Besat (1999)

We've seen this kind of thing before: an unknown virus, an airport and a virologist. It’s a typical race against time to stop the spread before it becomes pandemic… or is it?
The film blends two different genres, neither of which is very original, but the majority of the cast give strong, impassioned performances and it has the creepy Udo Kier who is his usual great self.
The pacing is good, as is the tension. The scenes set in Romania especially, with its lack of resources, make the threat seem all the more terrifying.

3 blackouts out of 5

Strings (2004)

There’s a theory that all stories that can be told have already been told and all we can do now is find new ways of telling them. The story in Strings isn't very unique but the telling is. It’s a fantasy movie about a world divided, acted out by puppets with visible strings. They’re visible for a reason: they’re a part of the world. If your Head-String is cut you die.
The puppeteers manage to elicit a lot of believable emotion out of the sculpted characters; they’re less wooden than many Hollywood actors.
The imagination and sense of wonder on display is magical. Unfortunately, I only had the English language version available, otherwise it might have scored higher.

3 entanglements out of 5