SAINT JOHN OF LAS VEGAS (USA 2009) **
Directed by Hue Rhodes

Writer/director Hue Rhodes debut feature SAINT JOHN OF LAS VEGAS is a film about a hapless somewhat lovable and harmless ex-gambler loser, John Alighieri (Steve Buchemi), who moves in and out of Sin City trying to better himself.

J’AI TUE MA MERE (I KILLED MY MOTHER) (Canada 2009) ****
Directed by Xavier Nolan

In the Italian Taviani Brothers classic PADRE PADRONE, there is a scene where the father disrupts the class of his son to take his son home to tend the sheep.  It is a powerful scene as it reveals both the father’s power over the boy and the boy’s total embarrassment over the situation.  In J’AI TUE MA MERE, a similar powerful scene has the mother disrupting her son’s class to scold him in front of both classmates and teacher for a bad deed.

FROZEN (USA 2009) ****
Directed by Adam Green

The horror thriller, FROZEN falls into the horror torture category though there are no serial killers or torture scenes in the film.  But the ordeals writer/director Adam Green (HATCHET) forces his unlikely heroes to go through are more gruesome than any torture one can devise.

FROM PARIS WITH LOVE (France 2009) **
Directed by Pierre Morel

FROM PARIS WITH LOVE, Pierre Morel, director of the two successful action flicks, the excellent BANLIEU 13 and TAKEN takes on the current terrorist scene with another actioner FROM PARIS WITH LOVE.  Unfortunately his latest film does not work, as is evident from the first dull 10 minutes of opening footage.  Quel deception!

DEAR JOHN (USA 2009) **
Directed by Lasse Hallstrom

Based on the book of the same name by Nicholas Sparks, DEAR JOHN is a love story or rather a story of love lost amidst a string of letters and miscommunication.