Painted Skin: The Resurrection
Chinese fantasy about a demon who needs to change places with a human to escape eternal imprisonment. Kind of schlocky and way too sentimentally romantic. A lot of production effort wasted. **

Home
Delightful French comedy about a family who lives right next to a closed highway that is re-opened. I love Isabelle Huppert and, as usual, she is great. All the acting is excellent. Offbeat and very enjoyable. **

The Counselor
Beautifully written and acted cautionary tale about a lawyer who gets involved in the drug trade along the border because his lifestyle has gotten out of control. Excellent cast does justice to Cormac McCarthy’s script. Some of the images will stay for a long time. **

Hammer of the Gods
Movie about a Viking sent to find his brother so he can be the new king of the Vikings who are conquering England. Gets weirder as it goes. Clumsy directing and overwrought acting. Even though I was hopeful, it didn’t ever really catch my interest.

Gravity
Visually stunning chick flick about a female astronaut feeling bad about herself who triumphs over her tribulations to become strong again through her fight for survival. Too bad the plot was so dopey. Visually, it was magnificent. **

Invisible Waves
Interesting film about a Japanese cook who kills his boss’s wife for him, then is sent on vacation to Thailand. But the vacation, of course, is not what it seems. Interesting and well done, and, as usual, Asano Tadanobu is excellent. Enjoyed it. **

The World’s End
Disappointing Simon Pegg vehicle about buddies trying to get all the way through a pub crawl to the last pub called The World’s End. Turns out, it’s run by aliens taking over the world. Excellent cast. I think it accomplished what it wanted, but it wasn’t really what I wanted. Too bad. **
Let the Right One In
Outstanding Norwegian film about a bullied kid who makes friends with the vampire girl who lives next to him. Beautifully filmed, well directed, unsentimental, and very well acted. Really liked it. ***
Tai Chi Hero
Continuation of Tai Chi Zero where the hero triumphs, gets the girl, evil is overcome, and a new form of kung fu is born. Not as good as the first one, but enjoyable and inventive. **
Edo Porn
Japanese biopic about the man who became Hokusai. I really like Ken Ogata, and it was well enough done, though a little overwrought. Worth it. **
Young and Wild
Very interesting and enjoyable Spanish film about a sexually adventurous young woman who is part of a very strict evangelical family and works at the church’s radio station as punishment. Really liked it. **
Not of this Earth
Cheesy science fiction tale about aliens invading Earth that spotlights Tracy Lords’ fantastic assets. That’s about it. Campy and kind of enjoyable. **

Empire of Silver
Pretentious and romanticized Chinese film about a banking family and true love in turbulent early 20^th century China. Visually good, what so many recent Chinese films look like, but disappointing plot. **

Dream Home
Interesting and very gory Korean film about a woman who will stop at nothing to get the apartment she wants. Some sympathy for her. Done well for what it wanted to accomplish. **

Man of Steel
Fairly entertaining re-imagining of the Superman comic and 50s TV series. Way too much Russell Crowe. A lot of pointless destruction. Glad I paid only a discount price for it. **

Elysium
Disappointing science fiction film about a dystopian future earth. Characters are all just cutouts, needed more backstory for them to be sympathetic. The jumpy camera really diminished the effectiveness of the action. Excellent special effects couldn’t overcome the other problems. Too bad. **

The Intimate
Well-acted Korean film about two strangers, one is leaving the country and one is engaged, who have an affair. We’re tantalized by the possibility of their time together becoming permanent, but in the end, the woman gets exactly what she wanted all along. **

Failan
Sentimental and brutal Korean film about a Chinese woman who agrees to an arranged marriage with a man she never sees so she can stay in Korea. Story is really about the husband. Well acted and affecting. **

In the Electric Mist
Bad movie version of the James Lee Burke novel. Excellent cast wasted by mediocre dialogue and clumsy directing. Had the aspect of a made-for-TV movie from the 80s. Waste of time. *

The Wolverine
Disappointing movie that brings the X-Man up to date. Took Elijah because Wolverine is his favorite super hero. Even he didn’t think it was very good. Beautiful women, but that was about it. Lame, and as Elijah said, not enough fighting. *

Robot & Frank
Disappointing independent film about an old man in the near future who is given a robot to help with his dementia. Langella is excellent, as always, but the narrative kind of veers around to nothing. Too bad. **

Secret
Enjoyable Korean thriller about a police detective investigating the murder of a gangster. When evidence points to his estranged wife as the murderer, he has to try to stay ahead of the investigation. Well done, some interesting twists, sub-plots, and revelations. Good distraction. **

Shoot the Piano Player
It had been nearly forty years since I had seen this Truffaut homage to noir films. A piano played gets involved with deadly criminals. Surprisingly enjoyable interplay of humor and violence. Not one of my favorites of Truffaut, but really enjoyed seeing it again. **

The Secret World of Arriety
Another delightfully accomplished anime from Studio Ghibli. This one is based on The Borrowers. Perfect graphics and a sweet plot. Want my grandson to see it. Wonderful. **

Pacific Rim
Absolutely delightful live-action homage to mech anime. del Torro got everything just right, as you would expect from him. Only problem was it was too short. Really enjoyed it. **

Stand Up Guys
Disappointingly shallow and poorly written movie about three old gangsters reunited when one of then finally gets out of prison. Incredible waste of superb acting talent. *

Spring Breakers
Excellent film about four young women who go to spring break in Florida to find who they really are. Well acted, very well directed, and an especially good job by James Franco as the incredibly creepy gansta. Surprisingly well done. ***

The Lone Ranger
Unbelievably bad film version of the wonderful 50s TV show. Horrible plot, incomprehensible tone, stupid, cartoonish action, and characters you end up despising. Really bad. *

Star Trek
Watched it again and still really enjoyed the way it builds the back-story of the TV characters. Lots of fun and very good action. ***

Mob Sister
Over-stylized and shallow Chinese movie about a woman dealing with the assassination of her Triad father. I doubt it could have been more adolescent and pretentious. Waste of time. *

Heartbreak Library
Sickly sweet Korean movie about a librarian who helps a man find the book he’s looking for to deal with his grief. Of course, they end up together in the end. Really shallow. *

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters
Really bad version of the fairy tale where the primary addition seems to be artificial use of the f word. Confused tone and plot, and a waste of excellent acting talent. Really dumb. *

A Good Day to Die Hard
Very disappointing installment in this Bruce Willis franchise. Just action that is primarily unconvincing and really lame dialogue. Too bad, I’ve enjoyed most of these. *

World War Z
Movie about a UN employee’s attempts to identify the source of the contagion turning everyone into zombies. Done well enough, but there is no gore, all the horrible violence is speedy and kept at a distance. So, there’s no real horror. As a result, kind of lifeless. **

Bedeviled
Brutal Korean movie about an abused woman on an isolated island who has finally had enough. Sub plot about the friend she tries to get to help her. Emotionally bleak and hopeless, but well done. **

Doomsday Book
A trilogy of short Korean films about the end of the world, at least as we know it: a robot achieves enlightenment, zombies take over, and a woman brings destruction through and online purchase. All done well enough to be entertaining. **

Mulholland Drive
David Lynch’s movie about making it in Hollywood. Every time I watch this film I’m reminded how good it is and how much I like it. Really enjoyed watching it again this time as well. Naomi Watts, who is always good, has never been better. ***

Sensation
Offbeat Irish film about a young farmer who sets up a prostitution business and his attempt to have a relationship with the madam. A little funny, well acted, but sordid and sad. **

Early Summer
Magnificent Japanese film about a family in the 1960s worrying about getting a daughter married. Ozu’s exquisite camera and direction, excellent acting, and a simple, moving story. Second time I’ve seen it. Noticed a lot more of the humor and irony this time. Ozu is one of my all time favorites. ****

The Numbers Station
Kind of entertaining and fairly believable thriller about agents stuck in a secret spy location. But then I like Malin Ackerman and John Cusack a lot, and they worked hard. Worth the free cost anyway. **

Rust and Bone
Excellent character study of a relationship between an aspiring down-and-out boxer and a woman who loses her legs to in a freak accident. Very well acted, written, and directed. Deeply satisfying how these people help each other. Really liked it. ***

Cloud Atlas
Complex, incredibly beautiful film adaptation of David Mitchell’s novel. Very well directed and acted, though the use of such well-known stars hindered the characterizations. I found it overwhelmingly moving when the streams resolved at the end. Loved it and would really like to see it again. ***

A French Gigolo
French comedy about a man forced to become a gigolo to support his family and the client he gets too involved with. Nicely acted, but unfunny, as I find most French comedies. The irony was just sad at the end. **

Blood Rain
Compelling murder mystery set on an island in medieval Korea. Complicated sub-plots and character back stories. Nicely executed, interesting the whole way. Enjoyed it. **

Now and Later
Raw, unusually explicit film chronicling the political education of a man waiting to cross the border into Mexico. The interweaving of conversation and sex was kind of interesting. Better than you would think, better than I would have thought. **

Cold Fish
Excellent Japanese film, based on a true story, about a fish store operator who unwittingly gets involved with the yakuza. Brutal, really gory, explicit, and very bleak. Loved it. **

Love
An ISS astronaut gets stranded and isolated without any communication. Everything gets really weird from then on. Didn’t really get what was being attempted. **

Tai Chi Zero
Delightful kung fu movie about a peasant who wants to be trained in the highest secret kung fu. Liked the historical background. Nothing is resolved at the end so you’ll have to see Tai Chi Hero. Pretty fun. **

Cat Run
Unconvincing movie about two novice private detectives who help a hooker stay alive and get her child back. Poor choice for Paz Vega. As usual, Janet McTeer was great. *

The Avengers
Very entertaining movie about superheroes battling an invasion of earth by Loki. Enjoyed Ironman, as usual. Very much like comics in tone and action. One of the funniest movie scenes I’ve seen in a long time when Hulk slaps Loki around. Watched it again because of Iron Man 3. **

The Master
Best film I’ve seen in a very long time. Joaquin Phoenix’s performance is one of the greatest I have ever seen. Visually, thematically exquisite, and perfectly executed. Even though, like all of Paul Thomas Anderson’s films, it is hard to watch, it’s really, really good. ****

Novo
Light, odd French film about a sexually gifted man who suffers from daily retrograde amnesia and the women battling for him. Very good cast and not too bad, but the resolution resolves nothing. **

Star Trek Into Darkness
Next installment in the J. J. Abrams re-imagining of the TV series. The Kirk/Spock relationship continues to develop, and how Kahn got to be Kahn. Good, but didn’t like it as much as his initial take. Plan to watch it again some time. **

A Tale of Legendary Libido
Lighthearted, absolutely entertaining Korean film about a village starved for virility and the young man who rises to the task. Better than it sounds. I didn’t know every woman in Korea is so beautiful. Fun. **

Hospitalité
Enjoyable Japanese film about a printer who gets conned into housing some illegal aliens. Develops nicely, gets a little creepy, and ends well. Entertaining. **

Lust in Hell 2
Disappointing sequel, half of which is a summary of the previous movie. Though it resolves things, lame. *

Lust in Hell
Surprisingly enjoyable Japanese “horror” movie about a woman who can see people coming from hell while she battles for her sanity. That being said, the female lead was by far the most interesting thing in it. **

High School of the Dead
Absolutely loved this anime series about zombies in high school and the group of students who have to fight their way to safety. Very entertaining. ***

Kiss Me
Movie about an engaged woman who falls in love with her father’s girlfriend’s daughter. Way too adolescent in its approach to their relationship, but at least it dealt with the sorrow it causes. Lame happy ending. **

Iron Man 3
Third installment of this very entertaining trilogy. This one is too busy, too dependent on effects, but not too bad. Not as good as either of the first two, the first one is my favorite. Elijah loved it. Will probably save up and get the blu-ray set when it comes out. **

The Dark Sea
Italian film about a detective investigating a sex murder that begins to affect his relationship at home. A little pretentious and needlessly obscure. There just wasn’t anything there after working into it. Too bad. **

Post Impact
Bad B movie about efforts to recover a device that will help people during the new Ice Age that was caused by a meteor strike. See what I mean by bad. Another waste of time. *

Starship Troopers 3: Marauder
Lighthearted parody of the original Starship Troopers parody of 50s war movies. Not too bad, but that’s a lot of parody. Not a total waste though. Luckily, it was free. *

Joe + Belle
Stupid, unconvincing Israeli dark comedy about two women who fall in love with each other when one kills the other’s abusive boyfriend. Unfortunately, another waste of time. *

On the Doll
Lame movie about the tortured relationships of people in the porn industry. Waste of time. *

Permissive
Raw 1972 film about groupies in England. Even though it was pretty slim, there was an immediacy about it that has stayed with me. Better than it seemed while I was watching it. **

Safety Not Guaranteed
Delightful, quirky film about a guy who claims he is building a time machine, and the tabloid team sent to check it out. He just needs the right companion to help him. Doesn’t everyone. Playful, sweet, and entertaining. **

Ploy
Surreal Thai film about a couple back in their home town for a funeral. She’s a former movie star and he owns a restaurant, and their relationship has problems. Everything else is fantasy and illusion, and it’s hard to tell what happens and what doesn’t. Well done enough. **

From Up On Poppy Hill
Exquisite, lovely love story set in 1960s Japan from Studio Ghibli. Wonderfully nostalgic and endearing. Excellent graphics and narrative. Absolutely loved it. ***

Adrift in Tokyo
Outstanding, off-beat Japanese film about two guys walking across Tokyo. Very entertaining and enjoyable. Wished it wouldn’t end, but of course it had to. Lot of fun. **

Oblivion
Deeply disappointing Tom Cruise science fiction film about a future earth. Fragmented narrative and shallow characters, though the acting wasn’t bad. Implausible ending. Kept thinking throughout how much better it could have been. Too bad. **

Killing them Softly
Entertaining Brad Pitt vehicle about a hit man working a job. Very interesting treatise on the nature of America as corporation. Excellent monologue by Pitt’s character at the very end. Glad I saw it. **

The Sessions
Beautifully and courageously acted film about a polio-crippled guy who works with a sex therapist. Helen Hunt and Hawkes were superb. Got a little unbelievably wonderful at the end, but it is a Hollywood production. Good. **

The Man with the Iron Fists
So bad, I stopped watching after only a few minutes. Outstanding cast completely wasted. Absolutely terrible.

G. I. Joe: Retaliation
Took Elijah to see this one since I gave him the DVD of the first one. They are geared to guys his age, and he loved it. I didn’t mind it too much. Really expensive for two people, even when one is a kid. Glad we did it. **

Clash
Interesting Vietnamese movie about an assassin who works for a crime boss who has kidnapped her daughter. Very violent Asian action. Pretty entertaining, if a bit over the top. The actress is stunning, and a good fighter. **

Vampire Diary
Independent-level movie about a woman making a film about people who pretend to be vampires. Then she falls in love with one of them, a woman who claims to be a real vampire. That’s when things start to come apart. Kind of OK. **

Headhunters
Entertaining thriller based on a Jo Nesbø novella about a head hunter who gets involved in a violent corporate power play. Well done enough. Enjoyed it. **

Miao Miao
Taiwanese movie about the school year a Japanese student spends in Taipei with Miao Miao. Hints of lesbian relationship, but nothing more. A little adolescent, but good at what it attempts. Not a waste of time. **

Silver Linings Playbook
Excellent character study of a guy trying to cope with the loss of his girlfriend while his mom and another woman try to help. The cast and acting was superb. Cooper was as good or better than Lawrence, who won the academy award. Ending is a little too easy as you would expect from Hollywood. Glad I saw it. **

Cosmopolis
A super-rich CEO spends the day driving around in his limousine. I wasn’t sure how to take this when I read the book, and I’m still a little unsure what DeLillo is doing. Cronenberg adds his usual graphic elements to the mix, but that sheds no light on anything, not really. Liked the language and dialogue. Everybody does a very good job. **

A Late Quartet
Everything in this film about the tribulations of a string quartet is extremely refined. Unfortunately, all the food value has been refined right out of it. All the characters, and their interactions, are clichés. Terrible waste of incredible acting ability. Not horrible, just really pale. **

Open City
Interesting Korean film about a sinister pick-pocket manipulating a policeman and his pick-pocket mother. Emotionally brutal, well acted, and a cohesive and believable narrative. It isn’t great, but I enjoyed watching it. **

Zero Dark Thirty
Interesting, well-acted movie about the hunt and assassination of Osama bin Laden. There is an emotional distance created, perhaps, by the ambivalent main character. Really well directed. Really glad I saw it. **

Total Recall
Remake of the film of the Philip K. Dick story about a future where you can be given any memories you want. The question becomes, how do you tell them from reality. Stylish, adequately acted, and ultimately empty because, like the Schwarzenegger version, it never deals with the real issue. Another useless remake. *

End of Watch
Movie about two L. A. cops working the mean streets. While the narrative unfolded I was really invested, and worried about them. But, there are narrative, especially POV, inconsistencies, and as soon as it ended, I felt like I had been artificially manipulated. Really disliked the very end. But Gyllenhaal and Peña were good, and I’m glad I saw it. **

Men in Black 3
Pretty good installment in the series. Imaginative and entertaining early versions of some of the characters. Not as good as the first one and way better than the irritating second one. **

Housewife’s Afternoon Delight
Japanese film about a bored housewife who starts an affair with a door-to-door salesman. Turns bad for everyone, especially him. Not too original, but well-enough done. **

I Am an S&M Writer
Excellent Japanese film about a guy who writes S&M novels and his relationship with his wife. Thoughtful, beautifully filmed, and ultimately very sad. Well worth it. **

Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome
Marginally interesting spin-off from the TV series about an intelligence plot to end the first Cylon war. Would like to see the unedited version. Adequate entertainment. **

Rainbow Eyes
Really interesting Korean murder mystery about cops trying to solve a series of murders of former soldiers. Interesting plot twists. Very well done, really enjoyed it. **

Immoral Affairs
Japanese film about a woman who get involved in extra-marital affairs because her marriage is stale. Of course, things go bad from there. Pretty good.**

Iron Sky
Hilarious and entertaining movie about Nazis hiding on the moon until they can re-take earth. Lots of campy fun. Enjoyed it. **

Scout Man
Sad and depressing Japanese movie about a young couple in Tokyo from the sticks who get involved in the sex trade. A scout man is a guy who recruits young women off the street. Well enough done. **