Iceman: The Time Traveller

Bing Feng: Yong Heng Zhi Men
2018 / 104m - China
Comedy, Sci-fi, Action
3.0*/5.0*
Iceman: The Time Traveller poster

Decent sequel to Law's Iceman. Donnie Yen reprises his role while this follow-up turns things upside down, warping the Ming warriors back to their own time in order to alter history. Some decent action scenes, some doubty CG, no time to get bored. It's not a bad film, but Wai Main Yip can do a lot better.

Army of One

2016 / 92m - USA
Comedy, Adventure
3.5*/5.0*
Army of One poster

Mad comedy in which Nicolas Cage plays a goofy man who is out to bring Osama bin Laden to justice, though the craziest thing of all is that is based on a true story. Charles has a knack for comedy, Cage is perfect and the film is genuinely funny. The direction is a little sloppy maybe, but an otherwise welcome diversion.

Deaf Mute Heroin

by Wu Ma
Long Ya Jian
1971 / 84m - Hong Kong
Drama, Action
3.0*/5.0*
Deaf Mute Heroin poster

70s girl power. A remarkably fun and creative martial arts film with a female lead that kicks some serious ass. The fight choreography is original and effective, the rest of the film is solid but basic martial arts fare. This is clearly fans-only material, but seeing how obscure this film is, it's a pretty cool find nonetheless.

Get a Job

2016 / 83m - USA
Comedy
1.5*/5.0*
Get a Job poster

A hang-up comedy about finding a job. Could've been fun, if only it wasn't o preoccupied with lame life lessons and poorly fleshed out drama. Apart from Kendrick, the actors aren't really suited for comedy either and the film could've used a couple more jokes that actually landed. Short, but not very good.

Jeff, Who Lives at Home

2011 / 83m - USA
Comedy, Drama
3.0*/5.0*
Jeff, Who Lives at Home poster

Two comedy dudes (Segel and Helms) doing the dramady dance. It's not a new concept, the result is predictably decent. There are some good chuckles, a few proper dramatic moments, but overall it lacks something that truly sets the film apart. It's nice enough filler, but it fails to rise above its (many) peers.

Superb first feature of Neveldine and Taylor. Smart story about a hitman who must keep up his adrenaline levels to survive some messed up poison. It's the ultimate excuse to go completely mad and have Statham do the weirdest, craziest things while trying to find the antidote. Exemplary action cinema.

Lifechanger

2018 / 84m - Canada
Horror, Thriller
3.0*/5.0*
Lifechanger poster

Lifechanger isn't a bad film. It has an intriguing concept, it carries it some interesting places and it never takes the easy way out, but even though it earns itself a lot of goodwill along the way the execution just isn't quite there. Questionable actors and tepid direction stand in the way of an otherwise solid film.

Parenthood

1989 / 124m - USA
Comedy, Drama
1.5*/5.0*
Parenthood poster

Like most American comedies, the film start off as a full-blown comedy but is ruined by some ill-advised drama during the second half. The characters become truly annoying, the light-heartedness disappears almost completely and the drama has absolutely no impact whatsoever. Should've been 30 minutes shorter.

Into the Forest

2015 / 101m - Canada
Drama, Sci-fi, Thriller
2.5*/5.0*
Into the Forest poster

A somewhat tepid and confused drama that borrows a lot from post-apocalyptic genre films, but fails to do anything interesting with it. It's not the first drama to plunder genre elements in order to present itself livelier than it actually is, but Rozema's attempts don't amount to much. It's not bad, just not very good either.

After the Rain

Koi wa Ameagari no Yo Ni
2018 / 112m - Japan
Drama, Romance
3.5*/5.0*
After the Rain poster

Fun and quirky drama that tackles some tougher issues. Komatsu and Oizumi form the heart of this film and both deliver strong performances. Nagai's direction is fresh and perky, but lacks some finesse. The result is a solid drama that flies by, engages, but fails to be truly magnificent. Still worth watching though.

A Matter of Life and Death

1946 / 104m - UK
Drama, Romance, War
1.5*/5.0*
A Matter of Life and Death poster

Starts off okay, but gets considerably worse as time passes. The romance is cheesy, the fantasy elements are somewhat cheap and the trial at the end is dull and lifeless. Niven is the only actor who makes something of his part, the rest is ultimately forgettable. Just like the rest of this film really.