Hey, Cineplex…  Steve Jobs has returned to Halifax, and now Amy. You moved The Big Short to Park Lane. How come we’re not seeing another Oscar-nominated picture Spotlight reopen and screening downtown? It was on one screen in Bayers Lake a while back… I know a lot of people who missed it during the first run who’d like to see it.

I am happy to see the Academy Award-nominated Son of Saul open locally. A powerful Hungarian film, it feels like the last word in Holocaust dramas. My full review is here.

A couple weeks back I posted about some of the movies opening in January, most of which I wasn’t looking forward to. Those films included The Finest Hours. The kind folks representing Disney read the piece and still sent me a ticket to the preview screening last week in Bayers Lake, despite my disparagement of the trailer.  I wish I could say I liked the movie. It’s a throwback to pictures we don’t see much anymore and don’t miss. You can read my less-than-glowing impression here.

I enjoyed the first Kung Fu Panda, the animated adventure  starring Jack Black as a rotund bear locating his inner Karate Kid, also starring the voice talents of Angelina Jolie, Ian McShane, Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, and Lucy Liu. Kung Fu Panda 2 remains unseen by me, but also features Gary Oldman, Michelle Yeoh, and Jean-Claude Van Damme, so that’s good. This third time at bat, Kung Fu Panda 3, adds the voices of Bryan Cranston, JK Simmons, and Kate Hudson.

Lazer Team is a rare thing—a crowdfunded feature film, which I understand is a science fiction action comedy. It comes from Texas-based videogame and video production company Rooster Teeth.

Marlon Wayans returns with a 50 Shades of Grey spoof, 50 Shades of Black. It can’t be worse than the original.