13 Reasons Why

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13 Reasons Why is the YA book adaptation. And I liked it a lot maybe not as much as the majority (who are probably at a younger age) but a lot. And I sure was not ready for the extreme scenes of rape and suicide, especially suicide which disturbed me a lot. It has a good message and I hope it can save many other teenagers from making the same mistakes.

Fasting Casualties

This weekend I have started to watch Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and it was probably because I was fasting that I slept on and off during the whole thing and didn't even bother to rewind.

The same is true for Çalgı Çengi: İkimiz. Slept on and off during and didn't feel the need to rewind.

The Darkness

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The Darkness turned to be a little boring but the cast was good so I watched it till the end. 

Jack Reacher - Never Go Back

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Jack Reacher - Never Go Back was entertaining and that's about it. 

Penance

Penance made me glad that I chose it despite not liking Confessions as much as the majority. This one is less preachy and has a better story. 

The Perfect Guy

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The Perfect Guy was among the films Blutv was taking out and it interested me that the film starred African American actors. It felt like a direct to video film but I liked the message. 

Bram Stoker's Dracula

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Bram Stoker's Dracula is a film I have seen in theater ages ago and I remember I didn't like it very much. This recent viewing didn't endear it to me either. The problem I think is that Mr. Coppola is influenced by Martin Scorsese in this one. However visual influence didn't translate to storytelling and this ended up bizarre but not in a good way. Waste of talent. 

The Purge: Election Year

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The Purge: Election Year turned out to be very good and I enjoyed the viewing and the sentiments. I liked the actors too. All in all it was a nice end to the franchise (unless they somehow thought of reviving the whole thing) 

Eternite

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Eternité is a Trahn An Hung film that was a surprise for me since I never heard anything about it. I love this director's films (and my favorite is still The Scent of Green Papaya) I even liked I Come With The Rain. And this one I also liked although fell asleep at some point only to wake up and rewind. There are some of the director's usuals here the green foliage, naked foot in water and the pace that is not urgent but not really slow either. In the end I liked it but not as much I loved his earlier efforts. 

Goat

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Goat I chose because the plot seemed interesting (hazing at fraternities) but I have found the whole thing pointless. The story was not well told as far as I'm concerned and I regret finishing it (hoping something will happen) 

The Salesman

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The Salesman is a film I was eager to watch. I love The Separation from the same director, Asghar Farhadi and this one was not a dissapointment. There is still the story simply told (and it is a horrible story) and the actions of the characters one does not always agree but understand. It is also heartbreaking how a woman is allowed/expected to act against a cruelty towards her based on which country she is from. Here it is less hassle to report a rape than to actually seek the perpetrator and get your own justice. I'd also like to command the director for showing that the woman is willing to forgive (since I doubt there would be this many wars if women are truly allowed to rule). The resolution is sad and expected but still this one left something to me. 

Arrival

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Arrival  turned out to be as good as everyone says it is. Amazing really. I love the performances, the visuals and the themes. One of those perfect films.

Odd Thomas

Odd Thomas turned out to not as good as I expected (despite the fact that the only Dean Koonts novel I really liked is The Watchers) and it is a decent story, well told but there is a certain plastic quality to its characters that they never feel organic to me and I never get emotionally invested. 

The Thirst

The Thirst made me realise how much I missed Jo Nesbo and his Harry Hole. It is as good as the rest of the novels but it is important to read the other novels before since there are referrals to them. There is a new character and a dramatically impactful event with someone we know. And yes Harry falls of the vagon once again (now a staple of the series).

The only problem with this is that the reader and the novel didn't match. They are good in their own right but did not get. Mr. Lee (an excellent reader, especially fantasy genre) was too theatrical for Mr. Nesbo's edgy angst and Norwegian coolness. I think the ideal reader for this would be Campbell Scott. Anyway I still enjoyed it and finished the novel really quickly. 

The Golden Cane Warrior

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The Golden Cane Warrior seemed interesting and I liked both The Raid films and really was hoping to watch a good martial arts film. However it ended up being a 'dose off during' type of offering. The story first of all is great similar to wuxia novels of Jin Yong and the fight scenes were good too. But the actors and the storytelling were two weak points. Yes they looked good but they couldn't act and this very good story is told in such a boring manner that I actually dosed off during. It would have been good if directed rightly with a better choise of actors. 

S Storm

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S Storm ignited a little spark in me, a throwback to my earlier Hong Kong film loving days.
However it quickly stomped it off with a yawn inducing story, scattered clichés and uninspired direction. It was long and it felt long. The only thing I liked about the film was Vic Zhou (and that is a side effect of my age, probably). 

Before I Wake

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Before I Wake was definitely not I expected. I was waiting for yet another generic horror film that will allow me to sleep during viewing. However for some reason I felt very connected to it and even cried at the end. This is a bit curious since the film is the story of a child whose mother has passed away and has visited a few foster homes and a couple whose child has died at domestic accident. I don't have a child, I'm not a couple and I'm not adopted. Why then I was so into this? No idea but the fact that the child's dreams becoming real life affected me somehow. Well of course with dreams come the nightmares but I loved how the story ended. Probably not really that good a film but it definitely appealed to me.

The Heart Goes Last

The Heart Goes Last is a type of romantic comedy, Margaret Atwood style. I was not expecting it and certainly not expected to smile more than a few times during. Yes it is dystopic, yes it is bleak but the humour and the brilliant performances by the two readers got to me and I really am happy that I chose the audiobook version of this one. 

Homeland (The Dark Elf Trilogy I)

Homeland (The Dark Elf Trilogy I) turned out to be a lot better than I expected. Despite the cheap looking cover and the really small font, I enjoyed it a lot. Good storytelling beats everything else. I actually got the audible version of the second novel. I hope it is as good as the first one. 

Lila & Eve

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Lila & Eve is not very good despite excellent acting and a thought provoking plot. It made me sleepy from time to time. 

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

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The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey turned out to be very entertaining. I'm more of a book is usually better type and here again I agree but I was entertained. And Richard Armitage made a surprisingly good looking drawf. But of course my heart lies with elves so I put a pic of Elrond. 

Lights Out

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Lights Out I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. It also had the dream boyfriend. 

Bad Neighbours 2

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Bad Neighbours 2 was barely ok (and mostly due to its feminist message) 

Conducta

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Conducta is the first Cuban film I have seen and it was a really good story told and acted well. I have cried a lot of times during. 

Sophie's Choice

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Sophie's Choice was not as impactful as I thought it was going to be, very little remained from my first viewing and apart from Merly Streep excellent acting, I don't think I want to watch it again. 

Career of Evil

Career of Evil is excellent. It was a novel to my own heart and I actually stopped reading anything else until I finish it. Very eager for the next novel. 

P

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P started promising. Then slowly turned into ridiculous and finally put me to sleep in the last 10 minutes. I had to rewind to finish it.

World Gone By

World Gone By is not as good as other Dennis Lehane novels but that just means that it is a lot better than many other novels. I just don't like Joe Coughlin and Florida I guess. 

Old Boy

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Old Boy is one of my all time favorite films and I was happy to see it Netflix. I have just loved it once again. As revenge films go there is not a better nor a more cruel one. I especially love the fact that the protagonist is a stupid, badly behaved and physically unattractive man. The villain on the other hand is intelligent, rich and very good looking. So your perceptions are forced and the cruelty, the utter horror of the revenge once again left me speechless (and it is maybe even worse to watch it knowing what will come).