Happy New Year!

We scaled back this month to enjoy the season with our families, but we’ll be back in February with our Best Films of 2014 and our predictions for the Oscars.

If you wondering what’s worth seeing, there’s a fairly decent array from which to choose. Unfortunately there’s one less lighter feature in the running with Sony’s cancelled release of The Interview in the wake of cyber hacks and terrorist threats from a miffed North Korea. Who knew a Rogan/Franco bromantic comedy could raise the ire of a communist dictator? However it’s released, we’re hoping the film, “from the western capitalist pigs who brought you Neighbors and This is The End,” is simply laugh-your-butt-off funny.

And now back to the films that are not inciting international incident… some family friendly features, one real spook fest, and, of course, the onslaught of titles vying for Oscar gold. Here’s a quick look at some of the films that will be playing in Western North Carolina in January.

Comedies & Family Fare

Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb

Larry (Ben Stiller) spans the globe, uniting favorite and new characters while embarking on an epic quest to save the magic before it is gone forever. Just good, plain, popcorn matinee fun.

Paddington

The beloved storybook British bear gets his big screen debut and it looks pretty darned adorable.

Spook Factor

Woman in Black: Angel of Death

As if WIB 1 wasn’t spooky and devastating enough, the folks at Hammer Films decided to bring her back for a second round of haunting and she’s allegedly meaner than ever. This go ‘round the time frame is WWII; children are being sent from war ravaged London to the English countryside to keep them safe… safe that is until the Woman in Black returns. Be forewarned, it will no doubt be beautifully filmed but will not be for the faint of heart.

Oscar Bait

The Gambler

We’re supposed to be impressed by how much weight Bradley Cooper gained for American Sniper and how much weight Mark Wahlberg lost for The Gambler. There are times when it just seems like a gimmick, and this is one of those times. The Gambler, which is a remake of the 1974 film, was not yet screened at press time, but we’re betting the dark horse that the story of an English professor with a gambling problem will pay decent dividends.

Foxcatcher

Steve Carell, Mark Ruffalo and Channing Tatum deliver terrific performances in the psychological drama from Bennett Miller based on the true and tragic story about Olympic gold medal winning wrestlers Mark and Dave Schultz, and their relationship with multimillionaire John du Pont. Foxcatcher is getting high praise from some critics, but, performances aside, we thought the pacing was off (suspense is not built through tedium). There will definitely be some well-deserved acting nominations on this one, but over all we give it a “meh.”

American Sniper

Clint Eastwood directs Bradley Cooper in the true story of Navy Seal Chris Kyle. American Sniper should appeal fairly well to mainstream audiences. It’s well made and Bradley Cooper turns in a hefty performance. One of us liked it just fine, but one of us expected more from Eastwood and thought it played out more like a made for TV movie.

Selma

Selma chronicles three pivotal months in the Civil Rights movement in 1965, when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led an epic march from Selma to Montgomery in a fight to secure equal voting rights in the face of violent opposition. The film is directed by Ava DuVernay and stars David Oyelowo as Dr. King. At press time the film had not been screened. It’s also being primed for award glory this season. From our perspective, we think priming the world for a film about the power of peaceful protest is more relevant than promoting the race for Oscar gold.

A Most Violent Year

This searing crime drama is set in New York City during the winter of 1981, statistically the most dangerous year in the city’s history. From acclaimed writer/director J.C. Chandor, and starring Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis) and Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty), this gripping story plays out within a maze of rampant political and industry corruption plaguing the streets of a city in decay.

J.C. Chandor’s third feature examines one immigrant’s determined climb up a morally crooked ladder, where simmering rivalries and unprovoked attacks threaten his business, family, and – above all – his own unwavering belief in the righteousness of his path. With A Most Violent Year, Chandor journeys in a bold new direction, toward the place where best intentions yield to raw instinct, and where we are most vulnerable to compromise what we know to be right.

The Imitation Game

At press time we had yet to see The Imitation Game but are anxiously awaiting a screening. The buzz is that Benedict Cumberbatch delivers a tour de force performance in this bio pic about Alan Turing, the British mathematician who broke the Enigma Code during WWII, but who was later prosecuted by the British government for being gay. The Imitation Game will be on a lot of ‘Best Films’ lists for 2014, and Cumberbatch will likely garner an Oscar nomination.

Inherent Vice

Inherent Vice marks the Paul Thomas Anderson’s seventh feature film and the first adaptation of a Thomas Pynchon novel. Essentially it’s Sam Spade in the acid-dropping 70’s and it’s PTA’s idea of a comedy (this is from the director of There Will Be Blood, The Master and Boogie Nights). It’s a stylistic film with a great cast that is meant to probably be experienced more than understood.

Unbroken

Directed and produced by Angelina Jolie, Unbroken is the film adaptation of Laura Hillenbrand’s best selling book by the same name. It’s an epic drama that follows the incredible life of Olympian and war hero Louis Zamperini who, along with two other crewmen, survived in a raft for 47 days after a plane crash in WWII, only to be rescued by the Japanese Navy and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp. It’s beautifully filmed but getting mixed critical reviews. Bottom line, Unbroken is an amazing story and it’s a crowd pleaser.

Wild

Directed by Jean-Marc Vallee (Dallas Buyer’s Club and The Young Victoria), Wild is the film adaptation of Cheryl Strayed’s thousand mile trek on the Pacific Trail and her journey of self realization, healing and survival. Reese Witherspoon plays Strayed and she may just be hiking her way to another Oscar.