Safe House is a lot of talent doing a whole lot of nothing. It offers a familiar premise (rogue spy wants to prove its the good guys, not him, behind all the dirty work) and one of the most bankable stars on the planet (two time Oscar winner Denzel Washington). In support, such stellar performers as Sam Shephard, Vera Farmiga, and Brendan Gleeson make up for Ryan Reynolds’ lack of gravitas. But in a clear case of one element destroying all others, director Daniel Espinosa misconstrues the slow burn for suspense. Even worse, he believes that handheld camera work and long sequences of star close-ups can cover what is basically a middling idea. With its far too desaturated color scheme (the entire movie is made up of shades of beige) and the lack of legitimate investment, what should be a nail biter becomes a mere shoulder shrug.

Washington is Tobin Frost, a wanted man who the CIA believes has spent the last decade selling off US secrets to the highest bidder. When his latest deal goes pear-shaped, he ends up being captured and carted off to the title location, a South African apartment building run by low level pencil pusher Matt Weston (Reynolds). Before you can say “lack of chemistry,” some assassins show up and shoot the Bejesus out of the place. Frost and Weston escape, and then get chased by the same group of goons. Hoping for some help from the inside, they contact their connections in the government (Shepard, Farmiga, and Gleeson) and are instructed to proceed to another safe house. Along the way, Frost tries to tell Weston that he is being used by his superiors, but the novice agent just doesn’t want to believe it. When the attacks continue, it is clear that someone higher up is pulling the strings.

There is no yarn older than that of man vs. nature. It’s part of our ancestral make-up and homo sapien heritage. Aside from someone like Werner Herzog, who always turns these artistic explorations into something akin to man vs. his own nature, the story of survival is instinctual. It’s as much a part of our humanity as love…or hate. In his newest film, writer/director Joe Carnahan (collaborating with author Ian MacKenzie Jeffers) turns an existential eye on the whole one against the elements ideal…and for the most part, he succeeds. While audiences might be expecting a rollicking rollercoaster of action and thrills, The Grey actually builds from the inside out, focusing on the individual struggles of a group of plane crash survivors before bringing them face to face with a pack of ferocious wolves.

Our main hero is Liam Nesson, playing the plaintive John Ottway, a sullen man who is hired by an Alaskan oil refinery to maintain the safety of the staff. He does so with a high powered rifle, a gift for marksmanship, and a ‘nothing to lose’ attitude. There are hints of a great tragedy in his past, and like the rest of his coworkers, he considers himself an outcast in the regular world. A plane crash strands Ottway and about half dozen or so of his companions in the middle of the wintery tundra. Needing to move quickly to survive, they soon learn that they have landed in the middle of grey wolf hunting territory - and a particularly nasty pack consider them their new prey. Avoiding attack, frostbite, and hypothermia, the ragtag group try to distance themselves from the hungry animals. Sadly, they may not make it out of the situation alive.

Typical Americans - we just don’t get it. Like football (or as we refer to it, soccer), the Eurovision Song Contest, and any other purely continental item, the US shuns what the rest of the world embraces. This is especially true when it comes to entertainment. While Disney and the Looney Tunes seem to translate across borders, such specific comic book icons like Asterix and Obelix barely warrant recognition. The same can be said for Tintin, the ace boy reporter created by Georges Prosper Remi (under the pseudonym Herge). For over 50 years, this Belgian blockbuster appeared in more than 23 adventures, each meticulously plotted out and drawn by the author himself. For decades, fans have been eager to translate the titles into a more universal medium. While successful overseas, few of the TV/movie mash-ups have made a dent along the shores of the colony.

All of that should (hopefully) change with the stunning Steven Spielberg effort, The Adventures of Tintin. Based on 1943’s The Secret of the Unicorn and the follow-up, Red Rackman’s Treasure and utilizing the latest in cutting edge motion capture technology, the man responsible for such seminal popcorn blockbusters as Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T. The Extraterrestrial and Jurassic Park has teamed up with producer Peter Jackson to try and make this basic boys adventure tale accessible to those who otherwise may not care about the character and his legions of devotees. The results are a rollercoaster ride of thrills and spills, a true leap for the otherwise awkward animation type and proof that when visionaries sit behind the lens, anything can be turned into a wondrous work of art.

There are those who understand the importance and impact of the silent era in film - and there are those that don’t. Just like the individuals who dismiss the comedy of Charlie Chaplin or Buster Keaton as ‘crude’ or simplistic, or fail to see the genius behind the otherwise reactionary racism in D. W. Griffith, it’s generation and era-specific. For those who believe everything is better with technology, the old days of cinema contain minimal delights and even fewer insights. Forget the fascinating work of Lon Chaney or the sprawling spectacles of Cecil B. DeMille. It’s 3D and CGI for the digital dismissive. Into this clash between classicism and the contemporary comes The Artist. A old fashioned silent melodrama with a slight modern sensibility, it is being pitched as one of 2011’s best. While perhaps not that notable, it’s still an interesting experience.

We are introduced to fading star George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) as his latest swashbuckling epic, The Russian Affair, is opening to audience hysteria. During a premiere press op, a young girl named Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo) finds herself photographed with the actor. The next day, she’s the talk of the town - and the Valentin household, including George’s sullen, hateful wife (Penelope Ann Miller). When studio chief Al Zimmer (John Goodman) decides to stop making silents and hop on the “talkies” bandwagon, our hero is livid. He won’t have it. He quits and goes off to make his own movie. In the meantime, Peppy is primed as the company’s latest “It” girl and quickly becomes a national phenomenon. Sadly, George sees his solo effort flop and he becomes downtrodden and destitute. Naturally, fate will find a way to bring these two destined love birds together, that is, before tragedy strikes.

As one of the sage saints of post-modern cinema, Steven Spielberg has always been branded more commercial than creative. Even though his mainstream hits - Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jurassic Park - all have amazing aesthetic elements buried within them, it wasn’t until the Oscar-winning Schindler’s List that he was taken seriously as an artist. Since then, he’s continued to mix pop with prestige, hitting on a creative combination that sees him working within (Minority Report) and outside (A.I.: Artificial Intelligence) his considered comfort zone. After a three year absence from the silver screen, Spielberg has unleashed two new films on a wary (and waiting) public. One is the stop-motion thrill ride The Adventures of Tintin. The other is the somber WWI drama War Horse. Both are brilliant in their own ways.

The latter is based on a beloved children’s book and a famed stage production and centers around a poor farming family in Ireland. It is the eve of World War I and the Narracott brood - father Ted (Peter Mullan), mother Rose (Emily Watson) and son Albert (Jeremy Irvine) - are in deep debt to their leaseholder, Mr. Lyons (David Thewlis). Going to the local livestock auction, they hope to pick up a decent plow horse. But when parent and child see Joey, a magnificent steed made for racing, not work, they can’t resist. The decision puts them in even more trouble with their landlord.