Tampopo

A rough and tumble truck driver decides to give a failing ramen restaurant owner, Tampopo, a helping hand. An ode to the joys of food and cooking, the film gives the spaghetti "western" genre a new meaning literally, except that there are no ranches and gun fighters. Instead, we have noodle soup and an insane obsession to get it right. Throw in some kinky sex and hilarious random bit pieces, and we have a thoroughly enjoyable movie. Just remember to eat during or before the film as it bound to get you hungry.

Rating: * * +

Ju-on: The Grudge

The film opens with a gruesome scene that ensures you are awake and alert. The pace slows down as the attention shifts to a squalid house occupied by an old woman. The house is the location of the ju-on which in Japanese means a curse that takes a life of its own and seeks new victims. The third installment in the series by Takashi Shimizu is split in to inter-connected vignettes, following various individuals and their creepy encounters in the house. The film has a taunt and eerie atmosphere but after a too many shots of a kid painted white causes the initial creepiness to drift away from the viewer. 

Rating: * *