Fear lives in the guts

Jackson Lamb, the leader of the rogue agent organization Slough House, played by Gary Oldman, is a completely contradictory character: a foul-mouthed, ruthless, untidy, booze- and cigarette-hungry bastard, and on the other hand an incredibly smart, in his own way caring professional who seems to be one step ahead in everything. He is a Cold War relic who cares little for the sophicated methods of modern MI5 terrorism investigation. But he, with his team, gets things done. Slow Horses is a fantastic agent series. Unbelievably good. It's based on the series of novels by Mick Herron, created by Will Smith (English-born comedian).

Acts of violence don't win wars

This Gillo Pontecorvo film (1966) is said to be one of the best of all time. It's rare to see why, but once a film is labeled with classic status, it's not easy to shake it off. Still, The Battle of Algiers is arresting and impressive. A touchingly realistic black and white depiction of the fight of Algerian partisans against the French invaders. 

Don't get lost in the clouds

Pretty good. Perhaps a little more than that. Nothing excellent though. A CIA decoder has a lot to do, he has to find and kill his wife's killers and at the same time expose the bad apples in his organization. In addition, he has to protect himself from those people. But no worries, he's smart. Not a physical deterrent, not a gunslinger, but his strength lies in his intelligence. A good movie, but ultimately a rather narrow story. 

Conscience won't let him sleep

In the sleepless nights of Alaska, a detective, investigating the death of a local girl, finds himself in a dead end and digs his own grave deeper and deeper. Insomnia (2002) is Christopher Nolan's masterpiece featuring Al Pacino at his best and Robin Willians in a rarely serious role. A remake of the 1997 Norwegian film by Erik Skjoldbjærg.  

We are all fucked to hell

A horror film constructed with an excellent sense of style. Based on a short story by Stephen King, so there's a lot of his typical black humor here, which pops up in the strangest and most unconventional places, and it's certainly not for everyone. The story centers on a wind-up toy monkey, a death-spreading bastard. The film's wildness wanes a bit towards the end when the story doesn't really have much more to offer, but a hilarious piece nevertheless.  

Lethal on the losers

In this Marvel film, the heroes' opponents are not so much overpowered anti-heroes or fire-breathing villains, but human emotions such as depression and loneliness. But there's still action and excitement here. Quite enough. And in places, it's quite fun. Entertainment worth watching at least once. 

Obscure plains

A failed sequel to the 1999 film Häjyt. Both directed by Aleksi Mäkelä. The film features petty criminals' escapedes and experiments in the international drug trade. At the same time, family and friendship life are put to test. This is by no means a solid and exciting crime story, it's an exhaustingly long-winded piece which you get nothing out of. 

Two of everything

What? A Mel Gibson film? It's such rubbish that it's unreal. In this story, everything is as shitty as it could ever be. And the actors? How about some respect for the profession? Movies where you just turn your brain off are sometimes quite funny, but this is an embarrassment.  

Under the canopy of heaven

At times this is outrageously funny. Still, bodies pile up and things get hysterically violent. Ma Dong-seok's portrayal of detective Ma Seok-do, with his old no-shit methods, is a delightful addition to the somewhat overly stylized police characters in modern movies. 

Conscience can drive you nuts

The life of longshoremen is violent and corrupt. The port is dominated by organized crime. Former boxer Terry Malone's (Marlon Brando) - working for gangster boss Johnny Friendly (Lee J. Cobb) - conscience begins to bother him because he gets involved in a murder and becomes aware of inhumane working conditions and shady employers. Elia Kazan's On the Waterfront (1954) is a powerful depiction of the crumbling of the golden age of criminal organizations.

Sooner or later someone gets a bullet

The stars were probably not aligned here. There's been talk about Harrison Ford and Brad Pitt's crappy chemistry. And how the movie isn't what was initially promised because the script was revised during filming. And, indeed, there's a bit of an unfinished feeling here. But a decent late 90s thriller about an IRA operative traveling to the United States to get some firepower for his homeland's battles and his own personal revenge. Directed by Alan J. Pakula.