This time, the yield of good material is way higher than in the previous entry.

(Update 2023: Added five-star-ratings [may diverge now from what I had in mind, years ago, when I wrote the text…].)

Film

The Equalizer (2014)

The presence of Denzel Washington guarantees at least a minimum of quality, even if the film itself isn’t breaking new ground. The start is a bit slow and the role of Chloë Grace Moretz didn’t really matter much, but still an entertaining revenge action flick (although it hasn’t really anything to do with the TV show it’s based on, as far as I can remember).
★★★☆☆ 3/5 stars

Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

A stop-motion animation movie from Wes Anderson — hmm…
I didn’t really know what to expect of this, but I knew that I wasn’t the biggest fan of Mr. Anderson’s style and other films, but this one is surprisingly good in a lighthearted, mainstreamy way (despite the bonkers premise).
★★★★☆ 4/5 stars

Zulu (2013)

Not bad, but also not good. Generic cop thriller.
★★☆☆☆ 2/5 stars

Gone Girl (2014)

Watchable thriller. In my eyes, not a masterpiece of David Fincher, but quite good.
★★★☆☆ 3/5 stars

Collateral (2004)

Rewatch – Still a great thriller. (Rewatched this one on Blu-ray Disc again, after several years.)
★★★★★ 5/5 stars

Non-Stop (2014)

Liam Neeson in an action movie *yawn*. But the restriced space of an airplane helps to elevate the film a bit above the average. Plus, Neeson is still a great actor and you can’t go wrong with a dash of Julianne Moore.
★★★☆☆ 3/5 stars

Alien (1979)

Rewatch – Absolute classic and milestone of the SF/horror genre, what else is there to say.
★★★★★ 5/5 stars

Aliens (1986)

Rewatch – Also: Absolute classic and milestone of the SF/action genre. One of the few sequels that manages to expand the setting of its predecessor and additionally add a completely new aspect to it. Interesting observation: You really don’t see as much of the alien horde as I remembered from my childhood memory of it.
★★★★★ 5/5 stars

American Hustle (2013)

Good cast, good story, (very) good film (but not great); also tiny bit too long, but one can live with that.
★★★★☆ 4/5 stars

Cloud Atlas (2012)

I expected worse. I’m not the biggest fan of those overlong films spanning multiple story arcs and timelines, but this one was OK.
★★★☆☆ 3/5 stars

Detention (2011)

Weird little comedic film. On the whole, it was a bit too strange for me, but had some interesting/funny scenes.
★★★☆☆ 3/5 stars

TV

Defiance — Season 1

Oh well. Again, a sci-fi series on a budget (at least it seems so), with the usual dusty post-apocalyptic western-inspired towns. But the characters and stories in this first season have potential, although both don’t quite live up to it just yet. I’ll stay tuned (for now).
★★★☆☆ 3/5 stars