phuul Reviews

Fair Play (2023)

What was the point?

[4/10 · 8 October 2023]

I watched this movie and still don't know what was the point. There were a lot of sex scenes and something about a short-selling firm ... that's it. The movie took like 40 minutes to become a little interesting when it slowed down again. Was ist supposed to be a thriller, a drama? I felt bored throughout and dont understand all the positiv reviews.

Unfortunately I don't know what else to say, because this movie was so dull and pointless... I cannot believe I didn't stop midway. I kept thinking that it might pick up some speed or will have some twisty moment etc. But nothing happened. So do yourself a favour and don't waste your time with this one.

The Owners (2020)

Don't trust the ratings blindly

[8/10 · 29 April 2023]

I wasnt expecting much from the movie considering the low ratings and I was actually about to hop to another movie but then decided to stick with it and give it a chance. Welly, what should I say, the movie didnt disappoint AT ALL. It starts a bit like a crime movie and turns into a little slasher later on. It has some lengths in it but overall it is entertaining and I was hooked throughout. The whole story took a crazy turn and I did not expect the ending. I dont know if people have seen a different movie to say that the story is predictable. I usually see plot twists coming from miles aways but this time things were still a surprise. Also, the cast was excellent. I am always looking for movie gems and it has become super difficult to find good (horror) movies. This one was a big suprise and I can definitely recommend watching it. It contains a couple of brit-like humorous scenes and it is important not to take everything too seriously as in expecting this to be a die hard slasher or jump scare horror. It is not. It is sooo thoroughly british and thats why I enjoyed it even more. You should definitely give this a try.

Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

Gripping and entertaining movie

[8/10 · 25 September 2022]

My bf made me watch this and initially I wasnt too much interested. I also havent seen the original Top Gun Movie. So tbh I didnt know what to expect. However, I was pretty surprised. The story was gripping, the actors all worked together well. This reminded me a lot of those great auld movies with the big heroes and a rogue nation, good vs bad. A lot of action and interesting scenes. Of course there is Tom Cruise who is always trying to convince people that he can still keep up with the young dudes. But it was not too annoying and I liked his acting in this one. There are quite a few illogical things happening BUT nonetheless I felt very entertained and I can definitely recommend watching this. You will not regret it as long as you are willing to overlook a few stupid things that are too far from reality. But thats a classic action movie we all love and havent seen in ages. Thanks Jerry!

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022– )

Not as bad as the average rating wants you to believe

[8/10 · 3 September 2022]

I was shocked when I saw the overall rating of 6,x. This series definitely does not deserve such a bad rating. I am a very critical person, but I did enjoy the first 2 episodes. The first 30 minutes were horribly confusing for someone who is not too much into the LoTR-universe, but then it got a lot better. The actors have all been picked well, the scenery is great. At times it looks a bit cheap like they had told some 5th graders to paint the set decorarion combined with simple CGI, BUT you must keep in mind that this is a TV series, no cinema blockbuster. Thus you should not make the mistake of comparing this to the cinema versions. Nonetheless I felt nicely entertained and I am looking forward to the next episode.

So overall is an enjoyable series that should be considered as a standalone fan fiction from the world of LoTR, that is also not 100% correct if compared with the LoTR-universe (I was told so by my colleague, who is a hardcore fan). I also get a bit of GoT-vibes from the way how it is directed.

Alltogether I definitely recommend giving this series a shot without comparing it to Peter Jackson's LotR!

The Puppet Master: Hunting the Ultimate Conman (2022)

Not sure what to think of it

[6/10 · 27 April 2022]

Well, it is the first time I have heard of the story so I was pretty intrigued. However, now after finishing it I am left puzzled at how he managed to trick the people into believing all this crap. They just said that he was very convincing but I just don't buy it. And the story fails to give any explaination on how one person manages to do all this by himself, how he could possibly handle different people during the same time while also going to work. It must have been a lot of planning. The whole storytelling is not 'round'. I feel sorry for the victims and I do not want to do victim blaming. However, that is what the whole story fails. It just doesnt give answers. Like the tinder swindler gives a good explaination on how he was able to pull his thing off and make them all fall for him. I mean, of course, the 90ies were different and people didnt have much access to information and maybe people were more gullible back then. But nonetheless. What does it take to be as convincing to make people believe you were actually working for MI5 and hand over all their money??? How can someone not realize after a short time that this was only about money??? I still have no answer. Above all, every little kid knows that nobody really working for an intelligence service would ever disclose this information at any time. Now somebody comes around the corner and keeps on bragging about it. How can you fall for it? I still don't know since I havent got any answer. This documentary is a nice time pass, however, I will now have to look the story up online in order to find out more about it, which is actually a bad sign after just having seen a documentary on it.

Stromberg (2004–2012)

Very dark humour

[8/10 · 2 April 2022]

I am rewatching this in 2022 and I cant believe how politically incorrect TV Shows were allowed to be back then. The humour is as black as it can possibly be and it shows the dull and crazy life in an insurance company. I have neither seen The Office (UK) nor the US version (I switched it off after 10 minutes because I just couldnt bear it) so I cant compare them. The german office has sooo many akward moments in it and it is just great. Each episode covers everyday problems, thus making the show very relatable. Since the humour is very dark and also offers many moments of second hand embarrasment it is not recommended to watch it if you are highly sensitive in terms of me too, racism or discrimination. The humour is very VERY dark. Trust me.

Into the Dark (2018–2021)

Not so bad after all

[7/10 · 28 January 2022]

This series reminds me of a mixture of Black Mirror and AHS, however in very bright colours and the typical cheap horror story setting/directing, which is perfectly fine. However, the first episode was really really bad and rather some sort of slapstick comedy, but I gave it a chance and watched the second episode. I was pleasently surprised.

Loved the idea/story of the third episode and now I am hooked. It's rather horror light so suitable for the faint-hearted too.

Berlin Syndrome (2017)

Pretty intense despite the plot holes

[8/10 · 22 January 2022]

I found the movie pretty intense and I felt her agony. The acting was great and so was the story. I was surprised that the movie managed to keep me intrigued for 2 hours even though it mainly took place in a small apartment. The main actors did a great job and their chemistry was very good. However, I didnt like the fact, that the story itself was not too elaborate since she had million chances to escape or to hurt him badly. However, I think they managed to convey her fear since she just got punished even worse once she tried something. If it fails, she runs the risk of getting killed and human survival instinct is very powerful. I found the ending to be unsatisfying and also the fact, that it was difficult to understand him as in why he is doing this to her. I tried to figure out why he choses to keep a girl like this and why he is behaving so weirdly but the movie failes to deliver respective information. I think, in this case they could have done better. Additionally I found his english to be really bad considering that he works as an english teacher ;). His german accent was horrible to listen to (even though I am german myself). But nonetheless I liked the movie a lot. The cinematography was great and I strongly advice you to give it a shot without complicating, sorry, contemplating too much about her possibilities to escape.

Fun fact: just one day before watching Berlin Syndrome I saw a documentary on rundown flats in Berlin, which are left for decay by the owners even though the city is in desperate need of housing space. One of the houses mentioned was exactly the one where the girl was kept. In the documentary they said, this housing complex is often used in movies. At the time of watching the documentary I have never seen it in any movie before. So the area really looks like this and was not made rundown just for the movie. There are however people still living there but it is pretty much abonded and a part of the house is even in danger of collapsing.

Lion (2016)

It starts great but slows down way too much

[7/10 · 23 December 2021]

The first half of the film is AMAZING. To see the story of what the boy went through is great. The acting of the little boy is MARVELLOUS. You can literally feel the agony. Also the chemistry between him and his brother is fantastic. The story is really gripping and you can see the ugly truth of india and what is really going on there. No bright colours, no dancing and singing and jollying around with friends, having a good time. It is dirty, loud, overcrowded, you have to work hard in order to make ends meet... and nobody cares about you or will give you a helping hand. If people sense a chance to make money of someone's distress, they will. I like this part of the movie as a contrast to what is usually displayed in bollywood movies. Alas, then there is the part where Saroo is grown up and it suddenly gets really boring and annoying. I continuously felt the urge to slap him really tightly. A third of the movie feels like being stuck in some kind of circle repeating itself. Also, after Dev Patel appeared in the movie he initially did his typical overacting and I was like 'oh no, not again'. But the director obviously told him to slow down a bit or something, because his acting became bearable afterwards.

However, I expected the search for his family to play a bigger role in the movie but it didnt. And in the end everything even went really quickly. Of course the movie cant live without some bollywood ending, which is ok since it is based on a true story.

After all it is no doubt a movie with potential, but this is rather due to the first half and the marvolous acting and gripping story.