By Glenn Kay
For the Sun
After the busy holiday season, the first couple of months of the year at cinemas are typically odd. January sees some Oscar hopefuls receiving wider releases, while studios also unload what can be best described as misfit pictures. There are titles that may not have the same kind of backing or enthusiasm from distributors. A little oddball movie does surprise from time to time and generates attention, but there are plenty of misfires as well.
Jan. 10 offers a couple of interesting efforts. Better Man (Paramount Pictures) is a biopic of English musician Robbie Williams. He is perhaps most known in this part of the world for his hit song “Millenium,” and this picture shows his massive rise to fame as a teen pop star in the band Take That, his success as a solo artist, and deep slide into alcoholism and drug abuse. This film is a brutally honest examination of the trials of being a pop star. It also offers a unique twist as the central figure is depicted in the film as a humanoid chimp.
Den of Thieves 2: Pantera (Lionsgate) is a sequel to a 2018 heist thriller involving a group of criminals attempting to rob the Federal Reserve Bank in Los Angeles.
The surviving member of the criminals plots a new scheme in Europe. He’s followed and hunted by the same L.A. detective, who is determined to take him down. Gerald Butler and O’Shea Jackson Jr. return in this followup.
The week of Jan. 17 sees a few new efforts as well The comedy One of Them Days (Sony) features Keke Palmer and SZA as a pair of roommates who lose their rent money to an unreliable boyfriend. With only hours to deliver the fee to their landlord, the two are forced to go to extreme measures to avoid eviction.
September 5 (Paramount Pictures) is a notable historical drama hoping to generate Academy Awards buzz. Set during the Munich Summer Olympics in 1972, the story depicts the ABC “Wide World of Sports” broadcasting team who decided to shift their coverage from sporting events to the terrorist attack that was unfolding around them.
If you happen to be a monster movie fan, Wolf Man (Universal Pictures) is a reboot of 1941 horror classic. In this edition, a man inherits the family home in the Oregon woods. After moving out with his wife and daughter, he is attacked by a creature. The following month, he begins to transform into a beast, while his spouse and child fight for their lives.
And if you can’t get out of the house, you can stream the action/comedy Back in Action (Netflix) with Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx as ex-CIA agents who end up on the run after their hidden identities are exposed to the world.
On Jan. 24, Brave the Dark (from Christian-themed studio Angel Studios) arrives in cinemas. It’s a drama about a troubled teen who is bailed out of jail by his drama teacher and taught how to rebuild his life. The cast includes Jared Harris and Nicolas Hamilton.
This same weekend, you can also check out the thriller Flight Risk (Lionsgate). Mark Wahlberg plays a U.S. Marshall escorting a witness to the trial of a mob boss. After they take off, it is revealed that the pilot is an assassin. The passengers are forced to try and fight him off, take control of the plane and safely land it.
Inheritance (IFC Films) is another suspense picture. This one is about a woman who unexpectedly learns that her father was a spy and is whisked away on a globe-trotting mission involving a major conspiracy. Phoebe Dynevor and Rhys Ifans headline the film.
If you’ve been to the movies lately, then you likely saw trailers advertising the new science-fiction film Mickey 17 (Warner Bros.), which was supposed to arrive in theaters on Jan. 31. Well, that all changed a few weeks ago. The picture’s release has been pushed to April, and the studio has placed the violent, R-rated psychological thriller Companion in this spot. The plot is being largely kept under wraps, but is said to be about a woman and her friends under duress while staying at the resort of a deceased billionaire.
Also appearing on Jan. 31 is the animated kid’s movie Dog Man (Universal Pictures), which is a spin-off series from the 2017 Captain Underpants movie. After a police officer and his dog are injured on the job, they are combined into one remarkable crime-fighting supercop. The voice cast includes Pete Davidson, Lil Rel Howery and Isla Fisher.
The same day, Valiant One (Briarcliff Entertainment) will be arriving at theaters. This military thriller involves a U.S. chopper that crashes inside of North Korea. The soldiers on board try to escape across the border and find safety in South Korea.
Feb. 7 sees the release of Heart Eyes (Sony). It’s a horror movie about a maniacal killer who targets couples on Valentine’s Day. A romantic pair becomes increasingly concerned as the evening passes and several sets of friends disappear.
The same weekend, you can also see the action/comedy Love Hurts (Universal Pictures). Recent Best Supporting Actor Oscar-winner Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All at Once) plays a realtor with a hidden past as a hitman. When a former associate suddenly appears and claims that others are coming for him, the lead must once again show off his lethal skills. The supporting cast includes Ariana DeBose, Daniel Wu, Rhys Darby and Sean Astin.
It seems that Valentine’s Day falls on a Friday, yet the films of Feb. 14 aren’t as romantically-themed as expected. In fact, the first title is a major superhero release. Captain America: Brave New World (Disney/Marvel) stars Anthony Mackie, whose character has taken over as the new Captain America. The protagonist meets a newly elected U.S. President and discovers a sinister international plot that must be thwarted. In addition to Mackie, the cast includes Danny Ramirez and Harrison Ford.
If you have access, you can stream the thriller The Gorge (Apple TV+) the very same day. It has an interesting premise. Two opposing snipers are assigned to protect their territory on either side of a large, misty ravine. They have no idea what’s going on beneath them and begin to question their assignments. It features Miles Teller, Anya Taylor-Joy and Sigourney Weaver.
Paddington in Peru (Sony) is the third effort in the wonderful Paddington live-action family movie series. It has a lot to live up to, as the first two films were exceptional. This time out, the friendly bear receives a letter from his aunt in Peru, asking him to visit her in South America. Along the way, he gets caught up in a quest to find the legendary El Dorado. It looks like the original cast have returned for this follow-up, along with new cast members Olivia Colman and Antonio Banderas.
Feb. 21 brings some action with Cleaner (Quiver Distribution), a tale about an energy company’s gala being raided by armed figures. The hostage-takers are surprised when the window cleaner, who happens to be a dishonorably discharged soldier, decides to take them on. Daisy Ridley plays the lead.
Horror fans can check out the horror picture The Monkey (Neon) the same weekend. This is an adaptation of the Stephen King short story about a creepy toy that appears to cause horrible events. Those who come into contact with it attempt to destroy the item, but often meet a nasty end instead.
The Unbreakable Boy (Lionsgate) is a drama based on a true story with Zachary Levi as a father doing his best to help his autistic son, who suffers from a brittle bone disease. It also opens during this weekend.
Feb. 28 sees the release of The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie (Warner Bros.). This animated family feature features a bickering Daffy Duck and Porky Pig teaming up to save the world from an alien invasion.
The Legend of Ochi (A24) is a PG-rated fantasy about a girl who discovers a strange creature lost in the forest behind her home. She decides to help the fuzzy being find its family. This very quirky effort features Helena Zengel, Finn Wolfhard, Emily Watson and Willem Dafoe.
Woody Harrelson, Simu Liu and Cliff Curtis take on the lead roles in Last Breath (Focus Features). Based on a true story, it follows several deep-sea divers who find themselves lost hundreds of feet below the surface of the ocean. This occurs after their ship’s positioning system fails and a storm moves the vessel far away. One of the men even has his umbilical tether snapped in the process.
The independent comedy/drama My Dead Friend Zoe (Briarcliff Entertainment) is also slated to come out Feb. 28. Sonequa Martin-Green plays a war veteran trying to deal with strained family relationships while being haunted by the ghost of her best friend. The movie received a great deal of praise at film festivals last year.
And that’s just the start of a year that will offer Disney live-action remakes of animated properties Snow White and Lilo & Stitch, as well as a live-action version of Dreamworks’ popular How to Train Your Dragon, the video game adaptation The Minecraft Movie, the Tom Cruise effort Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, the John Wick spin-off Ballerina, the horror sequel 28 Years Later, a Superman reboot, a remake of the comedy The Naked Gun with Liam Neeson, the sequel Jurassic World Rebirth, the finale of Wicked, and the third Avatar feature. These are all arriving in the next 12 months, along with some hopefully new and exciting original products in the coming weeks.
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