3 out of 5. Marius Holst weaves a dark tale based on a true story in the KING OF DEVIL'S ISLAND. Having Stellan Skarsgard in the lead role doesn't hurt either. He's as icy and bitter as the winter winds in this Nordic tale of a school for delinquent boys. Benjamin Helstad does an equally excellent job at standing his ground and foregoing the harshest conditions. It's not much different than Cool Hand Luke in terms of story but it does offer some really excellent situations and character development that is harrowing and heartbreaking. The ending...man...good stuff.
=s=
3 out of 5. Hong jin-Na's THE YELLOW SEA is a crazy, violent ride taken by a former taxi driver looking for his wife. The directing is really good and the stakes just keep piling on top of each other until they reach a very crazy apex. The lead, Jung woo-Ha plays a great everyman character whose mission is believable and who continues to surprise by his choices. Yun seok-Kim is also great to see as he brings real weight to the screen. He was great in The Chaser and is always fun to watch. South Korea has had a lot of violent films come out on Netflix, this one is little less violent and maybe not as pretty but it's still quite good.
=s=
3 out of 5. ARMADILLO by Janus Metz Pedersen
is a beautifully crafted documentary almost to a fault. It follows the
lives of a group Danish soldiers to Afghanistan. Much in the same vein
as RESTREPO it balances the intensity of
firefight with the sheer boredom of nothing in between. Why this one
stands out is because it is so well shot and edited with post-coloring
effects that you sometimes forget it's real. It's still no less moving
and worth a look.
=s=
4 out of 5. David Michôd's ANIMAL KINGDOM was
beautiful surprise of cinema when I first saw it. The clarity and depth
of his characters was alarming. What I didn't realize, was like SLING
BLADE this was shot once before, but
from a different POV with many of the same cast. It was a short film, a
practice run if you will, that made this film feel so polished. If you
like crime and want a taste of something a little different check it
out.
=s=
5 out of 5. Juan José Campanella's Academy Award Winning THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES is a very smart and masterfully shot film. Again, actor Ricardo Darin, pulls you right into the story of an unsolved crime that he's started writing about. Like any good mystery the closer he gets to the truth, the more danger he puts himself in. The directing and cinematography is stunning and sharp. And the ending is deliciously satisfying while leaving a pit in the bottom of your stomach.
=s=
