Faster

2003 / 103m - USA
Documentary
2.0*/5.0*
Faster poster

A pretty comprehensive introduction into the world of MotoGP racing. Neale gets a little lost in the 2nd half though and the final 30 minutes could've done with some extra editing. It's also a rather old doc, so it's really just half a story nowadays, but for someone who knew nothing about the sport, it was a pretty decent.

xXx: Return of Xander Cage

2017 / 107m - USA
Action, Thriller, Adventure
3.5*/5.0*
xXx: Return of Xander Cage poster

A blissfully ridiculous action film. The xXx series is hardly Shakespeare material and Caruso seems to understand this. With Diesel, Donnie Yen and Tony Jaa there's enough fighting power present and the action, although extremely silly, is pretty damn amusing. I like it when films understand their own strength.

Another Gantz

2011 / 99m - Japan
Sci-fi, Mystery
3.0*/5.0*
Another Gantz poster

A retelling of the first film, but from a slightly different perspective. We follow an investigative reporter who is on the tail of the Gantz heroes. The film rehashes some scenes from the first film but provides enough unique material to warrant its existence. A nice addition to the Gantz universe, but nothing too special.

Models

1999 / 118m - Austria
Drama
3.0*/5.0*
Models poster

An interesting though somewhat predictable look into the lives of a couple of low-tier models. The themes (drugs, partying, self worth, self respect) are somewhat basic, but the acting is good and Seidl finds an interesting balance between grim scenes on the one hand and uplifting ones on the other. Solid.

What the Waters Left Behind

Los Olvidados
2017 / 98m - Argentina
Horror
3.0*/5.0*
What the Waters Left Behind poster

A pretty fun Argentinian Chainsaw Massacre clone. The setting is magnificent, the bad guys are menacing and the build-up is pretty decent. The lead characters are negligible though and you won't find much originality here, but the Onetti brothers know to have fun with the genre and that's all that matters here.

Incredibles 2

2018 / 118m - USA
Comedy, Action - Animation
0.5*/5.0*
Incredibles 2 poster

Quite atrocious indeed. The humor is cringeworthy, the voice acting is distracting, the art style flat and lifeless. Some token role reversals and cheesy social commentary do not make this into an adult-proof film and the little baby, pretty much the only redeeming element of the first one, is absolutely irritating. Yuck.

Queen: Days of Our Lives

2011 / 120m - UK
Documentary
1.5*/5.0*
Queen: Days of Our Lives poster

A pretty dry and chronological summary of the history of the band. It looks and plays like every other band doc, which I guess is fine if you happen to be a big fan of the band. If not, there isn't much to see here. Some wonky "lost" footage, a couple of basic interviews and lots and lots of music. That's all there is to it.

A sequel that doesn't deviate too much from the original. Some silly pranks, a few pleasant jokes but plenty of failed ones too. Bob Goldthwait's performance is memorable (though I wouldn't call it good) and the film doesn't outstay its welcome, but it's hardly masterpiece material. Just some basic comedy filler.

Illang: The Wolf Brigade

Inrang
2018 / 139m - South Korea
Sci-fi, Action
3.0*/5.0*
Illang: The Wolf Brigade poster

It's a little awkward to see a South-Korean remake of a Japanese anime, especially when the animation is more serious than its live action counterpart. Kim stays pretty close to the original and overall it's not terrible, but it just made me love Okiura's films more. The ending is a fluke though, shouldn't have done that.

Labour of Love

Asha Jaoar Majhe
2014 / 84m - India
Drama
3.0*/5.0*
Labour of Love poster

Slow but intriguing film. There's no dialogue, the narration is minimal and the structure quite repetitive. But the cinematography is beautiful and manages to capture some of the finer, smaller gestures and moments in life. It didn't quite keep me focused the entire running time, but there's a lot of quality here.

Overlord

2018 / 110m - USA
Action, Horror
2.5*/5.0*
Overlord poster

A decent attempt to do Wolfenstein: The Movie. Sadly there's a bit too much war stuff going on and the horror bits aren't all that impressive. Avery does his best to keep it interesting, it just gets a little dull after a while. Frankenstein's Army this isn't, though there is some fun to be had if you persist and ignore the rest.

Halloween

2018 / 106m - USA
Horror, Thriller
2.0*/5.0*
Halloween poster

A rather poor attempt to sequel-reboot the Halloween franchise. Green fails to build up the needed tension, the acting is subpar and the film often drowns in references to the original. Too much pandering to the old, not enough identity and balls to be its own thing. Time for another reboot I'm afraid.

Hell Fest

2018 / 89m - USA
Horror
3.0*/5.0*
Hell Fest poster

Good fun. The leads are quite annoying, but that seems to be a default for a film like this, the Halloween park on the other hand looked pretty damn cool and the killer, although far from original, did manage to come off menacing. The finale was decent too, so all in all in a pretty entertaining and amusing horror flick.

Not quite sure what I just watched, but I definitely liked it. Hosking's style is a weird mix of David Lynch, the Farrelly Brothers and Wes Anderson. If that makes no sense, be warned that this film doesn't either. But it's crazy fun and hilarious from start to finish, so it's all good really. A superb comedy, but not for everyone.

The Witch in the Window

2018 / 77m - USA
Drama, Horror
2.0*/5.0*
The Witch in the Window poster

Mitton's career started well enough, but it's been going downhill from there. The Witch in the Window fails at most things it tries. The scares are terrible, the drama unsightly. Luckily there are some very decent tension build-ups throughout. Not enough to save it, but at least it's not all bad. Not that great either though.

Bohemian Rhapsody

2018 / 134m - USA
Drama, Music
1.5*/5.0*
Bohemian Rhapsody poster

The more legendary the band, the blander the biopic. Bryan Singer fails to give proper homage to a band as big and influential as Queen. Safe some details, this looks exactly like a million other band biopics I've seen. Malek does well I guess, but unless you're fan of the band I think you're better off watching a documentary.