Elite Squad (2007) - 115 min

Elite Squad (Portuguese: Tropa de Elite) is a Brazilian crime film directed by José Padilha.
Starring Wagner Moura, Caio Junqueira, André Ramiro & Maria Ribeiro.
It is based on a special tactical force called BOPE. Captain Nascimento is planning to leave the force and he is looking for a replacement to pass on the baton of command. Two police officers Neto Gouveia and AndréMatias decide to join BOPE due to their superiors systemic corruption.
The script of the movie was co-written by Rodrigo, a former BOPE officer. The shootout scenes were very loud and somehow it resembles the movie 'City of God'. The performance was all good and the only drawback I felt about the movie is its camera work. Overall, it's an engaging film that shows some real issues and worth your time.
Verdict: Good

HDSP: Hunting Down Small Predators (2010) - 100 min

HDSP: Hunting Down Small Predators is a Bulgarian film Directed by Tsvetodar Markov.
Starring Marianne Vylev, Stefan Mavrodiev, Hristo Shopov, Boyko Krustanov, Yana Titova, Silvia Petkova, Vladimir Georgiev & Gergana Kofardzhieva.
Limkata is a young man who has trouble in communicating with others finally meets three friends and joins their friend's circle. They decide to make some easy money by doing wrong things.
This film has won many awards at the Bulgarian Film Festival such as Best actor and supporting actress. Vladimr Georgiev portraits the role of Limkata and his expressions were very good in a few scenes. It starts like three different stories and later the characters cross each others life at some point of the story. Overall, it's a watchable drama movie with a slight mix of romance and thriller elements.
Verdict: Average

John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017) - 122 min

John Wick: Chapter 2 is an American action thriller film directed by Chad Stahelski.
Starring Keanu Reeves, Common, Laurence Fishburne, Riccardo Scamarcio, Ruby Rose & John Leguizamo.
Once again John Wick is dragged into the game. John owes his life to a man named Santino D'Antonio and Now, He came back with an offer which is to kill his sister to seize a spot at the High Table.
John wick is one of my favorite movies and To be frank the second part is not even comparable with the first one which is the exact same thing happened to Jack Reacher: Never Go Back. Keanu Reeves performance and his stylish fight sequences are the main attraction of the movie. When it comes to dialogues, the killer dialogues of the first part is once again used in this movie and it looks pathetic this time. Stahelski choreographs the action scenes and shooting, blood spilling reminds me of video games. Overall, it's a watchable action movie with bullets and bodies piling all over the place.
Verdict: Average

Raw (2016) - 99 min

Country: USA
Director: Julia Ducournau
Cast: Garance Marillier, Ella Rumpf, Rabah Naït Oufella, Laurent Lucas & Joana Preiss.
വെജിറ്റേറിയനായ ജസ്റ്റിൻ വെറ്റിനറി സ്കൂളിലെ ആദ്യ സെമസ്റ്റർ വിദ്യാർത്ഥിയാണ്. പുതിയതായി വരുന്ന കുട്ടികൾക്ക് അവിടത്തെ ചില ആചാരങ്ങൾ ചെയ്യേണ്ടതായിട്ടുണ്ട്, അതിലൊന്ന് മാംസം കഴിക്കുന്നതാണ്.
ഫ്രാൻസിസ് ഇട്ടിക്കോര എന്ന് നോവൽ വായിച്ചു കൊണ്ടിരിക്കുന്ന സമയത്താണ് ഈ സിനിമ ആദ്യമായി കാണുന്നത്. നോവലിൽ നായകൻ ലാഘവത്തോടെ പറയുന്ന ഒരു കാര്യമുണ്ട് ഇന്ന് കഴിക്കാൻ കിട്ടിയ മനുഷ്യ മാംസത്തിന് നല്ല രുചിയാണ്. ഈ സിനിമ കണ്ടപ്പോഴും മനസ്സിലുണ്ടായിരുന്ന കഥാപാത്രം ഫ്രാൻസിസ് ഇട്ടിക്കോരയുടെ തന്നെയാണ്. ഇതിൽ മനുഷ്യന്റെ മാംസം കഴിക്കുന്ന ഒരു രംഗമുണ്ട്, മൂന്നുവർഷം മുൻപ് അതെങ്ങനെയാണ് കണ്ടത് അതെ അവസ്ഥ ഇന്ന് ഒന്നൂടെ അനുഭവിക്കാൻ സാധിച്ചു. ലോകത്തെ പല സ്ഥലങ്ങളിലും മനുഷ്യമാംസം കഴിച്ചതിന്റെ കേസുകൾ റിപ്പോർട്ട് ചെയ്തിട്ടുണ്ട്, താല്പര്യമുള്ളവർക്ക് ഈ സിനിമ കാണാവുന്നതാണ്.
Verdict: Good

Rattle the Cage (2015) - 96 min

Rattle the Cage (Arabic: Zinzana) is a crime thriller film directed by Majid Al Ansari.
Starring Saleh Bakri, Ali Suliman, Yasa & Ahd
Talal was desperate to win back his wife and son, but he wakes up in a jail cell for fighting with a local citizen. A man named Al Daban enters the scene with a secret agenda and he casually starts to show his true nature.
It's a cat and mouse game between a falsely accused prisoner and a psycho who wears a police uniform. There are some characters that measure your patience level, Even though it's a dynamic performance. Here I am talking about Daban character which is brilliantly handled by Suliman. The style of Ansari's direction was impressive and this is the first violent oriented story from UAE. Overall, Just watch the trailer of this movie and if you like it, Go for it.
Verdict: Average

Loop (2016) - 90 min

Loop (Hungarian: Hurok) is a Hungarian Sci-Fi film directed by Isti Madarász.
Starring Dénes Száraz, Dorina Martinovics, Zsolt Anger, Géza D. Hegedüs & Zsuzsa Málnai.
Adam plans to betray his boss and decides to run away with his girlfriend Anna for a better life. The plan caused him to stick in a loop where he relives some events over and over again.
A clever plot which is nicely pulled off by the director and it's always good to see a loop oriented movies. The characters are presented in one dimension and time loop operating principles are not that complicated when it compares with Hollywood time loop movies. The viewing angle changes all the time, while surroundings remain unchanged. Overall, it's a watchable time twist thriller movie and As a time loop movie it satisfies me.
Verdict: Average

The Reef (2010) - 94 min

The Reef is an Australian horror film directed by Andrew Traucki.
Starring Damian Walshe-Howling, Zoe Naylor, Gyton Grantley & Adrienne Pickering.
It tells the story of Four friends who reunite for a boating trip and unfortunately due to a bad tide their boat collapses. The only way to survive is to swim and what happens when they spot a shark in the ocean.
The underwater filming was very cool to watch and it creates tension all the times when the lead character looks for the shark in the ocean. Andrew Traucki nicely handles the true story without adding the usual cliches of a shark movie. Overall, it's a small realistic thriller movie and don't expect a typical shark movie from this one.
Verdict: Average

They Call Me Jeeg (2015) - 112 min

They Call Me Jeeg (Italian: Lo chiamavano Jeeg Robot) is an Italian superhero film directed by Gabriele Mainetti.
Starring Claudio Santamaria, Luca Marinelli, Ilenia Pastorelli, Stefano Ambrogi & Maurizio Tesei.
Enzo is a criminal who happens to jump in the water of the Tibet river comes out with a superhero power. What will he do with these superpowers, Obviously more crime and with no other attachments Enzo can do anything.
This is the Italy's first superhero movie and entirely different attempt. The superhero of this movie is a 40 year old guy and his body is not at all fit. Apart from this comes the craziest heroine and a psychic villain into the play. It's a small budget movie and Gabriele converted the predictable story into a pleasant one to watch. The chemistry between Pastorelli and Santamaria is the key factor of the movie and they won many awards for this performance. Overall, it's a watchable superhero movie without following many cliches of Hollywood movies.
Verdict: Average

The Aura (2005) - 134 min

The Aura (Spanish: El Aura) is an Argentine psychological thriller film directed by Fabián Bielinsky.
Starring Ricardo Darín, Dolores Fonzi, Alejandro Awada, Pablo Cedrón & Jorge D'Elia.
Espinosa is a taxidermist who makes his living by stuffing animal's skin to display it in museum. He posses a photographic memory with the ability of remembering every detail of things he sees and always dreams of committing the 'perfect crime'. While on a hunting trip with his friend, he accidentally shoots a guy.
This movie was the Argentine entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 78th Academy Awards. It's not a fast paced movie and Bielinsky makes it a dark neo-noir movie that mainly concentrates on characterization. Darin's performance was the only thing I really enjoyed about this movie and the depressed Esteban role was safe in his hands. Overall, I am not that impressed with this movie and it gives me an average satisfaction.
Verdict: Average

A Simple Plan (1998) - 120 min

A Simple Plan is an American crime thriller film directed by Sam Raimi.
Starring Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton, Bridget Fonda, Brent Briscoe & Gary Cole.
While riding back to home, The Mitchell brothers and their common friend accidentally find out a crashed plane in the woods that contains a bag full of money. Their plan was simple to take the money and wait to see if anyone shows up claiming the money. What happens when their simple plan turns into a complicated one.
This film reminds me of a British black comedy movie named 'Shallow Grave' where three roommates ends up with a bag full of money. The plot is very simple and the storytelling follows one thing leads to another method. The performances were solid and when it comes to the technical side, it will not disappoint you. Overall, it's a simple movie that conveys a good message and worth your time.
Verdict: Good

The Invisible Guest (2016) - 106 min

The Invisible Guest (Spanish: Contratiempo) is a Spanish thriller directed by Oriol Paulo.
Starring Mario Casas, Ana Wagener, José Coronado, Bárbara Lennie & Francesc Orella.
Adrián Doria is framed of murdering his girlfriend and He is on the trail now. His lawyer hired a recently retired lawyer who had won all the cases she attended, Virginia Goodman to make a good defense for Adrián. Virginia starts to hear Adrián's version of the incident.
Oriol Paulo, the director of 'The Body' movie is back with another mystery movie. Once again he shows his skill of twisting the story and how good is he to manipulate the viewers. The performances were all good, especially the combination scenes between Mario Casas and Ana Wagner. Overall, it's a highly recommended movie for Mystery movie fans and it will keep you on the edge of your seat like 'The Body' movie.
Verdict: Good

Landmine Goes Click (2015) - 100 min

Landmine Goes Click is a Georgian thriller film directed by Levan Bakhia.
Starring Sterling Knight, Spencer Locke, Dean Geyer & Kote Tolordava.
Chris, Alicia and Daniel are three friends backpacking through the hills of Georgia. While pausing for a photo Chris accidentally steps on a landmine and Daniel takes off leaving them in the hill. A stranger shows up offering help in exchange of something from Alicia.
When it comes to this kind of b-grade thriller movies, the performance doesn't matter. It's a difficult movie to watch like I split on your grave and Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Apart from brutal and cruel scenes, it still remains a gripping thriller that's worth your time. Overall, It's a watchable movie with an effective ending, while showing things that you don't like to see.
Verdict: Average

Ghost in the Shell (2017) - 106 min

Ghost in the Shell is an American science fiction action film directed by Rupert Sanders.
Starring Scarlett Johansson, Michael Carmen Pitt, Pilou Asbæk, Chin Han & Juliette Binoche.
After an accident Mira Killian's brain was transplanted into a completely synthetic body by Dr. Ouelet. The organization is run by Chief Aramaki and his intention is to stop cybercriminals and hunt down hackers and cyberterrorists. Things get a little complicated when a hacker starts to hack into people's minds and control them.
A complete waste of time and I don't know why this movie even made in the first place. The star value of Scarlet Johansson helps the movie in the box office. Neither casting nor storytelling makes any strong point in the movie. The visuals were annoying and there is nothing in this movie that actually satisfies me. The only reason why I gave this movie one star is because of Scarlet. Overall, I think I need some trophy for watching this disaster movie without leaving the seat for 106 minutes.
Verdict: Bad