Captain Phillips (5 Stars)

"Captain Phillips" follows Tom Hanks as the most stressed man on the Indian Ocean. He is just trying to deliver some cargo, drink bad coffee and fill out paperwork when a group of Somali pirates shows up in a tiny skiff that looks like it should capsize if someone sneezes.

The pirates board the ship with enthusiasm that suggests they skipped every team-building seminar known to man. Their leader, Muse, announces “I am the captain now” which instantly becomes the world’s most quoted line. Phillips tries to reason with them using the universal language of middle-aged managerial concern.

Eventually the pirates kidnap him in a lifeboat that resembles a bright orange coffin. Tom Hanks spends the rest of the film sweating, negotiating and looking like he would give anything for a nap. The US Navy arrives with enough firepower to vaporise a small moon, which makes the pirates realise this was not the best career move.

The film ends with a famous scene in which Hanks delivers the most convincing performance of a man who has absolutely had enough. It is tense, gripping and unexpectedly funny if you enjoy watching sophisticated global shipping operations undone by four men in a boat that probably needs an oil change.

Success Rate:  + 2.0

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Not One Less (5 Stars)

"Not One Less" is the ninth film made by Zhang Yimou, and it's different to any of his earlier films. It abandons the heightened visuals of his period pieces in favour of an unvarnished look at life in rural China. What makes the film so compelling is the way its candid scenes anchor the story. Zhang works with non-professional actors, real locations and situations that unfold with the loose rhythm of daily life. The result is a drama that feels lived rather than staged. The actors who have speaking roles all use their real-life names and careers, so they're playing themselves, and the film has the style of a documentary.

The early village scenes establish this tone immediately. The school is a crumbling building where chalk is rationed and chairs are mismatched. Children wander in and out with the relaxed confidence of pupils who know that no one has the authority to discipline them. These moments are shot with patience; the camera sits back, letting kids quarrel, run errands or drift into boredom. Nothing feels arranged. Wei Minzhi enters this world as a shy substitute teacher who is barely older than her students; her hesitations and stubbornness blend seamlessly with the environment. When she struggles to keep order or negotiate for chalk, the interactions feel as if they were captured rather than directed.

The film becomes even more striking once the story moves to the city. The candid approach continues but the mood changes sharply. In Beijing the camera records crowds, noise and pace; Wei is swallowed by traffic and anonymous streets. Her attempts to ask for help are met with indifference, and Zhang lets these moments play out with minimal interference. Passers-by glance at the camera or ignore it; the film absorbs the energy of the city without smoothing it into neat drama. The gap between the quiet village and the disorienting urban landscape becomes the emotional centre of the film. Wei's determination grows in direct response to the chaos around her.

The television station sequence is particularly effective because it fuses the candid approach with a controlled setting. Wei appears tiny in imposing hallways; she stands silently while adults hurry past her. When she finally delivers her appeal on camera, the moment works not through sentiment but through sincerity. The unpolished performance fits the film's style; it feels like the culmination of her journey rather than a manufactured climax.

By using real people and authentic spaces, Zhang crafts a social drama that avoids melodrama. The candid scenes in the village and the city do more than provide texture; they reveal the structural inequalities that shape the characters' lives. A single piece of chalk becomes a symbol of scarcity. A bus fare becomes a barrier that might end a child's education. None of this is stated directly; it emerges naturally from what the camera observes.

"Not One Less" succeeds because it trusts ordinary moments. The film's humanity comes from watching how people actually behave in cramped classrooms, dusty streets or crowded stations. Through these candid scenes, Zhang delivers a story about responsibility and persistence that feels honest and quietly powerful.

Captain America: Brave New World (3 Stars)

"Captain America: Brave New World" arrives with the weight of a legacy. The earlier entries in the series built a reputation for tight storytelling, grounded stakes, and a sharp blend of political tension and character-driven drama. This new chapter tries to continue that tradition; however, it never reaches the clarity or emotional power of its predecessors.

The story sets up promising themes about leadership and responsibility, yet it rarely develops them with the sharp focus seen in "The Winter Soldier" or the ideological heft of "Civil War". Those films thrived on conflict that felt urgent and personal. Here, the central conflict feels scattered; the narrative moves between subplots that compete for attention instead of supporting each other. The result is a film that feels busy rather than purposeful.

Anthony Mackie carries the shield with conviction. His performance is sincere and committed; his scenes that deal with the burden of legacy are among the film’s strongest. Yet the script never gives him the same depth or arc that Chris Evans enjoyed. Sam Wilson’s internal struggle feels stated rather than explored. The earlier films balanced action with intimate moments that defined Steve Rogers as a character; this entry misses that balance and leans heavily on exposition.

Action has always been a hallmark of the series; however, the set pieces here lack the precision that made sequences like the elevator fight in "The Winter Soldier" or the highway battle unforgettable. The choreography feels looser. The editing cuts too quickly to create impact. Instead of tension building through physical stakes, the film often relies on CGI that softens the grit that once set the franchise apart.

The supporting cast is solid, yet many characters feel underused. Motivations are introduced then set aside. Relationships that could deepen the emotional core remain at the surface. Earlier films used their ensembles to shape the story’s moral and political dimensions; this time the ensemble drifts around the edges.

Tonally, the film struggles to find its identity. It gestures toward political commentary yet rarely commits to a viewpoint. It hints at espionage yet never creates the paranoia that defined the franchise’s strongest moments. The film moves quickly, yet without the thematic weight that once made Captain America stories stand out in the broader MCU.

In the end, "Captain America: Brave New World" is serviceable entertainment with a committed lead performance and flashes of inspiration. It simply lacks the tight structure, grounded action and emotional clarity that made the earlier films some of Marvel’s best. The shield still shines; the story beneath it does not.

Success Rate:  + 0.3

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Barb Wire (5 Stars)

Barb Wire arrived in 1996 as a glossy, chaotic mix of cyber-noir, comic book grit and B-movie bravado; over time it has settled into the kind of film that finds its audience late at night, often with a grin. Its reputation as a cult film rests on two pillars: its shamelessly pulpy style and the strange balance between sincerity and camp that runs through every scene. The tone wavers between self-aware parody and straight-faced action. That unevenness has helped the film survive long after the initial critical backlash. People return to it because it is bold, messy and entirely itself.

Pamela Anderson carries the film with a combination of deadpan toughness and deliberate glamour. Yet the real anchor of the story is Udo Kier as Curly. His performance is a master class in the art of supporting presence; he never tries to overshadow Anderson, but he shapes the emotional rhythm of every scene he enters. Kier has a gift for playing characters who seem to know more than they reveal. As Curly, he offers quiet loyalty mixed with wry resignation. He treats the absurdity around him with total seriousness. This gives the film a strange kind of credibility; when Kier looks worried, the stakes feel higher, even when the plot borders on cartoon logic.

Kier also provides the film with its most grounded emotional thread. Curly cares for Barb in a way that never slips into cliché. Instead, his loyalty feels like something built on years of shared struggle. The scenes between them play smoother and more natural than the larger political storyline; they give the film its heart. Kier communicates entire histories with small gestures and micro-expressions. In a film driven by spectacle, this subtlety stands out.

As a cult film, Barb Wire thrives on its contradictions. It is a loose reworking of Casablanca, yet it hides that influence behind neon lights, leather and explosions. It aims for sleek futurism, yet it feels like a time capsule of nineties aesthetics. It wants to be serious, yet it is most memorable when it leans into excess. These tensions create a viewing experience that rewards audiences who enjoy cinema that refuses to behave.

Over the years, midnight screenings and fan discussions have reframed the film as an example of accidental brilliance; its mixture of sincerity and camp makes it endlessly rewatchable. The costumes, the overheated dialogue, the pulpy action and the bold production design all contribute to the sense of a film that invites both laughter and admiration. At the centre of this strange world stands Udo Kier, giving a performance that elevates the entire project.

Originally labelled as a flawed blockbuster, Barb Wire's standing as a cult film has grown over the years. It showcases the power of character actors who treat even the wildest material with full commitment; it proves that audacity and personality can keep a film alive long after its initial release.

Success Rate:  - 2.4

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Iron Sky: The Coming Race (2½ Stars)

When I saw this film in the cinema five years ago I said that a lot was happening, and I needed to watch it again to figure it all out. Finally, after five years, I've watched it again. Too much is happening in the film, way too much. The first film was a fairly simple story: at the end of World War Two the Nazi elite fled to the Moon to create a new kingdom, waiting for the right moment to return to Earth and conquer the world. The second film adds a fanatical cult, aliens who guided mankind for thousands of years, and dinosaurs who live at the centre of the world. Any one of those ideas would have made a fascinating film, but adding them all at once just clogs it down.

Udo Kier is dead. He passed away on Sunday, but it was only reported today. He was a magnificent actor, excelling in every role he played. He was also modest. A few years ago he said, "I've made 200 films. 100 of them are bad. 50 can only be enjoyed with a glass of wine. The other 50 are great". I wonder how he would rate "The Coming Race". I expect he would call it a bad film. All I can say is that no film was ever bad because of Udo. He was good in every role he played. The problem is the overall quality of the film, from the screenwriting to the directing. Udo Kier is an actor whose work I have always enjoyed, and he'll be sadly missed.

Success Rate:  - 49.2

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Black Creek (4 Stars)

When a ruthless gang slaughters a sheriff and his family, his sister Rose (Cynthia Rothrock) rides into Black Creek seeking vengeance. Her journey becomes a chain of violent confrontations; each fight exposes another layer of the gang’s cruelty. She brawls her way through saloons and abandoned outposts where close-quarters combat dominates and weapons are used more for brutality than precision. The film highlights raw fistfights, frantic shootouts and brutal knife work. Every clash is staged with a gritty sense of weight and exhaustion; each victory feels earned rather than stylish. Her final showdown with the gang’s leader is a long, punishing battle that tests her resolve and brings the story to its violent conclusion.

The Shadow's Edge (4 Stars)

This is the ninth film in the Stuttgart Weird Weekender Festival.

"The Shadow's Edge" is a high tech crime thriller. A gang breaks into a bank, but they don't steal any money. It's just a diversion to hide their real aim, stealing a notebook which contains a businessman's access codes for his crypto currency account. I admit that I was confused in the early scenes. I couln't understand what the gang was doing. It all happened too fast. What I did understand is that the gang's leader is a man known only as the Shadow. He's led many operations over the years, but his identity is still unknown.

The police call Wong Tak-chung (Jackie Chan) out of retirement, the only officer that they consider able to track down the Shadow. Wong and the Shadow respect one another, playing a high stakes cat and mouse game.

Fucktoys (2 Stars)

This is the fifth film in the Stuttgart Weird Weekender Festival.

Annapurna Sriram wrote, directed and played the lead role in this film. She plays a sex worker called AP. She's told by a psychic that there's a curse on her, and the curse can only be lifted if she sacrifices a young lamb. The ceremony will cost $1000. She's told that she has to perform the ceremony as soon as possible to prevent her death. She doesn't have the money, so she frantically tries to earn it by working as a dominatrix and being an escort at exclusive parties.

The description probably sounds like the sort of film I would enjoy, but it's not for me. There's a lot of sexuality, some nudity and repeated BDSM scenes, but the sex is unattractive and not at all arousing. Maybe it's accurate. Maybe this is the seedy side of the sex industry. I didn't enjoy the film.

Cielo (4 Stars)

This is the fourth film in the Stuttgart Weird Weekender Festival.

Santa is an eight-year-old Bolivian girl who can work miracles. She's empowered by a fish that lives in her stomach. She sets out on a journey to Heaven, which she considers to be located in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Brazil. Before she leaves she kills her mother, confident that she can resurrect her when she reaches her goal. On the way she's taken in by a travelling troupe of female wrestlers.

The film is intended to be spiritual, but there was a lot of laughter in the audience. Some of the scenes were too ridiculous to be taken seriously. The story isn't wrapped up at the end. There are unanswered questions that the viewer has to figure out for himself. The film's cinematography is breath-taking.

I fell in love with a Z-Grade Director in Brooklyn (4½ Stars)

This is the third film in the Stuttgart Weird Weekender Festival.

 

Shina is a highly successful actress in Japan who's going through a crisis. She doesn't enjoy her work any more. She thinks her roles are shallow and meaningless. To get away from it all, she goes on an extended holiday to America with her boyfriend. After an argument he dumps her, leaving her alone in New York without money and without her phone. Worse still, she can't speak a word of English.

She's taken in by Jack, a young man who's just been given a $1000 budget to make his first film. It's "Death vs Love", the story of a serial killer who's being haunted by his ex-girlfriend. Jack offers to let Shina stay with him, as long as she appears in his film. The ghost is the leading actress, but it's also a non-speaking role. Perfect for Shina!

The film follows the rules of romantic comedies. It's a wonderful film.