Whoa, where did I go? Well, duty called for the last few weeks, and in my stead Joseph graciously stepped in for me to inform you all of January’s openings. For this week I’ll be able to “drink to the foam” as they say and preview the new releases for the last week of January to distract us from, ahem, some news that hit last Tuesday. Gadzooks, one of them might even be good:

Liam Neeson vs. the elements. A winning combination if ever I’ve heard one. Successfully reinventing himself as a kickass action star with Taken and capitalizing on that with mixed results in Unknown, Neeson’s struggle to survive the Alaskan wilderness after a plane crash looks to continue that formula. And why not? With so many blank-faced, talentless hunks headlining action pictures (but more on that in a minute), isn’t it nice to see audiences clamor for a cerebral, seasoned actor in these roles? Even better is that this film has been praised by critics as an almost unbearably intense survival thriller with surprising philosophical rigor. Its low-key marketing and extreme subject matter won’t make it a bonafide hit, but its star should propel it to the top of the box office with $13-18 million. Read more on Weekend Openings (January 27-29)…