FORGETABLE

Three thieves being haunted by a blind military vet they intended to rob in his own house is a predicament hard to resist, especially if you love horror movies. Hence, „Don’t breathe” was given a chance to prove and show something different from an almost 100% generic genre these days. And it failed.

It failed with the non-convincing acting (Stephen Lang) and subplots, as well as a repeating manner of hiding the sub-outcomes of those subplots. And as if this enough, there’s a strong hint of a franchise at the very end. 

„Don’t breathe” has an interesting concept and nothing else.

DON'T BREATHE – 3/10

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PLAIN BAD UNTIL THE VERY END

Mixing drama and comedy is always a dangerous path, especially when the movie is coming from a Asian cinematography, that tend to overact everything.  In most of the cases, the result will be obliteration of every ounce of quality, and one of those flicks is the „Miracle in Cell No.7”.

Tackling the legal fight of the little girl to prove her mentally challenged father innocent of child murder will stay in between the insufficient seriousness and constrained humor almost through the entire course of the movie. However, the closure and the last couple of scenes will elevate this strange flick a little bit, showing just a crumb of the non exploited potential it beared.

„Miracle in Cell No.7” will grant you some satisfaction if you choose to watch 'till the end, but not much of it.

MIRACLE IN CELL No.7 - 4/10

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TOUR DE FORCE

Let me be clear at the very beginning: I don't like musicals. I hate them. I hate them so much that I can not finish even the  ones that raid havoc on box-offices („Moulin Rouge!”, „Sweeney Todd”).

But, if you offer me a Korean musical, a Korean musical about female inmates that raise a baby inside the prison that must be put to adoption when it reaches 18 months, then, and only then, you have my undivided attention.

Few things in life are less painful than the separation of parents and their children. „Harmony” rides on that wave pretty skillfully, using the musical engine only to lighten up the difficult subject. The inmates attempt to form the prison choir is here in the back plan and that helps to succesfully separate musical from real life drama.

„Harmony” is more than a musical. It's an excellent drama based on a great concept.

HARMONY - 8/10

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JUST SOLID

True stories are always a powerful tool when it comes to screenwriting, especially the unbeleivable ones. And the story about an entire Argentinian family that kidnapped and killed people for ransom in the name of a political organization is one of those stories. Hence, the movie mustn't be nothing short of a jawdropper.

In reality, „El Clan” is a solid piece of movie art, with a clear and predictable script and some good acting (Guillermo Francella). Everything is pretty much ok, but not many things are extraordinary, and that's the main problem.

„El Clan” is just a good thriller, but not a great one it should've been.

EL CLAN - 5/10


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THE NEON PORN

Nicolas Winding Refn is the best director in the world when it comes to light. Period. He is also very capable of creating the desired atmosphere and always has a great sound to accompany it. Unfortunately, talented Dane behind the camera lacks second major component of every quality movie.

The script. 

„The neon demon” doesn’t have a script. It has corny dialogues, porn level acting and literally zero sense during its entire course. Even the shocking factor fails to deliver any quality at all.

„The neon demon” is one shiny and beautifully lit porn.

THE NEON DEMON – 3/10

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HEARTWRENCHING

When it comes to Korean cinematography it's all about the concept. And the concept for the „Oasis” is just so compelling that it will burn your heart out.

Troubled ex-convict (Kyung-gu Sol) continues his path of selfdestruction after the release from prison, but will be seriously questioned to change his ways upon stumbling on a deserted and severely physically challenged girl (magnificent So-ri Moon). The odd couple will fall for each other, but continue to run into a wall of misjudgements and prejudices that culminate at the very end of the movie. The outcome of the story is done in the hardcore Asian traditional way, leaving the average viewer hanging somewhere in between the utter enthusiasm and bitter dissapointment.

„Oasis” is everything but your average love story and a great Asian drama.

OASIS - 7/10

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WELL ACTED, BUT SLIGHTLY NAIVE

Koreans are the godfathers of the modern day thriller and the plots they conceive are far more original than the ones being created in Hollywood and the rest of the world. They also tend to intertwine the basic crime plot with some deeply disturbing family relationships, like the one between a mother and her mentally challenged son.

„Mother” will let you see what a mother is capable of doing when it comes to protecting her son that has been accused of rape and murder. Female lead (Hye Ja-Kim) is so good that she will irritate you all the way to the unthinkable dillemas and twists at the very end. However, the basic plot stays rather thin, downsizing the acting accomplishments.

„Mother” is „just” a solid thriller with a great female lead performance.

MOTHER - 5/10

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FIRST ONE OF ITS KIND

Many Western box office hits were in fact copy-paste reamkes of the Asian movies, and „The Lake House” is no exception. The concept of letter writing and falling in love between two people that shared the same house and magical mailbox in a different time is as corny as it gets, but offers some interesting potentials.

As it is always, the Korean original is more realistic and brutal, but somehow overacted. In the end, the entire subject begins to wear down, with the viewer wishing it should end as quickly as possible.

„Il Mare” is the original concept and it is its biggest advantage. And the only one as well.

IL MARE - 4/10

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MODERN LIFE PARADOX

Depicting total opposites and making them exchange their places is always fun to watch and has some great potentials for developing. When a debt crushed business man ends up his suicide attempt stranded on a deserted river island in the middle of the city, entire modern way of life will be ridiculed in „Castaway on the Moon”. When a sociopathic and agoraphobic girl establishs contact with him, the comedy and amusement will kick in.

Sadly, the script tends to deflate in its bottom half, not giving us the ending it deserves.

„Castaway on the Moon” is a solid piece of criticism with some unexploited potentials.

CASTAWAY ON THE MOON - 5/10

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SOLID BOXING FLICK

Boxing scripts are not very creative, so isn't the parallel story about the troubled young inmate with a complicated family situation (Seung-bum Ryoo)  and the worn down ex-Olympic medalists drowning in debts (Choi Min-Shik).

„Crying fist” won't deviate much from its basic pattern about redemption through comeback and commitment, but will do it a decent and non too pathetic way. Acting is solid, and so are the fighting scenes.

If you are into boxing movies, you should watch „Crying fist”. If not, you can watch it also.

CRYING FIST - 5/10

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WORST MOVIE OF THE YEAR

Comic mashups will kill modern American movie industry. Ideas ran dry a long time ago and the new ones are just being so random and non-creative that it hurts.

Newest addition to the over saturated market is the story about the group of crazy outcasts orbiting Batman's universe, „Suicide squad”.

It's really difficult to say what is worse in this forced out franchise: script, characters or actors themselves. There is no real storyline, just shuffling random events and creatures. There's no real characters, just crazy grinning and lowest level of humor imaginable. There's no real acting, just a couple of „Golden Raspberries” around the corner (Robbie and Leto). There's nothing, but a two hours of your life lost.

„Suicide squad” is the front runner for the title ''Worst movie of the year”.

SUICIDE SQUAD – 1/10

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STABS FROM BEHIND

There are those particular movies that begin slowly, develop rather awkwardly but manage to make it up at the very end with some great twist or just a detail.

Story about human trafficking and a terminally ill Failan (Cecillia Cheung) that accepts hard labour in exchange for a staged marriage to a small time criminal Kang-Jae (everlasting Choi Min-Shik) will make you bored and wishing you never decided to watch it until the very last fifteen minutes of the movie that climaxes in a painful and gory final scene with the video tape.

„Failan” will reward your patience if you choose to watch it all the way.

FAILAN - 6/10

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A TOUGH ONE

Now, this is a true drama!

Real life story about family abuse, aggression and its consequences.

Well motivated, nicely acted (unknown Hwan Lee), „Breathless” stuns the viewer with its brutality, consistency and overall sense that these things could've happened to each and everyone of us. Even the slightly overacted and non convincing  female lead (Kkobi Kim) doesn't bother the viewer as he/she is sucked in the story at the very beginning.

„Breathless” is a true genre representative and a really harsh Korean indie.

BREATHLESS - 6/10

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SHALLOW, BUT ENTERTAINING

Seldomly, the first reboot movies tend to breathe in new life into the worn out franchises („Transformers”, „X-Men”, „Star trek”), but that's about it. The problem is that this new life is almost always short, finishing with the first one of the rebooted flicks.

„Star Trek” followed that path with „Star Trek Into Darkness”, loosing itself in too much action and almost no brain. „Star Trek Beyond” tends to repeat the flaws of its predecessor, but manages to do that in an entertaining and not too overwhleming way. The crew (Pine,  Quinto, Saldana, Urban, Yelchin) is there, with some laughs and hommages as well.

On the downside, the script will be really jibberish as well as the motivations and revelations towards the end of the movie.

„Star Trek Beyond” is a classical Hollywood shortlived blockbuster.

STAR TREK BEYOND – 5/10

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NOTHING SPECIAL

Alzheimer's succumbing a very young woman is something that we already saw recently, especially in the Western cinematographies (e.g. „Still Alice”) Although with a strong potential for brutal and heartwrenching story, „A moment to remember” just fails to deliver a convincing and non-pathetic result.

Script revolves on a uneven pace, with major plots and subplots happening out of the blue and without proper preparation and motivation.

„A moment to remember” falls behind its Western contemporaries significantly.

A MOMENT TO REMEMBER - 3/10

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FOR THE LOVE OF GOD

Rebooting will burry Hollywood. No director shall be spared, no movie shall retain the minimal dignity earned 20 or so years before. Nor will Emmerich's amusing 90s blockbuster „Independence day”, now driven into the hardcore high-tech future conflict with the resurging aliens. The old crew is all here (minus Will Smith), some fresh faces and CGI are stepping in, but all of that just won't make any difference.

The result will be utter devastation of brain cells, a collection of random events, thin and non-existent plots, as well as a horrifying intro into a whole franchise of this... nonsence.

„Independence day: Resurgence” will suck out any ounce of quality from its predecessor and bore you to death.

INDEPENDENCE DAY: RESURGENCE – 1/10

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PLAIN PATHETIC

Bad guy running the affairs for mafia. Good guy filming him. An innocent girl in between those two. All of them being high school friends. Harsh surruondings and relationships all the way.

A well lit path leads „A dirty carnival” from the beginning to the end, not surprising the viewer despite some great potentials of the main concept. It is a well known path and a pathetic one as well.

„A dirty carnival” should've been a much stronger and brutal movie than it is.

A DIRTY CARNIVAL - 3/10

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IF IT WEREN'T FOR MEL...

After all this time, Mel Gibson is still such a pictoresque character that even the mediocre script with severely unconvincing suporting cast can't diminish that fact. He only needs to show his bearded face on the camera, put some of his real life problems in the plot and everything seems a lot more serious than it really is.

In reality, „Blood father” is just of one of those confused crime/thriller stories aggravated with some bursting action sequences than you've seen all around Hollywood in past copuple of years.

„Blood father” would've been a lot worse than it is thanks to Mel Gibson.

BLOOD FATHER - 3/10

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EXAGGERATED

We all had this kind of stories in our high schools. Some good guys, some bad guys and some of the girls in between those opposites.

„Once upon a time in high school” is a traditional teenage movie, with some exaggerated elements that come with Korean film makers as a default. It won't give you anything new and you will know what will happen next from the first moment on.

If you are into teenage movies, watch „Once upon a time in a high school”. If you're not, don't.

ONCE UPON A TIME IN HIGH SCHOOL: THE SPIRIT OF JEET KUNE DO – 3/10

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FOR BLAKE LIVELY'S FANS

Ultra smart shark terrorizes Blake Lively stranded on the rock couple of hundred meters away from the shore?

Sold! 

However, this situation thriller/horror, although partially original in its concept tends to bore the viewer after first half hour, due to evident restrictions in the plot. Blake's body and face will crate some amusement, but with limited grasp.

„The Shallows” is the movie for Blake Lively fans, some genre lovers and not many more.

THE SHALLOWS - 4/10

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KOREAN TACKY ROMANCE

„The Classic” has all the major elements of a tear sobbing romantic drama. Time overlapping, love letters from the past, war and tragedy looming upon a young couple in love, etc.

Maybe that will be enough for an average lover of the genre, but not for me. For me, it's just plain boring, corny and tacky all the way to the very end.

„The Classic” will be loved by housewives in their mid fifties who love to read paperback novels on a summer vaction and not many more.

THE CLASSIC - 4/10

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