by RUPERT BOTTENBERG and LORRAINE CARPENTER

Survive Style 5+

Now that Ring has been wrung out and the Asian horror wave is receding, the hot new thing in Japanese cinema is the pop-culture mish-mash loaded with bells and whistles, and Survive Style 5+ might be the definitive offering in that respect. The horror, comedy, gangster, surrealist and family-drama genres collide as five very different narratives intersect and overlap. A murderer haunted by the ass-kicking ghost of his wife, a bunch of klepto teens, a frustrated TV-ad producer, a family whose dad has been hypnotized into thinking he's a bird and a snarling British hitman (Guy Ritchie fixture Vinnie Jones) are primed for an exercise in cause and effect in this weird and ultimately sweet little gem, as subtle as it is garish. (RB) At Hall Theatre on Friday, July 22nd, 7:30 p.m., and at Salle J.A. De Sève on Saturday, July 23 9:20 p.m.

The Eye 2

In this so-so sequel to their spine-assaulting 2002 ghost film, Thailand's Pang Brothers amp up both the horror and the Buddhist philosophy behind haunting. Where the first film's heroine developed her sixth sense during an eye operation, this movie's leading lady starts seeing dead people after a suicide attempt. Back from the brink, she finds out that she's pregnant, and that eerie apparitions are particularly fond of the maternity ward. Pregnant women, stay far away from this one. (LC) At the Hall Theatre on Thursday, July 21, 7:35 p.m., and at Salle J.A. De Sève on Saturday, July 23, 11:40 p.m.

Reeker

Thankfully, Concordia isn't equipped for Smell-O-Rama. Visible waves of a nauseating stench signal the approach of the titular roadside slasher in this American flick, a classic college-kids-on-a-weekend-getaway slaughterfest. A tough chick, a friendly blind guy, a horny blonde couple and a dumbass-turned-hero are our characters (guess who lives?), and fans of the genre will surely dig their grisly deaths - as a bonus, some of them get killed on E! Despite a slightly disappointing ending, horror clichés are tweaked just enough to make this movie worthwhile. (LC) At the Hall Theatre on Monday, July 25, 7:40 p.m.

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