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2015
2014
2013
2/2
A horror movie about the Winchester Mansion and the
woman who had it built it.
Working For It: I'm surprised it's taken this long for someone to make a
horror movie about the famous mansion. Helen
Mirren is overqualified for the lead role which can only work in the film's
favor. It's from the writer/directors of Predestination which was a trip. Hopefully, this will be too.
Working Against It: The fact that the house exists at all is weird. I'm
worry that the attempt to work it into a horror story will try too hard.
My Take: It's certainly being sold more with the visuals which is
not what I find most appealing about horror. I'm happy to watch for this to hit
Amazon Prime or something.
A documentary about a man trying to make it as a
cage fighter.
Working For It: This looks like a real-life version of Joel Edgerton's
story in Warrior, which is a film that I'm an unreasonably big fan of.
Working Against It: Then again, it's the execution not the story that makes
me love Warrior.
My Take: Just because I'm on a big documentary kick lately, I'll
probably check it out eventually.
A young woman tries to get over the abrupt death of
her much older boyfriend.
Working For It: The Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Film helps. It
would be fun to see the woman's side of one of those relationships.
Working Against It: The story isn't one that sucks me in and I really don't
know the actors or filmmaker from anything.
My Take: If I'm being honest, the only thing that's likely to
convince me to see this is if it wins the Oscar, and even then it's only a
maybe.
2/9
A Clint Eastwood film about a thwarted terrorist
attack on a train in France in 2015.
Working For It: Yes, it's another Clint Eastwood film about everyday
heroism. He is good at making that kind of movie. It's nice to see people like
Jenna Fischer, Judy Greer, and Jaleel White in supporting roles.
Working Against It: I couldn't pick the leads out of a lineup. Eastwood's
movie are starting to feel generic. I don't think I'm out of line to suggest
the 88 year old has lost his fastball.
My Take: I have little to no desire to see this.
Anastasia is married to Mr. Grey and discovers that
her life isn't any easier.
Working For It: Well, I've seen the first two movies. I even saw the
first one in
theaters. I like Dakota Johnson a lot but not really in this kind of role.
These films are the exact thing they promise to be. The tone and performances
are consistent.
Working Against It: I've found the plots of the first two movies to be
inconsistent. No one is giving a particularly great performance. The time in
the zeitgeist is long gone.
My Take: I'll see it for the sake of completion but not in a
theater...probably.
An American man meets his Mexican fiance's family
and fights with her Ex over her.
Working For It: This looks decently funny. It looks no better or worse
than a lot of RomComs I've seen over the years. I like seeing how some of these
Latino or Indian movies are starting to break the Hollywood formula.
Working Against It: Part of the reason I've watched so many generic RomComs
over the years is that I can mostly ignore them. This has subtitles, so I have
to pay more attention to it.
My Take: I'd see a movie like this for one of the stars. I don't
see anyone I know, so I'll pass*.
*Yes, I do understand that I'm creating an endless
loop that all but guarantees I won't see more world cinema. My bad.
Peter feuds with a mean new farmer who starts dating
the friendly farmer who has always taken care of him.
Working For It: This is a silly stupid movie that I'm almost certain to
see. It has Domhnall Gleeson (ginger Hugh Grant himself) and Rose Byrne in live
action roles and Margot Robbie and Daisy Ridley in voice-acting roles. Yes
please. Other voices come from James Corden (as Peter), Elizabeth Debicki, and
Sia. I'm even a moderate fan of some of writer/director Will Gluck's previous
work (Annie, The
Michael J. Fox Show).
Working Against It: It wouldn't take much for this to be insufferable. It's
not like I was much of a fan of
Hop or Kangaroo
Jack. And, no, I don't know why those are the first two movies that came to
mind.
My Take: I've set very low expectations that I will happily take
with me to the theater.
The true story of the man who created sanitary pads
for women in rural India.
Working For It: I kind of couldn't believe this movie existed after I
saw the trailer, so I wanted to post it here to prove that it does.
Working Against It: I keep talking about how eventually I'll see one of
these Indian imports. This will not be the one.
My Take: No thanks. The trailer was enough.
2/16
I'm not sure what it's about. Black Panther vs.
Michael B. Jordan is all that matters.
Working For It: I love the fact the a Marvel Cinematic Universe exists.
Ryan Coogler revived the
Rocky franchise with
Creed. I can't
wait to see what he'll do in the Marvel Universe. This cast is crazy. Chadwick
Boseman and Michael B. Jordan. Oscar winners Lupita Nyong'o and Forest
Whitaker. Oscar nominees Daniel Kaluuya and Angela Bassett. Emmy winners
Sterling K. Brown and Martin Freeman. Andy Serkis in a live action role.
Fucking Michonne from The Walking Dead (Danai Guiria)!
Working Against It: I'm still waiting for that moment when the Marvel movies
stop working for me. It hasn't happened yet, partly because I have very
reasonable expectations for them. I guess it's always possible this will be one
too many. That's all I've got though.
My Take: This looks to keep up the recent run of 1st quarter Marvel successes (Logan - 2017,
Deadpool -
2016)
Animated film about Stone Age men who come into
contact with the Bronze Age world.
Working For It: This features a delightfully British voicecast,
including Tom Hiddleston, Maisie Williams, Eddie Redmayne, and Timothy Spall.
Aardaman Animation's claymation style is a nice change of pace from all the CGI
animnation elsewhere.
Working Against It: Between Chicken Run, FlushedAway, and The Curse of the Were-Rabbit,
I've never warmed to the Aardaman style and humor. It doesn't help that this
movie compares unfavorably to Year
One, which isn't
even a good movie.
My Take: I can barely make it through the trailer. Aardaman and I
are like oil and vinegar.
A biblical epic about Samson.
Working For It: I have to give Pure Flix credit. They are putting in a
real effort. This looks like a low-budget
Hercules,
and they appear to be employing some subtler messaging than in previous films.
Working Against It: At the end of the day, the question is what Pure Flix's
aim is. Do they want mainstream appeal or are they going to niche church
markets? Either is fine, but it will dictate how they do things. Samson looks
like a broader appeal attempt. If played right, I could see this being their
biggest hit yet*. I could also see this missing every mark and not cracking $5
million.
My Take: I think as long as I can still tell which studio made the
movie from the content of the trailer alone, I'll pass. They need to master
subtlety first.
*Note: Their biggest hit so far has made $20
million. The bar isn't that high.
Zosia Mamet moves back to New York and happens to
move-in above her ex-boyfriend.
Working For It: This looks like Girls envisioned as a traditional
RomCom and I'm all about that.
Working Against It: I'm almost guaranteed to like this movie. I'm more
likely to forget that it even exists.
My Take: Sure. Why not? No hurry though.
A feuding couple has to work together to find their
missing son.
Working For It: It's one of the Oscar nominees for Foreign Film and
looks like it has big performances at the center of it.
Working Against It: This looks like one of those European films in which the
director refuses to let the audience forget about him. That gets tedious.
My Take: No need to make this a priority.
A weaving anthology about the things we hold dear.
Working For It: I appreciate the ambition of all the stories that tie
into each other. The stories are all about the different items in our lives
that we hold dear, which looks like an easy way to milk some emotion out of
them. It's a big cast, including Ellen Burstyn, Bruce Dern, Jon Hamm, and
Catherine Keener.
Working Against It: The director, Mark Pellington, hasn't impressed me much
with his previous films I've seen (The Mothman Prophesies, Henry
Poole Is Here). More often than not, these kinds of sweeping athologies
can't live up to the ambition.
My Take: It seems far too likely to fail.
2/23
A scientist travels to another world/dimension in
seatrch of her husband.
Working For It: This is Alex Garland's follow up to the excellent Ex Machina. He
keeps Oscar Isaac around and adds Natalie Portman, Tessa Thompson, Jennifer
Jason Leigh, and Gina Rodriguez.
Working Against It: It looks like a more traditional SciFi thriller. It may
not be able to live up to Ex Machina.
My Take: Ex Machina was good
enough that I'm going to see whatever Garland makes next. There's probably more
to it that the trailer lets on.
A teenager falls in love with a being that inhabits
a new body every day.
Working For It: Angourie Rice has the lead role. She was great in The Nice Guys and The Beguiled. It'll be nice
to see how she handles her own movie. The idea sounds pretty interesting. And
it's from the director of The Vow. I liked The Vow
a lot more than I expected.
Working Against It: There's a high degree of difficulty in this movie. It's
relying on a large cast of young actors to consistently play the same role and
all have convincing chemistry with Angourie Rice. That's a lot.
My Take: I'm open to being pleasantly surprised by this one, but
my instinct is that it's not going to work.
A group of friends' weekly game night turns into an
elaborate murder mystery that may or may not be real.
Working For It: Beyond the stellar cast (Rachel McAdams, Jason Bateman,
Kyle Chandler, Sharon Horgan, Lamorne Morris, Jesse Plemons), there's no need
to overthink this: the trailer made me laugh multiple times. While I prefer
John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein as writers, I think they have a
couple great comedies in them as directors as well.
Working Against It: I know that comedy movie scripts are rarely written by a
single person. Normally, it goes through several drafts with several people
(Probably Thomas Lennon at some point) and still gets rewritten on the fly
while shooting. The name that ends up in the credits is often a technicality.
All that said, I'm not inspired by the script being credited to the guy who
wrote Herbie Fully Loaded,
The Country Bears, and Accepted. Accepted is the best of
those and it's only fine.
My Take: This feels like the biggest lock I'll find this month
behind Black Panther.
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