Opening This Week: 28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE, NIGHT PATROL, SPACE/TIME, KILLER WHALE

Winter is no longer coming, it is here!

Now that the holiday season is in our rear-view mirror, we can also see the change in seasons by looking at the release schedule, which gets busier as the month goes on.

Here's our guide to what's opening (or expanding) this week in North American movie theaters, starting with notes that the widely-heralded, Shakespeare-adjacent Hamnet, starring Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal, as well as Gus Van Sant's less-heralded period thriller Dead Man's Wire, are expanding in their theater counts. See their official sites below for locations and showtimes.

Hamnet - official U.S. site.
Hamnet - official Canada site.
Dead Man's Wire - official site.

The biggest new, wide release for genre fans is the second installment in a notable franchise. Or is that too reductive?

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
The film opens Friday, January 16, only in movie theaters, via Sony Pictures. Visit the official site for locations and showtimes.

Official synopsis: "Expanding upon the world created by Danny Boyle and Alex Garland in 28 Years Later but turning that world on its head - Nia DaCosta directs 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. In a continuation of the epic story, Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) finds himself in a shocking new relationship - with consequences that could change the world as they know it - and Spike's (Alfie Williams) encounter with Jimmy Crystal (Jack O'Connell) becomes a nightmare he can't escape. In the world of The Bone Temple, the infected are no longer the greatest threat to survival - the inhumanity of the survivors can be stranger and more terrifying."

Look for our review later this week.

Here are a trio of of less highly-publicized films that we will be reviewing.

Night Patrol
The film opens Friday, January 16, only in movie theaters, via IFC Films.

Official synopsis: "An LAPD officer must put aside his differences with the area's street gangs when he discovers a local police task force is harboring a horrific secret that endangers the residents of the housing projects he grew up in."

Look for our review later this week.

Space/Time
The film opens Friday, January 16, on various Video On Demand platforms, via Epic Pictures.

Official synopsis: "After a fatal test shuts down their project, a disgraced team of scientists enters the criminal underworld to rebuild a forbidden space-bending engine that could rescue humanity or annihilate it entirely."

Look for our review later this week.

Killer Whale
The film opens Friday, January 16, in movie theaters, as well as On Demand and On Digital, via Lionsgate.

Official synopsis: "Hold your breath as you witness revenge rise from the deep. After a life-shattering tragedy, Trish tries to comfort her best friend, Maddie, by taking her on a spectacular adventure in a private lagoon halfway across the world. Their peaceful retreat soon becomes a terrifying fight to stay alive when the ocean's most bloodthirsty predator seeks vengeance for a brutal life in captivity. Virginia Garner and Mel Jarnson star in a thrill ride of a movie that will leave you breathless."

Look for our review later this week.

We don't want to forget these films that some of us have already seen and reviewed. We'll be republishing each of our reviews over the next few days, but just to whet your appetite and help you for planning purposes, here's a foretaste.

All You Need Is Kill
The film opens Friday, January 16, only in movie theaters, via GKids. Visit the official site for locations and showtimes.

Official synopsis: "Set in the year 20XX, All You Need Is Kill follows the story of Rita, a resourceful but isolated young woman volunteering to help rebuild Japan after the mysterious appearance of a massive alien flower known as "Darol." When Darol unexpectedly erupts in a deadly event, unleashing monstrous creatures that decimate the population, Rita is caught in the destruction--and killed. But then she wakes up again. And again. Caught in an endless time loop, Rita must navigate the trauma and repetition of death until she crosses paths with Keiji, a shy young man trapped in the same cycle. Together, they fight to break free from the loop and find meaning in the chaos around them."

Our review by Andew Mack: "If the action scenes were not up to par, boy, would this have been a massive failing on behalf of the studio. ... Cannot shake the feeling that even this feature-length format and time it permits doesn't allow for much beyond typical story structure, beyond the awesome action. "

A Useful Ghost
The film opens Friday, January 16, only in movie theaters, via Cineverse.

Official synopsis: "March is mourning his wife Nat who has recently passed away due to dust pollution. He discovers her spirit has returned by possessing a vacuum cleaner. Disturbed by a ghost that appeared after a worker's death shut down their factory, his family reject their unconventional human-ghost relationship. Trying to convince them of their love, Nat offers to cleanse the factory. To become a useful ghost, she must first get rid of the useless ones."

Our review by Dustin Chang: "The cold, urban liminal spaces mise-en-scene, as well as retro design of appliances, practical effects and deadpan delivery of the actors, all add to the success of this absurdist yet poignant comedy. A great mix of humor and messaging, A Useful Ghost is an accomplished debut film by a promising director."

A Private Life
The film opens Friday, January 16, only in movie theaters, via Sony Pictures Classics. Visit the official site for locations and showtimes.

Official synopsis: "The renowned psychiatrist Lilian Steiner (Jodie Foster) mounts a private investigation into the death of one of her patients, whom she is convinced has been murdered."

Our review by Olga Artemyeva: "To get it out of the way, A Private Life isn't a great piece of cinematic art, additionally brought down by a trio of unfortunate endings. At the same time, the sum of its quirks makes it charming enough to become one of these guilty pleasures you don't really need to deny yourself."

Sound of Falling
The film opens Friday, January 16, only in movie theaters, via Mubi.

Official synopsis: "Four girls, Alma (1910s), Erika (1940s), Angelika (1980s), and Lenka (2020s) each spend their youth on the same farm in northern Germany. As the home evolves over a century, echoes of the past linger in its walls. Though separated by time, their lives begin to mirror each other, revealing shared secrets that have been kept hidden."

Our review by Olga Artemyeva: "one of those films, the charm of which is very hard to articulate clearly to an unsuspecting potential viewer without sounding like a pretentious jerk.

"Two and a half hours of fragmented narrative, which takes place on the same farm in Germany but spans throughout decades and is reminiscent of something akin to Marcel Proust's or James Joyce's stream of consciousness, might not seem particularly invigorating. At the risk of actually sounding like a pretentious jerk - in reality, this is one of the most fascinating and powerful cinematic experiences of the year."

Here is one more that is opening on home video platforms.

Maldoror
The film opens on various Video On Demand platforms, Friday, January 16, via Film Movement. Visit the official site for more information.

Official synopsis: "Belgium, 1995. The shocking disappearance of two young girls leads to the formation of a secret police operation known as Maldoror. Newly recruited officer Paul Chartier is tasked with monitoring a dangerous suspect but soon finds himself in a losing battle against bureaucracy and systemic dysfunction. As official efforts collapse and the case is closed still unsolved, Paul spirals into obsession, pushing him beyond legal and moral boundaries in a relentless pursuit for justice. Inspired by true events, Maldorer is "a propulsive, compelling thriller" (Screen Daily) about crime, punishment and the failures of institutions meant to protect society."

Our review by Martin Kudlac: "[A] tense psychological action thriller that intertwines vintage aesthetics and sanity-challenging obsession."

Opening This Week celebrates the theatrical experience.