2014
2013
2/3
A new young woman is being haunted by Samara; this time, digitally.
Working For It: The first of the many delayed releases from 2016. This looks like a more promising sequel to The Ring than the 2004 sequel. The assorted "TV All-Stars" are appropriate for the size of the movie - Laura Wiggins, Aimee Teegarden, Vincent D'Onofrio, Johhny Galecki. Although, I believe the lead of the movie is Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz, who is completely new to me. I really love the original movie, and even a 70% quality sequel would excite me. I think that's possible to achieve.
Working Against It: I'm concerned about why it was moved at the last second to February from a release date in a slow October 2016. It's good money to bet against a horror sequel being any good. The idea behind the movie loses some of its appeal when it's no longer a VHS being passed around. I have more questions than answers about how this movie could be good.
Verdict: It's a slow enough time of the year, that this feel like a lock that I'll see it, even though I have heavy doubts.
A boy born on Mars travels to Earth to meet a girl he likes.
Working For It: The boy is Asa Butterfield (Hugo, Ender's Game) and the girl is Britt Robertson (Tomorrowland). So, I like the leads well enough. The bar is set pretty low for me to like this. As long as Butterfield and Robertson are moderately charming and funny and the supporting cast (Gary Oldman, Carla Gugino, BD Wong, Janet Montgomery) doesn't ham it up too much, this is probably very watchable.
Working Against It: Well, it's another movie that was delayed at the last second. I even covered it in December. That's not a good sign. And, while I've set the bar low, the trailers don't appear to even be aiming that high. I sense there's more sizzle than steak to this.
Verdict: There's a better chance of me seeing this than I'd like to admit to myself.
I covered this just last month before it was pushed. Not much has changed. Here's what I said.
Robert De Niro is an aging comedian who is down on his luck, until he befriends Leslie Mann and stumbles into a late career resurgence.
Working For It: I'll tend to give anything about the comedy world a shot even if I end up hating it (Punchline). I still consider De Niro a plus casting move and Leslie Mann tends to be better than whatever role she's given (See The Other Woman). There's potential for a lot of fun cameos by [primarily] older comedians.
Working Against It: I'm hoping that they really don't make De Niro and Mann's relationship romantic, because that 30 year age difference is a little uncomfortable. Also, for someone who I've seen so many of his movies (Ray, The Devil's Advocate), I sure don't have a sense of what director Taylor Hackford is about.
Verdict: Enough praise for Leslie Mann may be enough to get me looking for this. Still doubtful though.
The only thing between a man and a large inheritance is proof that his insane aunt has died. The problem is, to get that proof, he and three friends must break into the burned down insane asylum where she died. Of course, it's haunted.
Working For It: The friends include Eliza Dushku (Always welcome) and Chace Crawford (for the Gossip Girl fans out there). Director Robert Legato is new to directing but cut his teeth in visual effects. That's promising for a horror movie. Robert Patrick is giving a nicely crazed performance as the head of the asylum before it burned down (all through old footage in the movie trailer).
Working Against It: Odds are this will be crap because most horror movies, especially ones with a studio polish, are. The screenplay is from a journeyman writer. There's nothing specifically about it that looks inventive.
Verdict: If I've seen Satanic and The Lazarus Effect, I will end up seeing this, but not in theaters, even if it was an option.
The story of the African American experience in the United States.
Working For It: It got the Oscar nominations People speak very highly of it. It looks lively.
Working Against It: This sounds a lot like 13th with a broader focus. Normally, if I'm watching documentaries with similar topics, I prefer more, not less specificity. The reviews are positive enough through, that I may check it out anyway.
Verdict: This might be part of my run up to the Oscars. Otherwise, I'll wait for it to pop up in a movie queue somewhere.
2/10
Anastasia and Christian are back at it again. This time with no rules. And, Christian's past comes back to haunt him.
Working For It: The formula isn't all that different. I'm sure there will be a lot of R-rated nudity that doesn't ruffle too many feathers. Dakota Johnson will still be the best thing in the movie and be mostly wasted. Jamie Dornan will remind you just enough of how perfect Matt Bomer would've been for the role that he'll be a disappointment. A nice soundtrack. Young pretty people like Bella Heathcote, Rita Ora, and Eloise Mumford show up. Kim Basinger, Jennifer Ehle, and Marcia Gay-Harden too.
Working Against It: The first movie was pretty miserable, but also exactly what it promised to be. If something only aspires to be a C+ movie, can you really attack it when it ends up being a C+ movie? The answer is "yes", but in a different way than a film with actual aspirations.
Verdict: I will not be the guy in the theater watching this by myself at 2pm on a Sunday. But if I get a friend to go...
There's another bounty on John Wick's head and he has to fight his way out of it against incredible opposition.
Working For It: Here's the thing. This is a franchise that can make as many sequels as it wants without me complaining that it's ruining the merit of the original. Keanu Reeves fights a lot of people. That's the story. You can complain about his acting all you want, but he can do an action movie well. He also has some humor about himself, which can be a substitute for good acting. This chapter leans even more into the Smokin' Aces approach with Wick squaring up against the likes of Common, Ruby Rose, John Leguizamo, Laurence Fishburne, Ian McShane, and Lance Reddick*. Also, this one doesn't appear to rely on the death of a puppy. Big plus in my book.
*I'm not sure who he actually fights out of that group, but it's safe to assume all of them.
Working Against It: If you liked the first, I don't see a reason why you wouldn't like this. Conversely, it you didn't like the first, there's nothing here to change your mind.
Verdict: It isn't my top target of the weekend, but it's probably enough to get me to see a second movie.
LEGO Batman is lonely and adopts a son, who becomes Robin. He also has to fight the Joker. Probably other stuff too.
Working For It: What a weird sequel. Think about it. The LEGO Movie exists because of a rights loophole that allowed LEGO forms of so much IP, normally controlled by different competing movie studios, to all exist in the same world. That movie became a hit, so, in addition to an outright sequel, Warner Animation decides to give Will Arnett's Batman, a scene stealing side character, a whole movie. I'm sure it helps that Warner Brothers has the DC rights outright as well as the LEGO partnership. The voice cast is huge again, with everyone from Michael Cera to Billy Dee Williams to Mariah Carey in it. The director, Chris McKay, cut his teeth working for Robot Chicken, and one of the many credited writers is Chris McKenna, who wrote most of your favorite episodes of Community. That's a lot of reasons to be exicted.
Working Against It: Arnett's Batman may work better in small doses.
Verdict: I am absolutely seeing it and looking forward to it. The LEGO Movie was too much of a treat not to.
A documentary about Istanbul told by following seven cats.
Working For It: I've heard about the Istanbul cat culture before. It would be interesting to see something a little more in depth about it.
Working Against It: The trailer tries too hard to give the cats distinct personalities (tropes, really). I worry about how "cute" the story-telling is going to be.
Verdict: I may find it one day on Netflix. That's about all I can promise.
The [based on a] true story of an African king who creates an uproar when he marries a white British woman.
Working For It: David Oyelowo and Rosamund Pike are two great leads to start with. It's from the screenwriter of Eye in the Sky (which most impressed me with the screenplay) and the director of Belle (a film I keep meaning to see).
Working Against It: I'm sure some producer assumed this was Oscar gold when he/she put this together. The fact that it's getting buried in the pre-Oscar wastelands (too late to qualify for the Oscar but in the shadow of the Oscar ceremony) is worrisome.
Verdict: The trailer gives away too many of the beats in the story. That's not a deal breaker, but it would take some sterling reviews to convince me it's worth tracking down.
2/17
Gore Verbinski's pet project about a young executive who gets trapped in a "wellness center" that has a treatment that may not be as great as it seems.
Working For It: Gore Verbinski has had an interesting career. He's mainly known for the Pirates movies, although he's also responsible for The Lone Ranger, Rango, and The Ring. This is closest to The Ring but even more visually adventurous. I think you are supposed to be sold of the visuals, which do grab attention. I only recognize Jason Isaacs and Dane DeHaan from the cast, because he appears to have gone very European (which is appropriate, since the "wellness center" is in Europe).
Working Against It: I need more of a story hook to get excited about this. Otherwise, I get worried that it will just be a pretty mess.
Verdict: It's my second or third choice for this weekend, so I'm in no hurry to see it.
One teacher (Ice Cube) challenges another teacher (Charlie Day) to a fight.
Working For It: The idea is refreshingly on the nose. Day is essentially the straight man whose life turns into a cartoon once he's challenged to a fight. Day and Cube are playing characters they've played before many times. People like Jillian Bell, Christina Hendricks, JoAnna Garcia Swisher, Tracy Morgan, Dean Norris, and Kumail Nunjiani get some room to be funny and weird. Even if we're talking about Ride Along with an upgrade from Kevin Hart to Charlie Day, I'm on board.
Working Against It: Nothing in the trailers has made me laugh out loud. It's relying a little too heavily on the inherent funniness of two teachers getting in a fight. The director is pretty new to features too, although he has a lot of TV comedy experience (including several episodes of It's Always Sunny).
Verdict: This feels like a lock for me to see. I like too many of the people in it to miss.
A European man in search of gunpowder gets pulled in to help defend the Great Wall of China against monsters.
Working For It: I'm on board with Matt Damon, action movie star. This looks exciting and visually interesting.
Working Against It: Regardless of how Asian the rest of the cast is and the Chinese director, it's really hard to not look at this as a "white savior" movie.
Verdict: This will really depend on the word-of-mouth leading into the release weekend. I won't need much to convince me, but if it's going to be a hot mess, I'll pass.
German POWs have to scour a beach for land mines as a condition for their release.
Working For It: Being an Oscar nominee for Foreign Language Film helps. This looks tense as hell, in a good way.
Working Against It: I don't see that many foreign films and I rarely hunt them down. That's a me problem though. It looks like this could live a little too much in the dreariness, like a Silence.
Verdict: I only assume I'll see this in theaters if it's available and I've checked everything else off my Oscar checklist. It's doubtful.
2/24
Nicholas Hoult gets caught up in a drug smuggling ring trying to save his girlfriend, Felicity Jones.
Working For It: I like Hoult and Jones a lot. Anthony Hopkins and Ben Kingsley are prominent figures (Hopkins is the villain, Kingsley is a pseudo-ally, I think). That's a fun quartet.
Working Against It: This is another one that I think was delayed at some point. Hopkins and Kingsley both have histories of doing bad movies because they think a character would be fun to play. Even Jones damaged her "she wouldn't be in a bad movie" record with Inferno.
Verdict: It's very doubtful.
A young African American man meets his white girlfriend's parents and finds out that something weird is going on with all the black people in the area.
Working For It: Written and directed by Jordan Peele (of Key & Peele). Simply put, it looks bonkers. I'm not sure how much of it's a comedy and how much of it's a horror movie. Other than Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, and Catherine Keener, the cast is pretty new to me. It looks like a lot of fun.
Working Against It: I guess if the twist(s) turns out to suck, that would kill my enjoyment.
Verdict: I can't think of anything that will stop me from getting into the theater.
A dog wants to become a rock star.
Working For It: It's a pretty fun voice-cast, including Luke Wilson, Eddie Izzard, J.K. Simmons, Lewis Black, Kenan Thompson, Mae Whitman, and Sam Elliott.
Working Against It: The drop off between the major and minor animation studios is no joke. This looks straight-to-video quality and is yet another movie that was delayed a lot (at least, in the US).
Verdict: No chance I'll ever see this.
An epic movie about the Holodomor.
Working For It: It looks like some people worked very hard to make a prestige movie. I don't recognize most of the cast, but I get the feeling it will be like Anna Karenina, and a few years from now, one of them will show up as an Oscar nominee for something (See: Alicia Vikander).
Working Against It: It seems like every year or two, there's a movie that was made as Oscar bait using a formula that's 2 decades old. Remember The Railway Man? How about The Book Thief? Bitter Harvest looks like a dynamite idea circa 1995, when Schindler's List and The English Patient were gobbling up Oscars. I don't see where it fits in 2017.
Verdict: Look, I'm always happy to be wrong about a movie I thought was going to be bad. It'll be up to it to convince me though.
A painter starts having an affair with a married woman in the 17th century.
Working For It: The painter: Dane DeHaan. The married woman: Alicia Vikander. Her husband: Christoph Waltz. Also in the movie: Judi Dench, Cara Delevingne, Jack O'Connell, Holliday Granger, and Zach Galifianakis. The script: written by Tom Stoppard. If that's not enough to get you excited, then I don't know what to tell you.
Working Against It: Again, the release for this was delayed. Look, I know movies jump around in the schedule all the time, but this is excessive for so many to land on one month. This seems like a peculiar time to release this, unless it's going for a Love & Friendship strategy of appealing to the art house crowd without bothering for Oscars.
Verdict: At some point, I'm seeing this, but probably not in theaters.
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