cinema chat: Another Sundance treat, and the week's new releases

“Bilal’s Stand” was chosen by Sundance for its “Next” film category. This new competitive category features 8 American films picked for their innovative and original work in low or no-budget filmmaking. “Bilal’s Stand” is about a Muslim high-school senior who juggles his dysfunctional family, their taxi stand and an ice carving contest in his secret attempt to land a college scholarship.

I spoke with screenwriter and director Sharrief in California as he was tweaking the film in preparation for its Sundance premiere. He is understandably excited and very overwhelmed — with work as well as from calls of congratulations from film industry folks and his long list of acquaintances. His work to get the film ready for Sundance is intense, but he was very pleased that Sundance Film Festival Director John Cooper encouraged him to show the film at the Michigan Theater on January 31 — which is actually the day of the awards ceremony and closing day of the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Tickets for this special Sundance Film Festival USA screening of “Bilal’s Stand” at the Michigan Theater are available at Ticketweb. Midnight fun

At last year’s Sundance Film Festival, the most fun I had was at the screening of a spoof on 1970s era Blaxploitation films. The film “Black Dynamite” will be shown on Saturday, January 16 at 11:59 p.m. at the State Theatre. “Black Dynamite” is a tall tale about an African-American action legend called Black Dynamite. The evil protagonist, “The Man,” killed Black Dynamite’s brother, pumped heroin into the local orphanages and flooded the ghetto with adulterated malt liquor. Black Dynamite was the one hero willing to fight “The Man” all the way from the blood-soaked city streets to the hallowed halls of the Honky House. This silly film is laugh-out-loud fun; stay up late and see it! Films opening this weekend

“The Maid” opens at the Michigan on Friday. NPR and Los Angeles Times critic Kenneth Turan raves, “‘The Maid’ has that particular gift of leaving you off balance in the best possible way, and whenever something like that comes around you owe it to yourself to check it out.” This Spanish-language film by the young director Sebastián Silva is about Raquel, a dedicated but dour — and, as it turns out, manipulative — maid for the Valdes family. She has worked for the family for 23 years, but feels threatened when they hire another maid to help her. She does not like the help and decides to antagonizes the new employee with juvenile tricks. Funny and odd, “The Maid” is a humorous examination of loyalty, family dynamics and duty.

“The Spy Next Door” stars Jackie Chan as a former CIA spy who takes on his toughest assignment: looking after his girlfriend's three kids. When one of the youngsters accidentally downloads a top-secret formula, this retired agent’s longtime nemesis, a Russian terrorist, pays a visit to the family. Critics are not amused: “It's a sad day for Jackie Chan fans when the action-comedy star is reduced to a vehicle as lame as The Spy Next Door,” wrote Lael Loewenstein of Variety.

“The Book of Eli” stars the amazing Denzel Washington as a lone man in a post-apocalyptic United States, who fights his way across the country in order to protect a sacred book that holds the secrets to saving humankind. The Hughes Brothers (Albert and Allen) are the writing/directing team on this film and although post-apocalypse themed films seem a bit too numerous this year, the Hughes brothers have the talent to create a winning film on the subject. However, the critics are divided: “A well-made post-apocalyptic action drama with simple themes and archetypal characters that strains a little too much at seriousness,” says Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter.

“The Lovely Bones” has some Oscar buzz, but the critical reception has been a bit chilly. “Jackson undermines solid work from a good cast with show-offy celestial evocations that severely disrupt the emotional connections with the characters,” writes Todd McCarthy in Variety. “The Lovely Bones” is directed by Oscar winner Peter Jackson, adapted from the Alice Sebold novel. After she is killed, young Susie Salmon (played by Saoirse Ronan, the young actress featured in “Atonement”) looks down from heaven on both her parents (played by Mark Wahlberg and Rachel Weisz) and her murderer. Critical consensus indicates that it is stuffed full of Peter Jackson's typically dazzling imagery, but it suffers from abrupt shifts between horrific violence and cloying sentimentality.

See you at the movies!

Russ Collins is executive director of the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor. Tune in to the audio version of “Cinema Chat” on WEMU radio (89.1-FM) each Thursday at 7:40 a.m. and 5:40 p.m., or listen to it online at WEMU's web site.