EvilPhoEniX

An excellent true crime documententary, similar to The Tinder Swindler, just from the medical world. Dr. Paolo Macchiarini is a world-renowned authority, working at the best hospital in the world in Sweden. He treats world leaders and is famous for his revolutionary progress in medicine. Artificial trachea transplants, however, have a catch – his patients die! An intelligent guy with the looks of George Clooney, who is considered a star, declares himself a god, but in the end, he is a fraudster, a manipulator, and a murderer who has deceived everyone from patients to fellow surgeons, and his mistresses. The best episode is the first, which is the most shocking and definitely gives you shivers. While patients do survive the trachea transplant surgery, in the following days their condition worsens, leading to death. Netflix knows how to do these documentaries, and when there is an enticing subject available, it's usually great. This is definitely worth seeing. The ending is classically infuriating (the clinic's cover-up is unbelievable). Truly another story in a series that leaves the viewer with boner. 8/10.

This enjoyable thriller-horror debut from South Korea has an original premise, but it didn't pull me in as much as I had hoped. The story centers on a married couple (most of the film takes place in an apartment only) where the husband suffers from a rare sleep disorder, or is he possessed by an evil spirit? He tends to sleepwalk at night and soon becomes a danger to himself and those around him. The premise is interesting, but the horror elements are few (unfortunately there are no jump-scares or gore, and the pace is also quite slow). In short I can't say I had a great time, as there are not many attractive elements apart from the premise. The acting is okay, the craftsmanship is okay too. The film a bit disturbing and slightly funny at times (not that I laughed outright though). I was expecting a much more intense finale, but I found it bland. The premise makes the film worth watching, but it left me completely cold. 6/10.

Sam Esmail, the creator of the praised series Mr. Robot, directs an apocalyptic psychological thriller about a cyber attack for Netflix, with a decent cast and definitely higher potential. But Esmail and Netflix deserve a thumbs up, as there can never be enough good mystery conspiracy thrillers. Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, Mahershala Ali, and even Kevin Bacon in a smaller role make a for a good ensemble cast, so even though it is mainly a conversational drama-thriller with a longer running time than healthy, the film is fortunately not boring. (Of course, it depends on the individual.) I liked the mysterious atmosphere that accompanies the whole film, the division into chapters, and the craftsmanship. The few apocalyptic shots are very nice (although they could have been longer and there could have been more of them). There are plenty of questions and few answers, which wouldn't be a problem if the film didn't have a strange ending where you expect a proper twist and gets that instead. I always have the feeling that when filmmakers are unsure how to end the film and are afraid they don't have a well-thought-out twist, they end it randomly like this, but this doesn't apply in this case. I'm not completely thrilled about it, I expected a bigger mindfuck experience, but compared to the latest Shyamalan, it's definitely a class better. Although there were a few things that bothered me, overall I have no problem with it, and the film receives a weaker 4 stars from me. However, the idea is definitely terrifying. 7/10.

For me, an average French comedy with a strange and uninteresting theme. Making a film about looking for a lost teddy bear seems quite crazy, it significantly lacks both situational and gag humor. The advantage is the 80-minute running time and one legendary scene with a crazy security guard and his crazy dog, it lasted about five minutes and is among the best things the film offers (If they made him the protagonist, it would be awesome). It's a shame that the rest of the characters lack humor. It was watchable, but France can do much better. 5/10.

Leo didn't seem to me like a groundbreaking animated film, but it must be acknowledged that it is perhaps the best animated film of this year. Pixar and Disney is starting to become tiresome and their fairy tales haven't been worth much lately, whereas Netflix is doing quite well. The Mitchells vs. the Machines was a pleasant surprise, and this is no exception. Adam Sandler is unmistakable. The story is about a iguana and a turtle who live in a terrarium in a school classroom and gradually start getting to know all the children, who are assigned to take Leo home for a day. Once they find out he can talk, he begins to help the children with their problems, which is not only original but also very educational and beautiful. It is partly also a musical, but the songs fit nicely, each child has an interesting problem that they need to solve, Leo is a very likable character whom the audience cheers for, and the turtle is very funny. I laughed politely a few times, it also has a pleasant pace, and it is decent entertainment for the whole family. Yes, this was good. 8/10.

A pretty pleasant feel-good comedy about a man who goes from one job to another, only plays games on PlayStation, and doesn't have a great standard of living. He accidentally gets into trouble and will have to work two months of community service at a retirement home, where he will meet the likeable Gerard Depardieu (a former boxer and one of the best characters). Some of the characters are entertaining, though I expected a slightly crazier humor from the French. It's more of a pleasant and nice film, without any bursts of laughter to be expected. The story follows the classic template, but thanks to the likeable characters, pleasant pace, and feel-good atmosphere, it turns into a non-offensive one-off. (I liked the reference to the TV series Money Heist) 6/10.

Finally, I caught up with this acclaimed thriller from one of the best Czech directors, Pavel Soukup, whose recent film #annaismissing left me craving for more, and this is indeed a similar masterpiece. The film starts off shockingly, with a truck driver hitting a 15-year-old boy named Marty, who dies on the spot. The parents' depression and despair are present from the very beginning, and the atmosphere is definitely unpleasant and unenviable. However, things start to get interesting when the father opens his son's computer, gradually uncovering more and more terrifying secrets that he was hiding. He was forced to carry out chilling tasks, often crossing the line of the law. Pavel Soukup certainly knows how to hold the audience's attention and presents them with the current topic of social media and the dangers that can lurk there. The series is not far from its American counterparts, Searching and Missing, and those who enjoy such films will not be disappointed here either. #annaismissing was a more thought-out thriller, where the audience could guess the killer, but here I had no idea, as there are no clues, and the revelation is definitely unexpected and great. It is well-shot, well-acted with a fantastic atmosphere and a powerful message. If you haven't seen it yet, catch up immediately! 8/10.

This new Christmas horror film from the Norwegians would like to become the sibling of Wirkola's Dead Snow, but it is miles away; unfortunately there is nothing interesting to see here. A family moves to a mountain cottage in Norway before Christmas. There is a goblin elf hiding in the barn, he likes his peace and strict rules must be followed to not piss him off, which of course fails. During the first 50 minutes almost nothing interesting happens, the family is unlikeable, except for the sexy step mom, she was nice, but the father was a terrible loser and the kids were uninteresting. Once the elf gets pissed off and an army of elves appears, there is some action, but it's boring. We don't get any decent gore, it's a light/soft horror film for children. The humor doesn't work, overall it's quite bland and uninteresting, where no element stands out in anything. Visually, it's not completely bad, but if I went to see it in the cinema, I'd leave even more pissed off. It may serve well as a background while baking cookies or unwrapping gifts at Christmas, otherwise it's a waste of time. 4/10.

French gangster-flick master Olivier Marchal shot a series on his favorite theme, the world of drug gangs, a genre where he feels at home, so it's exactly what the viewer expects. Although it does not reach the peak of his other works and does not attempt a groundbreaking story, the cards are quite clearly dealt, but those who are not tired of these tough gangsters from authentic France will certainly not be disappointed. Marchal has not disappointed me yet, and it didn't happen this time either. We have tough cops who are not afraid to get their hands dirty, they go from one trouble to another, and the viewer will like them. On the other hand, there are also two drug gangs. In one them there’s Murillo with the Indian and in the other there is Ali-Arab from Dubai, who comes to Marseille to take over the city. For me, it is the best character of the series, an incredible dude, a typical gangster, a role perfectly tailored. The only thing that annoyed me was that he didn't get more space, especially in the last two episodes, which was a shame. I liked that the series doesn't waste time with unnecessary side characters, we either follow the police or the gangsters, so boredom is definitely not a threat, and I appreciate that there is no unnecessary filler. Each episode contains one prominent French track, which was always great. Technically, of course, it's top-notch, the action is raw and uncompromising, but there isn't much of it, I definitely expected more, and in the last two episodes, when it should have kicked into high gear, it slightly falls behind instead, and there is no big action finale, which is a minus. But I watched the series in one go, it's my favorite theme, one I don't easily get tired of, so I had a great time, but I didn't sit on the edge of my seat. 7/10.

An enjoyable feel good genre film from high school. It lacks proper humour, but is likeable, lively, nicely shot and fast paced. The girls start a fight club in high school and get they beat each other up. There are a lot of lesbians, but the characters are fine, the soundtrack is good and the final fight with the football players on the field is great. It was also unexpectedly suspenseful at times, so I'll give it a weaker four stars. I had an unexpectedly good time, plus I miss these comedies from high school and I don't think there was a better one this year. 70%