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. **