When I initially watched Overlord, I was expecting an average horror movie with a few shallow historical references. What I've got however is an atmospheric, gripping and mysterious horror film with appropriate references to the horrors of the Second World War. The story is obviously inspired by experiments Nazi Germany actually conducted on human beings. The story revolves around a group of young American soldiers who are sent behind enemy lines in preparation of the Invasion of Normandy. After their plane is shot down, they must hide in a village where they befriend some French farmers. However, they aren't only willing to escape, hide and survive but also try to destroy a German radio tower located in an old church on a wooden hill. However, the soldiers find something abominable in the basement of said church and are determined to wipe it out without leaving any trace behind.

The movie convinces on several levels. First of all, the characters have a lot of depth and interest for a horror movie. The American soldiers have different strategies to fight the enemy which makes them quite diversified. It's also easy to sympathize with the French farmers including the resilient love interest of a SS Hauptsturmführer, her joyful little brother and her creepy disfigured aunt who has been abused during an experiment conducted by the invaders.

The film oozes with atmosphere. We are thrown into the story as the plane of the American soldiers gets shot down and they soon need to fight for survival in the ocean, on the beaches and in the nearby forests. The French village where they decide to hide is a place where fear, hatred and terror reigns. The church tower is dark, eerie and seems to be an endless maze of horrors.

This flick mixes historical events with fictitious elements. The brutal opening sequence foreshadows the actual Invasion of Normandy. The suffering the French villagers go through also seems realistic. Even the idea that the Germans conducted experiments on human beings isn't pulled out of thin air. On the other side, the true nature of those experiments is the fictitious part that should equally please to cinephiles enjoying action and horror movies.

In the end, Overlord cleverly mixes action elements inspired by historical events with fictitious horror elements. This dynamic mixture entertains from start to finish thanks to tense atmosphere, strong characters and intriguing locations. The movie manages to portray the horrors of war while also adding an appropriate fictitious touch to it. Many movies have tried to combine war films with horror films and failed but Overlord is one of the most balanced attempts at this gripping mixture. Horror movies usually receive poor critical acclaim but this movie has overall been received rather favourable ratings which actually point out how great this film actually is. Give it a try and you might end up being as positively surprised as I was.

Loudness is one of the best heavy metal bands on the planet and after the release of its great studio record Rise to Glory about a year ago, Live in Tokyo attempts to capture the band's energetic live shows for international audiences. However, the release has numerous important flaws that prevent this overall just solid release from being a potentially excellent one.

First of all, the two discs don't feature one single concert but excerpts from several shows which harms the atmosphere, coherence and flow of the album. The album starts without a proper introduction and overture which already leaves a very negative impression. Numerous songs fade in and fade out which is inappropriate for live records. The audience is barely audible. The tracks ''Crazy Doctor'' and ''In the Mirror'' are included twice for no reason whatsoever while the release leaves out any more recent tunes that would have been performed live for the first time on that tour. Those who put the random track list together did a horrible job putting fan favourite ''Crazy Nights'' so soon and a ballad like ''Ares' Lament'' towards the end just to give two specific examples. The additional DVD including a proper show from start to finish does a better job in that regard.

Not everything is negative here since Loudness remains an incredibly charismatic live band. The crowd interactions during ''Crazy Nights'' are as energetic as they have ever been, band anthem ''Loudness'' is performed with grit and cool backing vocals, ''Ares' Lament'' has a wonderful melancholic and melodic vibe and ''Esper'' convinces as unusually tight closer.

Still, there are much better live records than Live in Tokyo in Loudness' extended discography. Live Terror 2004 is an excellent release focusing on the band's doom metal side while The Soldiers Just Came Back captures the spirit of the band's reunion shows and offers an extensive greatest hits set list with a few new tunes.

Final rating: 60%

India's Most Wanted is a gripping thriller based upon true events that follows a team of five Indian undercover agents who try to track down a Pakistani terrorist who hides under a false identity in Nepal.

If you expect a gripping action movie, you might get disappointed as the film only includes a few explosions and brief car chases. The film is however a very tense thriller that portrays the administrative struggles involving three countries and a desperate team left on its own. The five agents don't know who to trust, where to go and how to proceed in order to survive and accomplish their mission. Especially the last third of the movie is quite realistic, tense and unpredictable in that regard.

Obviously, India's Most Wanted is a quite patriotic movie. The Indian guys are the brave, intelligent and resilient ones while the Pakistani are vile, scared and manipulative and the Nepalese are basically caught between the two sides. Even though this approach is somewhat stereotypical, it is partially justified by the historical events that this movie is inspired by. It wouldn't be a surprise to learn that most of the surprisingly low ratings for this very good film come from Pakistani viewers and have rather patriotic than cinematographic reasons.

One more thing that must be pointed out are the stunning locations. Some scenes take place in Pakistan and India but about three quarters of the film take place in Nepal and these natural locations are absolutely breathtaking.

In the end, India's Most Wanted should appeal to fans of dramas and thrillers who are interested in Indian and Nepalese history and politics. The movie convinces with tense atmosphere, intriguing characters and an unpredictable plot. The harsh ratings don't do this very entertaining movie justice.

Three years ago, Shin Godzilla was the most mature entry in the franchise that surprised with a surprisingly realistic plot, lots of political drama and intriguing characters. But that was a Japanese movie while Godzilla: King of the Monsters is an American film that rather follows the gloomy Godzilla released five years earlier that was overall convincing despite a few lengths. This movie here rather compares to the shallow Kong: Skull Island and offers a brainless but entertaining spectacle.

To be honest, this new film is rated so positively because the special effects are astonishing, the pace is breathtaking and the monsters look amazing. Godzilla gets defeated on two occasions but always manages to come back stronger than before. The return of King Ghidorah is spectacular and the monster convinces as giant antagonist. Rodan is also featured in a few scenes but far from being the most spectacular monster. Mothra's appearance is somewhat disappointing as the legendary character only appears for a few scenes and fails to impress.

The story however is insultingly ridiculous. It features many plot holes and the characters are constantly making stupid decisions. One can't expect performances worthy of Academy Awards of course but the characters in this film are particularly irrational, shallow and unlikable. Especially the Russell family is quite annoying. The mother is willing to sacrifice humanity because she can't cope with the loss of her son. Her daughter follows her blindly, constantly risking her own life and those of others around her. The father is arrogant, grumpy and headstrong as he ignores orders and thinks he is cleverer than anyone else. One couldn't care less about such antipathic characters.

In the end, Godzilla: King of the Monsters is the kind of film that invites to switch your brain off and enjoy a colourful, effect-ridden and fast-paced spectacle. This film is great for what it is but might only be memorable for young audiences and those who aren't familiar with the legendary franchise. Some of the old Japanese movies were also quite silly but the original Godzilla: King of the Monsters which was released sixty-five years ago is still more thought-provoking, realistic and dramatic than this high-budget Hollywood flick. Hollywood should leave this Japanese franchise alone and Western cinemas should have the courage to show films like Shin Godzilla in the future.

John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum is the most spectacular film of the franchise that will obviously carry on beyond this movie. It shows how the hunter has become the hunted as professional hitman John Wick gets chased around the globe and must reconcile with allies from the past to save his life. The story gets some more depth towards the end as a web of conspiracies, intrigues and lies unfolds and offers a few minor surprises and twists.

The action sequences are even grittier than in the two convincing prequels. The body count in the first fifteen minutes alone is very elevated and will keep the audience on the edge of its seats. The characters don't only use weapons like pistols and daggers but also martial arts techniques inspired buy jiu-jitsu and judo in particular. Other memorable action scenes include a fast-paced escape on a horse, a motorcycle chase and the final scene on a rooftop. Let's also point out that two dogs have some quite remarkable appearances in this film that can be considered highlights of the franchise.

The locations are also quite intriguing this time around. Aside of locations familiar from the first two films, we discover a Russian theater linked to John Wick's past, an elegant skyscraper made of glass and the city of Casablanca in Morocco as well as the nearby desert. The combination of stunning action scenes, beautiful locations and a few plot twists keep the film entertaining from start to finish.

In the action film genre, the John Wick franchise is the best thing you could watch these days. This is what the Expandables franchise should have become like as Keanu Reeves faces some prolific actors of the action film genre like Marc Dacascos and Yayan Ruhian. If you analyze the fascinating universe the three movies of the franchise have put together, the sum can even be considered greater than its parts. The only reason why this movie doesn't get a higher rating is because it remains very formulaic, predictable and traditional beyond its entertaining values.