BIG MIRACLE (USA 2012) ***
Directed by Ken Kwapis

BIG MIRACLE is a feel good save the whales nature drama as well as a romantic comedy.  The film is based on the 1989 book Freeing the Whales by Tom Rose, which covers the true 1988 international effort to rescue 3 gray whales trapped in ice near Point Barrow in Alaska.

ALBERT NOBBS (Ireland 2011) ***
Directed by Rodrigo Garcia

ALBERT NOBBS is an entertaining enough gender bending drama about a woman taking the identity of a male ALBERT NOBBS in order to survive in poverty stricken world of the 19th century.

MOON POINT (USA 2011) **
Directed by Sean Cisterna

MOON POINT (the name of a place) is an extremely low budget feature made for the paltry sum of $1.25 million that begins a one-week special engagement run at the AMC, Toronto.

LE VENDEUR (Canada 2011) ****
Directed by Sebastien Pilote

LE VENDEUR (THE SALESMAN) begins with a slowly shot montage of a dead moose removed from a snow bordered road.  The scene, an important one in the film’s plot development is re-visited half way through the film.

THE WOMAN IN BLACK (UK 2011) ***
Directed by James Watkins

THE WOMAN IN BLACK is best known as London West End’s second longest play in history after MOUSETRAP.  The ghost story is based on the book written in 1983 by Susan Hill and had already been adapted into a TV movie.  I had seen the original play some 15 years ago in London but hardly remember anything of it except at how difficult it is to stage a scary ghost story without it being laughable.  The play succeeded.