This is the second part of my little review series: Movies that are way better than you expect.

"Steel trap" seems at first sight to be another ordinary psychological thriller or slasher movie in the shadows of the great "The cube", "Mind Hunters" and "Saw". I expected a movie of a quality comparable to "House of 9" or "Nine dead" but I was rather wrong.

The movie starts with the introduction to some stereotypical and rather ordinary characters and I was already close to judge the lack of originality of this movie. When the killing game began I was positively surprised for the first time. The acting wasn't that wooden and rather realistic and appropriated.

The next surprise followed quickly. The killing methods turned out to be rather original, the atmosphere was sinister and gripping and the whole story attached me more to the characters. The movie got truly entertaining and addicting and I kept guessing who was behind the bloody murders and why. The great thing is that there are many wrong clues and also some right ones and I happened to analyze the behaviour of each candidate and had to change my mind and opinion many times.

The third and last great surprise is without a doubt the twist in the end of the movie that I didn't really see coming. Normally, I have some doubts and am able to get on the right lane but this time, I got completely bumped. This ending really rated this movie way up beyond the average slasher flick.

To keep it short, this is a rather original and gripping movie of a more and more popular genre and the rating average in here is definitely way too low. The movie is entertaining and an ideal choice for any horror movie night with your mates and you will keep guessing and expecting until the very end.

This is the first part of my little review series: Movies that are way better than you expect.

This short and sweat Irish zombie slasher doesn't only convince with beautiful landscapes but also with a few original ways to slaughter some zombies (you get pretty much anything from high heels to Hoovers) and a very artistic camera work that particularly stands out and gives a really dynamical, refreshing and surprising bonus to the movie. There are also a few scenes that are really frightening and well done like the atmospheric opening sequence, the first fight scene between the young couple or the mad cow scene. There is also a lot of original and dark humour in a couple of scenes for example when the zombies have their meal in tranquillity or are simply falling asleep at night on a big field. More positive points go to the clothing and make ups of the movie that are really trashy and give a certain cheap charm to the movie. I sincerely hope that people in the Irish country side are not dressed the way the actors are in our real world.

On the other side, there are also a few negative points that must be mentioned. The acting is a little wooden and only the gravedigger is doing a rather good job while the other actors are mediocre or bad. The special effects of this low budget slaughter are also rather mediocre. The story itself remains superficial and copies from many classics of the genre. The ending is also not the best choice that could have been made.

This movie turns out to be not only entertaining but interesting from an artistic point of view. Anybody that likes zombie video games or some good slaughter movies with a cheap charm might like this flick that surprised me in a truly positive way.

"Bedevilled" is another and once again brilliant tale of revenge coming from South Korea which is in the vein of already now legendary masterpieces such as "Oldboy" and "I saw the devil".

What distinguishes this movie from the other ones and justifies itself to merit a place in the top notch of this genre can be told in three little points. First of all, this movie tells the tale of revenge from the point of view from a person that is neither the central evil nor the central avenger part of the movie. Thanks to many flashbacks and secondary story lines, the culpability and responsibility of the main actress is though revealed all over the movie and gives us philosophical and introspective insights while the person witnesses a tale of revenge.

Second, the movie takes its time to introduce all the important characters very slowly. This develops a dark empathy with the main victim that is treated and slowly becomes a monster. The movie creates cruel and gripping personalities and shows us the degree of culpability for all of them. The acting in this intense but slow paced movie is very well done and authentic and it's a very positive and refreshing aspect that the true revenge tale only kicks off after more than the half of the movie has already passed.

Third, this movie focuses especially on the relationship between the avenger and the person that introduces slowly us to the main story line. It's the first time I see two equally convincing female characters in this kind of tough, cruel and highly emotive roles in this kind of genre and they have done such excellent jobs that I'm looking forward to have a closer look at their filmographies.

As a fourth very positive point I might finally add that this movie is also intriguing because it takes places on an isolated island and is a huge criticism towards past and contemporary society in South Korea. This movie is much more than just a bloody tale of revenge, at first glimpse it's especially a very intense drama with gripping characters.

In the end, I highly suggest anyone that likes South Korean movies to watch out for this film that has only recently been released in North America. This is another masterpiece of a unique genre coming from a unique country and you won't find this kind of high quality in any cinema or contemporary American blockbuster. South Korea is the best place for original, gripping and extreme contemporary movies and this movie underlines the country's unique status and will hopefully inspire our culture to take some inspirations from them without dishonouring their creative pieces of art.

"Super 8" is a very creative science-fiction movie that can be seen as an homage to the works of Steven Spielberg such as "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial" or "The Goonies". The movie is not only set in the end of the seventies and the beginning of the eighties but also inspired by the movies, the music and the technical discoveries of that time which gives a nostalgic charm to the movie which distinguishes it from other comparable adventure movies starring young actors and the classic inspirations mentioned above.

Even though the story focuses on the adventures of a bunch of friends in a rather unknown and isolated small town in the middle of nowhere in the United States of America, this movie could also please to a lot of adults because of the classic influences, the nostalgic factors and a couple of surprisingly well done special effects and even a few rather brutal fighting scenes. I would like to underline the high budget that was perfectly used in this technically perfect movie as well as the brilliant acting of all actors and especially the young stars like the charismatic and authentic main male actor Joel Courtney and the very charming and breathtaking Elle Fanning that interact in a great way. Their relation is credible, dramatic and romantic and they are one of the best young actor couples I have ever seen in the history of cinema.

The story integrates everything a good adventure blockbuster needs to be a success for this year's cinematic summer: credible and diversified personalities, philosophically touched emotional topics such as first love, friendship and loss, some mysterious events that keep the tension high until the end and reserve some light surprises, some good humour, a lot of dramatic emotions, many and well crafted but not too overwhelming action scenes, many tension filled passages and a typically Hollywood ending.

The only thing that I might criticize is that the makers of the movie didn't always seem to know if they want to address to a younger or an older public and even though both public could appreciate this movie, there are a few flaws: the shooting and killing scenes in the bus are way too brutal for young children while the somewhat stereotypical ending waters the movie down and may seem ridiculous to many adults. The only other negative point is the fact that the homage automatically copies a lot from the initial movies and isn't that original and fresh anymore.

But in the end this is well crafted entertainment for old and young with a multitude of influences and a stunningly great acting that is only watered down by a childish ending after many mature and intense moments. After many weak cinematic months, this is finally a very well done movie for the whole family.

This movie is probably the heaviest one I have ever seen in terms of mental and physical brutality even though I know movies that touch me even more. Anybody that has problems with torture scenes, cannibalism, violations and explicit sexual content as well as repetitive harsh language should stop reading here and lock for something else. Anybody else is invited to watch a movie about a monster you have never seen before.

The movie turns around the question if one can and if so, how one could fight a monster. If two monsters fight each other can there be a winner and what are the consequences for other involved people. The movie hides in fact a lot of philosophical content and depth beneath the surface of blood and gore and is less superficial than it might seem at first sight.

The movie is comparable to the story of the great Korean vengeance trilogy around "Sympathy for Mister Vengeance", "Oldboy" and "Lady Vengeance". It has the same harsh language and great acting as the Korean crime masterpiece "Memories of murder". It has the same philosophical content as the Canadian "Les sept jours du talion". Those movies can be references but this flick isn't comparable to any Hollywood production. This movie is also much heavier than any of the mentioned movies and something like that could only be a success in a country like Korea because it would be cut or banned in Europe or North America. Be sure to catch the uncut version no matter how high the price because it's really worth it.

This movie doesn't only live from its shocking and gripping story and the numerous brutal scenes but also from the amazing acting. Choi Min-sik is one of Korea's greatest actors as he proved in "Oldboy" or "Lady Vengenace" but this time he is even more perfect than I expected. He plays his role with so much credibility and precision and is easily the best interpretation of a serial killer I have ever seen in a movie. Lee Byung-hun plays in a credible way a man that must become a monster to realize his promise and his revenge and he perfectly plays a broken person that goes through extreme changes. The other actors also deliver a more than solid job and remain credible. I must underline the acting of the weird cannibal friend of the monster and his strange wife (you should absolutely check out the deleted scenes).

The director also did a great and very detailed job. The acting is perfect, the settings work very well and a great atmosphere is created. Kim Jee-won already created the dark, calm and mind-blowing masterpiece "A tale of two sisters" and he shows in here that he can also create a heavy, pitiless and extreme movie like this. I happen to estimate him higher and higher and want to check out the rest of his movies.

In the end, this movie isn't maybe as gripping and stunningly original as my favourite Korean flicks "Oldboy", "A tale of two sisters" or "Memories of murder" but it surely is a movie you should check out if you like modern Asian cinema and if you liked the movies I've listed up in this review. It's a little masterpiece you won't forget after you have seen it and it's probably the best movie of the year to me. I would say that this movie underlines my opinion that the Korean cinema has become the best in the world during the last years.