Let Me In

During the last few years, it has become a well-established rule of thumb that movies about vampires are terrible, and must be avoided at all cost.  While this precept has proven invaluable in steering people away from the likes of New Moon and Vampires Suck, it isn't quite foolproof.  Like Halley’s Comet, a vampire movie comes along every 75 years or so that, against all odds, actually warrants attention.  Let Me In is one such film.  It is easily the best vampire movie since...well, probably since Let the Right One In, the Swedish movie that's based on the same source material (the novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist).

I haven’t seen the Swedish original, but from what I've been able to gather via written descriptions and YouTube clips, the American remake is just about identical, only with better acting and cinematography.  That's not to belittle the acting and cinematography of the original, which I've been assured are first-rate, but the performances in the remake by Kodi Smit-McPhee (the boy from The Road) and Chloe Moretz (Hit-Girl in Kick-Ass) and the camerawork by Greig Fraser (Bright Star) are flat out incredible.  Many have questioned the need for a remake when the original movie is only two years old, but once Let Me In is more widely seen (it will be released on Oct. 1), these doubts are sure to be less common.

Pinoy Sunday

In this understated Taiwanese comedy, two migrant workers discover an abandoned sofa on the streets of downtown Taipei and attempt to carry it all the way back to their apartment in the suburbs.  A series of absurd complications ensue which test the limits of their friendship.  It's an original premise, and it's well-executed, but never quite as funny as it should be.  An American remake starring Michael Cera and Jonah Hill is probably all but inevitable.

Norberto's Deadline

Another understated comedy, this time from Uruguay.  A shy real estate agent joins an acting class to boost his self-esteem, tries to keep it a secret from his wife and friends, and eventually ends ups with a starring role in Chekhov's The Seagull.  At first, the minimalistic, deadpan style may seem like a second rate imitation of Jim Jarmusch, but the movie gradually evolves into something more substantial.  Fernando Amaral is a stand out in the lead role.

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