard-working, precise and detailed spy, who handles everything with flying colours, and is seconded by the beautiful Fukada, one of the most beautiful women in Asia. Although there is less action and the fights don't really stand out, the chases are interesting, spiced up with attractive disguises and various gadgets, which I personally quite like. The finale was far-fetched, but I smiled and didn't mind the Lol moment at all. This Japanese version Mission: Impossible was good. 75%

Contracted 2 picks up directly from the excellent first part, and gradually we learn all about the origins of the plague. The film is decently mature for a horror movie, with decent actors, good visuals, perfect make-up effects and gore, and a story that is engaging and interesting. On the plus side, the running time is a nice 70 minutes and I must not to forget the post-credit scene that hints at third part. Josh Forbes did a good job. Story 6/10, Atmosphere 6/10, Gore 7/10, Visuals 7/10, Action 5/10, Entertainment 7/10.

Wyrmwood 2, but thankfully more digestible, since Turbo Kid at least has decent blood colouring and decent bad guys with cool make-up. What they have in common, however, is their cheapness, naivety and absurdity. I kept thinking while watching it that I'd rather watch any overpriced blockbuster with fine visuals than these amateurish fan-home-video-made ventures. I found Laurence Leboeuf's character strange, with this woman I can’t say if’s was ugly or beautiful, her bulging eyeballs almost irritated my gag reflex. Points for the interesting music and Indian Jones. 50%

The curse of this year's horror films continues. I was expecting a lot from Sweet Home, it was one of the ten most anticipated horror films of the year and in the end it's just another mediocre, sterile home invasion flick like hundreds of others (the IMDB rating of 4.7 isn’t very enthusiastic, either). The downside is the long running time, it’s a nice 80 minutes, but absolutely nothing happens for 40 minutes, then comes Cleaner, who’s the only one that deserves praise, but again it wasn't fully utilized. Very little gore, mostly spoiled by bad and fast editing, darkness or classic out of frame, so unsatisfactory in that respect as well. The tension and atmosphere in the final third sort of work, but after a painful first half you just don't care. Hooray for Summer Camp, which has to be for a full score! Story 3/10, Atmosphere 5/10, Gore 4/10, Visuals 6/10, Action 4/10, Entertainment 5/10.55%

These days, Pod is at least a watchable genre film, but one that again failed to live up to expectations. On the plus side, the short running time, the interesting ending and especially the final atmospheric 20 minutes play decently on the viewer's nerves, with a nice surprise in the basement. At night and with headphones on, I wouldn't be surprised if somebody got scared, the prerequisites for that are there. The downside is the unnecessary over-earnestness of the leading trio and the longer run-up. The lack of blood and jump scares is also a pity. Story 5/10, Atmosphere 7/10, Gore 2/10, Visuals 5/10, Action 3/10, Entertainment 5/10.60%

Asia on Top! Kill Zone 2 is surprisingly much more focused on story building and atmosphere than the action itself, which is surprising, not a bad thing. It has a solid story for an action film, with decent plot twists, quality actors, working emotions and a pretty good pace, even though there are only two action scenes in the first hour. The second half works better, featuring an excellent prison break and a nearly half-hour grand finale by the biggest contemporary martial arts stars, a fan's dream come true. Tony Jaa is excellent as always, going for his favourite Ong Bak technique (elbows, knees, kicks), Jacky Wu gives us an excellent dynamic knife and baton fight vs Andy On, one of the best of its kind. But the biggest surprise is Zhang Jin, the main bad guy, who gives the best performance I have ever seen in a martial art film. His entrance is magnificent, awe-inspiring and breathtaking. He's so good, not even Jacky and Tony together can match him. The fights are breathtakingly and elegantly choreographed and clear, very fast, dynamic and properly rough. I'll give it the crown for the best action movie of the year, where even a tear of emotion drops towards the end. I screamed and cursed like crazy. 90%

A decent flick for fans of martial arts, but you have to suffer through a terrible plot and overacting reminiscent of gypsies arguing on a housing estate. Marko Zaror is a great athlete, he's at home in the air and does some decent stunts, he didn't get my attention much until now, after this I won't forget him. The R-rating works well too, and blood is not spared. The highlight is the fight with the Spaniard in the barn. Of the amateur fan efforts, however, Die Fighting was closer to my heart. 60%.

Insane as hell, but funny and likeable. Kung-fu mixed with Wu-xia is not my favourite style, but here I didn't feel ashamed, didn't roll my eyes and was quite surprised at times. What you have to reckon with is that there is no gravity, at times you feel like you are watching a Chinese prequel to The Matrix with Michael Bay visual effects, but it is so playful, fun, colourful, and when the fighting is on the ground there is no shortage of decent choreography with solid Kung-fu elements. I had a good time, the visuals are a treat, but I'll stick with three stars. 65%