This Oscar-nominated production merely explores one thing about the late choreographer: her legacy. Although Bausch may be well-known to those who have studied dance intricately, the name is likely an unfamiliar one to other viewers.

I didn’t know anything about her until I was invited to the film’s screening.  That being said, “Pina” delivers on what it attempts to do– it is an honorable and well-filmed tribute to a woman who changed the lives of so many of her students.

The history of the production of “Pina” is quite compelling. According to the film’s website, director Wim Wenders originally planned to make a movie about the dancer and the work she was doing, and Bausch fully approved the production. That film– a story about her ongoing work– was canceled when she died unexpectedly during pre-production.

But the end of that film begot the beginning of another– one that honored the legacy of the late dancer.

“Pina” focuses on how Bausch influenced and supported the dancers she instructed. Some of these dancers speak directly to the camera about her style and approach. “She suddenly gave me a way to express myself,” one dancer notes. After the individual interviews, these same dancers are seen through physical movements onstage and off, using routines that Pina worked on with them.

What’s interesting though is how the interviews are set up. Viewers will see the individual dancer’s and hear their voices but their mouths are not moving onscreen. A voice-over is heard instead. The concept emphasizes the fact that this isn’t a story about dancers.  These performers aren’t important– at least in this film– for who they are. They are important for what they do when they are exploring their art in the public sphere.

Early on, some of these dancers are seen in a little dollhouse practicing their art, and that scene framed the entire movie for me. “Pina” makes it feel like the identities of these performers only exist when they are doing what they love. And their ability to perform so gracefully was due to the hard work and dedication of their instructor.

As one dancer states, Pina “combined fragility and strength” and it shows as these dancers elegantly perform their interesting and thought-provoking routines.

Admittedly, “Pina” starts slowly and in one scene- where dancers take turns staring into the eyes of a Michael Bolton look-alike– viewers may question where the movie is headed. Once the story’s pace becomes clearer,  viewers– especially those interested in the subject– will likely be entertained.

Regardless of its pace and the fact that no clear narrative defines it, “Pina” is a fine documentary about a woman who supported so many of her students. The film does go on unnecessarily with a running time of an hour and 43 minutes. It would have been better served if it had been cut down to a concise 80 minutes.

But for dance lovers and people interested in the field, “Pina” is a must-see. For others, it offers a glimpse into the serious world of dance and a woman who inspired so many to perform.

With no major stars to speak of and a cast that wouldn’t fill up a small elevator, this old-fashioned ghost story is definitely worth a look.

Written and directed by Ti West (“The House of the Devil”), the movie offers a familiar setting in an old, nearly-abandoned hotel. The creepy building is scheduled to close at the end of the weekend so only two employees remain on the property. Sara Paxton and Pat Healy play Claire and Luke, the two final staffers who are taking  turns working at the front desk. Claire is an inquisitive woman bent on finding out if the hotel is really haunted—as legend suggests—while Luke is a carefree slacker hoping for a relaxing weekend.

The weekend starts out slow with only one room booked—a woman trying to escape her husband with her child in tow. Eventually, an aging actress played by Kelly McGillis checks in as well. And an older man arrives late in the film to serve as the hotel’s last guest.

But other than those people, the cast is filled up with extras and a few minor characters here and there.

That small cast is one of the film’s greatest assets. Instead of a large group of characters being killed off one by one, “The Innkeepers” settles for only a few folk the inn’s ghost can take turns terrifying. Even before the ghosts appear, the characters– especially Claire and Luke– are well-established.

Paxton makes for a compelling and likable leading lady. It’s easy to empathize with her when a trip to the local coffee shop goes awry and she is left without a drink. It’s also easy to understand where she’s coming from in terms of her investigation into the inn’s paranormal guests. The hotel is closing, and this is her last chance to find out whether or not the ghost really exists.

And the suspense built up in this story is real. I wasn’t on the edge of my seat but there was a knot in my stomach as I wondered what was going to happen next. From a creepy basement visit with the ghost to a scene where the aging actress warns Claire about the spirit world, this movie is slow but tantalizing.

“I’m just here for one last bit of nostalgia,” the hotel’s final visitor says, a nod to why the film works so well. It’s a nostalgic film that should remind viewers of what suspense really feels like.

Suspense isn’t watching a man getting hacked into pieces. It’s watching a woman realize that she’s in too deep when she starts asking too many questions about paranormal activity. And that what “The Innkeepers” delivers.

That’s one of the many lines the screenwriters use to show off the cold personality of Rachel Kramer (Drew Barrymore) in the new film, “Big Miracle.” Adapted from the nonfiction book “Freeing the Whales” by Thomas Rose, “Miracle” presents Kramer as a hardcore Greenpeace activist who is unwilling to watch three whales die when they are trapped five miles inland in northern Alaska.

Unfortunately, the heavy-handed script — full of obnoxious lines like the one above — and Barrymore’s poor performance undercut what could have been a decent family film.

The story revolves around three whales trapped in the middle of an icy landscape. The magnificent creature need pockets of unfrozen land to breathe and none exist around them, so they are forced to remain in a little hole that could freeze up at any time. That is until a reporter named Adam Carlson (John Krasinki) brings the story to a local television network.

His report receives worldwide attention because– it turns out–Tom Brokaw has “a thing for whales.“ Brokaw includes the report on a national newscast and soon enough, members of the media are swarming Alaska to save three whales that would have died otherwise.

Throughout the film, the tree-hugging Kramer gets everything that she asks for because she plays the media against every political or business leader she can. When an oil man– played by an under-used Ted Danson– gets a permit to drill, Kramer interrupts the proceedings with a bullhorn. When the Alaskan governor doesn’t want to send in the national guard, Kramer criticizes him publicly for hating whales. But both the oil tycoon and the governor do what they can — putting lives in danger and money at risk — to save these three whales.

Even the Reagan administration comes in to help save the day. A White House staffer named Nancy Meyers swoops in to lend the president’s support to the cause. It seems that with George H.W. Bush running for president, Reagan wants to gain more admiration for his administration’s environmental record.

With all of this support from the unusual suspects, Kramer still isn’t happy. When it looks like — despite everyone’s best effort — the whales are going to die, Kramer has a plan. She tells a group of people who are helping her and trying to save the whales that if they die, she is going to tell the media that “Ronald Reagan killed those whales.”

Seriously. She says that.

And that’s the problem. Barrymore’s character is a shrill, obnoxious demagogue. And she’s the story’s hero. She’s the one we’re supposed to root for. Everyone else– the oil tycoon, the Reagan administration, even Carlson– are using the whale story for their own benefit. But Kramer is seen as simply trying to do the right thing.

Of course, if none of those other characters supported the endeavor, the whales would have died. But that doesn’t matter much to the film’s screenwriters.

It should be said that there are a few nice moments in the film. When the film’s environmental bias becomes too overt, there is a great scene where the Reagan administration official notes that Greenpeace is using the publicity from this story to rake in donations while the administration is taking major risks in taking on this case. Also, there’s a scene where Kramer tells McGraw that he isn’t as easy to hate as she thought. More anecdotes like that could have created a more stirring narrative and balanced out the story.

Unfortunately, Kramer’s character is too annoying to earn our sympathies. It’s hard to root for a character who is so manipulative and cold.

It turns out “Big Miracle” isn’t a miracle after all.

That sentiment leads escaped convict Nick (Sam Worthington) onto the ledge of the 21st floor of a New York hotel in the new thriller, “Man on a Ledge.” The former inmate is trying to prove his innocence in front of the police and a national media watching his every move. The concept sounds like “The Fugitive” on a skyscraper. but the film is so mundane and lifeless Dr. Richard Kimble himself might have asked for an autopsy.

Over the past ten years, the young actor has played supporting roles in several major films and starred in one of the most acclaimed mini-series of the past decade. One of his first juicy roles occurred in 2003 when he played Chase Edmunds, a CTU agent working under the tutelage of Jack Bauer on “24.”

In 2010, Dale played a lead in the HBO mini-series, “The Pacific.” Since then, he has acted in “The Conspirator,” headlined a television program called “Rubicon” and starred alongside Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan in the critically-acclaimed film “Shame.”

His latest project, “The Grey,” finds Dale facing his own mortality alongside Oscar-nominee Liam Neeson. I recently had a chance to talk to Dale about his emotional scene in the new thriller, his work on “The Pacific” and the Oscar nomination that never arrived for Fassbender.

“The Grey,” which is based on Ian MacKenzie Jeffers’ short story “Ghost Walker,” focuses on a group of plane crash survivors who are stranded in the Alaskan wilderness and must face off against a group of ravaging wolves. The story shows these men facing their own mortality as both the wolves and the cold temperatures attack them mercilessly.

Dale told me that “fell in love with [the script] right away” and thought it was a “very strong piece of writing.” He added that he made director Joe Carnahan an audition tape and put down every character in the film because he was so intent on being in this film.

His biggest scene in the thriller is an emotional one where he faces Neeson after their plane has crashed. But Dale joked that the intense scene was easier to film with Neeson there. “You just stare into Liam’s big baby blues and everything blows away,” he said.

To prepare for the scene and at Dale’s request, Carnahan—who enjoys playing music on set—played the song “Simple Are the Ways We Say Goodbye” from the musical “Nine.” “That song was a big part of my life growing up from watching my mother onstage,” the actor said. “It was also the song we played at my mother’s funeral.” He added that the “song is a goodbye song to me” and “helped set the tone” for the scene.

Dale also spoke to me about his role as Pfc. Robert Lackie in the Emmy-winning “The Pacific.”

“No job will ever be like that again,” he said, adding that “nothing could prepare us for what we were thrown into on that job.” The cast, he noted, are still close and are planning to meet for a reunion in a couple of weeks.

I also spoke to Dale about his role in last year’s critically-acclaimed film “Shame,” which co-starred Fassbender and Carey Mulligan. I asked the young actor what he thought about Fassbender—who many critics believed gave one of the performances of the year—being denied an Oscar nomination for his performance.

“I was shocked. I was surprised,” he noted as if he had just heard the news. “Michael Fassbender is one of the most concentrated specific actors I’ve ever worked with, and he can tell a story with a look,” Dale said. But Dale thinks that Fassbender has a long career ahead of him. It’s “definitely not the only performance people are going to be talking about in his career.”

The same can be said for Dale, who may not be a household name yet but who—if he continues choosing his roles carefully—could be one soon enough.

“The Grey” arrives in theaters nationwide today.

The film tells the story  of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first all African-American flight unit in the United States military. The men and women–yes, there were female “Tuskegee Airmen”–who served in this unit were incredible individuals who overcame racism and the brutal intensity of war to become heroes during World War II.  Their story and the obstacles they overcame to become legendary figures in history, however, isn’t captured well in this patriotic but ultimately unremarkable film.

Directed by Anthony Hemingway, the story focuses on the group of young warriors eager for their chance to fight. Ambitious pilots like Marty “Easy” Julian (Nate Parker), Joe “Lightning” Litte (David Oyelowo) and Ray “Junior” Gannon (Tristan Wilds) compose this energetic and idealistic unit. These soldiers don’t focus on the racism that has held them back. They spend their time training and dreaming about getting their chance to shine. They want an opportunity to serve their country in epic battles but are repeatedly passed over for major assignments.

Their supervisors aren’t satisfied with their missions, either. Played by Terrence Howard and Cuba Gooding Jr., Colonel A.J. Bullard and Major Emanuelle Stance want their unit to have a chance to prove itself. While Stance is their overseas commanding officer, Bullard is their D.C. liaison and must continually battle against the racist sensibilities of the scowling and perpetually displeased Colonel William Mortamus (“Breaking Bad’s” Bryan Cranston).

In one well-done scene, the two argue about the unit, and Bullard tells the Colonel that he respects Mortamus’ uniform and rank but nothing more. That speaks volumes about the racism that these airmen encountered. They were asked to serve military leaders who often looked down on them and disrespected them. But the airmen served them knowing that they were serving their country above everything else.

Both Howard and Gooding Jr. bring gravitas to their roles and when they speak to their young underlings, it’s like watching them teaching the young actors about the craft. These actors have been here before—they both portrayed Tuskegee Airmen in earlier films—and they show that they have something to teach the young ones, both onscreen and off with their strong grasp of their roles.

What’s most unfortunate about this movie are the missions themselves, which are anti-climactic and underwhelming. Considering the fact that George Lucas—the visionary behind “Star Wars”—served as an executive producer on this project, one would expect exciting scenes of air combat. We get glimpses of that here but nothing remarkable. The battles are often too short and too easily won. The Tuskegee Airmen fought and prevailed through difficult battles, but “Red Tails” never offers the true urgency of such aerial assaults.

I only wish that the movie would have captured their heroism more eloquently. “Red Tails” is undoubtedly patriotic in its appreciation for the military–something that audiences don’t often see at the cineplex–but the film never captures the imagination of viewers in the same way that other war movies have done with well-executed battle sequences and strong visual effects.

Movies like this should be thrilling for the audience, but “Tails” settles for something less. It tells a inspiring true story but never captures the magnitude of what these brave pilots accomplished.

The patriotic film tells the story of the heroic airmen and how that first unit of African-American pilots fought valiantly for the United States during World War II.

Gooding Jr. was one of the many people who participated in interviews in Washington D.C. to promote the film. Alongside several actors from the film, director Anthony Hemingway and Dr. Roscoe Brown– a member of the actual Tuskegee Airmen– were there to talk about the production.

The actors said “Red Tails” executive producer George Lucas—who personally gave $100 million dollars to get this film made—came to the story with one overall mission. He wanted to make a movie about heroes– not victims– and he informed the cast that before the production began. During the process of making this feature, the creator of “Star Wars” was confronted with obstacles that stood in his way, including the reluctance of studios to finance a film with an all-black cast.

Such difficulties, however, didn’t include a reluctant cast.

Gooding, for one, noted how excited he was to participate in this project that honors some of the heroes of World War II.

“This is my love letter to the Armed Forces, no matter what branch you’re in. No matter what gender or race or creed,” the Oscar-winner says.

Gooding added that he enjoys playing veterans on the big screen and he has portrayed them in films like “Pearl Harbor,” “Men of Honor” and the HBO movie, “The Tuskegee Airmen.”

The opportunity in this case was bringing a story forward that many young people are not familiar with today. And instead of relying on news accounts of the airmen, the production enlisted the support of several actual members of the Tuskegee Airmen, including Brown himself.

Brown had been trying to make a film about the Tuskegee Airmen for more than 30 years, and Lucas helped bring his vision into life. These airmen were involved in the process throughout the filming.

“There were four [actual Tuskegee Airman] on the site every day and they were telling their story to us,” Gooding says.

Brown sought to make sure the film was historically accurate and the finished product has now earned the support and admiration of several prominent public officials. In addition to Obama’s screening of the film, former President George H. W. Bush saw the film with his wife, Barbara. Their reaction was complimentary, to say the least. As director Hemingway noted, “We were in Houston and George Sr. and Barbara Bush was there. She walked out balling…She was so moved by the film.” He added that they have requested a copy of the film to show their son, former President George W. Bush.

The story of the Tuskegee Airmen is one that should be told time and time again. It is a story about heroes fighting for our nation despite the racism they encountered during World War II. As actor Terrence Howard noted, this film should have been called “American Red Tails” because this is an American story. Of patriotism. Of honor. And of respect for the military who serve this nation so boldly through times of war.

Here’s a look at the big winners and losers of the evening.

Oscar Contenders

Winners: “The Artist” and The Descendants”
Both films are likely to be major Oscar contenders, and both left the Globes with renewed momentum. “The Artist” collected awards for best comedy or musical, best actor (Jean Dujardin) and best score. Meanwhile, “The Descendants” collected two awards: best actor in a drama (George Clooney) and best drama. Their wins likely foreshadow their future success at the Academy Awards and could lead to more moviegoers checking out these two smaller films.

Losers: “Moneyball” and “The Ides of March”
Despite the fact that it was nominated for four awards, “Moneyball” walked home with zero awards. Even Aaron Sorkin (“The Social Network”), Steve Zaillian (“Schindler’s List”) and Stan Chervin didn’t win for their brilliant screenplay. Woody Allen took home the award for best screenplay for his wonderful comedy, “Midnight in Paris.” “Ides of March,” the political thriller directed and co-written by George Clooney, also went 0-4 during the evening but Clooney didn’t leave the show empty-handed (see winners).

Acceptance Speeches:

Winner: Michelle Williams (“My Week with Marilyn”)
Michelle Williams took home the award for best actress in a comedy or musical for her wonderful performance in “My Week with Marilyn.” Williams, who deserves an Oscar for her portrayal of Marilyn Monroe, gave an excellent and heartfelt acceptance speech. She thanked her family and noted that she considers herself “a mother first and an actress second.” She also showed her distinct humility by talking about how thankful she was that the Hollywood foreign press put in “my hands the same award that Marilyn Monroe won” more than 50 years earlier.

Loser: Meryl Streep (“The Iron Lady”)
Yes, Streep walked out with the award for best actress in a drama for her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher in “The Iron Lady,” but her speech was a mess. For some of it, her words were bleeped out and the other parts weren’t much better as she attempted to name all of the other nominees in her category. Plus, conservatives were outraged on Twitter afterwards because Streep didn’t thank the Iron Lady herself, Margaret Thatcher. Streep did, however, thank the people of England who “let me tramp all over their history,” an odd note to strike when talking about portraying their nation’s former prime minister.

Award Show Humor

Winner: Ricky Gervais
One of the most controversial aspects of the Golden Globes was its host. Many predicted he would make a lot of jokes at the expense of the Hollywood stars and starlets in the audience. With celebrities prepared for it this time, the room seemed more comfortable with Gervais’ act and he made a few great pointed jokes about the Globes and the network they aired on. He followed that up by making another joke about Johnny Depp’s film, “The Tourist.” He asked Depp himself if the actor had seen the film, one of the funniest moments of the evening. Depp admitted that he hadn’t.

Loser: Seth Rogen
Rogen, whose film “50/50” garnered two nominations, was one of the presenters at the Golden Globes. Having earned more credibility as a serious actor for his performance in that film, he could have used this opportunity to present himself as a mature actor willing to walk away from his sophomoric past. Instead, he used his turn at the mic to make a lackluster joke about being sexually aroused standing next to Kate Beckinsale.

A few other winners and losers made the night worth watching. The new Showtime series “Homeland” was a huge winner, taking home awards for best drama and best actress in a drama (Claire Danes). Also, Christopher Plummer and Octavia Spencer were big winners as well, taking home the awards for best supporting actor and actress for their work in “Beginners” and “The Help.” In a surprise win, Oscar winner Martin Scorsese  took home the award for best director for “Hugo.” Conservative actor Kelsey Grammer also emerged as a big winner, taking home the award for best actor in a drama for his work on the Starz  drama “Boss.”

However, the ceremony’s highlight for me might have been Morgan Freeman taking home the Cecil B. Demille Award. Speaking eloquently about his career and graciously about presenters Helen Mirren and Sidney Poitier, Freeman was a class act.

It’s not often that an actor is so impressive when he doesn’t have a script, but Freeman seemed genuine and gracious in accepting the award. Watching him speak was the best part of a satisfying but sometimes underwhelming– I still wish Albert Brooks had won for “Drive”– Golden Globes ceremony.

The film stars Oscar winners Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz, and Jodie Foster and co-stars Oscar nominee John C. Reilly. Aside from a brief scene at its beginning and end, a cameo from the director and a few voices heard over the phone, those four constitute the film’s entire cast.

Its story focuses on two sets of parents who come together to discuss a fight between their sons. Reilly and Foster play Michael and Penelope Longstreet, the parents of the victim in the fight, while Waltz and Winslet play Alan and Nancy Cowan, the assailant’s parents. The concept is simple: these four parents spend the film discussing the incident that left the Longstreet’s son with two teeth knocked out of his mouth and several facial abrasions.

What’s interesting about “Carnage” is how that confrontation becomes so meaningless during the course of this film’s short running time -  eighty-nine minutes. The fight between the boys was simply that: a fight between two boys. It was simple and easy to analyze.

The battle between the four adults about the incident and its aftermath is not so easily understood.

While children fight with sticks, these parents use more impressive weapons. Penelope engages in battle with her rhetorically-elitist mindset. She uses loaded language like “deliberately,” “armed” and “disfigured” to stupefy the opposing parents. Nothing is simple with her. A short remark from her can carry the rhetorical ammunition of a dozen men.

On the other hand, Michael is a laid-back fellow who sells hardware for a living. He’s easy to get along with and very accommodating to the two guests. But he does have an angry side to him, a deviousness in him. When he became annoyed with the family hamster, he left it on the street to die without telling his wife or children.

The Cowans are more agreeable than the Longstreet’s but no less restrained as the story proceeds. Nancy is refined and kind, except when pushed. Alan, on the other hand, is a previously-divorced businessman who has no qualms about calling his own son a “maniac.”

If watching a character study of four people arguing doesn’t appeal to it, I would suggest you avoid this movie. It is, however, an intriguingly verbose film about the battles that we engage in as adults that aren’t so different from the playground fights that children participate in.

“Carnage,” as an experiment in filmmaking, might not have worked in the hands of a lesser filmmaker. Polanski, though, does a fine job with it taking a simple story about the relationship between these four adults and adding complex levels to it. There are times when the plot meanders and several silly occasions when the Cowans almost leave but never actually do. Overall, though, “Carnage” is a thoughtful and intelligent film abut the battles we engage in.

Battles that can do more damage than a simple jab from an “armed” teenage assailant.

I hadn’t seen the original “Beast” in more than a decade, but the movie remains as wondrous as ever. “Beast” tells the story of a unique and beautiful woman named Belle (Paige O’ Hara), who lives in a small town with her eccentric father (Rex Everhart). She’s considered weird by the townspeople who look down at her tendency to read books and a father who spends his days inventing new contraptions. When her father is imprisoned by a monstrous beast (Robby Benson), Belle switches places with her dad and moves into a castle with the beast.

The beast, however, is more complex than she originally presumed. He previously was a good-looking man who had a curse placed upon him when he denied an ugly woman entry into his home because of her looks. Eventually, Belle and the beast start falling in love despite his outwardly appearance.

The castle that the two live in is also full of wondrous supporting characters, including a talkative candlestick named Lumiere (Jerry Orbach) and a gentlemanly clock named Gaston (Richard White). These and other delightful characters help carry the story along. Angela Lansbury, of course, should be singled out for her delightful turn as a tea kettle named Mrs. Potts, who wants to give Belle a lovely home to live in.

It’s difficult to over-appreciate this classic film, which features a wonderful message about seeing the true beauty in people. The love story is wonderfully-told and the main characters are fully realized. Aside from that, the film’s vibrant colors are wonderful to behold, and the 3-D only adds to that. The new effects are more subtle than the typical 3-D effects where objects come flying off the screen.

The music remains one of the film’s main selling points. The soundtrack is phenomenal. From the exciting lyrics of “Be Our Guest” to the calm melodies of the title track, this film captures many of the reasons why Disney films are often a magical experience. Listening to the title song in the middle of the film actually gave me goosebumps.

“Beauty and the Beast” remains a Disney classic for many reasons. It may be a simple story that children can understand, but its themes and its presentation are magical. It’s no wonder that this film remains a modern-day classic.