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MIDNIGHT SON (Scott Leberecht/USA)A Scott Leberecht filmScreenplay: Scott LeberechtCast: Tracey Walter, Arlen Escarpeta, Larry Cedar, Juanita Jennings, Kevin McCorkle,Shawn-Caulin Young, Zak Kilberg, Austin Mincks,Maya Parish, Billy Louviere, Jo D. Jonz, Tony Norris, Jeff Campbell, Sarah Raeke, Bonnie Jean, Junius Dion jrRunning time: 88 minA strange skin disease forces Jacob to avoid every exposition to sunlight. Hespends his life at night, while the rest of the world is asleep. Luckily there are still afew bars open to break his lonely routine. In one of these taverns, he falls headover heels in love with bartender Mary. Their romance soon starts to suffer fromJacob’s worsening condition. While he struggles to control his increasingly moreviolent impulses, the local police start targeting him as a suspect in a series ofgrisly murders.If vampires were as numerous in real life as they are now on the big and smallscreen, mankind would already be long gone. But just when you think you’ve hadit with those bloodsucking fiends, a director comes along who makes you feel likesharpening your fangs again. Scott Leberecht’s Midnight Son is a breath of freshblood in the worn out vampire genre. It’s a gritty, very realistic and claustrophobicviewing experience, which almost makes you feel Jacob’s torture. Add to that some solid acting from itsleads and a creepy soundtrack, and you get a very smart, intense and unpredictable vampire movie.REIGN OF ASSASSINS (Chao-Bin Su & John Woo/China-Taiwan)A Chao-Bin Su & John Woo filmScreenplay: Chao-Bin SuCast: Michelle Yeoh, Woo-Sung Jung, Kelly Lin, Shawn Yue, Barbie Hsu, Xueqi Wang, Pace Wu, Xiaodong Guo, Leon Dai, Hee ChingPaw, Yiyan Jiang, Calvin Li, Angeles WooRunning time: 117 min.Being part of a notorious band of assassins does not do wonders with ones sociallife. Especially not when you betray them and run away with the mystical mummifiedremains of an Indian monk. After another bloody job, Drizzle - a lethal and veryattractive hired killer - decides to turn her back on the Dark Stone gang. Its easiersaid than done, because her boss Wheel King immediately puts a price on herhead. Drizzle opts for some radical face-changing surgery and takes on the identityof a dead woman. She starts a new life as a fabrics trader in a small town and evenfalls in love with a guy called Ah-sheng. Her new found happiness will not last longthough, because Drizzles turbulent past is hot on her heels.Reign of Assassins is one of the best martial arts movies in recent years with all theright elements in the right place : dazzling swordfights, characters with hiddenmotives and a mystical weapon that everybody wants. Taiwanese director-scripwriter Chao-pin Su is notunknown to the festival. His Double Vision (Bifff 2003) and Silk (Bifff 2007) got a warm reception here. Andwe certainly dont need to introduce co-director and producer John Woo. Add to this Asian superstar MichelleYeoh (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Tomorrow Never Dies, Sunshine) as Drizzle, Korean heartthrobWoo-sung Jung (The Warrior, The Good, The Bad, The Weird) a Ah-Sheng and Chinese veteran XueqiWang (Bodyguards and Assassins) as Wheel King and you get one hell of a wuxia !13