Although Hollywood is celebrating 2011 in film at the end of the month, there are more than a few promising options at the theater. After the year getting off to a surprisingly strong start with The Grey, Haywire and more, the trend continues here. Check out the list below and, as always, check your local theater listings to see when some of these limited releases will be available in your area.
To See:
10. Perfect Sense (David Mackenzie; Feb. 10th)
Synopsis: A chef and a scientist fall in love as an epidemic begins to rob people of their sensory perceptions.
Why You Should Look Forward To It: It’s been about a year since its Sundance premiere, where we called the peculiar drama/romance sappy but perfectly fitting for the unique world created as Mackenzie is determined to find optimism in the most dire of science-fiction scenarios. Headed to VOD at the same time, the film starring Ewan McGregor and Eva Green will also arrive in limited theaters.
9. Safe House (Daniel Espinosa; Feb. 10th)
Synopsis: A young CIA agent is tasked with looking after a fugitive in a safe house. But when the safe house is attacked, he finds himself on the run with his charge.
Why You Should Look Forward To It: Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds team up for the first time in this action thriller from Swedish director Daniel Espinosa, coming off his praised Snabba Cash. If he can transfer that slick style for his Hollywood debut, this could be surprising early 2012 treat.
8. The Woman in Black (James Watkins; Feb. 3rd)
Synopsis: A young lawyer travels to a remote village where he discovers the vengeful ghost of a scorned woman is terrorizing the locals.
Why You Should Look Forward To It: As the horror genre becomes filled with torture porn and human centipedes galore, it is refreshing to see a seemingly well-crafted flick that relies on the old tricks. In Harry Potter’s first post-Hogwarts role he leaves behind Voldemort to take on some old-fashioned Ghosts.
7. Undefeated (Daniel Lindsay, T.J. Martin; Feb. 17th)
Synopsis: A documentary on an underdog football team who look to reverse their fortunes with coach Bill Courtney.
Why You Should Look Forward To It: After securing an Oscar nomination this year for Best Documentary, The Weinstein Company is putting their usual, heavy push behind this story of a football team. I’ve heard great buzz, even if you aren’t into sports, and you’ll be able to check out Undeafeated this month in limited release.
6. Wanderlust (David Wain; Feb. 24th)
Synopsis: Rattled by sudden unemployment, a Manhattan couple surveys alternative living options, ultimately deciding to experiment with living on a rural commune where free love rules.
Why You Should Look Forward To It: It was sad news when David Wain‘s Role Models follow-up was pushed back from last fall, but his latest is finally hitting theaters this month. Starring the always-reliable Paul Rudd, along with Jennifer Aniston (coming off her hilarious turn in Horrible Bosses), here is hoping this starts off the year in comedy right.
5. Chronicle (Josh Trank; Feb. 3rd)
Synopsis: Three high school friends gain superpowers after making an incredible discovery. Soon, though, they find their lives spinning out of control and their bond tested as they embrace their darker sides.
Why You Should Look Forward To It: Attempting to inject a twist into the tired found-footage genre, Trank’s superhero pic is packed with fun. Chronicle is not afraid to defy expectations, showing a film doesn’t have to have a massive budget to deliver thrills, just an engaging story.
4. The Secret World of Arrietty (Hiromasa Yonebayashi, Gary Rydstrom; Feb. 17th)
Synopsis: The Clock family are four-inch-tall people who live anonymously in another family’s residence, borrowing simple items to make their home. Life changes for the Clocks when their daughter, Arrietty, is discovered.
Why You Should Look Forward To It Studio Ghibli returns with a charming adventure packed with wit and gorgeous animation. Thankfully not as fantastical as some of their previous efforts, adapted from one of my favorite childhood book, The Borrowers, this is the perfect family film to see this spring.
3. The Turin Horse (Béla Tarr; Feb. 10th)
Synopsis: A rural farmer is forced to confront the mortality of his faithful horse.
Why You Should Look Forward To It: It won’t be hitting your local IMAX, but Béla Tarr’s latest – and said to be his last – will finally get some limited distribution this month. You either like the man or you don’t and at two and half hours, the film will be an endurance test for most, but cinephiles should be glad it is arriving.
2. Kill List (Ben Wheatley; Feb. 3rd)
Synopsis: Nearly a year after a botched job, a hitman takes a new assignment with the promise of a big payoff for three killings. What starts off as an easy task soon unravels, sending the killer into the heart of darkness.
Why You Should Look Forward To It: Although you should have already seen this on VOD, it will arrive in theaters – where it was meant to be seen – this month. A nightmare come to life, that is all I’ll share about this must-see nerve-racking thriller.
1. Snowtown (Justin Kurzel; Feb. 29th)
Synopsis: Based on true events, 16 year-old Jamie falls in with his mother’s new boyfriend and his crowd of self-appointed neighborhood watchmen, a relationship that leads to a spree of torture and murder.
Why You Should Look Forward To It: Hitting the festival circuit last year, Kurzel’s directorial debut is a deeply disturbing look at a real-life murder spree. Animal Kingdom comparisons will be tossed around, but this is a more accomplished look at lost innocence.
Matinee:
Forgiveness of Blood (Joshua Marston; Feb. 24th)
Synopsis: An Albanian family is torn apart by a murder, resulting in a blood feud that finds Nik becoming the prime target and his sister, Rudina, forced to leave school in order to take over the family business
Why You Should See a Matinee: Outside of a segment in the anthology New York, I Love You, Joshua Marston’s work hasn’t hit the big screen since the Oscar-nominated Maria Full of Grace. He finally returns this year with the family drama The Forgiveness of Blood. Premiering at the Berlin Film Festival (and nabbing a Silver Bear for Best Screenplay), it is has gone on to appear at Telluride, Toronto, London and more, finally getting a release this month.
The Innkeepers (Ti West; Feb. 3rd)
Synopsis: During the final days at the Yankee Pedlar Inn, two employees determined to reveal the hotel’s haunted past begin to experience disturbing events as old guests check in for a stay.
Why You Should See a Matinee: Here is another title that has been on VOD, but will get its theatrical due. Ti West follows House of the Devil in what is said to be an improvement. Like The Woman in Black above, I’m always down for atmospheric horror films not relying on easy gore.
Return (Liza Johnson; Feb. 10th)
Synopsis: A soldier returns to her family, friends and old job after a tour of duty, though she finds herself struggling to find her place in her everyday life.
Why You Should See a Matinee: Ever since finally catching up on the short-lived Freaks & Geeks, I’ve been itching to see more of Linda Cardellini, and as someone who never watched ER, it looks like I’ll have a chance with her latest. The small-scale drama Return stars Michael Shannon, Mad Men‘s John Slattery and, after some good festival notices, will be hitting theaters and VOD this month.
Chico & Rita (Tono Errando, Javier Mariscal; Feb. 10th)
Synopsis: Chico is a young piano player with big dreams. Rita is a beautiful singer with an extraordinary voice. Music and romantic desire unites them, but their journey – in the tradition of the Latin ballad, the bolero – brings heartache and torment.
Why You Should See a Matinee: Nominated for Best Animated Feature this year, we saw this film way back during Toronto 2010, calling it “a visually stunning story of romance and music, truly capturing the 40′s and 50′s lifestyles present in Havana, New York, Las Vegas and Paris.” See it in very limited release this month before the Oscars arrive!
Michael (Markus Schleinzer; Feb. 15th)
Synopsis: A drama focused on five months in the life of pedophile who keeps a 10-year-old boy locked in his basement.
Why You Should See a Matinee: We were mixed on this tough drama at Cannes (full review here), saying, “despite all of Schleinzer’s attempts at painting a stirring arthouse horror film, Michael never seems to escape the shadow of an amateur filmmaker trying to shock purely out of disgust, and it ends up feeling like Haneke-light.” But it is finally getting a limited release this month and worth checking out for yourself.
What are you seeing this month?