Following the advice of a reader (thanks Joseph Randall), this article will detail the movies coming out in the next month. Let me just say before diving into this article that this month begins a string of several with huge blockbusters coming out. The next eight to 10 months are going to be a wonderful roller coaster of good movies. When writing this sort of an article, I try to be objective as possible but I think it will end up pretty obvious which ones I am most excited to see. In an effort to make this as "calendar friendly" as possible, I will organize the movies by which weekend they will release. With all of the preliminaries out of the way, on to the releases:
Holdovers from January - For those of you that missed some of the biggest movies of January, this first week will likely be your last opportunity to view many of these. "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," "The Boy," "Ride Along 2," and "Revenant" are likely not much longer to be shown at your favorite theater. The nature of a busy schedule will force many of these films out of theaters sooner rather than later, so if you want to see them you better get yourself to a theater soon.
February 5th - February opens with a bang, as several big movies are coming out the first full weekend of the month. What do you get when you combine an old world classic novel and zombies? "Pride, Prejudice, and Zombies," of course. This movie will detail a zombie outbreak in Victorian England. Written by the same author as "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter," this movie promises a high level of action and the opportunity to see the ladies of the "Pride and Prejudice" take center stage as the action heroes. How often is it that you get to a see a zombie movie with women as the heroes? Let's hope that this one delivers the goods.
George Clooney looks to rediscover past success when he leads "Hail, Caesar," the next Coen Brothers production. This is a collaboration that put together the immensely successful and productive "O Brother, Where Art Thou," and trailers for this movie suggest that this movie will offer up similar levels of quality. Joining Clooney in this all-star cast are Channing Tatum, Scarlett Johansson, Josh Brolin, Ralph Fiennes, Tilda Swinton, and Jonah Hill. With this much acting talent on board, this movie about the kidnapping of the world's greatest actor promises to be great.
Joining these two blockbusters opening this weekend are the Emma Watson led "Regression" and the latest Sarah Jessica Parker romantic comedy "All Roads Lead to Rome." With two major releases bristling with star power and action, and two more smaller releases carried by strong stars, there is every reason to be excited about going to the movies this month.
February 12th - The middle of February brings with it one of the simultaneously most anticipated and reviled days of the year, Valentine's Day. If you have a date, you likely look forward to this day with immense anticipation. If you are single, the holiday can be full of loneliness and angst. Hollywood, keenly aware of this dichotomy, has planned for all sorts of moviegoers with several big releases for the holiday weekend.
Beginning with those that have dates for the weekend, moviegoers have the option of several date oriented movies. First up is "How to be Single," a movie that looks in trailers to be hilarious. In this movie, Rebel Wilson will take under her wing her recently single friend Dakota Johnson in an effort to teach her how to properly live the single life. Joined by equally funny Leslie Mann and Allison Brie, this movie promises to be one that will entertain couples and singles alike. "How To Be Single," a movie that looks in trailers to be hilarious. In this movie, Rebel Wilson will take under her wing her recently single friend Dakota Johnson in an effort to teach her how to properly live the single life. Joined by equally funny Leslie Mann and Allison Brie, this movie promises to be one that will entertain couples and singles alike.
Ben Stiller reprises one of his most successful roles in "Zoolander 2." The follow-up to his surprise 2001 hit, this movie depicts Zoolander and his friend Hansel, played by Owen Wilson, ten years after the original. Considering that they are fashion models and the nature of an industry that is often obsessed with young talent, one can only imagine the hijinks that will ensue with two past their prime models that have a habit of getting involved in international affairs.
If you are someone that is not all that interested in the celebration of love that Valentine's Day represents, then the folks at 20th Century Fox have just the movie for you. The movie that comic book fans have been clamoring for since 2009's disastrous "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" finally hits the screen as Ryan Reynolds breathes life into "Deadpool." The merc with a mouth hits the screen and promises to deliver as one of the only comic book movies to receive an "R" rating. "Deadpool" would have been horrible if it had been edited down to tamer rating, so the "R" rating that is often a kiss of death to some genres will likely serve to enhance "Deadpool's" numbers to the point of being an early favorite for the top-grossing movie of the year honors.
With two holdover blockbusters from the previous week, and three more added to the mix for Valentine's Day, this weekend should easily threaten the all-time record for movie grosses for Valentine's weekends.
February 19th - After storming in like a hurricane the first two weeks of the month, this weekend sees a couple of dramas release that will allow moviegoers to both catch up on what they missed the last two weeks and also take in a couple of movies aimed at a more "serious" audience.
The first of these is "Race," which details Jesse Owens' rise from a virtually unknown to the man that challenged Hitler's notions of racial superiority in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. There are many voices in the world of sports that regard Owens' five gold medals at those 1936 Olympics as one of the most important events in the history of sports. The story of Owens' courage and determination will provide for a wonderfully motivational tale to be woven on the silver screen. Of all of the movies coming out this month, this one may be the one I am personally looking forward to the most.
The next movie looks wonderful, even if it seems to be awkwardly timed. A critically acclaimed cast including the likes of Joseph Fiennes, Tom Felton, and Peter Firth will present the story that surrounded Christ's missing body after his Crucifixion. This is one of the most important stories ever told, but it seems to be a story that would have had more traction if it had been released a month later, closer to Easter, which of course is the holiday that commemorates the event. With the movies it will be competing for viewers with, it will be highly unlikely that this movie will be successful enough to get more than a couple weeks at the most to reach viewers. To make a long story short, if you want to see this one, I would highly recommend that you make plans to see it opening weekend.
February 26th - A month that started with a bang will look to end with one as well as three films open the final weekend of the month. The Gerard Butler led "Gods of Egypt" will look to appeal to the crowds that went to "Deadpool" a couple weeks earlier as the hysteria surrounding that movie may be starting to slide a bit this week. Joining Butler in this one is the superb character actor Geoffrey Rush of the "Pirates of the Carribean" franchise. Full of action, this movie will appeal to those that enjoy "geekier" movies.
Casey Afflek, Anthony Mackie, and Woody Harrelson will bring "Triple 9" to the screen this weekend, a movie detailing the plan of a group of dirty cops to pull off a heist. The trio will be joined by Kate Winslet and Chiwetel Ejiofor in what promises to be an edge of your seat thriller.
Moviegoers looking for lighter fare could find themselves going to "Eddie the Eagle," the story of an unlikely British ski-jumper counted out by the nation he seeks to represent. In an effort to succeed, he seeks out the Hugh Jackman played coach that can help propel him to the glory he seeks for himself and his country in the 1988 Winter Olympics.
So, there we have it, the shortest month of the year is jam-packed with plenty of movies for you to take in at theaters everywhere. Whether you love comic book movies, romantic comedies, action movies, or movies that are divinely inspired, there is a movie for all tastes this month. As I mentioned above though, the nature of the hectic release schedule that Hollywood has put together this year will mean that to see the movies you want to see, you will likely need to catch them early, as they will not be able to stick around as movies have in the past. Following on the heels of this month's hectic schedule is a March schedule that will start with the fall of London and end with the "Dawn of Justice." So get your popcorn and grab your drink and enjoy yourselves at the movies this month!
