The Innkeepers
Although he had already made three horror movies prior to 2009's House of the Devil, that was the movie that made Ti West a director to watch among genre fans, thanks largely to its pitch-perfect recreation of low-budget early '80s frightfests. West's follow-up, The Innkeepers, doesn't have -- and doesn't strive for -- the same retro appeal. Shot on location in the hotel where he and his crew stayed during the production of Devil, The Innkeepers is instead a diverting, low-key riff on the traditional "haunted hotel" set-up popularized by The Shining. Sara Paxton stars as Claire, a young clerk who is on duty for the final week in the life of the Yankee Pedlar Inn, a creaky old hotel that's served as a way station for weary travellers for decades. Along with her co-worker Luke (Pat Healy), Claire is convinced that a building this old must be haunted and so the duo devote whatever time the can spare in between handing out room keys and delivering towels to their amateur investigations for signs of the paranormal. While Luke claims to have witnessed several strange occurrences, Claire hasn't been so lucky... that is, until she happens to be privy to such sights as a piano playing of its own accord and a spectral presence in the hotel's dark, dank basement. Like House of the Devil, The Innkeepers takes a slow-build approach to its scares, putting the spooky atmosphere inspired by the setting ahead of any big "Boo" moments. The bickering friendship of its two central characters also lends it a healthy dose of comedy. And the climax of the movie successfully works on two levels, in that it literally gives up the ghost while also suggesting that the "haunting" may be just be the delusions of a pair of overexcited minds. With American horror filmmaking going through a fallow period right now, rising talents like West give us hope for the genre's future. (Available via Magnolia on Demand; opens in limited theatrical release on February 3.)
Best Scene: The aforementioned moment when Claire observes a piano tickling its own ivories.

Loosies
Former Fastlane star (and Twilight franchise regular) Peter Facinelli pulls a Matt Damon and Ben Affleck move, penning an indie drama for himself to star in. The writer/actor/producer plays Bobby, a pickpocket that's lifting wallets to pay off his loser father's debt to a local hood (Vincent Gallo). Despite toiling in a profession of such ill repute, Bobby himself is actually a decent guy who can occasionally be moved to do the right thing. For example, when he learns that a former conquest Lucy (Jaimie Alexander) -- the lovely bartender with whom he enjoyed a one-night stand -- is pregnant, he offers to put up the funds to help her with doctor's visits and such. Meanwhile, he's also being hunted down by Lt. Sullivan, a New York cop whose badge he mistakenly lifted. In order to avoid the fuzz, he sticks close to Lucy, who soon gets over her initial revulsion and sees the charm underneath the crook. Those of us in the audience, however, may not be as enamored of Bobby as she is. That's because Facinelli's script and performance try too hard to apologize for his alter ego's various mistakes and screw-ups. It's nice that Facinelli wants to present us with a character that's neither a pure saint nor an unrepentant sinner, but he does so in such a ham-fisted fashion, it's hard to take seriously. The film's best performance comes from Joe Pantoliano as the boyfriend of Bobby's widowed mother. He's loose and funny in a way that the rest of Loosies isn't. (Available via IFC on Demand; currently playing in limited theatrical release.)
Best Scene: Joey Pants punches Facinelli in the face. Someone has to make that into a gif.

Northeast
A Brooklyn-set relative of Steve McQueen's Shame -- minus the full-frontal nudity and sex addiction -- Northeast follows a good-looking twentysomething named Will (David Call), whose day job seems to consist of finding women to temporarily shack up with as a way of saving on such expenses as rent and food. But when two of his friends abandon the aimless Brooklyn bohemian life, Will starts to wonder whether it's time for him to grow up and settle down as well. But that prospect proves more challenging than he had anticipated. Just as Shame was about a guy that was incapable of carrying on a serious relationship, Northeast, the feature debut of Gregory Kohn, hinges on Will's stunted emotional life. (And unlike Loosies, it doesn't try to redeem the guy, which is appreciated.) It noticeably lacks the strum und drang that McQueen brought to his movie though, which might please those who found Shame overbearing. On the other hand, without that deep dramatic hook, Northeast ends up feeling a little too aimless, hopping from scene to scene as randomly as Will skips from bed to bed. He's an intriguing character in search of a richer movie. (Available via Movies on Demand)
Best Scene: Will impulsively purchases a bike from a random guy on the street. It's hard to find a more Brooklyn moment than that.

Also on VOD:
Movies on Demand: The Killing Fields director Roland Joffé visits another war zone in There Be Dragons, which follows a young journalist who is investigating a family friend's actions during the Spanish Civil War.
IFC on Demand: In the British coming-of-age story Albatrorss, Like Crazy star Felicity Jones plays a teen whose new best friend catches the eye of her dad. Dramatic complications ensues.
Magnolia on Demand: Like blockbusters? Then you'll love Tim & Eric's Billion Dollar Movie, the mega-budgeted big-screen version of Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!. Can't wait for more advice from Dr. Steve Brule.
Netflix Instant: You can't find it anywhere on Region 1 DVD, but Certified Copy, one of our favorite movies of 2011, is viewable thanks to Netflix. So go watch it already!

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