Carol Channing: Larger Than Life
(now playing in Los Angeles; wider release begins February 3)
An amiable enough doc that includes several disarming  moments courtesy of its subject, the Broadway legend who just turned 90. For fans of musical theater and those with an interest in showbiz history, Dori Bernstein’s Carol Channing: Larger Than Life is probably a must-see. For others, while making the case for Channing’s engaging personality and mammoth talent (the TV clips from the ‘70s are priceless), the film suffers from a lack of impactful archival footage of her actual stage performances: we never get a firsthand sense of what has made her so special.

Man on a Ledge (opens wide on January 27)
Yes, there are some ludicrous did-they-really-do-that? moments in Man on a Ledge as well as some comedic interludes that tank. But if you’re in the mood for some diverting silliness with an undercurrent of tension—the ledge sequences generally work and sometimes provide quite a jolt—Man on a Ledge is harmless fun. While watching it, you’ll recall a dozen other movies of the past two or three decades, which could either please you or annoy you to no end. Not a spectacular blockbuster, but a likable little cousin to one.

(An Unexpected) Blu-ray Pick: The Double (releases on DVD & digital download, too, on January 31)
Here’s a release that’s perfect for home video because it gives you the chance to re-calibrate your expectations. Richard Gere (currently wowing Sundance auds in Arbitrage) does solid work here, as does co-star Topher Grace, despite being saddled with dialogue and themes that often veer into cliché territory. So if you’re looking for an authentic-feeling cat-and-mouse espionage thriller along the lines of Breach (2007), you’d be out of luck. However, as a fun evening of B-movie entertainment, The Double works. There’s a big twist about half an hour in, then another at the climax that I didn’t see coming—and that’s good enough for me.

The Innkeepers (in theaters February 3)
I like Ti West’s work, I really do (Cabin Fever 2 notwithstanding), and I even like what he seems to be shooting for here. As the title characters, Sara Paxton and Bill Healy are quite, um, likable, too, but overall The Innkeepers seems to lean on their likability a bit too much. Aiming for a tone that combines light comedy, light drama, tragedy, and paranormal creepiness, West unfortunately shortchanges us in terms of that final element—and without genuine scares (I wasn’t frightened for even a second), The Innkeepers lacks the glue that would hold everything else together and give the film the necessary genre underpinning.


(Photo by: Larry D. Horricks/ The Weinstein Company)

Coriolanus (now in theaters)
Riveting and brilliant, Coriolanus would arguably be worth watching simply for the performances of Vanessa Redgrave (electrifying) and Gerard Butler (impressive; more like this, please). But it also features wonderful acting by Brian Cox and director Ralph Fiennes himself, who does a hugely impressive job of melding Shakespeare’s play to contemporary themes and issues. If you’re allergic to the Bard’s work in all forms, then, no, all the contemporary resonance by itself won’t do it for you… but for nearly everyone else Coriolanus will probably land as the most successful adaptation in years. Kenneth Branagh should study this.

Home Video Pick:  Donner Pass (now on VOD, DVD, and digital download)
If you’re like me—and let’s hope you’re not—you watch countless slasher and quasi-slasher films every year, and you noticed long ago that a disproportionate number of these start with teens driving into the remote countryside to hole up and/or party at, per Joss Whedon, a “cabin in the woods.” And yes, Donner Pass starts with those same elements firmly in place, but then it gradually, and with a creeping impressiveness, distinguishes itself from the pack. Director Elise Robertson, herself a veteran actor, does fab work with the young cast that brings a welcome freshness to the proceedings. As an added bonus, the script by R. Scott Adams boasts several smart and effective surprises. In short, this is the kind of  film that demands some attention from those who value what indie horror stands for.

The Grey (opens in theaters January 27)
Far-fetched in some aspects but absolutely captivating in so many others, The Grey works hard to involve us in its relatively straightforward action/adventure storyline, and its efforts pay off time and again. Here Joe Carnahan excels in the three main things you want from a director of commercial cinema:  a) presenting stunning visuals b) crafting strong storytelling c) drawing compelling performances from the cast.  And, oh, yeah, lead Liam Neeson hits every note he’s supposed to and then some.  Want a popcorn flick that might just stay with you for days? This is it.

Miss Bala (now in U.S. theaters)
I realize I’m going out on a limb here, but this could be one of the most aesthetically exhilarating film experiences you’ll have in a theater this year. Director Gerardo Naranjo, with his long takes and ultra-fluid camerawork, fashions an immersive crime/action thriller that puts you, along with would-be beauty queen Stephanie Sigman, at the center of present-day Mexican narco-terrorism. Granted, at times this approach can be disorienting, but for me this is part of the fun. Indeed, Miss Bala fulfills one of the basic promises of cinema: to harness the power of immediacy and realism to make you utterly forget that the events aren’t happening to you. Not to be missed by cinephiles.

Kill List (now on U.S. VOD; in limited release February 3)
Polarizing audiences for more than one reason, Ben Wheatley’s Kill List nonetheless should be seen by all fans of genre cinema. Aye, but there’s  the rub—what genre is it exactly? Maligned by some for its melding of crime and horror, it’s precisely the artfulness of this blend that so mesmerized me:  Wheatley leads us into such pure darkness that genre boundaries no longer matter—in the end, the story drills down into a vast, common hell. In fact, if elements from a war movie were embroidered into Kill List’s narrative fabric I probably wouldn’t have minded. The other reason audiences are divided concerns the ending, which, I’ll admit, I saw coming. And while it’s certainly understandable why some might require a more satisfying conclusion given how the central mystery just builds and builds, I for one didn’t require a big climactic payoff. I was rocked throughout.

(photo Copyright © 2012 The Independent Film Channel LLC. All rights reserved.)

Rampart (in theaters February 10)
Co-scripted by James Ellroy, Rampart most closely captures the wild, jazzy, and unexpectedly melancholic flavor of Ellroy’s novels, arguably even more so than L.A. Confidential (1997) did. Director Oren Moverman expertly evokes the moodiness inherent in the story’s settings and situations, and also manages to get terrific performances from an all-star cast that includes Sigourney Weaver, Ned Beatty, and Robin Wright. Deserving special mention is the wonderful performance of star Woody Harrelson, playing a hard-boiled anti-hero who may or may not be interested in redemption. More successful as a character study, though, than as a cop thriller, Rampart orchestrates a couple of would-be shocks that nonetheless feel a bit familiar. So buy a ticket for the well-observed details and seedy epiphanies, not an overpoweringly cathartic experience.

Undefeated (opens February 17 in New York and L.A.)
If you’re in need of validating your love of American football a couple of weeks following the Super Bowl, here you go. Moreover, if your outlook on American youth and those who serve them could use some brightening, then Daniel Lindsay and T.J. Martin’s lowkey but tremendously moving documentary is for you. Don’t let the title fool you: this isn’t simply yet another story of some high school underdog team—in fact, in spirit it’s much closer to last year’s Moneyball: it’s not championships per se that are prized here but rather self-esteem and earning the respect of others. It may have surprised some when this film was recently nominated for an Oscar, but not me, and, I'm guessing, not most of the others who have seen it.

Underworld: Awakening (now in theaters)
Pretty much what you’d inspect: Kate in her catsuit jumps off buildings, wields weapons that look too big for her, and does the slow-walk to and from scenes of carnage. Both somewhat nastier and more sentimental than I recall the previous films being, Underworld: Awakening benefits from a brisk pace, some more-than-decent monster CGI, and 3D that’s actually used fairly well. Silly, of course, in a hardcore B-movie sort of way, but you know that going in.

Haywire (now in theaters)
It’s very easy to see why this kinda-moody, kinda-glossy Soderbergh-helmed action flick is popular with critics, less so with audiences. The fight scenes, filmed at just the right distance and with satisfyingly long takes, are both realistic and reasonably thrilling… but they don’t really build to the kind of memorable final showdown that one expects from the genre. And while the star-studded supporting cast is fun to watch, most of these characters are not developed much beyond the cameo level, again leaving one with an empty feeling. However, lead Gina Canaro more than proves herself, and in fact she and Michael Fassbender share one of the best sex scenes in recent cinema—except that it includes no sex whatsoever.

(Photo Credit: Claudette Barius ©2011 Five Continents Imports, LLC. All Rights Reserved)


The Wicker Tree (opens January 27)
On one level what writer-director Robin Hardy—of 1973’s The Wicker Man fame—tries to accomplish is perfectly admirable: both updating a classic film to work in contemporary themes, and to inject a note of satire into the proceedings. The problem lies in the execution, as the pacing, acting, even cinematography are sub-par for the first two-thirds of the film. And since we have a general sense of where the narrative is going (i.e., pagans are plotting something nasty against a couple of visiting Christians), it’s important that there are plenty of scene-by-scene pleasures to be had… but that’s exactly what’s missing. Things pick up somewhat in the final act, but not enough to make the film the fun, incisive, occasionally shocking work it could have been.

The Secret World of Arrietty (opens on February 17)
Beautiful even when one wouldn’t necessarily expect it to be, the newest Studio Ghibli release to be distributed by Disney is equal parts sweet and subtle. Yes, Miyazaki only wrote, didn’t direct, this adaptation of Mary Norton’s The Borrowers, but there can be little doubt that Hiromasa Yonebayashi does impressive work here. The English dub has a few small speed bumps, but overall a terrific job.