Happy New Year! The start of a new year is always an apprehensive time of year when it comes to films because quite frankly, movies released in January are typically not the brightest of the bunch. That unpredictable feeling these films exude make the waiting game fun in a way though. Perhaps there will be a few surprises amongst the bunch or perhaps every film released this month will be an absolute failure (minus the upcoming wide releases of oscar bait films released in limited theaters back in late 2016). The anticipation is always an experience no matter what, and with that, it's time to find out what movies will be in theaters in the coming weeks!

JANUARY 6TH, 2017

Underworld: Blood Wars is the fifth installment in the franchise bringing back its main actress once again, Kate Beckinsale. If you're a fan of the war between vampires and werewolves then surely, you'll find the time to check this one out. If you're on the other side of the fence, it may be a better idea to hold out for different films.

Or you can see one of the following films releasing wide:

Hidden Figures (Directed by Theodore Melfi)

Lion (Directed by Garth Davis)

A Monster Calls (Directed by J.A. Bayona)

JANUARY 13TH, 2017

Sleepless is an action thriller film starring Jamie Foxx and Michelle Monaghan. Nothing has been heard about this one until just a couple weeks ago through commercial marketing so take that information as you may. But maybe this will be a fun romp with some high caliber actors!

Monster Trucks is a family film about a young man who finds a monster in his truck. It sounds silly but that doesn't mean you should discard the film from your list of films to see. Unless it's offensively bad, this should be a harmlessly good time at the theater.

The Bye Bye Man is the first horror film of 2017 that seems to take influence from a recent figure of terror known as Slenderman. According to the rules based by the trailer, if you think or say his name then he will come for your soul. Those rules sound awfully difficult to abide by and for some reason, if the creature doesn't say the words engraved within his name before he murders helpless teenagers then I'm going to be disappointed.

More films going through wide release this weekend include:

Live By Night (Directed by Ben Affleck)

Silence (Directed by Martin Scorsese)

Patriots Day (Directed by Peter Berg)

JANUARY 20TH, 2017

The Founder is the story about the rise of the fast food corporation that took the world by an unhealthy storm thanks to a struggling salesman played by Michael Keaton. I don't know much about the story behind McDonald's but this will hopefully be an insightful look into what happened in the 1950s concerning this now ginormous company.

Split is the latest thriller film from once acclaimed director, M. Night Shyamalan. By the late 2000s, the man behind films like The Sixth Sense and Signs was cinematically destroyed due to latter efforts. But as of recently, he's been on the rise again thanks to a little movie called The Visit. Can Mr. Shyamalan revive his career and move back into the big leagues? The success or failure of Split can certainly determine the future of his career.

Were you anticipating the return of Xander Cage? If you weren't, then too bad, because the newest sequel in the xXx franchise brings back the titular character played by Vin Diesel. And he's riding motorcycles on the surface of the ocean. If you like hearing ridiculous statements like that, then see this movie in theaters.

Also releasing wide this week:

20th Century Women (Directed by Mike Mills)

JANUARY 27TH, 2017

To be perfectly honest, I've never heard of Bastards and I haven't seen any marketing for it either. When a film hasn't been exposed to the world moving through the month it's supposed to release, it's probably wearing a giant warning sign to stay very far away.

A Dog's Purpose looks like a film with the sole purpose of making you perpetually cry and then run home to hug your best friends after the movie is over. If you're a cat person, I'm not quite sure if this will be the movie for you though.

Gold stars Matthew McConaughey and it's about the search for gold that proceeds to lead toward a prosperous yet scary life. All I want to know is if this film breathes in the same universe as another McConaughey movie from 2008 known as Fool's Gold. We may have a golden cinematic universe!

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter claims to be the last film even though it is the sixth film in a franchise adapted from a popular video game series. Coincidentally, the newest game releases on the same week. Before I digress, hopefully this film ends everything on a high note but I don't expect that note to reach very high. Obviously I am not the biggest expert though because this franchise has been pumping for over 15 years. Somewhere out there, there is a fanbase for Milla Jovovich and endless waves of killable zombies.