Be warned that if you watch this movie, you won't get a proper conclusion. The film doesn't have a true climax and ends on several cliffhangers. A sequel has already been announced as well as a spin-off web series. If you want to watch a movie with a coherent exposition, intense rising action, concise climax, gripping falling action and satisfactory resolution, you shouldn't watch this movie at all. I actually felt cheated watching this film because Mile 22 is rather like a television pilot than a genuine standalone movie.

That isn't the only thing that is wrong with this flick. Mile 22 actually has a decent plot and a little twist but instead of developing this potential, the writers threw everything overboard. The twist is revealed very early in the movie, hence depriving the film from a real climax. In addition to this, the film chaotically meanders from scenes in the present to scenes in the past which is particularly confusing in the first few minutes. The perspectives also change as we follow friends and foes alike without any coherence. The shaky cameras make this film even harder to digest. The structure of this movie is also quite strange, since the first half focuses on a massive number of dialogues with the exception of the intriguing opening ten minutes while the second half offers non-stop action sequences. The plot is basically quite simple but is told so chaotically that it ironically fits the movie: American intelligence officers need to escort a potential double agent with important information to an airport in Indonesia but local law enforcers as well as Russian terrorists are trying to prevent this by any means necessary. The whole film feels disjointed, messy and unfocused.

One thing that saves this movie from being below average are the great action scenes in the second half. Iko Uwais' skills alone are worth watching the film alone as he uses feet, hands and even his head to fight relentlessly while also using authentic weapons as well as improvised weapons such as chairs, tables and windows. Mark Wahlberg also plays some tough action scenes, handling his weapons fearlessly and skillfully to find a way out of the most challenging situations. His female sidekick played by Lauren Cohan has to fight for her life several times and performs her role with energetic despair. Among wolves in wolves' clothing, she is the character viewers might sympathize with most.

Another positive element are the characters that have some depth even though this movie only scratches on the surface of this potential. Mark Wahlberg plays a grumpy sociopath who constantly plays with fire. Lauren Cohan incarnates a divorced mother with anger management issues. Iko Uwais convinces in the role of a sinister, quiet and intelligent agent who has numerous hidden agendas. The side characters remain more superficial but interesting nonetheless for an action movie, especially since there are some intriguing cameos by well-known household names of the genre.

The movie feels aborted when the credits start rolling after less than ninety minutes. Several questions remain unanswered. The film doesn't offer a proper resolution to the events that were meticulously prepared over the course of about eighty-five minutes. You will leave the cinema scratching your head and wondering whether you have just experienced ninety minutes that were wasted or well-spent. Mile 22 is an entertaining film and especially the second half will please to those who like films in the key of The Raid or The Villainess. On the other side, it's a chaotic, inconclusive and simply stated unfinished mess of a movie. If you care for a story, I would suggest you to avoid this movie altogether. If you just want to see Iko Uwais, Mark Wahlberg, Lauren Cohan and their sidekicks kicking ass for about forty-five minutes, go ahead and enjoy yourself.

Forensic Files: a fascinating true crime series

This summer, while on vacation in Atlantic Canada, I discovered the television channel HLN and the true crime series Forensic Files that aired on it. The popular series with late narrator Peter Thomas originally aired between 1996 and 2011. A total of fourteen seasons were produced with four hundred six chilling episodes. I realized that many of the crimes were much more violent than what fictional crime series had to offer. I also learned a lot about forensic science and how it is almost impossible nowadays to get away with murder. The episodes showed fascinating cases of identity theft, kidnapping, murder, poisoning, robbery and more that took mostly place in the United States of America but also in Mexico or Canada. Here are ten of my favorite episodes. Enjoy!

Season two, episode nine: Something's Fishy

Season three, episode three: The Talking Skull

Season four, episode one: Invisible Intruder

Season six, episode fourteen: Treads and Threads

Season six, episode sixteen: Skin of Her Teeth

Season six, episode eighteen: Bad Blood

Season seven, episode one: The Cheater

Season eight, episode four: Sign Here

Season eight, episode twelve: Order Up

Season eleven, episode forty-one: Bitter Brew

Derrick - Ein Stuck deutscher Kulturgeschichte!

Als ich als Junge und Jugendlicher erstmals in Kontakt mit der erfolgreichen deutschen Kriminalreihe Derrick kam, da meine Mutter diese wie viele andere Deutsche freitagsabends regelmassig guckte, konnte ich mit dem Konzept sehr wenig anfangen. Der Oberinspektor wirkte auf mich deutlich zu alt, um seinen Beruf glaubwurdig zu exerzieren. Die Dialoge waren oft schwer, philosophisch und langsam und wirkten oftmals eher wie ambitionierte Theaterstucke, denn wie ein Spiegelbild der deutschen Gesellschaft. Die Folgen kamen fast ganzlich ohne Verfolgungsjagden, Uberraschungen und Schiessereien aus. Daher empfand ich diese Reihe, ahnlich wie mein Vater, als veraltet, ode und aufgeblasen.

Viele Jahre spater stiess ich zufallig auf einige altere Folgen der Reihe und anderte langsam meine Meinung und Uberzeugung. Derrick verkorpert deutsche Intelligenz, Nuchternheit und Prazision wie kaum eine andere Figur der deutschen Fernsehlandschaft. Seine akribische, intellektuelle und unaufgeregte Herangehensweise an die Falle ist einzigartig und setzt sich besonders von den internationalen Kriminalserien deutlich ab. Gerade die fruhen Folgen haben unglaublich viel Atmosphare, bieten vielen beruhmten Schauspielerinnen und Schauspielern ein Karrieresprungbrett und behandeln auch den Zeitgeist ihrer Entstehungsjahre von Hippie-Kultur uber die Jahre der Diskomusik bis hin zur deutschen Wiedervereinigung.

In den letzten Jahren ist diese weltweit erfolgreiche Serie, die sich uber vierundzwanzig Jahre und zweihunderteinundachtzig Folgen hielt, in Verruf geraten. Es wurde im April 2013 bekannt, dass der ewige Hauptdarsteller und zu dem Zeitpunkt bereits verstorbene Horst Tappert Mitglied der Waffen-SS war. Die Wiederholung der Folgen der Reihe wurden unmittelbar in mehreren Landern eingestellt.

Dennoch andert dieser Zwischenfall nichts daran, dass diese Reihe ein Stuck deutscher Kulturgeschichte darstellt und auch im Ausland besonders beliebt war und immer noch ist. Die Art und Weise in der Oberinspektor Stefan Derrick und Inspektor Harry Klein ermitteln, vermittelt mehr deutsche Werte, als es diverse Politiker, Kunstler und Goethe-Institute gemeinsam erreichen konnte. Allein diese Tatsache macht die Reihe, auch wenn sie streckenweise etwas veraltet wirkt, auch mindestens mittelfristig unsterblich.

Horst Tappert verstarb vor etwa zehn Jahren und zu diesem Anlass wollte ich die zehn wichtigsten, spannendsten und einzigartigsten Folgen der Reihe noch einmal Revue passieren lassen. Ich wunsche gute Unterhaltung und viel Spass bei dieser Zeitreise!

1. Folge: Waldweg (20. Oktober 1974)

4. Folge: Mitternachtsbus (12. Januar 1975)

10. Folge: Hoffmanns Hollenfahrt (29. Juni 1975)

19. Folge: Tote Vogel singen nicht (4. April 1976)

20. Folge: Schock (2. Mai 1976)

30. Folge: Yellow He (23. Januar 1977)

36. Folge: Mord im TEE 91 (10. Juli 1977)

82. Folge: Eine ganz alte Geschichte (27. Marz 1981)

136. Folge: An einem Montagmorgen (3. Januar 1986)

281. Folge: Das Abschiedsgeschenk (16. Oktober 1998)

I had almost given up on the charismatic French-Canadian rock singer Éric Lapointe. His last record Jour de nuit, released five years earlier, was boring and predictable, both lyrically and musically. The wild child who still is everybody's darling focused on his job as juror for talent show La Voix and raised two sons. A new album didn't seem to be around the corner and I was afraid that if there were to be more material, it would rather consist of pathetic piano ballads for lonely housewives than vibrant hard rock music. That's why Délivrance took me a little bit by surprise. While some of the lyrics are predictable, the music is diversified, energetic and entertaining and the singer performs with raw passion. The album is an improvement over the average Jour de nuit and of a very good quality similar to Le Ciel de mes combats released eight years ago.

''La nuit'' opens the record on an atmospheric and almost sinister mood and evolves into a moody hard rock track that sounds much more original than openers on previous studio albums. It might be the best opening song of a regular studio record of the hard rock legend from Montreal since the similarly powerful and rough ''Coupable'' released fourteen years earlier. The charismatic singer offers more atmospheric rock songs than on the predecessor as even the passionate lyrics about sexual innuendo in ''Ma Rose'' are supported by mid-paced hard rock stylistics with a menacing note. 

The album includes two quite interesting duets with former candidates of the talent show La Voix. ''La guerre a perdu'' is a smooth but intense ballad featuring Noémie Lafortune's emotional, expressive and skilled vocals. ''La bête'' features Acadian rock singer Travis Cormier, Éric Lapointe's protégé whom he refers to as sonny. The two rock fans deliver the punchy and vivid ''La bête'' that is situated somewhere between the hard rock and heavy metal genres. 

Éric Lapointe offers two cover versions on this album. ''L'envie'' was originally performed by the late French rock singer Johnny Hallyday whose style, philosophy and career bears many ressemblances to Éric Lapointe. The Canadian singer performs the gloomy rock song appropriately and intensively. On the other side, ''Le p'tit bonheur'' is a cover of French-Canadian folk singer Félix Leclerc whose support of the Quebec sovereignty movement and the province's French culture are values shared by Éric Lapointe. Instead of offering a vivid rock version as French-Canadian alternative rock band Groovy Aardvark did with B.A.R.F.'s Marc Vaillancourt in the nineties, Éric Lapointe presents this favorite song of his sons in a relaxed version supported only by piano and string sounds which works surprisingly well.

Obviously, this album also includes a few predictable power ballads such as first single ''Belle folie'' but even such a song is performed with genuine passion as Éric Lapointe credibly incarnates the tough rocker with a soft core. The ballads are perfectly integrated between heavier or more experimental tunes and add diversity and entertainment to a very good album.

Éric Lapointe's most personal song ever might be the closing ballad ''Sans vous'', dedicated to his two sons who have given his life a new sense. The lyrics and music are certainly inspiring for other parents who share his emotions but I find the track a little bit overtly emotional, almost cheesy. But since it's performed with genuine passion, it's still passable even though it might be the record's dullest song in my ears.

In the end, Éric Lapointe's Délivrance will please fans of old date because it delivers everything the singer stands for from passionate piano ballads over inspired cover songs and experimental duets to moody hard rock epics. This album is also an excellent starting point for anyone who hasn't heard of the French-Canadian rock legend yet. Délivrance is a significant improvement over the dull predecessor Jour de nuit and comes close to the singer's best records released a decade earlier. Anyone who likes different rock sub-genres should give this vivid, entertaining and creative output a few spins.

Final rating: 80%

When I listened to Heart of the Hurricane for the first time, I wondered whether I had made a mistake and was listening to the solid predecessor Lost in Forever again. This statement actually tells us a lot about this record. Beyond the Black has found its own style focused on commercially successful female-fronted symphonic metal with mid-paced tracks around the four-minute mark. The songs are quite catchy and the choruses very melodic. However, despite their individual qualities, the mass of similarly fabricated tunes end up sounding repetitive, predictable and ultimately boring. It's quite an issue when such a young band already repeats itself on the third studio record. The fact that the live concert from Japan included in the limited boxed set is the best thing about this release speaks volumes as well.

A song that exemplifies this lack of ideas is bonus track ''Parade''. It seems to be stuck between symphonic metal stylistics and an attempt at soulful pop ballad. Beyond the Black tries to appeal both to fans of fragile pop music and to symphonic power metal supporters but the two genres are rarely compatible. This particular song feels directionless musically, the vocals are smooth, inoffensive and exchangeable and the tune is produced like an exchangeable routine product. The chorus is repeated to death in order to sound catchy but you will still forget it five minutes after you have listened to it.

One has to admit that the experienced song writing team around band leader and lead singer Jennifer Haben tries to come around with a few fresh ideas. ''For the Godless'' is supported by a bombastic symphonic score and also comes around with medieval instrumentation, aiming to appeal to new fans. The experiment works surprisingly well and shows the talent of the musicians involved as the final result sounds like a mixture of power metal project Avantasia and folk metal veterans In Extremo.

However, such successful experiments remain an exception on Heart of the Hurricane. This album sounds like a lighter version of the solid predecessor Lost in Forever. The production is professional, the musicianship is solid and the singer has improved her skills. Still, the song writing is bland and most of the tunes are forgettable. Heart of the Hurricane is neither a bad nor a good album. It's an unremarkable, tame and exchangeable plastic product save for very few exceptions. Fans of the band will like what they hear. If you miss the good old gothic pop days of Within Temptation, L'Âme Immortelle and Evanescence fifteen years ago, you should also give Beyond the Black a chance. If you ever wondered what Ed Sheeran with heavy rock guitars in a metalized pop outfit would sound like, you will get some answers here. If you look for creative song writing, energetic team spirit and unique songs to be remembered however, you should just ignore this bland effort. Similar bands like Amaranthe, Elvellon and even Kobra and the Lotus have much more oomph. These bands that are worth being labeled as such and not just casted extras surrounded by a selfish diva and greedy producers provide a much more organic and unique sound than this record. Don't be among those who get fooled into believing that this seemingly authentic band could be the next big thing in the symphonic metal scene.

Final rating: 60%