Foreign Movies

At the time of its release, the Norwegian-language gorefest Fritt vilt 2 (Cold Prey 2) - a sequel to the 2006 Fritt vilt - represented both the latest in a series of slasher outings to emerge from Scandinavia (thus marking something of a nascent trend for that region) and a throwback to the "hospital horror" subgenre to flood American and Canadian cinemas in the very early '80s, epitomized by efforts such as Boaz Davidson's Hospital Massacre (1981) and Jean-Claude Lord's Visiting Hours (1982). Here, Ingrid Bolsø Berdal stars as Jannicke - the only known individual who survives a devastating tragedy in the mountains, following a plane crash in the winter of 2006. She passes out, then comes to in a seemingly deserted hospital; it appears that she's the only one on the premises, but in truth, a maniac stalks the corridors, determined to kill and driven by bloodlust. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

A driven teen takes her neglectful parents hostage after they forget her jump-rope competition. The 16-year-old daughter of a Type A executive (Kristin Chenoweth) and a flaky artist (Matthew Modine), Emily Smith-Dungy (Olesya Rulin) endures the pains of parental neglect every day. Emily's frustrations with her distracted parents come to a head, however, when she realizes that neither one of them has bothered to show up and support her during a major jump rope competition. Determined to get their attention by any means necessary, the frustrated teen recruits her siblings to help take their parents hostage, and teach them what it means to be a real family. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Two crime-scene cleaners find a Huldra (a mythical creature with the body of a beautiful woman and a cow's tail) locked in the cellar of a secluded home, and realize that someone is coming to claim her in this dark fantasy thriller from Norway. Longtime friends Elvis (Erlend Nervold) and Leo (Jon Sigve Skard) have been dispatched to a house deep in the forest to clean up the body of an animal attack victim when they discover a secret door in the home. Upon investigating, they find that the door leads to a hidden laboratory in which a fearful woman named Thale (Silje Reinåmo) lies dormant in a bathtub, and sustained by feeding tubes. Meanwhile, the audio diaries left by her caretaker offer clues to her mysterious origins. Though the situation turns frightening when a team of heavily-armed mercenaries show up determined to claim Thale, Elvis and Leo are shocked to find that she is far more powerful than appearances suggest. Meanwhile, out in the forest, there are more like Thale, and they long to bring her back to the wilderness, where she came from. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

 

In the wake of a heated murder trial, a young monk seeks refuge from a storm in a deserted burial tunnel, where a conversation with a poor man and a beggar reveals three distinctly different versions of the events leading up to the killing. A warlord has been murdered, and as the trial gets underway the testimonies of his wife, the bandit Singh Khan and a shaman with the power to call on the victim's spirit only serve to obscure the truth, rather than clarifying it. Deeply perplexed after hearing all of the testimonies, a young monk embarks on a journey to seek his father's counsel as a storm blows in. Fortunately for him, a nearby burial tunnel provides a place to rest until the storm has passed. In the process of seeking shelter, the monk crosses paths with a common man who also testified at the trial. Later, the two men are joined by an elderly beggar who engages them both in a heated discussion about the trial. Over the course of their conversation, the stories of the wife, the bandit, and the shaman are all recounted in great detail, revealing the personal agendas of all three. Later, as the stories draw to a close and the clouds begin to clear, the troubled young monk grows increasingly perplexed by the nature of the truth not only as it applies to the trial, but the very core of his belief system as well. Adapted from the classic Akira Kurosawa film Rashomon, At the Gate of the Ghost stars Mario Maurer, Ananda Everingham, Chermarn Boonyasak, and Phongpat Wachirabanjhor. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Legendary Hong Kong director Gordan Chan brings Wen Ruian's hit novel to the screen in this action-packed supernatural thriller that's the first chapter of an epic trilogy centered on the adventures of four legendary detectives and martial arts masters. A coin cast has been stolen, counterfeit currency is circulating, and now Coldblood (Deng Chao), Emotionless (Liu Yi Fei), Life Snatcher (Ronald Cheng), and Iron Hands (Collin Chou) are on the case. Operating under the powerful Master Zhuge (Anthony Wong), they form a powerful quartet capable of solving any crime. As government institutions and financial organizations conspire the four sleuths follow a trail of clues. Meanwhile the dead are rising up under the command of an unknown force, and carving out a swath of terror on their trail to the capitol. Master Zhuge's team may be the best at capturing criminals, but can they stand up to a horror that's beyond the realm of this reality? ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

500 years after being charged with the murder of his master and imprisoned in a painted scroll, mischievous Taoist student Woochi (Kang Dong-won) is released by his elders to battle goblins in the modern world. As Woochi and his sidekick Chorangui (Yoo Hae-jin) attempt to make sense of their strange new surroundings, they discover their goblin adversaries are now a greater threat to humanity than ever before. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Years after being brutally slaughtered at the hands of vile young children at a birthday celebration, undead clown Richard "Stitches" Grindle (Ross Noble) returns from the grave to turn the now-teens' wild party into an orgy of blood and death. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Flying Squad detective Jack Regan (Ray Winstone) breaks all the rules while racing to stop a major bank heist, and also catch a former enemy who's determined to set the streets of London ablaze as the long-running British police drama makes the leap to the big screen. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Two priests dedicated to building a new hospital in a Buenos Aires shantytown find themselves caught in a violent war between rival drug lords that threatens devastating repercussions. Longtime friends Father Julián (Ricardo Darín) and Father Nicolás (Jérémie Renier) have dedicated their lives to helping the residents of Villa Maria, but lately an escalating feud between two criminal factions has made that goal impossible. Even worse, the corrupt police show no interest in halting the violence. Meanwhile, as Father Julián works tirelessly to ensure construction on Latin America's largest hospital doesn't grind to a halt, he is joined by Father Nicolás, still haunted after seeing members of his flock gunned down in the jungle by a paramilitary unit. That tragedy has resulted in a serious crisis of faith for the benevolent Father Nicolás, though the company of pretty atheist social worker Luciana (Martina Gusman) helps to ease his troubled mind. Later, with tensions in the streets reaching a fever pitch, a ministerial decree halts construction on the hospital, setting the stage for a violent showdown between the slum-dwelling locals and the corrupt authorities. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Mads Mikkelsen and Alicia Vikander headline director Nikolaj Arcel's historical drama set in the 18th century, which details the tense love triangle between Queen Caroline Matilda (Vikander), her enlightened royal physician Struensee (Mikkelsen), and her increasingly deranged husband, Danish King Christian VII (Mikkel Boe Følsgaard). ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A young boy left for dead by the assassins who killed his parents is taken under the wing of a martial-arts master, and shaped into a lethal killing machine with an insatiable appetite for revenge. As a ten-year-old child, Manit (Jon Foo) saw his parents murdered in cold blood. When the killers were finished, they put a gun to his head, and pulled the trigger. Incredibly, Manit survived, though the bullet in his brain left him devoid of all emotion. Subsequently adopted by a kindly martial-arts master, Manit trained tirelessly for the next 20 years, always knowing that the day would come when he would bring his parent's killers to justice. When the time comes to embrace his destiny, Manit embarks on a violent quest for vengeance that brings the entire Bangkok underworld crumbling down. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi