January is certainly rolling out a bit slowly film wise this year, but that just gives us all more time to catch up with the big awards contenders (The Revenant, Lady in The Van and Spotlight) that are expanding this month. Don’t get me wrong there are a few movies that have caught my eye (Mojave, 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi and Synchronicity ) that I do plan to catch up with.So whether you choose to checkout that indie movie you’ve heard so much about, or the latest big studio release, don’t forget to click on the movie title below to view the trailer. We want to make sure you know what you are getting into before you head to the theater.
-Myrna E. Duarte
January 8
The Forest
Stars: Natalie Dormer, Eoin Macken, Stephanie Vogt
Directed By: Jason Zada
Synopsis: A young woman searches for her twin sister in a Japanese forest only to find herself surrounded by paranormal forces.
Our Two Cents: Based on the Aokigahara forest in Japan and the events of the film are more or less accurately depict, might be too creepy for me.
Yosemite
Stars: James Franco, Steven Wiig, Henry Hopper
Directed By: Gabrielle Demeestere
Synopsis: It’s the fall of 1985. The intertwining tales of three 5th grade friends, Chris, Joe and Ted, unfold in the suburban paradise of Palo Alto, as the threat of a mountain lion looms over the community.
Our Two Cents: James Franco’s Stand By Me?
January 15
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi
Stars: Toby Stephens, John Krasinski, Freddie Stroma
Directed By: Michael Bay
Synopsis: An American Ambassador is killed during an attack at a U.S. compound in Libya as a security team struggles to make sense out of the chaos.
Our Two Cents: Excited to see this true story.
Norm of the North
Stars: Heather Graham, Bill Nighy, Rob Schneider
Directed By: Trevor Wall
Synopsis: Displaced from their Arctic home, a polar bear named Norm and his three lemming friends wind up in New York City, where Norm becomes the mascot of a corporation he soon learns is tied to the fate of his homeland.
Our Two Cents: I think I might let Norm skate by.
Ride Along 2
Stars: Olivia Munn, Kevin Hart, Glen Powell
Directed By: Tim Story
Synopsis: As his wedding day approaches, Ben heads to Miami with his soon-to-be brother-in-law James to bring down a drug dealer who’s supplying the dealers of Atlanta with product.
Our Two Cents: Cue the Kevin Hart comedy.
January 22
The Boy
Stars: Lauren Cohan, Rupert Evans, Ben Robson
Directed By: William Brent Bell
Synopsis: An American nanny is shocked that her new English family’s boy is actually a life-sized doll. After violating a list of strict rules, disturbing events make her believe that the doll is really alive.
Our Two Cents: The doll is really alive? I’m waiting to watch this at home.
Dirty Grandpa
Stars: Zoey Deutch, Robert De Niro, Zac Efron
Directed By: Dan Mazer
Synopsis: Right before his wedding, an uptight guy is tricked into driving his grandfather, a perverted former Army general, to Florida for spring break.
Our Two Cents: NO!
The 5th Wave
Stars: Chloë Grace Moretz, Nick Robinson, Maika Monroe
Directed By: J Blakeson
Synopsis: Four waves of increasingly deadly alien attacks have left most of Earth decimated. Cassie is on the run, desperately trying to save her younger brother.
Our Two Cents: Looks okay, but I’m still keeping my expectations very low.
Ip Man 3
Stars: Donnie Yen, Jin Zhang, Patrick Tam, Mike Tyson
Directed By: Wilson Yip
Synopsis: When a band of brutal gangsters led by a crooked property developer make a play to take over the city, Master Ip is forced to take a stand.
Our Two Cents: It appears to have some amazing martial arts action. If you’re already a fan of this series, don’t miss out on more.
Mojave
Stars: Oscar Isaac, Mark Wahlberg, Garrett Hedlund |
Directed By: William Monahan
Synopsis: A suicidal artist goes into the desert, where he finds his doppelgänger, a homicidal drifter.
Our Two Cents: Two drifters who meet in the desert and one of them is Oscar Isaac, I’m in!
Synchronicity
Stars: Chad McKnight, Brianne Davis, AJ Bowen |
Directed By: Jacob Gentry
Synopsis: Synchronicity is a mind-bending ‘Sci-fi Noir’ about a physicist who invents a time machine, and the mysterious femme fatale trying to steal it. He must travel back in time to uncover the truth about the machine, the girl, and his own reality.
Our Two Cents: The trailer makes the film look a bit like Looper, Dark City and Blade Runner all thrown in one.
January 29
The Finest Hours
Stars: Chris Pine, Holliday Grainger, Eric Bana
Directed By: Craig Gillespie
Synopsis: The Coast Guard makes a daring rescue attempt off the coast of Cape Cod after a pair of oil tankers are destroyed during a blizzard in 1952.
Our Two Cents: This looks like a very intense, very riveting story of an incredible rescue at sea. I’m in.
Kung Fu Panda 3D
Stars: Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman
Directed By: Alessandro Carloni, Jennifer Yuh
Synopsis: Continuing his “legendary adventures of awesomeness”, Po must face two hugely epic, but different threats: one supernatural and the other a little closer to his home.
Our Two Cents: I’m still not sure about this sequel, but give it a shot.
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