I have been a fan of the Tomb Raider franchise for more than twenty years which means more than two thirds of my lifetime. I have played all the video games and watched the previous movies with Angelina Jolie. The first one was a little bit shallow while the second one had great pace and was an improvement. This reboot however is easily the best of the three films for numerous reasons.

Let's start with the movie's only downside. The first fifteen minutes that are meant to introduce the protagonist and show us her tough life are overtly sentimental. If this were to be a drama, it would blend in nicely but it doesn't quite go along with an adventurous action movie. The movie's final twist is also foreshadowed so obviously in the first fifteen minutes that it almost feels ridiculous. Please take the viewers more seriously.

Other than that, Tomb Raider is a stunning experience. The locations look gorgeous. The stormy sea, the mysterious island and the gloomy catacombs are fascinating. The number of traps, riddles and dangers that Lara Croft encounters are as challenging, diversified and intense as in the best video games. The story is closely inspired by the excellent video game that successfully rebooted the franchise five years ago. The special effects are absolutely stunning as this movie is one of the greatest visual experiences I have ever seen on screen. Still, the movie doesn't lift off and keeps a realistic edge thanks to precise camera work and light techniques as well as genuinely exotic locations. The acting performances are great. Antagonist Mathias is a pitiless lunatic, Lara Croft's sidekick is a resilient sailor with an alcohol problem and Lara Croft's father is meandering between cleverness and madness. I really appreciated Alicia Vikander's performance as she portrays a cultivated yet adventurous young woman with a strong moral compass who has to deal with demons of her past, shady family members and arrogant guys who constantly underestimate her. She is much closer to the essence of Lara Croft than Angelina Jolie's character that was rather built upon stereotypical physical appearances. Alicia Vikander's performance is as fresh as the movie itself and the rebooted franchise as it doesn't have anything in common with the quiet, one-dimensional superhero with the big breasts of yore.

Fans of the Tomb Raider franchise should really love this movie as it offers everything that makes the video games so outstanding: a brave protagonist with an intellectual side, diversified exotic locations, a series of traps, riddles and dangers, a dangerous antagonist and a few cultural and historic references. The only reasons why this movie didn't get the highest possible grade are the unnecessary opening fifteen minutes and the fact that 2013's Tomb Raider game is even better than the movie. If you have played this game, you have to watch the movie. If you have watched this movie, you have to play the game. It's as simple as this. Enjoy the wild ride!

I wasn't expecting very much from the film, especially since it is a low-budget production shot with an iPhone camera. However, Unsane is a great psychological thriller with an ideal running time just above one and a half hours.

The movie's camera work is much better than anticipated. I expected too many shaky camera sections with blurry images that would induce headaches if seen on a big screen. This isn't the case at all. The camera work is precise and calm, if a little bit static at some points. Shaky camera passages are scarcely used and only on purpose, when the main character is overdosing or trying to escape. It becomes really obvious that an experienced director like Steven Soderbergh is behind this film.

In addition to the surprisingly innovative camera work, Unsane also convinces with a calm and mysterious soundtrack that always blends in perfectly. The light techniques are also employed skillfully and often add a gloomy touch to the sinister movie. There are very few special effects which are used very efficiently as they make the viewers wonder whether the protagonist is experiencing reality or just hallucinating.

The story itself is quite solid even though it doesn't reinvent the genre. It follows a young woman who is haunted by a stalker. She talks about her problems to a psychologist and gets interned at a psychiatric asylum against her will. At this sinister place, she comes across some inmates that believe and try to help her and others that want to get attention and menace her. However, she also sees her stalker who works there and constantly watches her. The psychiatrists don't believe her as the young woman is becoming more and more stressed out which also leads to excessive outbursts of violence. At a certain points, she starts to wonder whether she is going insane or not. She seeks the help of another inmate, police officers and her religious mother in vain and realizes that she can only save herself which leads to an intense finale with a haunting epilogue.

Despite an overall interesting story, the movie has several plot holes or at least strange coincidences related to the presence of the film's antagonist. Revealing you anything more would spoil the experience but let's just say the movie isn't even slightly realistic. If you are however ready to accept that a work of fiction can be nonsensical and open up to this film, you will get ninety-eight minutes of excellent entertainment with great actors, an intense atmosphere and a tense story line.

Fans of psychological thrillers can give this movie a shot. It convinces with solid acting, sinister atmosphere, fluid pace, tense plot and original camera work. The only downside are several plot holes that make the story nonsensical at times. Please note that this isn't a horror movie. The film is gloomy, mysterious and tense but not really scary. It's a very good psychological thriller.

Ladies and gentlemen!

Here are some pictures from the metal show I attended on Sunday, March 25th 2018 at TD Place in Ottawa. I had a blast and I hope you will enjoy these pictures!

Black Star Riders were an amazing opening band: great mixture of hard rock and heavy metal with an outstanding bass guitar player and a sympathetic singer who felt at ease communicating with the crowd.

British heavy metal veterans Saxon played a longer set than usual because they were recording for a future live album! The band was in great form and sounds much better on stage than on its studio records.

The crowd was waiting for Judas Priest to hit the stage.

The band opened with the great title song and opener of its new studio record Firepower.

The band also played famous and rare classics from the seventies such as ''The Ripper''.

''Some Heads are Gonna Roll'' was also on the set list.

Singer Rob Halford drove a motorcycle onto the stage before performing ''Hell Bent for Leather''.

The band played nearly two hours and received well-deserved standing ovations.

Woodhawk is a trio that walks on the line between hypnotizing alternative rock and contemporary stoner metal. Beyond the Sun is a smooth record with great flow and relaxing pace. While the overall sound is almost peaceful, the band still comes around with a few simple but gripping riffs and emotional guitar solos that will stay on your mind. The balanced mixture of flow and pace makes for a great listening experience. If I had to give some references, I would describe the band as a mixture between Fireball Ministry's focused stoner metal stylistics and Baroness' meandering sludge metal which makes for an interesting hybrid. On a few select occasions, decently employed organ and synthesizer sounds give the rocking sound a more epic note which is an authentic reference to the early seventies.

The album cover exemplifies the band's sound perfectly because some riffs are hot as hell while the album also includes some chilling passages and occasionally reminds of space rock artists of the early seventies like Hawkwind and the likes. The lyrical topics of science-fiction, sorcery and swords blend in perfectly as well. The noisy garage production fits the genre perfectly and makes the material sound even more vivid. Listening to the album makes you feel as if you were standing right beside the band jamming in its rehearsal space. I wouldn't be surprised if Woodhawk sounded even better in concert than on record. Since the band is currently touring Canada, this could be your chance to check whether I'm right or not.

To keep it short, if you like space rock wizardry rooted in the early seventies with a few contemporary alternative and stoner rock soundscapes, you're in for a treat. Woodhawk's Beyond the Sun should be a great record to listen to while driving your car in the summertime. It has great flow but isn't shallow. Woodhawk might not reinvent anything but should appeal significantly to genre fans.

Final rating: 70%

Korpius is a defunct extreme metal band incorporating atmospheric blackened death metal stylistics with a few more melodic touches inspired by more traditional doom and heavy metal on one side and some slightly faster thrash metal on the other side. The band has only released one studio record, entitled Shades of Black, which is a shame because this album shows some promise.

The band's overall quite sinister soundscapes that could not only please extreme metal fans but also those who like aggressive gothic metal are complemented by a handful of intriguing elements. Korpius often comes around with some powerful thrash metal shredding that will make your head bang. Occasionally quite melodic guitar solos inspired by traditional heavy metal also lighten things up at the right moments to add some dynamic diversity. From time to time, the band also slows down and incorporates short doom metal soundscapes into its creative songwriting. One track even ends with dreamy acoustic guitar passages that blend in perfectly and give the audience time to digest the record's more pitiless moments.

Not everything is perfect on this debut album though. The faster blackened death metal riffs sound at times quite exchangeable. The grunts and screams complement each other well overall but aren't particularly outstanding if one evaluates them separately. The songwriting shows promise but the band hasn't found its very own identity yet on this album.

Fans of atmospheric blackened death metal should give Korpius' Shades of Black a shot. The album includes a gripping atmosphere, emotional guitar solos and a few intelligent variations in pace and style to keep things fairly interesting throughout a little bit less than forty minutes. It isn't an album that will be remembered as lost gem but it's very good for what it is and it's a pity the band hasn't survived.

Final rating: 65%