February, typically known as the graveyard of all movie releases, is shaping up to be a pretty interesting month this year (although it’s not extremely interesting). Besides the much-anticipated Deadpool, other movies from varying genres are due for release. Check out this list to find out which ones are worth your while, then enjoy!
Please note that the movies listed here are in nationwide release - with one exception, a limited release that we have been looking forward to for the past year.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (5)
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is based on a parody novel written by Seth Grahame-Smith that actually sets Jane Austen's celebrated novel in a world infected by a zombie plague. The movie is directed by Burr Steers (you may know him for 17 Again and Charlie St. Cloud) and stars, among others, Lily James (Cinderella), Bella Heathcote (Dark Shadows), Suki Waterhouse (Insurgent), Douglas Booth (Noah), Sam Riley (Control), Matt Smith (Doctor Who), and Lena Headey (Game of Thrones). So it can be said that the cast is pretty solid for a movie which blends zombies with period romance.
However, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies sounds eerily similar to Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012), a movie based on another Seth Grahame-Smith novel. And, if you saw that movie, you will also see no reason to waste your time on the one coming out on February 5th of this year.
The Choice (5)
Based on a novel by Nicholas Sparks (The Notebook, Safe Haven, Dear John), The Choice falls in line with all of the other movies based on the writer's works. The synopsis sounds like this: Travis Parker, living in the small coastal town of Beaufort, falls in love at first sight with Gabby Holland, who moves in next door (via Wikipedia).
Or it sounds like this: Travis and Gabby first meet as neighbors in a small coastal town and wind up in a relationship that is tested by life’s most defining events (via IMDB).
So this is a pretty generic kind of romantic/dramatic movie, and it will be a wonder if it manages to surpass any of the other releases of that weekend in ticket sales – and no, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies isn't the only one.
The Choice stars Benjamin Walker (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter), Teresa Palmer (Warm Bodies), Maggie Grace (Taken), Alexandra Daddario (True Detective, San Andreas), Tom Welling (Smallville), and Tom Wilkinson (basically the only good actor in sight here).
Hail, Caesar! (5)
The last flick to be released nationwide on February 5 comes from the celebrated Coen Brothers, who are masters when it comes to shooting quirky dark comedies. Not surprisingly, Hail, Caesar! seems to fit this description, with the plot centered on a Hollywood fixer who is charged with retrieving the kidnapped (and rather idiotic) star of a big budget movie called – what else – Hail, Caesar!.
Hail, Caesar! takes place in the 1950s, and stars the biggest of the big names: Josh Brolin (No Country for Old Men), George Clooney (O Brother, Where Art Thou?), Alden Ehrenreich (Blue Jasmine), Ralph Fiennes (Harry Potter), Jonah Hill (Jump Street), Scarlett Johansson (Avengers), Frances McDormand (many Coen brothers movies), Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin), and Channing Tatum (Jump Street), among others.
So, you can bet that we are more than excited to see this movie!!! We don't expect for it to break any records (in fact, many believe that it will flop at the box office) - but, still, this many names must have some traction with the audiences.
As they do with us!
Deadpool (12)
The Merc with a Mouth is expected to make around $55 – $60 million during its debut weekend. And that’s a pretty penny, given the R-rating and the genre.
What can be said about Deadpool that hasn't already been said? Not too much - we can't wait to see it and we can't wait for Ryan Reynolds to become the super"¦something that he was meant to be!
How to Be Single (12)
Starring Dakota Johnson (50 Shades of Grey), Rebel Wilson (Pitch Perfect), Alison Brie (Get Hard), and Leslie Mann (The 40-Year-Old Virgin), How to Be Single is an adaptation of a novel, about people trying to learn how to stay single.
Granted, this is an interesting approach to the subject - except that it ultimately leads to the same kind of outcome seen in so many romantic comedies. People fool around without any interest in settling down, people fall in love and suffer, people find true love. For this reason, How to Be Single is one of this February’s movies that you should probably skip.
Unless, of course, your better half drags you to see it.
Zoolander No. 2 (12)
This one is the typical case of a sequel showing up a bit too late. The first Zoolander, which arrived in 2001, didn't score too well with the critics (67 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, for example), and it was in no way a box office hit ($60 million on a budget of $28 million). However, it has since gathered what can be called a cult following - and all thanks to Ben Stiller's portrayal of the innocent Derek Zoolander.
We didn't actually need this sequel, and we especially didn't need it after 15 years. But Zoolander No. 2 is here.
Ben Stiller directs and stars alongside Owen Wilson (Wedding Crashers), Will Ferrell (Anchorman), and Penélope Cruz (Blow).
Risen (19)
There is a reason why February is considered the graveyard of movie releases - usually, this is the time of the year when the studios throw movies at the audiences that would have had little or no chance of competing at the box office at other times of the year.
Risen is one of these movies. From what we have seen in the trailer, this movie will fail to attract the audiences, despite adopting a rather new-ish perspective on the subject. Kevin Reynolds directs (Waterworld), while the main stars are Joseph Fiennes (Shakespeare in Love), Cliff Curtis (Sunshine), and Tom Felton (Harry Potter).
Race (19)
Stephen Hopkins (Predator 2) directs Race, a biographical sports film about the African-American athlete Jesse Owens, who won four gold medals at the 1936 Summer Olympics. If you didn't guess, the movie is about actual races, as well as about racism (those particular Olympic Games were held in Nazi Germany).
This seems to be a pretty interesting subject, which falls in perfectly among the most recent Hollywood controversies. For this reason, we believe that Race will exceed all expectations.
The Witch (19 - limited release)
The first limited release on this list, The Witch is a horror film we have been expecting for about a year now. It was screened for the first time last year, at the Sundance festival, where it secured the Best Director Award for Robert Eggers (he is in talks about directing a Nosferatu remake) - over the course of 2015, The Witch was presented at a number of other international festivals, where it also met critical acclaim.
So you can bet that we want to see it!
Here is what the small synopsis says: New England, 1630: William and Katherine lead a devout Christian life, homesteading with five children on the edge of an impassable wilderness. When their newborn son mysteriously vanishes and their crops fail, the family begins to turn on one another. The Witch is a chilling portrait of a family unraveling within their own fears and anxieties, leaving them prey for an inescapable evil.
This is what horror should be like - leave aside the torture porn, a genre which has seized the cinemas. Go watch The Witch!
Gods of Egypt (26)
If The Witch stars two actors who portray rather unknown Game of Thrones characters (Dagmer Cleftjaw and Lysa Arryn), Gods of Egypt stars none other than Jaimie Lannister himself (also known, in real life, as Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) - he is Horus, the God of gods, who must stop Set from taking over the world. Set is portrayed by Gerard Butler (300).
The movie is already controversial, having been accused of whitewashing, even if Chadwick Boseman is among the stars, while Elodie Yung most certainly seems to have an Asian origin. Obviously, we are being sarcastic.
Set steals the eyes of Horus and plans to take over the world. A thief helps Horus regain his sight and battle the villain. Obviously, this will be a cheesefest filled with CGI. And that is why it is estimated that Gods of Egypt won't even reach $20 million during its first weekend (on a budget of $140 million).
Triple 9 (26)
Though, most recently, Triple 9 was marketed as starring Wonder Woman herself (Gal Gadot), other actors are the main attractions of this heist film. Even Kate Winslet has a more important role, even if it’s a secondary one.
Here is the official synopsis:
A group of criminals and corrupt cops find themselves in serious trouble. The Russian mafia is blackmailing them, and the only way to deal with them is to perform what is believed to be an extremely challenging heist. Impossible as it may seem, however, they eventually hatch a plan: On one side of town, half of the crew will plan the murder of a rookie cop named Chris Allen (Casey Affleck), and while the rest of the force is distracted by a 999 call (“officer down”), the other half of the corrupt cops will pull off the job.
Triple 9 is directed by John Hillcoat (The Road, Lawless) and stars Casey Affleck (Gone Baby Gone), Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years A Slave), Anthony Mackie (Captain America: The Winter Soldier), Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad), Norman Reedus (The Walking Dead), Woody Harrelson (True Detective), Kate Winslet, Clifton Collins, Jr. (Pacific Rim), and Michael K. Williams (Gone Baby Gone).
Judging from the trailer and seeing all the stars involved, this movie is definitely a must.
Eddie the Eagle (26)
This is the second sports biopic film scheduled for release in February. However, unlike Race (which deals with some pretty hefty issues), Eddie the Eagle is marketed as a sports-comedy about the first British ski jumper to participate at the Winter Olympics.
Dexter Fletcher directs Eddie the Eagle, while Taron Egerton (Kingsman) and Hugh Jackman (Wolverine) are the main stars. The movie was already screened for the critics, who gave it a lukewarm welcome. As far as we are concerned, this seems like a fun and inspiring movie that shouldn't be missed.
Special Mention:
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny (26 – limited release)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZxoKtKGHzk
