A Touch of Sin

What does a man do when he is teetering on the edge of his breaking point as he fights the injustice around him? Does he stoically fight on or just go berserk? This kind of scenario is what the film opens to and forms just one section of it. It eerily reminds one of Edmond but as the other sections unfold you realize Zhang Ke is as usual a filming a commentary on the social climate in China. Except unlike his prior films that are haunted with melancholy and realism, he gets his point across with explosions of violence here.

Rating: * * *

Poster licensed under Fair use via Wikipedia.

Entre Nos

The stereotype of Colombian women falling for men who treat them badly continues in this movie. Mariana and her kids are abandoned by her husband soon after they immigrate to New York city. Stranded in a foreign city and unable to speak English, she struggles to make ends meet. The film shows a dispassionate view of the situation while highlighting Mariana's grit to persevere. There have been better films highlighting women and immigration but if the situation resonates with you then it is worth a watch.

Rating: * *

Poster: Cine Las Americas

Headshot

Detective noir cloaked in the gloom of smoldering cigarette butts and damsels in distress are the backdrop for this film. The movie opens with a hit going wrong for hitman, Tul, as he finds his life literally turned upside down. As Tul tries to come to grips with his inverted vision, you are introduced to his "normal" past life. In a stupor you are slowly immersed in to his life as a film eerily reminiscent of Wanted, is flashed across the screen. Take away the lack of originality of the concept and add in the Pen-ek twist, you find yourself enjoying a thriller like the drama that was Last Life in the Universe.

Rating: * * *

Let the Right One In

Oskar is a wimpy 12 year old who is mercilessly bullied at school. As a result he spends most of his free time making plans to exact revenge on his tormentors. It is in this world that he befriends his mysterious new neighbor, Eli, who seems to be of his same age. The window you are shown in to Eli's life leaves with you no doubt about her nature. But is her kind and yearning companionship towards Oskar that carries the film. In spite of the good acting, direction and script, the movie left me feeling hollow. Maybe the weight of expectations sunk it...

Rating: * *

Poster licensed under Fair use via Wikipedia.

The Constant Gardner

The sudden death of his young wife Tess turns, staid diplomat Justin Quayle into a detective. He painstakingly traces the path his wife took and rediscovers the dangers enroute as you are introduced into the murky world of the cut throat pharmaceutical industry. If you have read the book the movie is based, have no fear of having a face put to the characters. John Le Carre continues to have luck when it comes to his writings being made into moving pictures. However, you do lose a few molecules of complexity that inhibit his novel. But in spite of the loss, the movie is time worth spent.

Rating: * * *

Poster licensed under Fair Use via Wikipedia.