Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Erica Derrick By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

RoboRabbit89 The only reason I decided to see this, is for Teresa Palmer (I'm a bit of a fan). Not much happens in this film, basically she plays a photojournalist I think, anyway she falls for this German guy who speaks fairly good english, they have a one night stand, and suddenly she realizes that this guy is a complete psychopath. She is suddenly trapped inside his abandoned fortress-like apartment. (Sounds kinda stupid huh?).Nothing really happens for almost 2 hrs, her captor treats her like trash but Teresa is such a good actress in the film, she kept me watching. This movie is basically a play on Stockholm syndrome like the title suggests, I got to tell ya, Teresa is so sexy in this, her captor has her dress into fairly skimpy little undergarments that I loved seeing her in, Christ she is a visual feast, so sexy and so beautiful, I'm at least glad they showed off her sexy little body for almost 2 hrs.I give it a 2/10. It's not very good, it's alright at best, but I recommend, see it at least once. Teresa gives a really good performance in it, plus she is awesome to look at.

The Movie Diorama Let's put this into perspective, it's not nearly as horrific as 'Taken' but still this presents a perfectly plausible scenario. A young Australian woman travels to Berlin where she encounters a German school teacher. The two have a night of passion which consequently leads her to become trapped in his apartment. I have to get this off my chest immediately, this guy is absolutely insane. Not the psychopathic type (although we see glimpses of psychotic behaviour), but a very creepy controlled man who's natural personality blends in with the general public. It's not a case of "oh, I can tell he looks like woman kidnapper who likes to take pictures of them naked and then store them in a secret photo album", it's his ability to camouflage that truly frightens. I mean the setup in his apartment that seemingly replicates a lavish prison cell is somewhat unnerving. Teresa Palmer gave an extremely delicate performance. Being locked inside an apartment for eternity will slowly have detrimental effects to the mind, and she conveys that wonderfully. Small little traits like randomly spinning around on a chair shows how her sanity is deteriorating. There is plenty of psychological analysis in this thriller, a splash of Stockholm Syndrome and paranoia keeps the viewers enthralled in a suspense driven narrative. Shortland's direction and the cinematography enhanced the artistic style, where snow falls in slow motion to represent her yearn for freedom. The backstories of the two characters are casually explored, tiny glimpses into their lives. I appreciate that the story consists of just this scenario, but a deeper look into these characters would've created a richer emotional connection. The conclusion (if you could call it that) was slightly underwhelming with a few too many plot conveniences. Considering I went into this knowing nothing about the story, I was captivated throughout its entire runtime. A small suspenseful psychological thriller that is definitely worth checking out.

drtodds "Berlin Syndrome" (Australia 2017) One of the newly available releases on Netflix from my Max Riemelt. A good (but not great) psychological thriller set in Berlin. Clare (played by "Point Break's Teresa Palmer) is a young Australian woman on vacation in Berlin. Andi (Riemelt) is a local high school teacher who she meets on the street/in a bookstore. What was intended to be a one night stand turns very wrong when she awakens the next morning to find herself locked inside Andi's isolated and (soon to be revealed) well-fortified apartment. The remainder of the film, which I would estimate spans a period of 6-9 months, is focused on Clare adapting and attempting to survive her captivity. There are clues that her predesessor didn't fare so well! Both leads did a decent job portraying their respective characters and the cinematography and sound editing were eerie and added to the film's overall feeling of tension. Critiques: the ending was pretty stale given all of the build-up and there was really no explanation of Andi's psychosis and behavioral anomalies (some hints perhaps but nothing at all concrete). Worth a look....just don't set your expectations too high. [3/5]

jtncsmistad A German guy with serious mommy abandonment issues takes a fetching Aussie tourist home in the new movie "Berlin Syndrome". Only he has no plans for her vacation abroad to continue.It's about a half hour too long, there are baffling scenes that don't take us anywhere, others rife with heavy-handed foreshadowing and the ending is disappointing. But look at it this way.It's nowhere near as unsatisfying as the unpleasantness this poor lass endures as the permanent guest of an unhinged host.