BAM's Blog winter/spring film round-up

“Green Zone”

From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.

Bright spots accent field of late winter, spring film offerings

Unfortunately for film fans disposed to the wintertime blahs, movie seasons tend to mimic the natural seasons of the year.

After the colorful glory and good cheer of the fall and holiday awards-worthy releases, Hollywood settles into its winter dormancy, with only the occasional great film popping up amid the dull castoffs and leftovers from more robust seasons. As spring nears, the movies steadily become brighter and more promising.

Fortunately, this winter and spring features several potential bright spots cropping up like hopeful daffodils, including Martin Scorsese’s thriller “Shutter Island,” Tim Burton’s vivid version of “Alice in Wonderland” and the Oscar-caliber remake of “The Wolfman.”

As you peruse the list of this season’s film choices, remember that movie studios often shift release dates, so check your local listings before heading to the theater.

“Crazy Heart”

Today

Jeff Bridges won a Golden Globe and is considered an Oscar front-runner for his amazing turn as a washed-up country singer in “Crazy Heart.”

In “Edge of Darkness,” Mel Gibson plays a cop desperately trying to track his daughter’s killers.

During a trip to Italy, an unlucky-in-love New Yorker (Kristen Bell) suddenly attracts several potential beaus when she snatches coins from a magical fountain in “When in Rome”

Feb. 5

A soldier (Channing Tatum) and a college student (Amanda Seyfried) find their love tested by war in the romantic drama “Dear John,” based on a Nicholas Sparks novel.

Despite the title, “From Paris With Love” isn’t a romance but an actioner about a young embassy employee (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) who works with an FBI agent (John Travolta) to prevent a terrorist attack in Paris.

“The Wolfman”

Feb. 12

Oscar winner Benicio Del Toro takes on the hairy and harrowing title role in “The Wolfman,” which also stars Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt and Hugo Weaving.

An all-star cast including Jessica Alba, Bradley Cooper and Anne Hathaway plays interrelated Los Angeles residents dealing with love and heartache around “Valentine’s Day.”

In “Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief,” based on the children’s books by Rick Riordan, a teen (Logan Lerman) learns he is the son of the god Poseidon (Kevin McKidd) and sets out to settle a feud between his father and other Greek deities.

“Shutter Island”

Feb. 19

Director Martin Scorsese reunites with star Leonardo DiCaprio for his latest thriller, about a pair of U.S. marshals (DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo) investigating the disappearance of a killer (Emily Mortimer) from the menacing mental institute on “Shutter Island.”

Feb. 26

Kevin Smith (“Clerks”) directs Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan as police partners hunting a rare and valuable baseball card in the comedy “Cop Out.”

Hollywood again destroys the world in “The Crazies,” about a toxin that turns the mild-mannered residents of an Iowa hamlet into, well, crazies.

“Alice in Wonderland”