Gokudou daisensou (2015)

Drugi naslovi: Yakuza Apocalypse

Slo naslov: Apokalipsa jakuze

Država: Japonska, Francija

Leto: 2015

Dolžina: 115',  Imdb

Žanri: Akcija, Komedija, Grozljivka

Slo recenzija: -

Režija: Takashi Miike

Scenarij: Yoshitaka Yamaguchi

Igrajo: Yayan Ruhian, Rirî Furankî, Hayato Ichihara, Denden, Tetsu Watanabe, Mio Yûki, Ryushin Tei, Yoshiyuki Morishita

[SLO]

Kamiura ni ravno običajen šef zločinske združbe jakuz: je prijazen možak, naklonjen prebivalcem svoje skupnosti, ki velikodušno podaljšuje rok za odplačilo dolgov majhnim poslovnežem, da bi tako odvrnil velike korporacije. A ko v mesto prispe vročekrvni revolveraš v španski opravi iz 17. stoletja, se razkrije, da je Kamiura v resnici vampir. Njegov mladi varovanec Kagayama je navdušen nad sposobnostmi svojega mentorja in na ulice se poda v spremstvu nove tolpe običajnih prebivalcev, opremljenih z ostrimi podočniki ter pripravljenih braniti svoje ozemlje.

Razvpiti japonski scenarist in režiser Takashi Miike ("13 Assasins") se k svojim koreninam filmskega ekstremizma vrača z bizarnim celovečercem, polnim vampirjev, japonskih mafijcev, vulkanov, pošasti, borilnih veščin in čudaškega kroga pripadnikov jakuz. (Sporedi.tv)

[ENG]

In the ruthless underground world of the yakuza, no one is more legendary than boss Kamiura. Rumored to be invincible, the truth is he is a vampire-a bloodsucking yakuza vampire boss! Among Kamiura's gang is Kageyama, his most loyal underling. However, the others in the gang view Kageyama with disdain and ridicule him for his inability to get tattooed due to sensitive skin. One day, assassins aware of boss Kamiura's secret arrive from abroad and deliver him an ultimatum: Return to the international syndicate he left years ago, or die. Kamiura refuses and, during a fierce battle with anime-otaku martial-arts expert Kyoken, is torn limb from limb. With his dying breath, Kamiura bites Kageyama, passing on his vampire powers to the unsuspecting yakuza. As he begins to awaken to his newfound abilities, Kageyama's desire to avenge the murder of boss Kamiura sets him on a course for a violent confrontation with Kaeru-kun, the foreign syndicate's mysterious and seemingly unstoppable leader!

*********************

Japanese genre auteur Takeshi Miike has directed some pretty bizarre films in his prolific career, but his latest, the comedy gangster vampire movie Yakuza Apocalypse, has got to be his most barking mad work to date: it makes Zebraman look like a documentary. A martial arts enforcer in a giant green frog suit and a mafia knitting circle are just two of the more kooky pleasures of this increasingly unhinged romp, which mixes surreal humour with loud, bone-crushing fight sequences. (Lee Marshall, Screen Daily)

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Happy Valley (2014– ) (2.sezona)

Slo naslov: - 

Država: VB

Leto: 2016

Dolžina: 6x60' ,  Imdb

Žanri: Krimi, Drama   

Slo recenzija: -

Avtor: Sally Wainwright

Igrajo: Sarah Lancashire, Siobhan Finneran, Charlie Murphy, Shane Zaza, James Norton, Karl Davies, Shirley Henderson, Con O'Neill 

[ENG]

Via Wikipedia

Eighteen months after the events of the first series, Catherine is back at work and has won the Queen's Police Medal (QPM) for gallantry, for rescuing Ann Gallagher (Charlie Murphy) from Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton), who is serving a life sentence in prison. But when Royce's mother is killed, Catherine finds herself implicated in a string of murders. While trying to prove her innocence, Catherine is tasked with investigating a human trafficking operation linked to the serial killings. Meanwhile, senior HMIT officers Detective Superintendent Andy Shepard (Vincent Franklin) and Detective Inspector Jodie Shackleton (Katherine Kelly) begin to suspect that the supposed fourth victim of the serial killer, Victoria Fleming (Amelia Bullmore), was in fact murdered by someone else. Gradually their investigation starts to lead them towards Victoria's actual killer – a police detective, John Wadsworth (Kevin Doyle), whom Fleming had been blackmailing. Catherine's grandson, Ryan, develops a friendship with a new teaching assistant, Miss Wheland (Shirley Henderson), who is in reality a prison groupie obsessed with Royce. Royce, whom the court has forbidden from having any contact with Ryan, is using Wheland to try to build a relationship with his son and to get revenge on Catherine. Ryan increasingly alarms his family by asking questions about his father and even suggests his father should be forgiven.

[RT Critics Consensus]

Happy Valley continues to grow in season two with noteworthy uses of character development, locale, and exceptional performances across the board, admirably led by Sarah Lancashire.

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The Invitation (2015)

Slo naslov: - 

Država: ZDA

Leto: 2015

Dolžina: 100',  Imdb

Žanri: Triler, Grozljivka   

Slo recenzija: -

Režija: Karyn Kusama

Scenarij: Phil Hay, Matt Manfredi

Igrajo: Logan Marshall-Green, Tammy Blanchard, Michiel Huisman, Emayatzy Corinealdi, Lindsay Burdge, Jay Larson, Michelle Krusiec, Karl Yune

[ENG]

In this taut psychological thriller by Karyn Kusama (Girlfight, Jennifer's Body), the tension is palpable when Will (Logan Marshall-Green, Prometheus) shows up to his ex-wife Eden (Tammy Blanchard, Into the Woods) and new husband, David's (Michiel Huisman, "Game of Thrones") dinner party. The pair's tragic past haunts an equally spooky present: Amid Eden's suspicious behavior and her mysterious house guests, Will becomes convinced that his invitation was extended with a hidden agenda. Unfolding over one dark evening in the Hollywood Hills, The Invitation blurs layers of mounting paranoia, mystery, and horror until both Will-and the audience-are unsure what threats are real or imagined.

****************

Genre buffs have attended countless dinner parties that wind up tilting into madness, and yet the shivers arrive early and often in “The Invitation,” a teasingly effective thriller that builds a remarkable level of tension over the course of its 99-minute running time. Set during a mysterious reunion among old friends where something is quite palpably not right, this well-acted, beautifully modulated exercise represents director Karyn Kusama’s strongest work in years, revealing an assurance of tone, craft and purpose that haven’t been in evidence since her Sundance prize-winning debut, “Girlfight” (2000). More festivals are likely to extend invitations of their own following the pic’s SXSW premiere, while decent word of mouth should propel this likely modest theatrical performer into solid VOD rotation. 

(Justin Chang, Variety)

[RT Critics Consensus]

The Invitation makes brilliant use of its tension-rich premise to deliver a uniquely effective -- and surprisingly clever -- slow-building thriller.

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Chi-Raq (2015)

Slo naslov: - 

Država: ZDA

Leto: 2015

Dolžina: 127',  Imdb

Žanri: Komedija, Krimi, Drama   

Slo recenzija: Film Flow

Režija: Spike Lee

Scenarij: Kevin Willmott, Spike Lee 

Igrajo: Nick Cannon, Wesley Snipes, Teyonah Parris, Jennifer Hudson, Steve Harris, Harry Lennix, D.B. Sweeney, Angela Bassett, John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson

[ENG]

Beautiful LYSISTRATA (Teyonah Parris) is in love with aspiring Rapper DEMTRIUS “CHI-RAQ” DUPREE (Nick Cannon), but she is disturbed by the bloody war between his Spartan gang and the rival Trojans, led by CYCLOPS (Wesley Snipes).  After Trojans set fire to her apartment while she’s in bed with Chi-Raq (pronounced Shy-RACK), Lysistrata moves in with her neighbor MISS HELEN (Angela Bassett), a book-loving Peace activist who lost her daughter years before to a stray bullet. 

When Patti, an 11-year-old neighborhood girl, is accidentally killed in a drive-by shooting, her grieving mother IRENE (Jennifer Hudson) pleads with anyone who witnessed the crime to come forward. But even after a reward is offered by a local Church congregation led by fiery anti-gun-violence activist FR. MIKE CORRIDAN (John Cusack), no one is willing to identify the killer. 

Shaken by Patti’s death and desperate to do something to stop the escalating bloodshed, Lysistrata persuades Spartan and Trojan women to swear off sex with their men until the fighting stops. To draw more attention to their cause, she leads the women in a bold occupation of a local armory, inspiring women across the city—and eventually the world—to join the boycott. As the ultimate battle of the sexes rages on, the city’s fate hangs in the balance in this searing satire of gun violence in America.

***********

It may not take much to make Spike Lee angry, but there’s no denying he gives us his reasons and then some in “Chi-Raq,” a sprawling, blistering state-of-the-union address that presents Chicago’s South Side as a cesspool of black-on-black violence, gang warfare, gun worship and macho misogyny, ruled by unbreakable cycles of poverty and oppression. All that social outrage clearly demanded similarly outsized treatment, and Lee and co-writer Kevin Willmott (“CSA: The Confederate States of America”) have found a remarkably accommodating vessel in Aristophanes’ “Lysistrata,” whose tale of an ancient Greek heroine leading an anti-war sex strike has been updated here as an alternately soulful and scalding, playful and deadly serious 21st-century oratorio. Blunt, didactic and stronger on conceptual audacity than dramatic coherence, this is still the most vital, lived-in work in some time from a filmmaker who has never shied away from speaking his mind or irritating his ideological foes, as he seems destined to do again with this attention-grabbing first feature to be released by Amazon Studios. (Justin Chang, Variety)

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Stop the Pounding Heart (2013)

Slo naslov: - 

Država: ZDA, Italija, Belgija

Leto: 2013

Dolžina: 101',  Imdb

Žanri: Dokumentarni, Drama   

Slo recenzija: -

Režija: Roberto Minervini

Scenarij: Roberto Minervini, Diego Romero

Igrajo: Sara Carlson, Colby Trichell, Tim Carlson, LeeAnne Carlson, Katarina Carlson

[ENG]

Sara is a young girl raised in a family of goat farmers. Her parents homeschool their twelve children, rigorously following the precepts of the Bible. Like her sisters, Sara is taught to be a devout woman, subservient to men while keeping her emotional and physical purity intact until marriage. When Sara meets Colby, a young amateur bull rider, she is thrown into crisis, questioning the only way of life she has ever known. In a stunning portrayal of contemporary America and the insular communities that dot its landscape, Stop the Pounding Heart is an exploration of adolescence, family and social values, gender roles, and religion in the rural American South. Written by Doc & Film International

*********************

Tantalisingly balanced between documentary and minimalist fiction, Stop The Pounding Heart sees Italian director Roberto Minervini exploring a curious borderline between cow-punching and Bible-bashing. Representing Minervini’s third visit to Texas following The Passage and last year’s Low Tide - and featuring some of the same real-life personalities - his latest film is essentially a documentary with some staged sequences, lyrically but unfussily shot and at times achieving a phenomenal intimacy with its subjects. (Jonathan Romney, Screen Daily)

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High-Rise (2015)

Slo naslov: - 

Država: VB, Belgija

Leto: 2015 

Dolžina: 119',  Imdb

Žanri: Drama   

Slo recenzija: -

Režija: Ben Wheatley

Scenarij: Amy Jump, J.G. Ballard (knjiga)

Igrajo: Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Irons, Sienna Miller, Luke Evans, Elisabeth Moss, Dan Renton Skinner, James Purefoy

[ENG]

Dr. Robert Laing (Hiddleston) is the newest resident of a luxurious apartment in a high-tech concrete skyscraper whose lofty location places him amongst the upper class. Laing quickly settles into high-society life and meets the building’s eccentric tenants: Charlotte (Miller), his upstairs neighbor and bohemian single mother; Wilder (Evans), a charismatic documentarian who lives with his pregnant wife Helen (Moss); and Mr. Royal (Irons), the enigmatic architect who designed the building. Life seems like paradise to the solitude-seeking Laing. But as power outages become more frequent and building flaws emerge, particularly on the lower floors, the regimented social strata begins to crumble and the building becomes a battlefield in a literal class war.

****************

What began as a self-contained allegory on open class warfare becomes a showcase for stylistic anarchy, wherein the ensuing orgy of sex and violence serves to justify a near-total breakdown of cinematic form. (Peter Debruge, Variety)

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Better Call Saul (2015– ) (2.sezona)

Slo naslov: Pokličite Saula

Država: ZDA

Leto: 2016

Dolžina: 10x46',  Imdb

Žanri: Krimi, Drama  

Slo recenzija: IGN Adria

Avtor: Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould

Igrajo: Bob Odenkirk, Rhea Seehorn, Michael McKean, Jonathan Banks, Patrick Fabian, Michael Mando

[ENG]

Before he was Saul Goodman, Walter White’s fashion-forward “criminal” lawyer, he was Jimmy McGill, a small-time attorney hustling to champion his underdog clients, build his practice, and somehow make a name for himself. Season 2 premieres February 15 at 10|9c. The first season’s finale found Jimmy walking away from a lucrative job offer, vowing to Mike Ehrmantraut that his days of playing the game straight are over. Season 2 of Better Call Saul follows the twists and turns of Jimmy’s journey toward becoming his Breaking Bad alter ego, along the way soaring to new heights and sinking to new lows. The show’s first season earned seven Primetime Emmy® Award nominations including Outstanding Drama Series for its 10-episode first season, plus a pair of Critics’ Choice TV Awards.

[RT Critics Consensus]

Better Call Saul continues to tighten its hold on viewers with a batch of episodes that inject a surge of dramatic energy while showcasing the charms of its talented lead.

[Trivia]

Originally ordered for 13 episodes, it was reduced to 10 episodes in November 2015.

When put in the right order, the first letters of each episodes are an anagram for "FRING’S BACK". The creators have confirmed that it is a clue about the arrival of Gustavo Fring on Better Call Saul.

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Rak ti Khon Kaen (2015)

Angleški naslov: Cemetery of Splendour

Slo naslov: Veličastno pokopališče

Država: Tajska, VB, Nemčija

Leto: 2015

Dolžina: 122',  Imdb

Žanri: Drana, Fantazijski

Slo recenzija: -

Režija: Apichatpong Weerasethakul

Scenarij: Apichatpong Weerasethakul

Igrajo: Jenjira Pongpas Widner, Banlop Lomnoi, Jarinpattra Rueangram, Petcharat Chaiburi, Tawatchai Buawat, Sujittraporn Wongsrikeaw, Bhattaratorn Senkgraigul, Sakda Kawebuadee

[SLO]

Via Kinodvor

Vojake, ki trpijo za skrivnostno spalno boleznijo, premestijo v začasno kliniko v poslopju nekdanje šole. Spominov polna stavba gospodinji in prostovoljki Jenjiri pomeni prostor razodetja, saj mora skrbeti za Itta, postavnega vojaka brez družine. Jen se spoprijatelji tudi s Keng, jasnovidko, ki s svojimi parapsihološkimi sposobnostmi spečim vojakom pomaga komunicirati z okolico. Zdravniki medtem poskušajo lajšati težke sanje vojakov s svetlobno terapijo. Morda celo obstaja povezava med boleznijo in starodavnim mitološkim najdiščem, ki se skriva pod poslopjem. Magija, zdravilstvo, romantika in sanje v tem okolju tvorijo del Jeninega popotovanja v globlje zavedanje o sebi in o svetu okrog nje.

Apichatpong Weerasethakul v svojem prepoznavnem, meditativnem slogu razmišlja o času, spominu, zavesti in o različnih oblikah bivanja človeškega uma.

Pred tremi leti je bil objavljen članek o bolnišnici na severu, kjer se je pojavila skrivnostna bolezen, zaradi katere je bolnišnica morala v karanteno osamiti štirideset vojakov. Podobo vojakov sem spojil z bolnišnico in šolo v Khon Kaenu. V teh treh letih je politični položaj na Tajskem zašel v slepo ulico (v kateri je pravzaprav vse do danes). Prevzela me je tematika spanja in začel sem si zapisovati svoje sanje. Mislim, da gre za način pobega pred strašnimi razmerami na ulicah. 
(Apichatpong Weerasethakul)

[ENG]

Soldiers with a mysterious sleeping sickness are transferred to a temporary clinic in a former school. The memory-filled space becomes a revelatory world for housewife and volunteer Jenjira, as she watches over Itt, a handsome soldier with no family visitors. Jen befriends young medium Keng who uses her psychic powers to help loved ones communicate with the comatose men. Doctors explore ways, including coloured light therapy, to ease the mens’ troubled dreams. Jen discovers Itt’s cryptic notebook of strange writings and blueprint sketches. There may be a connection between the soldiers’ enigmatic syndrome and the mythic ancient site that lies beneath the clinic. Magic, healing, romance and dreams are all part of Jen’s tender path to a deeper awareness of herself and the world around her. (Festival de Cannes)

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Grimsby (2016)

Slo naslov: (Ne) Profesionalec

Drugi naslovi: The Brothers Grimsby

Država: VB, Avstralija

Leto: 2016 

Dolžina: 83' ,  Imdb

Žanri: Akcija, Komedija 

Slo recenzija: Mladina, Deseta umetnost, Filmstart

Režija: Louis Leterrier 

Scenarij: Sacha Baron Cohen, Phil Johnston, Peter Baynham

Igrajo: Sacha Baron Cohen, Mark Strong, Isla Fisher, Rebel Wilson, Gabourey Sidibe, Penélope Cruz 

[SLO]

Via Cineplexx SI

Nobby (Sacha Baron Cohen), prikupen, ampak neumen nogometni huligan iz Anglije, po dolgem času ponovno naveže stike z bratom Sebastianom (Mark Strong), nevarnim agentom MI6, da bi preprečil teroristični napad na svetovni ravni in dokazal, da se za vsakim izjemnim tajnim agentom skriva neroden sorodnik. 

Nobby ima vse, kar bi si lahko želel moški iz Grimsbyja, kar med drugim pomeni enajst otrok in najlepše dekle na severovzhodu Anglije (Rebel Wilson). Samo nekaj pogreša: mlajšega brata Sebastiana, ki ga Nobby išče že 28 dolgih let, odkar so ju ločili, ko sta bila še otroka. Nobby končno naveže stik s Sebastianom, vendar ne ve, da je njegov brat najnevarnejši agent obveščevalne službe MI6 in je nedavno razkril načrt o terorističnem napadu na svetovni ravni. Po krivem obtoženi Sebastian je zdaj na begu in spozna, da bo lahko rešil svet samo s pomočjo največjega idiota na svetu – svojega brata dvojčka. 

[ENG]

MI6's top assassin (Mark Strong) has a brother. Unfortunately for him, he's an English football supporter (Sacha Baron Cohen) from the town of Grimsby. Nobby has everything a man from the poor English fishing town of Grimsby could want - 9 children and the most attractive girlfriend in northern England (Rebel Wilson). There's only one thing missing in his life: his little brother, Sebastian. After they were adopted by different families as children, Nobby spent 28 years searching for him. Upon hearing of his location, Nobby sets off to reunite with his brother, unaware that not only is his brother an MI6 agent, but he's just uncovered a plot that puts the world in danger. On the run and wrongfully accused, Sebastian realizes that if he is going to save the world, he will need the help of its biggest idiot. Written by Sony Pictures Entertainment

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Tumbledown (2015)

Slo naslov: - 

Država: ZDA, Kanada

Leto: 2015

Dolžina: 105' ,  Imdb

Žanri: Drama, Romantični, Glasbeni   

Slo recenzija: -

Režija: Sean Mewshaw

Scenarij: Sean Mewshaw, Desiree Van Til

Igrajo: Rebecca Hall, Jason Sudeikis, Blythe Danner, Griffin Dunne, Dianna Agron

[ENG]

Small town journalist Hannah (Rebecca Hall) has been struggling to write the biography of her late husband, an acclaimed musician with a devoted following, while taking refuge with quirky, protective Maine locals. But things change when she meets Andrew (Jason Sudeikis), a brash, smart-alecky New York academic with an obsession for tragic musicians and a different take on her husband. Though Hannah is skeptical of Andrew's motives, the unlikely pair strike up a deal to collaborate on the book, forcing them to confront truths about themselves and the possibility that the next chapter in their lives may involve each other.

*********

As a study of grief, it's moving, featuring authentic performances and a keen understanding of the receding hibernation that comes with losing a cornerstone person in one's life. As a romance, it's slow-going but believable. And as a look at the unfair mythos attributed to the dead, it's nuanced and incisive. But in attempting to balance these complementary parts, Tumbledown is buried by its own ambitions. (Michael Snydel, The Film Stage)

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