Going forward, there will be some changes with Deep Focus Review and how titles are selected for review. In the past, I’ve tried to see as many titles as possible, with the understanding that a majority of “critic proof” commercial fare such as Alvin and the Chipmunks 3 or New Year’s Eve would go unseen. Beginning in 2012, this site will have a monthly “Watch List” of titles to be reviewed. The Watch List previews will replace the usual “Most Anticipated” and contain a listing of both theatrical and video (DVD and Blu-ray) titles that will be featured in review during the coming month. Most will be chosen purely out of taste or their importance within the greater film/pop-culture community, but some will be reviewed out of a sense of obligation (for example, I’ve seen the other three Underworld movies, so I may as well see the forth one). This decision, and the pointed reduction of titles to be reviewed, was ostensibly made to allow more time for entries into The Definitives and Re(focused)views, as well as other features planned to debut in 2012.

So here it is: the first Watchlist not only of 2012 but ever on this site. That said, there’s very little in January than I’m genuinely excited for. Soderbergh’s Haywire looks intriguing, while typical January dumping ground titles like Contraband and One for the Money induce little more than a shrug. With such forgettable garbage hitting theaters, here’s hoping audiences instead seek out the plethora of titles released in the last weeks of 2011, which are all still in theaters and hoping to generate awards buzz. Before you see any of the titles detailed below, check out The Adventures of Tintin, The Artist, Carnage, A Dangerous Method, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Hugo, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Shame, and War Horse.

In the meantime, I’ll be reviewing the below films to let you know what to filter out of your movie-watching schedule. For a complete list of upcoming releases and their respective movie trailers, visit the Calendar.

Brian Eggert
brian@deepfocusreview.com
(January 1, 2012)

January 3:

The Guard (Blu-ray and DVD)
Theatrical Trailer

Distributed last year in limited release, The Guard went unseen by much of the general public, myself included. But this directorial debut of John Michael McDonagh, brother of playwright and In Bruges helmer Martin McDonagh, makes its first appearance on DVD and Blu-ray on January 3. Brendan Gleeson (28 Days Later) gives an acclaimed performance as a bigoted Irish cop whose amorality confronts a straight-arrow FBI agent, played by Don Cheadle (Ocean’s Eleven), during an investigation into an international drug ring. Liam Cunningham and Mark Strong also star. Although this wasn’t the sleeper hit that In Bruges was, if the untried McDonagh brother proves to be anything like Martin, the result will be acerbic yet hilarious.

 

January 13:

Contraband
Theatrical Trailer

An English-language remake of Icelandic director Óskar Jónasson’s Reykjavik-Rotterdam, the Mark Wahlberg-produced actioner Contraband finds Marky Mark going up against drug lords (led by Giovanni Ribisi) to protect his brother-in-law (Caleb Landry Jones). When the drug lords kidnap Wahlberg’s wife (Kate Beckinsale), he teams with his nutty pal (Ben Foster) to execute a dangerous rescue. J.K. Simmons, Lucas Haas, and Diego Luna also make appearances. The results look like everything you’d expect based on that description: gunfire, car chases, explosions, etc. Baltasar Kormákur, who produced the original version, directs this opportunity for Wahlberg to once again prove to everyone that he’s a badass.

 

January 20:

Haywire
Theatrical Trailer

In addition to what was already written on the 2012 Movie Preview about Steven Soderbergh’s Haywire, I’ve read that MMA fighter and the film’s star Gina Carano intimidated more than one of the film’s actors. The articles I’ve read haven’t said who exactly was scared off, but her fight scenes with Ewan McGregor, Channing Tatum, and Michael Fassbender no doubt gave these actors some second thoughts about getting their butts kicked by a professional (and thusly caused reshoots). If she suddenly forgot to pull her punch for the scene, someone might’ve ended up with a broken jaw. Fortunately, that didn’t happen, but the fact that she’s a bona fide fighter will make the proceedings all the more intense—far more so than if Zoe Saldana or some other actress filled the role. Thank you, Mr. Soderbergh, for injecting a little realism into your spy-themed actioner.

Underworld: Awakening
Theatrical Trailer

Out of a sense of obligation. That’s the only reason I’m seeing Underworld: Awakening. I’ve seen and reviewed the other three and now this vampire/werewolf saga continues, so I must review this one. The third and previous entry in this franchise was the best yet, a prequel featuring strong performances from thesps Michael Sheen and Bill Nighy. But Awakening, directed by Måns Mårlind and Björn Stein, returns Kate Beckinsale to her black leather getup, even though she had already left the franchise to pursue other avenues. Those avenues turned into dead ends (see Everybody’s Fine and Whiteout), as she’s once again shooting up monsters—and this time in 3D. Stephen Rea and Charles Dance join the cast. The plot involves a group of humans out to destroy the two vampire/werewolf factions.

January 27:

The Grey
Theatrical Trailer

One can’t help but think of Frozen when watching the trailer for The Grey, from the cold climate to fuzzy threats. Liam Neeson stars as a member of an oil drilling team whose plane crashes in the Alaskan wilderness, a locale beautifully shot by the looks of it. Their journey out of the wild finds them stalked by a pack of man-eating wolves. Neeson reteams with director Joe Carnahan (The A-Team) for an actioner that appears to have some emotional substance behind it. At least, I hope so. Although “Liam Neeson: Action Hero” is clearly in attendance, with any luck Neeson will do more than punch wolves with glass-covered gloves, and perhaps remind us that he’s talented beyond his post-Taken typecast role.

Man on a Ledge
Theatrical Trailer

Man on a Ledge looks like an inside-out version of Inside Man. Sam Worthington plays a supposed suicide case standing on a ledge, threatening to jump. As Worthington’s character creates a distraction, his accomplice (Jamie Bell) infiltrates a nearby safe to rob a crooked businessman (Ed Harris) of a massive diamond, one obtained illegally. This well-rounded cast also features Elizabeth Banks, Anthony Mackie, Kyra Sedgwyck, Edward Burns, and William Sadler. It looks like a capably made thriller from first-time fiction director Asger Leth (helmer of the documentary Ghosts of Cité Soleil), but will no doubt lack the assured style of Spike Lee’s take on the same material. Incidentally, Lee has officially given up on a sequel to Inside Man; consider this film its replacement.

 

Rampart
Theatrical Trailer

L.A. Confidential and Dark Blue writer James Ellroy wrote the gritty L.A. cop drama Rampart, director Oren Moverman’s followup to The Messenger. All kinds of awards talk has centered on Woody Harrelson’s performance as a corrupt cop, what the trailer calls “The most corrupt cop you’ve ever seen on screen.” That’s a bold statement. Unless Harrelson is smoking crack, forcing himself on perps at gunpoint, and cutting off the air flow to an elderly woman’s oxygen, that title belongs to either Harvey Keitel in Bad Lieutenant or Nicolas Cage in Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans. But I digress. Harrelson’s performance, the reason to see this film, is supported by Ben Foster, Robin Wright Penn, Sigourney Weaver, Ice Cube, Steve Buscemi, Cynthia Nixon, Ned Beatty, and Anne Heche. Okay, so there are several reasons to see this film…