Another year, another big list of upcoming superhero epics, fun family fare, thrilling horror, and award season bait galore. 2017 has a very diverse release schedule to be sure and for the next few days, I'll be sharing everything I know and hopefully I can entice some of you with a movie that you may not have even known about.
JANUARY
A MONSTER CALLS is based upon the novel of the same name and looks to be a epic fantasy film worthy of Guillermo Del Toro status. With a current rating of 89% on Rotten Tomatoes and an epic cast including Sigourney Weaver this film should hopefully prove to be a great example of director J.A. Bayona's work in his upcoming 'Jurassic World 2'.
HIDDEN FIGURES tells the true story of three brilliant young women who helped bring man to the moon. A whopping 90% on RT and awards season just upon the horizon, 'Hidden Figures' is one to catch for sure as it looks to be one of the better highlights of the early year.
UNDERWORLD: BLOOD WARS continues the franchise's 'epic' story of vampire Selene as she continues to gun down various CGI werewolves. 'Blood Wars' looks to be the series at its most low, with 10% on RT I think this series has been long drained of any warm blood it may have once had.
LA LA LAND is a new musical romance film starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone and it looks to be the big winner this year. With multiple Golden Globe nominations and a 'Best Picture' award not far behind, this is definitely one to see in the theaters for the best experience possible.
THE BYE BYE MAN is about yet another sinister bogeyman who stalks and kills various young folks. This film was delayed from last June to Christmas and now on Friday the 13th, though that will likely not win the film any favors with the Box Office gurus as all signs point to this one being an absolute stinker. I'm currently betting an 2 million dollar gross, if that so it's probably best to avoid.
LIVE BY NIGHT is Ben Affleck's latest directorial piece about gangsters during the early 20's-30's. Early reviews have been mixed at best, but with Affleck both starring and directing it will likely have at least a polished well made movie, even if its story has been told many times before. Still, I'm recommending it next week.
MONSTER TRUCKS is about...drum roll...yes monsters that literally live inside pickup trucks. Look, I know this movie is not marketed or aimed anywhere near me, but children and young adolescents are not stupid. You can make a smart film for both them and the family and this just isn't going to be it I'm afraid. I recommend seeing 'Sing' or 'Moana' over this any day.
SPLIT is the newest film from M. Night Shamylan and as shocking as it may come to some, it really may be a pretty damn good flick. Starring James McAvoy as a gentleman with 24 distinct personalities who kidnaps a group of young girls and its up to them to figure out which personalities are friendly, and which are hostile. 2015's 'The Visit' was a surprise and it seems the director is coming back to form. Here's hoping for this one.
xXx: THE RETURN OF XANDER CAGE has Vin Diesel returning to a role he long left behind and it looks to have some fun roller coaster thrills which will hopefully make up for the lack of story, or logic, or really anything else this film is likely going to lack. A franchise that has had a film since the mid 2000's and it's just now being resurrected with the original actor? Just sounds like a train wreck waiting to happen.
A DOG'S PURPOSE is based upon the book of the same name about a dog's journey as he reincarnates as multiple dogs, helping various human companions along the way and making his way back to his old master (Dennis Quaid). The movie looks really sweet and is sure to be a hit with families. With Spielberg's production crew working on it, there's surely something magical and heartfelt to behold here.
RESIDENT EVIL: THE FINAL CHAPTER is going to be bad, plain and simple and I'm sorry to be so jaded, so bias before the film has come out. Really though folks, do you believe me to be lying in this situation? These films have been nothing more than a vehicle for Paul Anderson to give his wife something to do when she could be doing something much more worthy (much like Underworld and its director/wife scenario). Luckily for fans of the games, the newest 7th chapter in the series will release the same week. So you all can occupy yourselves with that instead.
PATRIOT'S DAY tells the story of the tragic Boston Marathon Bombing from the perspective of a small group of eyewitnesses and the hardships they must endure in the aftermath. The film has received mixed to positive reviews throughout its limited run, but with a wide release now finally set for this month, it's time for the general audience to see what they make of it. Tackling subject matter like this is certainly tough especially in this day and age however I think Mark Wahlburg and crew are the real deal and will put lots of heart and passion into the project.
THE FOUNDER discusses the foundation of fast food king McDonald's as a major franchise and it's leader Ray Kroc (Michael Keaton). Delayed for almost a year outside of film festivals, I personally have been hungry for this biopic which both tells a fascinating story and has a wonderful cast to back it all up. Here's hoping 'The Founder' satisfies.
GOLD stars Matthew McConaughey as a washed up financier who hatches a scheme to acquire gold deep within the underground mines of Indonesia. Acquired by the Weinstien Company a while back, this film seems to have been rather quiet despite it's strong lead in McConaughey and its intriguing story. I smell Academy Award Gold with this film.
SLEEPLESS stars Jamie Foxx as an underground Las Vegas cop who will go to any length to save his son from a gang of mobsters in this crime action thriller. Love me some cop drama flicks, but I wouldn't get my expectations up too high for this one. Jamie Foxx is certainly a strong talent for sure, but the generic story and weak trailers just make me think this could have easily been in my Redbox queue but time will tell when it releases.
Check back for February and thanks for reading.
No comments:
Post a Comment