Culture

The Watch List: 10 Fantastic February Film Releases

Reader’s Digest Canada

10 new releases worth watching this month.

1 / 10

1. Keeping Cool

Chasing Ice

Jeff Orlowski’s film-winner of the People’s Choice Award at last year’s Hot Docs-follows National Geographic photojournalist James Balog as he heads to the Arctic to document the effects of climate change on ancient ice formations. Vogue Theatre, Fernie, B.C., Feb. 4.

2 / 10

2. Great Danes

A Royal Affair

Who says the Brits have a monopoly on monarchical intrigue movies? Nikolaj Arcel directs this story of a reformist German doctor bending the ear, and eyeing the wife, of King Christian VII. Vernon Towne Theatre, Vernon, B.C., Feb. 4.

3 / 10

3. Behind Closed Doors

The Sessions

Character actor extraordinaire John Hawkes steps into the spotlight as a polio-stricken man who hires a professional sex surrogate (Helen Hunt) to help him lose his virginity. Galaxy Cinemas, Cambridge, Ont., Feb. 7.

4 / 10

4. To Russia, With Love

Anna Karenina

Tolstoy’s timeless tragedy comes to the big screen the way the author always intended, no doubt: with lavish dance numbers and Keira Knightley. Acadia Cinema, Wolfville, N.S., Feb. 3.

5 / 10

5. In Tune

A Late Quartet

This rousing drama starring Christopher Walken and Catherine Keener follows the members of a string quartet as they gear up for a performance of Beethoven that tests the limits of their playing-and their camaraderie. Chaba Theatre, Jasper, Alta., Feb. 7.

6 / 10

6. Back in the Cockpit

Top Gun 3-D

Tony Scott’s macho masterpiece zooms back into theatres in Imax 3-D-allowing viewers to experience, on the big screen, just how weird it is that Tom Cruise hasn’t aged since 1986. In theatres Feb. 8.

7 / 10

7. A Bitter Pill

Side Effects

Director Steven Soderbergh and People magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive, Channing Tatum, reteam after the magic that was Magic Mike. A different kind of witchcraft, this thriller is about a man released from prison who returns to a high-strung, medication-addled wife. In theatres Feb. 8.

8 / 10

8. Guitar Hero

Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet

This uplifting doc peers into the life of Jason Becker, a prolific heavy metal guitarist diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease. Undaunted, Becker has kept composing, thanks to a cleverly designed piece of computer software and an iron will. Second Street Theatre, Grande Prairie, Alta., Feb. 10.

9 / 10

9. Southern Comforts

Beautiful Creatures

Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl’s bestselling young adult novel about star-crossed teen lovers makes the leap to the big screen, with a cast rounded out by Viola Davis and Jeremy Irons. In theatres Feb. 13.

10 / 10

10. Uncivil Action

Bullet to the Head

Like Arnold Schwarzenegger, who made his big comeback in January’s The Last Stand, Sly Stallone returns to his gritty action roots, this time as a New Orleans hit man. In theatres Feb. 1.