Grizzly Man

*** (out of four) Which documentarian but Werner Herzog would prompt a reverend, who has been speaking in a cemetery about both executions and how much he enjoys seeing animals roaming a golf course, “Please describe an encounter with a squirrel”? Herzog (“Cave of Forgotten Dreams,” “Grizzly Man”) has a natural curiosity for life's odd, mysterious details. It's life's mysteries concerning truth, death and rehabilitation, he posits in “Into the Abyss,” that render the death penalty unjust.

*** (out of four) Which documentarian but Werner Herzog would prompt a reverend, who has been speaking in a cemetery about both executions and how much he enjoys seeing animals roaming a golf course, “Please describe an encounter with a squirrel”? Herzog (“Cave of Forgotten Dreams,” “Grizzly Man”) has a natural curiosity for life's odd, mysterious details. It's life's mysteries concerning truth, death and rehabilitation, he posits in “Into the Abyss,” that render the death penalty unjust.

*** (out of four) Before learning about the tragedy in Newtown, Conn., I already was disturbed by a scene of “Jack Reacher” in which a sniper sets up five seemingly random people in his sights before killing them. The world only grows more terrifying. Many will not want to submit themselves to the movie's opening scene, and I don't blame them. For anyone still interested, “Jack Reacher” is more clever than it looks and easy to recommend as one of the few late-2012 releases that is neither seeking awards nor too dumb to tolerate.