2015
2014
2013
2/6
The Lock: Jupiter Ascending
Working For It: It's a SciFi movie from the siblings who brought us The Matrix, starring Mila Kunis, Channing Tatum, and Eddie Redmayne. It's a big budget movie that looks like it will be a lot of crazy fun.
Working Against It: Ok, the last second July 2014 to February 2015 move was alarming. The previews do it no favors, looking like a lot of overacting by the likes of Redmayne in particular. Personally, I see a lot of John Carter potential in this: a fun movie that's having a rough go being marketed.
Odds I'll See It: 82%
Other Options:
Working For It: It kind of looks like The Giver meets Harry Potter meets a generic medieval fantasy movie. It's hard to argue with something Jullianne Moore and Jeff Bridges signed onto for supporting roles.
Working Against It: It really sounds like derivative fantasy and I see no way for it to survive, coming out on the same weekend as Jupiter (even if that bombs). I have no idea what this movie is really about and until I do, I'm not wasting precious* ticket money on that.
Odds I'll See It: 8%
*It's not that precious. I did already see Taken 3 and Project Almanac this year.
Working For It: People love Spongebob, 16 years, 215 episodes, and already one successful movie later. This is also an appropriately large departure from that first movie, putting Spongebob and co. in a live-action setting.
Working Against It: Did I just see an ungodly early preview for this or did it get pushed back? Either way, I never cared much for the show and have very low expectations for this based on those previews.
Odds I'll See It: 1%
2/13
Working For It: This February is really a dumping ground for movies that belong in other times of the year. The Kingsman release was delayed from it's original Fall 2014 date, but that appears to have less to do with quality than securing a less competitive release date. Director Matthew Vaughn's last three releases were Stardust, Kick-Ass, and X-Men: Fist Class. I have no reason to expect this to be anything but a lot of fun. The cast has a good mix of newcomers (to me, at least) and established folks (Colin Firth, Samuel L. Jackson, Mark Hamill, Michael Caine). I can't think of a single thing stopping me from seeing this.
Working Against It: Did I stutter? I can't think of a single thing stopping me from seeing this.
Odds I'll See It: 91%
Other Options:
Working For It: I don't think I have an option not to see it. It comes in with a certain amount of cultural cache. It actually might do pretty well in theaters. This is a much easier way to stay informed than reading the book. And, honestly, I have really liked Dakota Johnson since Ben & Kate, so I'm hoping that she's good in this.
Working Against It: There's a more than good chance that this will be so bad that it's rendered unwatchable. From what I understand about the book, it sounds like even an R-rating would neuter the story.
Odds I'll See It: 61%
Working For It: It's a musical about a five year relationship told forward by the girl (Anna Kendrick) and backwards by the guy (Jeremy Jordan). I saw a stage production of it that I really liked and even a half-competent movie adaptation has me hooked. To be blunt, it has me at "Anna Kendrick singing".
Working Against It: I wonder if it will expand enough that I even get a chance to see it. Even then, if things get busy enough, I may decide there's not enough to be gained by seeing it in theaters rather than renting it. I mean, if I rent it, I can sing along.
Odds I'll See It: 48%
2/20
Working For It: I could pretend that I'm above this or that I didn't fully enjoy the first movie. What would be the point though? No one would believe me. As a core cast, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke, and Rob Corddry are perfect for a movie with this title. It looks like they are swapping out John Cusack for Adam Scott, which is an upgrade in my book if you are simply going for the funny.
Working Against It: Losing the lead from the first movie and asking the supporting characters to take the reins is not a formula for success very often. I'm having a hard time seeing how it will hurt something like this though.
Odds I'll See It: 75%
Other Options:
Working For It: Mae Whittman gets a leading role, which is kind of awesome. The true teen comedy (Rated PG-13 and about high schoolers) isn't as common as it once was, but there's a lot of good ones out there from the past decade (Easy A or any vintage Amanda Bynes*). This looks like it could carry on that tradition. The Designated Ugly Fat Friend is a concept that has some teeth and I'm curious to see what the movie will do with that (Kind of reminds me of a female The New Guy).
Working Against It: Nothing specific in the previews I've seen really pulls me in the way "Pocket Full of Sunshine" did for Easy A. This could be a funny pitch and a poor execution for all I know. It is a February release after all.
Odds I'll See It: 40%
*Oh no! What a Girl Wants was over a decade ago? How old am I?!
Working For It: Few genres are as reliable at evoking an emotion as the inspirational sports movie. Disney's been churning these out nearly annually since Remember the Titans because it works so well. This time, it's Kevin Costner coaching a group of Latino kids of field workers in Cross Country.
Working Against It: Last year it was Cricket. This year it's Cross Country. Yeah, it sounds like Disney is running out of true stories to use.
Odds I'll See It: 5%
Working For It: It's a foreign moving (from Argentina, I think) about a wedding or something. It's supposed to be very funny. I remember reading some shining reviews for it back when it was hitting the festival circuit. And hey, it has an Oscar nomination.
Working Against It: There's basically no chance it'll come to a theater near me, so I don't need to even worry about considering it.
Odds I'll See It: 3%
2/27
The Lock:Yeah, it took the fourth weekend to find no lock.Other Options:
Focus
Working For It: I miss Will Smith. He's a god-damn movie star and I want to see him on the screen more. That he's working with Margot Robbie, who is building a pretty impressive filmography for herself, makes me all the more curious to see this. It looks like a fairly generic RomCom/big Con movie, but it doesn't take a lot to please me.
Working Against It: I don't mean to be repetitive, but a February release for what looks like a decently high profile movie gives me pause. Why not a summer release or even one a little later in the year?
Odds I'll See It: 50%
Working For It: This sounds a lot like Flatliners, which I saw recently. But, if you're going to tread a familiar topic, doing it with a cast that includes Donald Glover, Olivia Wilde, Mark Duplass, and Evan Peters is a good way to go.
Working Against It: If not for that cast, my response to this would probably be "I've already seen Flatliners". Ok, it's a little different, but there's still plenty of lifeless horror movie potential here...none of that was intended as wordplay.
Odds I'll See It: 25%
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