Howling
For the most part, an interesting Korean police procedural about a series of murders committed by a wolf dog. More interesting was the struggle of the woman police officer to be accepted by the male police officers. Got weirdly sentimental at the end about the dog. But OK. **

Meatball Machine
Surprisingly interesting Japanese horror film about aliens using humans as hosts to kill each other. I don’t usually like these gory Japanese movies where people get turned into machines, but this one didn’t bother me as much. **

You Will Be Mine
Fairly interesting French film about one roommate who falls in love with the other roommate, who isn’t interested. Several levels of psychological struggle between the two women that produces questions about their attachment to each other. OK. Liked seeing France. **

Drool
Easily one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen. Don’t even want to talk about it.

The Countess
Historical and psychological movie about a medieval Hungarian countess who believes that bathing in the blood of virgins will preserve her beauty. Very good cast and directed by Ms. Delpy herself. Kind of OK. **

Gomorrah
Raw, brutal fictional study of war between two mafia groups in Italy and the young men it destroys. Very well filmed and acted. Completely convincing and depressing. **

Wife to be Sacrificed
Surprisingly graphic and interesting Japanese film from 1974 about the sado-masochistic relationship between a woman and her ex-husband. Much better than I expected. Enjoyed it. **

Love, In Between
Strange Korean film about a woman who befriends her husband’s lover. Initially she plans to do her harm, but they end up getting very close. Didn’t like the ending, but not too bad. **

Sex Machine
Slapstick Japanese comedy about a woman who wants to have a relationship but sleeps with pretty much everyone. Pretty dumb and weird at the end. *

Caterpillar
Interesting Japanese film about a WWII “war hero” who comes home without arms or legs and the wife who now has to care for him. Very well acted indictment of the Japanese mentality during the war. Good, serious film. ***

Bitter Sweet
Japanese film about a woman who wants to have an affair in the last weeks before she gets married. Things don’t work out the way she planned. Fairly interesting study of the nature of relationships as some dissolve and others begin. **

The Yellow Sea
Brutal, depressing Korean film about a cab driver who agrees to do a contract killing to try to find his wife. Nobody gets out alive. Very interesting, well acted, and filmed. Tough to watch, though. ***

Skyfall
As a lot of people have been saying, the best Bond film cinematically. Brings the series full circle so it can start again. But I missed all the things that make the series so enjoyable, the women, high tech gadgets, and mayhem. Javier Bardem was superb, as usual. Visually beautiful. Since I have seen and enjoyed every Bond film to varying dgrees, never a thought of missing it. **

13 Assassins
Very enjoyable historical samurai film about 13 assassins, thus the title, who band together to punish an injustice. Enjoyable in every way; good acting, period sets, and action. Not Kurosawa, but really had fun watching it. ***

The Amazing Spider-man
Deeply disappointing remake of the comic. Poorly written and directed, there was absolutely no need for this movie to be made. Waste of time. *

The Bourne Legacy
Pretty enjoyable fourth installment in this series, this time with Jeremy Renner as the next generation of super spys. Renner is a very good actor and I always enjoy Rachel Weisz. She was convincing as a brilliant scientist. Not quite the pop of the first three, but enjoyable. **

Dark Passage
1947 Bogart and Bacall film about an escaped convict who has plastic surgery. Somewhat interesting use of POV filming at the beginning. Completely unconvincing that the woman helps the guy out, though, and the coincidental relationships were very hard to believe. But I liked watching two great film stars work. **

The Raid: Redemption
Nothing but brutal action in this Indonesian movie about a SWAT team fighting its way out of a high-rise controlled by a crime boss. Action, especially the fighting, is excellent, but that’s all there is. Pretty OK. **