This split sampler was exclusively released with German Hard Rock magazine to promote Watain's upcoming studio record Trident Wolf Eclipse and Tribulation's future release Down Below. Along with two new tracks in each case, this release also includes a rehearsal song from Watain's last release The Wild Hunt as well as a rare The Cure cover from a single released by Tribulation two years ago. I had heard about both bands before but wasn't familiar with their styles yet. This release shows that I didn't seem to have missed much.

 Watain plays atmospheric black metal with a few early thrash metal influences that work best in the more elaborate "Sleepless Evil". Tribulation rather sounds like a gothic metal band with atmospheric, numbing and smooth riffs that sounds best in the elaborate and gloomy "The Lament". I would compare the former band to Dissection and the latter to early Moonspell.

 Overall, Tribulation's sound is a little bit more down my alley even though the three songs already have overlong, predictable and repetitive patterns. Watain's cuts sound like quite generic black metal and fail to grab my attention. The songs of both bands aren't bad but rather qualify as background music at an extreme metal party or gothic festival in my book. This split release with an old school cover art in the key of old cassette tapes isn't a shabby gimmick as free giveaway with a metal magazine but I wouldn't buy any of the band's new outputs so far.

Final rating: 55%

The Adventurers is a Hong Kong action-thriller by experienced director Stephen Fung who had been responsible for movies such as Tai Chi Zero in the past. Starring Hong Kong star veteran Andy Lau as lead actor, Taiwan's Qi Shu as lead actress and French star Jean Reno as leading supporting character, the film tells the story of a thief who got betrayed by an unknown opponent while trying to steal one out of three valuable pieces of jewelry that form an incredibly valuable necklace. After spending five years in prison, the thief wants to complete his mission by stealing the three pieces of jewelry and uncovering those who betrayed him five years earlier. The skilled thief teams up with two youngsters and his former boss but can't be sure whom to trust, must face a determined French cop and has to deal with his former girlfriend who wants him to settle down.

The Adventurers convinces with an intriguing story with a few twists and turns in the last third that keep you hooked until the very end.

The numerous star actors deliver the goods. Andy Lau convinces as skilled thief who looks balanced on the outside but feels tormented inside. Qi Shu impresses as expressive and quirky thief who easily seduces men to take advantage of them. Jean Reno is great as haunted police officer who has his very own reasons to try to bring the thief down.

The film also intrigues with numerous charming locations around Cannes in France and Prague in Czech Republic. The thieves have to rob out a French auction house, a Chinese star actress and a Czech castle in the forest.

The movie convinces with tense situations where the thieves have to deal with unexpected opponents and difficult security systems leading to intense car chases and dramatic standoffs. They have to use technology, talent and intellect to solve numerous challenging problems.

The camera work is enjoyably calm for a contemporary action-thriller. Instead of focusing on shaky cameras for a more immersve experience, the director opted for precise shots that point out the thieves' cleverness which was the right decision.

There are only a few minor elements that kept this film away from being more than a good movie. First of all, the story of the film is partially inspired by John Woo's Killer Target. Some sources call this film a remake but I wouldn't go that far. Still, the resemblances are at times obvious. I always prefer original movies with new scripts over films copying or honoring classics.

Secondly, as so many Hong Kong action flicks, this movie also tries to include a few slapstick elements. However, these elements are quite wooden here and only distract from the interesting characters, locations and plot. It also takes away from the thieves' credibility when they are joking around on their extremely dangerous missions.

Thirdly, this film really didn't need any stereotypical love stories but includes two rather shallow examples of it. First of all, the relation between the veteran thief and his former girlfriend is predictable and shallow and doesn't add much to the movie. The script could have cut out and re-written these passages for a more vivid pace without too many unnecessary flashbacks. However, the second love story is even less intriguing and also adds some unwelcome slapstick elements to the film. The younger male thief constantly tries to impress the younger female thief and behaves like an inexperienced teenager while his arrogant love interest rejects his attempts in an overtly cool and dramatic way. Their relationship doesn't add anything to the story and even makes the characters less credible because personal and professional interests shoulnd't interfere when you're trying to raid a higly secured castle in the middle of nowhere.

Still, The Adventurers is an entertaining action-thriller with an intelligent plot, very solid acting performances, beautiful locations and costumes, interesting and challenging situations and smooth camera work. Despite a few flaws such as references to another movie, slapstick elements and shallow love stories, The Adventurers will entertain you from start to finish.

The Mayor, also known as Special Citizen, is an excellent political drama that tells the fictional story of the charismatic, greedy and influential mayor of Seoul who seeks election for a third term which will set him up for a run at the presidency. The film follows his career and life from the start of his campaign until the immediate aftermath of election day. The movie revolves around conflicts, conspiracies and corruption among the mayor's team involving betrayal, blackmail, drugs, murder, prostitution, suicide and theft. Without pointing fingers,Park In-je's movie shows how disconnected politicians are from other citizens, hence the title of the film.

The movie convinces with a twisted story exposing the abyss of the human psyche with a particularly intense middle section. The characters have depth beneath their obvious greed which makes them round but static characters. The acting performances are excellent as Korea's best actor Choi Min-sik delivers yet another career highlight portraying the twisted mayor. Female lead actress Shim Eun-kyung stands out as determined, honest and smart rookie advertisement specialist who is constantly trying to not get corrupted by her more experienced colleagues and superiors. Camera work is enjoyably calm and precise. Settings, effects and costumes are so realistic that the movie almost feels like a documentary at times or at least like a film based upon a real story.

There are only a few minor negative elements to mention. First of all, several twists of the story are predictable since movies about shameless politicians are nothing new or shocking anymore. Secondly, the movie could have had a more concise introduction, portraying the greatest moments in the mayor's career instead of throwing us into a campaign for a third term right away. Thirdly, the same thing could be said about the ending as one would have liked to know what happens next after election day. On the other side, those minor negative points also show that the great script of this movie would have made for an excellent extended televions series in the key of ''House of Cards''.

If you like realistic, intense and honest political dramas, this film will fully satisfy you. The acting skills are outstanding, the movie offers some food for thought without being overtly moralizing and the detailed script is filled with numerous twists and turns. While the movie certainly doesn't reinvent its genre, it certainly is among the better of its kind in recent memory.

 Meine Damen und Herren!

Hier folgen einige Eindrucke meines dritten Adventswochenendes in Ottawa und Gatineau. Ich wunsche viel Spass damit.

 In Ottawas Little Theatre fand am Freitag Abend eine Vorfuhrung des Theaterstucks ''Peter Pan & Wendy'' statt.

 Hier bin ich hinter den Kulissen des Theaterstucks mit meinem ehemaligen Schuler Jannis Dupuis.

 Dieses Bild wurde vor dem Parlament in Ottawa gemacht.

 Auf dem Parlamentshugel gab es einige Trucks, in denen man Relikte aus einhundert Jahren NHL begutachten konnte.

 Hier sieht man das Ende des winterlichten Lichtspektakels am Parlament.

 Dieses zweite Lichtspektakel wurdigt einhundert Jahre NHL und hier sieht man die Logos aller aktuellen einunddreissig Mannschaften.

 Hier sieht man das offizielle Logo zum NHL 100 Classic, der am Samstag stattfinden sollte.

 Hier sieht man das eroffnende Feuerwerk samt Militarflugzeug nach dem Singen der kanadischen Nationalhymne am TD Place vor dem Beginn des Eishockeyspieles zwischen den Montreal Canadiens und den Ottawa Senators.

 Hier sieht man den zeremoniellen Bully des Spieles zwischen den Kapitanen Max Pacioretty (Montreal Canadiens) und Erik Karlsson (Ottawa Senators). 

 Dies ist der offizielle Spielbeginn.

 In der Pause zwischen dem zweiten und letzten Drittel spielte Bryan Adams. Man sieht einige Fans mit nacktem Oberkorper bei minus zwanzig Grad. Da warmt auch die Pyroshow nicht mehr auf.

 Jeder Zuschauer bekam ein Lanyard, dessen Farben im Dunkeln leuchten, wie man hier gut sehen kann.

 Beim Spiel habe ich auch meinen Schuler Etienne Sauvé getroffen. Die Chance, das man bei funfunddreissigtausend Zuschauern ausgerechnet in derselben Reihe sitzt oder steht sind schon gering, daher war das Treffen um so ungewohnlicher. 

 Auch zum Abschluss des Spiels gab es noch einmal ein kleines Feuerwerk.

 Hier sieht man die feiernden Ottawa Senators, welche die Montreal Canadiens mit drei zu null besiegt hatten.

 Hier sieht man das Logo der Veranstaltung vor dem an den TD Place angrenzenden Aberdeen Pavillion.

 Hier sieht man die Fassade des TD Place mit Weihnachtsbaum und Restaurantmeile.

 So sah der Aberdeen Pavillon tagsuber aus. Innen gab es diverse Attraktionen, Laden und Verkaufsstande.

 Hier sieht man gut die uberdimensionalen Trikots der beiden Mannschaften im Aberdeen Pavillion.

 Hier ist noch ein uberdimensionales Logo der Veranstaltung.

 Blick auf den Aberdeen Pavillon mit angrenzender Restaurantmeile.

 Am Sonntag fand im TD Place noch das lokale Juniorenspiel zwischen den Gatineau Olympics und den Ottawa 67s statt.

 Auch bei diesem Spiel gab es einen zeremoniellen Bully.

 Die beiden Mannschaften klatschen sich zum Schluss ab. Die Gatineau Olympics haben das Spiel vier zu eins gegen die Ottawa 67s gewonnen.

 Zum Abschluss gibt es noch ein paar weihnachtliche Lichter vor dem Château Laurier in Ottawa.

Warning: Spoilers

I'm glad I didn't trust the numerous negative reviews of Railroad Tigers and decided to purchase the film. This epic war movie convinces with a set of sympathetic characters, a vivid pace and flow, stunning settings, spectacular sound and visual effects and an intriguing story partially inspired by historic events. 

The film includes an atmosphere reminding me of old American westerns with train robberies in isolated places, incorporates a few martial arts sequences that contrast the shooting duels and instills a few humorous elements that are though never getting annoying as they focus on situation comedy rather than misplaced slapstick moments. Railroad Tigers is entertaining from start to finish and makes you want to experience the whole film again once the vivid roller coaster ride is over. Despite its length above two hours, not one single minute is wasted here.

As a matter of fact, there were so many characters with intriguing background stories such as the charismatic leader of the Railroad Tigers or the resilient noodle shop owner, that the film could have easily been even half an hour longer without getting boring. Even though a few characters weren't perfectly fleshed out, antagonists and protagonists were intriguing enough to stimulate potential spin-offs. The closing scene of the film hints at a potential sequel which would be very welcome in my book.

Railroad Tigers got some unfair criticism for promoting communist propaganda which is completely exaggerated. The film features a communist soldier fleeing from Japanese troops who has about ten minutes of screen time and doesn't look too heroic and the final battle concludes with an ambush of arriving communist troops that might get five minutes of screen time but that's all. The film truly focuses on a group of railroad workers who are attempting to destroy a strategically important bridge to stop Japanese supplies to conquer the northern parts of China. The film doesn't include any obvious political propaganda and rather underlines values like courage and friendship. Other critics claimed that the Japanese weren't portrayed accurately in this film and even suggested that the movie might be slightly disrespectful or racist. Once again, this is nonsense since the film shows two quite dangerous Japanese antagonists, a brutal male military and a determined female investigator who aren't easily fooled but rather never give up and fight back until the very end. Other people criticized the film for being one of Jackie Chan's most disappointing films but along with the sinister The Foreigner, this film is the best he has made since 2011 and easily beats more shallow family entertainment in the key of Chinese Zodiac and Kung Fu Yoga. I would even consider this movie a late career highlight by Asia's most famous actor of all times.

In the end, the epic Railroad Tigers is an unfairly underrated war movie that will entertain you from start to finish with its explosive mixture of intense action sequences, character development, historic inspiration, humorous elements and western atmosphere. Some of the fight scenes are slightly grisly as some blood is shown and as the body count is quite elevated, so I would rather recommend this film to older teenagers and adults since this isn't your typical Jackie Chan movie for the whole family.