What If, directed by Michael Dowse
(PG-13, 102 minutes)
A light, breezy and earnestly hard-working Canadian romantic comedy, enlivened with clever dialogue, in which medical school dropout Wallace (Daniel Radcliffe who, despite his practically lifelong identity as young wizard Harry Potter, is convincing as an ordinary guy), distressed because everyone he knows is having no trouble finding love, including his goofy roommate Allan (Adam Driver), decides to quit trying for a while.
Naturally, that’s when he encounters and befriends Chantry (Zoe Kazan), an adorable animator who lives with her boyfriend Ben (Rafe Spall). A beyond-friendship connection ensues. Now what? With Megan Park, Oona Chaplin.
Bonus features on Blu-ray include two deleted scenes along with four featurettes: an exploration of the film’s themes by the cast and filmmakers, comments from the cast and crew on the dynamics between Chantry and Wallace, an introduction of the entire cast, and a discussion about the film’s production.
Beyond the Edge (unrated, 93 minutes) The riveting story of New Zealand beekeeper Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, a Sherpa from Nepal, who became the first men to climb Mount Everest, is told in this thrilling, inspiring documentary with the use of original footage, photographs, newsreels and surprisingly effective dramatized reconstructions. Directed by Leanne Pooley.
The Giver (PG-13, 140 minutes) Critics weren’t overwhelmed by solemn, simplistic The Giver, in which young Jonas (Brenton Thwaites), who lives in a numb, peaceful world of conformity, spends time with the lone keeper of a community’s memories (Jeff Bridges). That’s when Jonas discovers that the serenity of his surroundings is in place in order to cover up a dark and violent past. Based on the young adult novel by Lois Lowry. With Meryl Streep, Taylor Swift, Katie Holmes; directed by Phillip Noyce.
A Merry Friggin’ Christmas (not rated, 88 minutes) Boyd Mitchler (Joel McHale), who’s planning to spend the holidays with his estranged family, realizes he has left all his son’s gifts at home. So he hits the road with his dad (Robin Williams, in one of the last movies he filmed before his death on Aug. 11) to make the eight-hour round trip to fetch the gifts before the sun rises. With Lauren Graham, Pierce Gagnon; directed by Tristram Shapeero.
The Expendables 3 (PG-13, 126 minutes) The third (and least entertaining) of the Expendables aging-action-hero series follows Barney (Sylvester Stallone), Christmas (Jason Statham) and the rest of the team as they encounter Conrad Stonebanks (Mel Gibson, the most watchable of the bunch), who, along with Barney, founded the Expendables years earlier. Having gone over to the criminal dark side, Stonebanks intends to bring an end to the Expendables once and for all. But Barney has other ideas. With Antonio Banderas, Wesley Snipes, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren; directed by Patrick Hughes and Selena Arizanovic.
November Man (R, 108 minutes) An unremarkable, predictable and often incoherent thriller in which former CIA agent Peter Devereaux (Pierce Brosnan), who has been taking it easy in Switzerland, does what all those other movie CIA guys do: He takes on one last mission. He’s assigned to protect valuable witness Alice Fournier (Olga Kurylenko), which causes him to become a target of his former pal and CIA protege David Mason (Luke Bracey). Cliches in dialogue and holes in the plot abound. Directed by Roger Donaldson and Amine Ramer.