This franchise was all the rage about ten years ago when the novels became popular and were made into three movies. I watched all three films back then and found them quite hard to sit through. They had a gripping bleak atmosphere but everything else was rather uninteresting. The acting performances didn't impress me much. The films were slow, plodding and overlong. The plots were predictable and tedious. You might wonder why I even watched The Girl in the Spider's Web. As a matter of fact, I wanted to watch a completely different film at my small local cinema but the film got cancelled and I was given the chance to watch a film for free. Since this one was just about to start, I gave it a chance. The film turned out being much better than expected. Needless to say that this is the best film of the franchise in my opinion.

The film has the same bleak atmosphere as the original movies. However, the acting performances are much better than anticipated and especially Claire Foy convinces as creative, emotional and intelligent young woman with a sinister past and she shows many more facets of her character than any other actress did before her. The story has a steadier pace than earlier entries in the franchise and is interesting from start to finish as all the side stories and supporting characters are cleverly linked and end up being at the same place for the film's intense conclusion. The story is diversified, emotional and entertaining as it turns out being gripping from start to finish despite not being the most creative plot I have come across. The film reminds me of the critically underrated The Snowman which was released about one year earlier.

Fans of the franchise should like this film but even those who didn't care about the franchise should give this intense psychological thriller a try. This film is atmospheric, emotional and intense as it mostly avoids pretentious social criticism that slowed the previous entries in the franchise down. One even gets to witness some dynamic action sequences and especially the final thirty minutes will keep you on the edge of your seat. The Girl in the Spider's Web is one of the best thrillers released this year and a very welcome positive surprise. If you like this movie, make sure to give The Snowman a chance as well.

Delain seems to have been around for a really long time but the band's debut record Lucidity was actually only released about a decade ago. The sextet decided to celebrate its first decade of releases with an epic concert featuring twenty-two songs plus a majestic overture. 

All five studio records are covered by the set list that includes the band's most popular songs like ''We Are the Others'', fan favourites like ''Get the Devil Out of Me'' and a few underappreciated gems like ''The Gathering''. 

Numerous special guests perform additional bass guitar, cello, drums and electric guitar and five intriguing guest vocalists were invited to the show with Arch Enemy's Alissa White-Gluz, Fear Factory's Burton Christopher Bell, Nightwish's Marco Hietala, Midnattsol's Liv Kristine and George Oosthoek of past Orphanage fame. 

The atmosphere during the show is festive and the crowd participates enthusiastically. The band and especially singer Charlotte Wessels actively communicate with the crowd to make the live experience even more energetic. The stage is simple and small and underlines the fact that the group prefers to rock out with its fans instead of offering a pompous show with fancy decorations. Delain might not be the most creative, distinctive and impressive studio band but the sextet is a stunning live act and the chemistry between the two women and four men seems stronger than ever during this show.

Even though the double-disc release is sufficient, the additional DVD or Blu-ray includes a thirty-five minute long documentary, an extra live clip and one music video. The package certainly offers value for money. 

To keep it short, Delain's A Decade of Delain - Live at Paradiso is not only the band's first live record ever but also the sextet's most essential release since the group sounds much stronger on stage than on its respective studio albums. Faithful fans, occasional listeners and those who haven't purchased any of the band's releases so far get a stunning greatest hits package performed with diversified guest musicians and singers in front of an unchained crowd. It's the perfect concert to listen to or watch on a Friday night with some drinks and snacks with your friends. It's consistent, energetic and entertaining from start to finish.

Final rating: 80%

What is this?

More music...

...or isn't it?

Draconian's Sovran successfully walks on the thin line between gothic and doom metal and convinces with ten emotionally gripping songs that develop an intriguingly bleak atmosphere from start to finish for an intense listening experience of sixty-seven generous minutes.

New vocalist Heike Langhans needs to be pointed out as successful addition to the band's line-up. The South African singer sounds like a mixture of tragically deceased Aleah Stanbridge of Trees of Eternity fame and Within Temptation's Sharon den Adel. Her soothing voice inspires hope in sorrow in a most enchanting way. Her angelic vocals are intensively contrasted by Anders Jacobsson's vibrant harsh vocals. Many bands that try this beauty and the beast approach end up failing as they are resorting to tired stereotypes but Draconian's singers complement each other perfectly and add atmosphere, depth and emotion to the songs.

The musicianship blends in perfectly. Sorrowfully distorted guitar parts, sinister bass guitar passages and thunderous drums make for a melancholic melting pot that is occasionally supported by decently employed string sections or short narrative parts. Despite keeping its mournful atmosphere from start to finish, the musicianship is diversified, dynamic and inspired enough to keep things interesting from start to finish.

All songs work particularly well but if I had to cite a highlight, I would go for the wonderful ''Rivers Between Us''. Rarely employed melancholic clean male vocals meet Langhans' angelic female leads and occasional growls that add a passionate sinister touch. The sorrowful guitar work is truly touching, the rhythm section keeps a slow but steady pace and occasional narrative parts add more atmospheric depth. The track manages to sound both consistent and diversified and remains particularly entertaining through its running time of nearly seven minutes.

In the end, Draconian's Sovran offers the perfect mixture of doom and gothic metal. If you like melancholic music with imaginative depth, you can't get around this release. The band was already outstanding earlier in its career but the addition of Heike Langhans' unique angelic vocals seem to be the missing element that could push the band from greatness to excellence. Enjoy the record's bleak magic on a cold winter autumn or winter night with a good glass of wine.

Final rating: 90%

The House with a Clock in Its Walls is one of the most imaginative fantasy movies I have watched in a very long time. The colourful settings, the quirky characters and the spooky story make for a quite entertaining ride. Children might find some scenes involving creepy dolls, an undead magician and an obsessed witch somewhat scary but most young teenagers shouldn't have any trouble to sleep after watching this film. This is the type of film that is even entertaining for older teenagers and adults when they go watch the movie with their younger children, friends or siblings which is quite an achievement. Most movies that pretend to be for the whole family are actually only entertaining a very young audience but this is the type of movie that should please to a large audience. If you like fantasy movies, you should definitely watch it.

One of the most important elements of the film are the settings. The old house filled with numerous magic objects such as an overtly enthusiastic chair, its garden with a vivid lion made of grass and the nearby cemetery where lies the body of a mysterious magician who was once positive but became attracted to the occult after having witnessed the evil that men do during the horrors of war are all truly imaginative. The fact that the film takes place in a Michigan small town in the fifties adds a nostalgic charm to the film and so do the elementary school, the school uniforms and the way people are dressed in general.

The characters are very interesting as well. Owen Vaccaro brilliantly plays a ten-year old orphan who is very curious about the mysteries of life but who struggles to adapt to his new environment. Sunny Suljic plays his classmate who is initially nice to him to impress other pupils and influence them to win an election for class president but who soon has a negative influence and even abandons his friend. Vanessa Anne Williams plays a classmate who is as weird, likable and creative as the outcast orphan boy. Jack Black plays the orphan's uncle who has a very vivid temperament and turns out being a motivated but untalented warlock. Cate Blanchett plays a good friend, loyal neighbour and talented witch who spends a lot of time with the uncle and his nephew. The main antagonist is an evil undead warlock played by a brilliant Kyle MacLachlan who should play in more contemporary movies and who would deserve winning an Academy Award one day. His dangerous wife is played by a creepy Renée Elise Goldsberry.

The story is entertaining from start to finish. A ten-year old orphan moves to a small town in Michigan where he has to live with his uncle in a mysterious mansion. The young orphan soon realizes that his uncle seems to be looking for a hidden object in the house along with their neighbour and friend. The two finally reveal to be a warlock and a witch who are trying to find a mysterious clock hidden in the mansion's walls that was placed there by an evil warlock and his wicked wife before their tragic deaths. The orphan boy wants to become a warlock himself and his uncle initially disagrees but ultimately decides to trust his nephew and teach him simple lessons of magic. The orphan gets however attracted by a mysterious book he isn't supposed to read and ends up summoning the ghost of the evil warlock who soon returns with his wicked wife to complete their sinister plans. The orphan, his uncle and their neighbour must work together in order to prevent their plans and save mankind.

The House with a Clock in Its Walls is a movie that surprised me very positively and turned out being one of the greatest fantasy films in recent memory that should be appreciated by the whole family. The story will keep you guessing until the very end, the settings are diversified and stunning and the acting performances are absolutely brilliant. It's a great movie to watch around Halloween and the mildly dark themes might even introduce teenagers to the fascinating world of gothic and horror movies that deserve a better reputation than they have. The novel of the same name by John Bellairs might also be a great Christmas gift to offer to a young teenager who appreciated this film.