Arctic Tale

“Arctic Tale” journeys to one of the most difficult places on Earth for animals to make a living and shows it growing even more unfriendly. The documentary studies polar bears and walruses in the Arctic as global warming raises temperatures and changes the way they have done business since time immemorial.



Much of the footage in the film is astonishing, considering that it was obtained at frigid temperatures, sometimes underwater, and usually within attacking distance of large and dangerous mammals. We follow two emblematic characters, Nanu, a polar bear cub, and Seela, a newborn walrus. The infants venture out into their new world of blinding white and merciless cold, and learn to swim or climb onto solid footing, as the case may be. They also get lessons from their parents on stalking prey, defending themselves against predators, and presumably keeping one eye open while asleep.



The animals are composites of several different individuals, created in the editing room from footage shot over a period of 10 years, but the editing is so seamless that the illusion holds up. The purpose of the film, made by a team headed by the married couple of director Sarah Robertson and cinematographer Adam Ravetch, is not to enforce scholarly accuracy but to create a fable of birth, life and death at the edge of the world.



It is said that the landmark documentary “March of the Penguins” began life in France with a cute soundtrack on which the penguins voiced their thoughts. The magnificence of that film is explained in large part by Morgan Freeman’s objective narration, which was content to describe a year in the lives of the penguins; the facts were so astonishing that no embroidery was necessary.



“Arctic Tale,” on the other hand, chooses the opposite approach. Queen Latifah narrates a story in which the large and fearsome beasts are personalized almost like cartoon characters. And the soundtrack reinforces that impression with song: As dozens of walruses huddle together on an ice floe, for example, we hear “We Are Family” and mighty blasts of walrus farts.



In the end, I’m conflicted about the film. As an accessible family film, it delivers the goods. But it lives in the shadow of “March of the Penguins.” Despite its sad scenes, it sentimentalizes. It attributes human emotions and motivations to its central animals. Its music instructs us how to feel. And the narration and overall approach get in the way of the visual material. Rated G – Roger Ebert

Death at a Funeral

British comedy involving unplanned entrances and exits, misbehavior of corpses and just plain wacky eccentricity. Directed by Frank Oz, it finds its laughs in the peculiar human trait of being most tempted to laugh when we’re absolutely not supposed to. With Matthew Macfadyen, Keeley Hawes, Ewen Bremner, Jane Asher, Rupert Graves and, last but not least, Peter Dinklage. Rated R for language and drug content. HHH —  RE

The Last Legion

During the fall of the Roman Empire its last emperor, 12 year-old Romulus Augustus, escapes to Britannia — Britain to the layman —  with the help of his trusted advisor (Ben Kingsley) and loyal legionnaire (Colin Firth) in search of the fabled Dragon Legion.

Rated PG-13 for action violence. — Bill White

Skinwalkers

A young boy named Timothy (Matthew Knight) approaches his 13th birthday that will mark the time of his transformation signified by a red full moon. However, Timothy is a special Skinwalker, and there are packs of Skinwalkers who would prefer he not reach his full Skinwalker potential. Rated PG-13 for the usual monster/horror film violence and action, sexual material and language. —  BW