Room for chance

It seems like the story of the old grumpy man has been told to the end. His sons are about to throw their father into a nursing home, but the man finds new energy in the company of a female artist. And together they turn everyday life into a celebration. The best thing about this Mika Kaurismäki film is its unhurried portrayal of the timeless Finnish countryside.

Song for a silver eye

It's kind of baffling that there are still filmmakers who underestimate the intelligence of their viewers. There's hardly any other reason for this kind of outright garbage to be released. Guns Up is unspeakably bad. There's absolutely nothing exciting, fun or interesting about this action piece of shit. But at least, you don't have to think about what the shittiest movie of the year is anymore.

It's awfully easy to lie

A brilliantly contradictory, suggestive, yet still quite gentle film. A simple love story but seasoned with all the elements of humanity. Interpreted as almost a thriller without the malevolent criminals. Brief Encounter is a 1945 British romantic tragedy film directed by David Lean. 

That's the second bullet

A narcotics officer on his honeymoon in a small town on the US-Mexico border witnesses a suspicious explosion and, upon investigating the case further, realizes that the biggest problem in solving the case is the prejudiced local police. Orson Welles' Touch of Evil (1958) is dark film noir at its best, dealing with racism and corruption in a jarringly direct style.

Bad luck is just an invention of losers and poors

A charming and pedantic courier for Cosa Nostra lives in the same hotel year after year, waiting for assignments. It's a bit boring sometimes, which is probably why he suffers from insomnia, but luckily he has heroin and people to watch. Falling in love with people can be a problem. The Consqeuences of Love, by Paolo Sorrentino, is an Italian thriller with a slightly erratic plot, but comes with a nicely tuned atmosphere.

Used to be a helluva town

It is not certain, but it seems ominously that a catastrophic earthquake will hit Los Angeles. And the city is threatened with chaos if the residents are told about it. Scientists, politicians, engineers and authorities must find the right solution to save human lives. They can't afford to waste any time or even more terrible things will happen. Earthquake is a pretty sympathetic disaster film, they probably did the best they could with the resources of the time (1974), but it still falls a bit flat. Directed by Mark Robson, starring Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner, George Kennedy, Geneviève Bujold and Walter Matthau.

Treasure your individuality

Just wicked good shit. Extraterrestrial virus transforms humanity into a peaceful and content hive mind. However, thirteen people are immune to this mysterious and deranged entity. One of them is the author Carol Sturka (Rhea Sheehorn) who is determined to disrupt the hivemind's plans and restore the world to its original state. Pluribus is an absolutely amazing series, sci-fi storytelling at its most brilliant. Although, sadly, after the first season was made and aired, we were told that the sequel would not be released until a year later. So the great story will remain unfinished and will probably be forgotten in a year's time.

The jerk store are running out of you

Season 8 sees the departure of Larry David. If perhaps the wit and thoughtful humour are lost, the episodes are much freer and more relaxed. Genius comedy in a different way than with him. 22 dazzlingly good episodes. The second to last season of the Seinfeld series.

Slick pearls in the reeds

A young samurai wants to join the elite ranks to defend the general and other dignitaries, but he also has something to defend in his own small village. Outlaw bandits are a threat almost everywhere. And he soon discovers that a warrior needs much more than just agile sword skills. Killing is a short film (80 minutes) and the boring oriental philosophical emotional sentiment at the end was completely unnecessary. 

Hidden tranquillity in a state of emergency

A prison escapee and an orphan girl - for very different but humane reasons - try to get their hands on a certain reel of film. Yimou Zhang's One Second is a story set during China's 1960s Cultural Revolution and the role of film in it. Emotional drama and ironic comedy interpreted warmly and interestingly.

Running out of dead curses

The setting for a very delicious gothic horror experience. A couple is restoring an old farmhouse and the wife begins to suspect that the house is haunted. Fast forward a few years and the man's new girlfriend begins to suspect that all is not well in the manor. Oddity (2024) has the atmosphere of old-time horror movies, a couple of reasonably creepy jump scares, quite predictable but gripping ghost horror. 

Blasphemy by the muddy swamp

The most famous flagships of trash film culture are perhaps the Troma Entertainment films, Russ Meyer and John Waters. Of course, it is always a bit tricky to categorize between sexploitation, orthodox trash and pure cult film art. In any case, in Finland this style is most spectacularly represented by Christer "CHRZU" Lindström and his character Carlotta Moore, an American actress. Carlotta Moore and Me (2023) presents his three slightly wacky short films in a very cult-like, hilarious way, and you can't help but like it. A very different and slightly tasteless, but pleasantly self-ironic and satirical docufiction.

Born to write martial arts stories

Two neighbors' spouses are having a secret affair. The two betrayed people then approach each other cautiously. In the Mood for Love (by Wong Kar-Wai) is a very nostalgic love story brimming with romance. An almost poetically flowing film, brilliantly supported by the music and the small details of the costumes and set design. For many, one of the masterpieces of the film world.

Sucking fucking Hitler’s cock in hell

Far from his best stand-up performances. At times, it even felt like Ricky Gervais was digging out the last few jokes from his previously inexhaustible store of humor. But on the other hand, there was some incredibly funny and intelligent material. So good that you'll laugh out loud.

Like a gust of wind

Due to financial constraints, an Irish family is forced to send one of their daughters to be fed and housed by relatives for the summer. There, this neglected child finally learns to understand togetherness, love, and life. This relatively slow-paced film begins to unfold scene by scene, and eventually you realize that you have immensely enjoyed its quiet beauty. The Quiet Girl (2022) was directed and written by Colm Bairéad. 

Sparks fly high

A pretty good - albeit somewhat painfully typical - Korean action comedy. Luckily, they let the humor down a bit towards the end, as the comedy the filmmakers pumped into the film, especially in the early parts, wasn't terribly funny. When they focused on the darker side of the plot and creating acrobatic fight scenes, Veteran was almost breathtakingly good to watch.

Fools have to learn by experience

The number of star actors in this western epic is almost endless. Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Sam Elliott, Powers Boothe, Jason Priestley, Bill Paxton, Michael Biehn, Stephen Lang, Michael Rooker, Billy Bob Thornton, Billy Zane, John Corbett, Terry O'Quinn, Robert Mitchum (narrator) to name a few. Very masculine cast, really only Dana Delany gets more screen time out of the women. A lot happens in the rapidly developing city of Tombstone, where the infrastructure has not yet caught up with law and order. The city is therefore very lively, violent and prone to all kinds of vices such as gambling, opium use and prostitution. There is hardly any law being followed and only the proper gunslingers prosper. Amoral outlaw cowboys like these towns, and only men with strong beliefs in justice dare to speak out against them. Men like former peace officer Wyatt Earp, his two brothers, and Doc Holiday. Never a dull moment in Tombstone. 

Altar of earth

This documentary about eiders is much more than a bird film. It discusses life in the Finnish archipelago and its well-being from many perspectives. It is a beautiful and educational watch.

Caught without wings

The scenes in Julius Onah's Captain America: Brave New World  could even be comical if they weren't so annoying. Harrison Ford and a bunch of nobodies spewing shit out of their mouths in this computerized special effects-raped pile of shit.

Every doctor has a graveyard

A neurosurgeon makes a mistake in a routine procedure. And just moments later, he saves a life. But the consequences of the initial misjudgment escalate, and a sinister atmosphere pervades the entire department, and the neurologist seems powerless under the burden of guilt as she concretely proves the extent of her mistake. An emotional and impressively acted Danish drama.