The Last Days on Mars (2013)

This was a serious sci fi flick with so many potentials. You can find a cast full of recognized actors serving it well and a scenario giving its best, combing science fiction with horror elements. Only a few hours before the crew departs from Mars, an accident turns out to be disastrous for the whole mission. A great discovery on bacterial life changes to a lethal game for survival between the astronauts. The situation is really tough for everyone and as mission comes to its end, Vince, a brave technician tries to figure out what happened and what will be his next move in order to survive, isolated in an unfriendly planet. You will enjoy every moment of its dramatic sequence as this entertaining film delivers a great story.

White Bird in a Blizzard (2014)

Arraki's last film is a great attempt to mix some mystery alongside drama & thriller, sometimes successfully but sometimes lacks of tonal quality. There is a great cast delivering  some good acting too and the soundtrack is just amazing. I loved all these trippy moments coming to our hero's dreams. Kat is the average teenager, trying to satisfy her sexual desires at the late 80s. As Phil, her boyfriend, can't fulfill her demands, she turns to a local detective for more adventures after her mother's sudden disappearance. Her father was her doormat, a peaceful boring family man. Kat doesn't blame him for the situation and tries to understand the events surrounding her. The story works, there is some sense of mystery but the real hit is its shocking end.

 

The tripper (2006)

Tripper tastes like old wine. Sounds good, watching is even better. A b movie, directed at zeros, focusing in the oldskool style bloody stuff. Samantha and her friends decide to spend some time in the woods, visiting a psychedelic music festival. They love using drugs and being lost half of the day.The problems start when arriving at the spot and are assaulted by three local hillbillies. And this is only the beginning, as deranged psychopath serial-killer wearing a mask of Ronald Reagan uses an ax to kill the pacific stoned hippies. Deputy Buzz Hall investigates the crime scenes but there are various issues to be resolved as well. The atmosphere is creepy, cinematography also works good and blood fans will enjoy for sure.

The Raid 2: Berandal (2014)

Do you remember the remarkable 'The Raid: Redemption' back in 2011? This is the sequel taking it to the next level. More nasty, more dark, more thoughtful. Rama's brother finally got assassinated by a mobster called Bejo, an intelligent guy who interferes into the local underground mafia, trying to divide the two gangs into a bloody war and take it all. Rama decides to be undercover, and gets imprisoned in order to gain Uco's trust, son of Bangun, leader of the Jakarta gang. More madmen and killers with incredible skills come into the game as betrayals come over and roles always change. Is there anyone for Rama to trust or he has to end it alone?

Director Gareth Evans delivers an awesome action film once more. Everything is well done for the audience's pleasure.

 

The signal (2014)

Signal is a really interesting sci fi movie. Its cinematopraphy and cast make it work and it is something different in a good way. Three friends are trying to track down a mysterious hacker somewhere in the Nevada desert. Their passion lead them in an abandoned place where everything is going to change. The real terror begins after this incident and trough some artistic nostalgic-type flashbacks, the storyline delivers a great plot. The pacing is slow and methodical, doling out information in carefully measured doses before opening the floodgates during the film's climax. For a medium budgeted film, it sure does looks amazing. I can say it is a mindbender for serious sci fi fans.

 

American Mary (2012)

A talented young girl tries her best in the medical university but she gets into troubles while doing the dirty job for a mobster. This is not her only problem as twisted doctors are trying to get closer to her and a few weird clients need her services at last. She is confused and has to take difficult decisions about her future that change everything. Her delicate passion for being a surgeon will drive her into a dark, bloody world. An interesting horror film with good acting and working plot. There is not enough gore as I was expecting but it is still an accomplishing gem. It is good to see new talent emerging with entertaining movies that don't follow the cookie cutter mold Hollywood has been giving us. 

Clown (2014)

Somewhere in a small town, a father tries to entertain his son at his birthday party. As he wears on an old fashioned clown costume, founded in an abandoned house, it will bring chaos to his life as it will transform him to an ancient demon. Kent tries to remove the evil suit over him but every attempt fails and gets him closer to the living nightmare as he loses control. His wife is the only one who understands him but this is not enough to save him for the endless pain. This is another Eli Roth's production, probably a good horror film with great moments for fans. Its great filming and acting can save your night, if you are looking for an interesting thrilling movie. The characters developing also works  and gives an overall positive result.

Who Am I - Kein System ist sicher (2014)

This gem is just brilliant. A subversive hacker based film that is not the easiest to make very cinematic but Who Am I works out a way to do so. Benjamin is a genius hacker trying to reach the top following his idol's steps. But MRX. The last one belongs to FR1ENDS who are known to be a group of hackers employed by the Russian Mafia and things get complicated as Ben and his team, CLAY, try to make him recognize their work. This encourages them to focus on two actions: to discover the identity of MRX and actively work to stop FR1ENDS. Little do they know, this will all culminate into one massive hack that is more "social engineering", than it is limited to computer hacking. The acting, scrip and action complete a creative, stylish, and quite entertaining film that you will remember for a long time.

Pyojeok aka The Target (2014)

This is another solid action film from South Korea. A gem blending great action scenes due to its excellent choreography and stunts, fine acting and an interesting plot. ER doctor, Tae-joon, is trying to save his wife as she has been kidnapped from a mysterious guy who wants Tae's last saved patient to be delivered to him. Things get messed when gangs and other external factors show up and it becomes clear that there is a larger conspiracy at play. Yeo-hoon, the patient, manages to escape from hospital and wants to find his own solution to personal problems engaging him and his brother to an assassination based on unknown motives as well. Despite its flaws,"The Target" is still sufficiently engaging to entertain- especially since its pace is brisk and its actors easy on the eye.Its a solid and frequently thrilling cinema which should provide genre fans with sufficient entertainment and excitement.

Gun Woman (2014)

This Japanese gem was much more entertaining than I was expected and I think it really deserves your attention if you are into the dark Asian thing you know. A doctor seeks for revenge from a crazy sadistic killer, responsible for his beloved wife's death. He finds a young female junkie and trains her to be the secret weapon for achieving his goal. The mission is really difficult as he has to pass her though an underground camp where strange people fulfill their sexual fetishes. The price of completing her task for this gun woman is to gain her freedom at last. Despite its low budget and maybe its amateur cinematography, especially in the beginning, this mixture of dark beauty and action will be remembered for some years, hopefully.

13 Sins (2014)

Elliot Brindle has a difficult day as he loses job and opportunity to take care of his younger brother who requires assistance for disabilities. He has to help also his racist father who lives alone and get ready for the arrival of a new member in his family with Shelby who tries to understand his problems. Until one day he receives an unknown call that informs him about the privileges of a special game where he has to execute 13 tasks in order to win such a fortune. The first tasks seem to be quite easy but as the game continues, things get complicated in a terrible way and Elliot finds out that he can't quit now because he will lose everything. Is he going to find the solution and win the bloody competition at last? This is a superb horror film, so strong in images, with amazing script and good performances that shall satisfy any thriller fan out there.

Disconnect (2012)

Here I am back again, after relaxing for a short period. This is a combination of three stories, both dramatic, that will connect before the end. Stephen and Cindy feel alone, disconnected from each other, after their baby's loss. They also have financial issues after they are exposed online. Rich is a successful lawyer but he can't find time for his family. His son, Ben, gets cyber-bullied by two classmates and this is going to be bad for him. The irresponsible kids, Frye and Jason, haven't really understood their fault until Ben commits suicide. Jason's father, Mike, is a widowed ex-cop who tries to raise his son properly but he can't actually. They are strangers, neighbors and colleagues and their stories collide in this riveting dramatic thriller about ordinary people struggling to connect in today's wired world.

Uwantme2killhim? (2013)

Never underestimate the power of the internet. This is a thrilling true story about the friendship of two teenagers. Mark is being passionate with Rachel through the net as they have never been met. He falls in love with her and becomes frustrated when her boyfriend, Kevin, abuses her. She begs Mark to take care of her younger brother, John, a weird guy that often is being bullied by the others at the school. They get closer after Rachel's death and they plan to revenge for her loss as they think that Kevin is responsible for this. Mark has another conversation with Janet, a secret agent working for MI5 that convinces him about the connection of Kevin and John at terrorist acts. Things now are more complicated that Mark first thought about. Another interesting and intriguing film that didn't take the appropriate critics as the acting, the concept and the final approach on this actual event are really good.

Los últimos días aka The last days (2013)

Marc works as a programmer at a big company in Barcelona. He realizes day by day that something strange happens around him as people become sick while they come out from buildings. It is only the beginning of a huge epidemic spreading across the planet though. Marc decides to escape from his shelter through the tunnels of the underground and find his wife Julie. He meets Enrique, another decided man who wants to approach his father at the hospital. Together they start a difficult journey to find their beloved ones and they will become best friends even if they don't really trust each other at its beginning. A very interesting idea gave this Spanish film a great opportunity to be a classic sci fi gem that is compromising. When cinematography is combined with an actual script, we can have an extraordinary result.

The Colony (2013)

In the future, humans have to live underneath the ice due to a climate change that left the planet as a cold desert. One day it started to snow and it never ended. Briggs is the leader of Colony 5, a place where some survivors live and work in an experimental lab in order to find a new place to move and change the temperature of the environment. After a call for help from another colony, he decides to do a rescue mission but what he will find there, it will change the fate of everyone back in his base. Because the real problem out there is not the freeze but the hunger who transform people into beasts. This could be a great film because the intense was real until the first part of it. Dark cinematography and convincing performances from the cast showed that something good could be happened. But after that you will find another cliche end with cannibals running and screaming around. My question is why all the cannibals and the zombies or the mutants have always supernatural powers, who said that if you are a monster you have to be a champ at sprints or can escape from bullets? It's a pity indeed.

Limitless (2011)

This is a kick ass film and maybe one of the best I have seen till now. Imagine a drug that helps you unleash the ultimate powers of your brain including restore all the lost data and the memories you ever had. This happens to hopeless writer Eddie Morra when his ex brother in law gives him a special drug called NZT. Suddenly the looser becomes a hero. The pathetic becomes a successful businessman. The road leads only forward and Eddie becomes enthusiast with the limitless posibilities of his new brain that gives birth to more and more ideas. But after an untrustworthy deal with a gangster and with a hit man on his back, Morra has to define the new horizons that will make his life easier and more secured. Another tycoon, Carl Van Loon, needs Eddie's talent for his own purposes but the last one has to realize the situation first and then escape from the labyrinth of his mind. A crazy sci fi gem with astonishing cinematography, great cast and limitless reasons to watch it. 

Blood (2012)

Another example of bad reputation for Imdb.com where the critics are not representative for a film. This gem should have been rated higher as it is a tight and suspenseful thriller with stunning performances from Bettany, Cox and Graham. Two brothers, Joe and Chrissie, work as police officers are messed into a crime where the one kills a suspect after feeling he is the responsible for the death of a young girl. But after finding out the truth, they both try to hide the evidences. Their ill father, Lenny, will also put them in more troubles than they first found and soon the situation will be extremely difficult. And Robert, another colleague at the force, will start suspecting the duo while watching them behaving weirdly. The cinematography and the plot were great and there is no doubt that this gem was finally good.

The greatest cereal treat on Earth (1960)

Beware of Henry and his evil breakfast.
A menace from the past threats your happy morning.

Side effects (2013)

Soderbergh signs an interesting atmospheric film about mind disease and depression. Jonathan Banks, a psychiatrist attempts to fine the cure for Emily Taylor, a woman that has suicide attempts after her reunion with her imprisoned husband, Martin. Banks prescribes an experimental new medication called Ablixa, trying to find the source of her brain damage. When Emily kills Martin in a state of sleepwalking things gonna get serious. Dr. Victoria Siebert who was Emily's last doctor seems to hide some details from her case to Jonathan. The last one faces now law charges for experimenting with his patient and decides to investigate the facts and clear his name. The motivations for this crime will be totally different than what they first used to seem about. Individual cinematography with close ups and actual performances help this film work properly.

Dark skies (2013)

Barret family is living peacefully at the suburbs when a series of shocking events disturb their routine. The father, Daniel, is unemployed for a long time and his wife, Lacy tries to support him as also grow up their two sons with love and care. An unknown force invades their home night by night and make all suffer from nightmares. They all also start to have memory blackouts and find themselves into a hypnotizing condition that drive them crazy. What is the purpose of this uninvited menace and what will be the consequences of this arrival upon their house? An astonishing sci fi thriller from the producers of Paranormal Activity (I hate this film) but I think this production is levels ahead anyway. Great suspense and powerful performances from the starring duo as also an accomplishing direction of a mysterious case.