Monthly Movie Preview: January 2015

January is commonly referred to as the "dumping ground."  The dumping ground usually includes February as well (although you might get a couple of higher-profile romances for Valentine's Day), and mirrors August, which is a bigger budget dumping ground.  No one sets out to make a bad movie, but sometimes that's just how it turns out, and Hollywood still wants to get them out in some way or other, and January is the perfect time to do it.  The holidays are done and over, people are getting back into the routine, and all the big studios have generally agreed to share this time to put out fare they're less proud of, creating a mostly level playing ground.  There are a couple sequels that can do sturdy business, although the studios would rather not pit them against peak season fare (THE WOMAN IN BLACK 2, TAKEN 3), a couple of movies for the reliable family demographic (PADDINGTON, STRANGE MAGIC), some loopy comedies (THE WEDDING RINGER, MORTDECAI), and a few of what have come to be called "January thrillers" (BLACKHAT, THE BOY NEXT DOOR and PROJECT ALMANAC).  Just because it's a dumping ground doesn't mean you won't find a few gems thrown out with the trash, but you've got to look.  On the other hand, it's also the time of year that a bunch of prestigious awards fare that got limited releases in December make their way into theaters nationwide.

January 2nd
THE WOMAN IN BLACK 2: ANGEL OF DEATH  (HORROR-THRILLER)
Directed by Tom Harper; Starring: Phoebe Fox, Jeremy Irvine, Helen McCrory, Adrian Rawlins, Leanne Best, Ned Dennehy, Oaklee Pendergast, Genelle Williams
Rated PG-13 for some disturbing and frightening images, and for thematic elements.
For as few and far in between as really good sequels are, there are two genres that stand-out for bad sequels, and those are comedy and horror.  So much in both genres relies on timing, and a really good comedy or horror movie can be like catching lightning in a bottle; by the time they make the sequel, the surprise factor is no longer there.  THE WOMAN IN BLACK was an okay horror movie, but what was most interesting about it was seeing the Harry Potter series' star Daniel Radcliffe step into an adult role, to see how he would function outside of his most famous role.  Radcliffe has not returned for this sequel, set during WWII, when a group of children escorted by a young schoolteacher are evacuated from London during the Blitz, to a particular old house in Eel Marsh, the one haunted by the "woman in black", a horrifying specter that preys upon children.  Produced by Hammer Film Productions, it promises at least a few basic supernatural scares, but THE WOMAN IN BLACK 2 probably won't be worthwhile for most, except for horror-buffs without something better to do.

January 9th
TAKEN 3 (aka TAK3N)  (ACTION-THRILLER)
Directed by Oliver Megaton; Starring: Liam Neeson, Forest Whitaker, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen, Dougray Scott, Sam Spruell, Leland Orser, Jon Gries, Jonny Weston
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, and for brief strong language. 
The original TAKEN was an unexpected smash-hit back in 2009, redefining Liam Neeson's career, somewhat to the chagrin of those who liked him before he became a generic Rambo-styled bad-ass.  Actually, Neeson was far and away the best part of the lurid, schlocky action-thriller written by Luc Besson, but at least TAKEN was invested.  TAKEN 2 was a dreadfully dull, shameless cash-grab, and now TAKEN 3 doesn't even have any "taking" in it, because this time, they decided to remake THE FUGITIVE.  Neeson's ex-special agent Bryan Mills is framed for the murder of his ex-wife by old enemies and is sent on the run with a driven cop, played by Forest Whitaker, in pursuit, while also trying to protect his annoying and abnormally unintelligent daughter, played by Maggie Grace, from the foreigner bad guys.  I'm sure Neeson is payed well, but he deserves better material.

January 16th 
BLACKHAT  (ACTION/CRIME-DRAMA)
Directed by Michael Mann; Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tang Wei, Viola Davis, Manny Montana, William Mapother, Holt McCallany
Rated R for violence and some language.
Prior to recent news events, this upcoming cyber-terrorism thriller was being derided as a throwback to the now-dated internet paranoia thrillers from the 1990s like THE NET and HACKERS, but lo and behold, it is now extremely relevant.  Chris Hemsworth stars as a convicted cyber-criminal recruited out of prison by the U.S. government to help put a stop to the devastating attacks launched by an untraceable hacker.  The idea of Hemsworth as a genius coder is still a little far-fetched, but anything directed by Michael Mann is worth a look, and it's his first film since PUBLIC ENEMIES came out over five years ago.  If it's a "January thriller", it looks like it could be a pretty good one.

January 16th
PADDINGTON  (FAMILY-COMEDY/FANTASY)

Directed by Paul King; Starring: Hugh Bonneville, Ben Winshaw (voice role), Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Peter Capaldi, Nicole Kidman
Rated PG for mild action and rude humor.
The advertising for PADDINGTON, originally slated for a Christmas release in the United States, has ranged from lackluster to "creepy" (the teaser poster spawned a meme called "Creepy Paddington"), and the move to a January release date was no more reassuring, but following its release in the UK, it has been receiving rave reviews in a very surprising turn of events.  Based on the beloved classic series of children's books, it's the story of a friendly, anthropomorphic bear named Paddington, who originates from the jungles of darkest Peru, loves marmalade and has penchant for causing mischief, in spite of his good intentions.  Based on the response of those who have already seen it, PADDINGTON looks like an unusually promising January release.

January 16th

THE WEDDING RINGER  (COMEDY)

Directed by Jeremy Garelick; Starring: Kevin Hart, Josh Gad, Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting, Alan Ritchson, Cloris Leachman, Mimi Rogers
Rated R for crude and sexual content, language throughout, some drug use and brief graphic nudity.
Kevin Hart (RIDE ALONG) and Josh Gad (The Book of Mormon), two of the hottest names in comedy at the moment, star in this buddy comedy about a friendless nerd (Gad) who hires a professional best man (Hart) for his impending wedding.  Despite a pair of likable and proven comic leads, it is a little troubling that this is a feature directorial debut for Jeremy Garelick and getting released in January, and the previews haven't done much to assuage these concerns.  Hart fans will probably be pleased nonetheless, and RIDE ALONG (released to unexpectedly big success on the same weekend last year) proves his name is enough to carry a film to success for now.

January 23rd
THE BOY NEXT DOOR  (THRILLER)
Directed by Rob Cohen; Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Ryan Guzman, Kristin Chenoweth, John Corbett, Ian Nelson
Rated R for violence, sexual content/nudity and language.
J-Lo gets FATAL ATTRACTIONed in the latest from modern exploitation-meister Rob Cohen (director of the original THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS and ALEX CROSS), about a high school teacher who gets it on with her juvenile but hunky neighbor (Ryan Guzman, of STEP UP REVOLUTION fame), but after she tries to put it behind her, he goes all crazy-stalker-bitch on her, so to speak.  Think what you will, but this at least sounds a little amusing to me, in an "WTF" sort of way.

January 23rd
MORTDECAI  (ACTION-COMEDY)

Directed by David Koepp; Starring: Johnny Depp, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor, Paul Bettany, Olivia Munn, Jeff Goldblum, Aubrey Plaza, Oliver Platt
Not Yet Rated
On the whole, Johnny Depp's dress-up-based schtick has grown a bit tiresome, but the previews for this new comedy in which he stars as a distinctly mustachioed English aristocrat are unexpectedly funny. Directed by David Koepp, director of amusing and off-kilter but formulaic movies like GHOST TOWN (2008) and PREMIUM RUSH (2012), but better known as the screenwriter of JURASSIC PARK and SPIDER-MAN, MORTDECAI is an action-comedy based on a book by Kyril Bonfiglioli about the eponymous, roguish aristocrat's adventures pursuing a stolen painting reputed to feature the coded location of a Nazi treasure trove.  Looks fun and funny, though potentially messy.

January 23rd
STRANGE MAGIC  (ANIMATED-FANTASY)

Directed by Gary Rydstrom; Featuring the Voices of: Alan Cumming, Evan Rachel Wood, Kristin Chenoweth, Maya Rudolph, Sam Palladio, Alfred Molina, Elijah Kelley, Peter Stormare
Rated PG for some action and scary images.
Somehow, this animated film from Lucasfilm with a story credited to George Lucas himself managed to fly well below the radar right up until it was practically finished and Disney registered the website, which initially fueled far-fetched speculation that it was a FROZEN sequel.  Reportedly inspired by A Midsummer Night's Dream, it revolves around a first contact incident between elves and goblins in a fairy tale mold, but looks more than a little similar to Blue Sky Animation's 2013 movie, EPIC.  It's very possible it's just the Disney marketing machine, which has the ability to make good movies look stupid and somehow I guess it works, but this looks like pretty stupid, formulaic kiddie fair.

January 30th
BLACK OR WHITE  (DRAMA)
Directed by Mike Binder; Starring: Kevin Costner, Gillian Jacobs, Jennifer Ehle, Octavia Spencer, Bill Burr, Andre Holland, Mpho Koaho, Indigo
Rated PG-13 for brief strong language, thematic material involving drug use and drinking, and for a fight.
Kevin Costner is still struggling for a comeback in this probably soapy race relations drama in which he stars as a widower raising his granddaughter, when his late daughter's black mother-in-law (Octavia Spencer) sues for custody with her drug-addicted son.  While I'm sure there are good intentions, it sounds really terrible.

January 30th
PROJECT ALMANAC  (SCI-FI/THRILLER)
Directed by Dean Israelite; Starring: Jonny Weston, Sofia Black D'Elia, Amy Landecker, Michelle DeFraites, Ginny Gardner, Sam Lerner, Patrick Johnson, Gary Grubbs
Rated PG-13 for some language and sexual content.
This found-footage time travel thriller was originally slated for release in February 2014, under the title WELCOME TO YESTERDAY, when Paramount pulled it a few weeks before the release date, and after a month announced the new title and release date nearly a whole year later.  Not that this ever looked particularly enticing, but that kind of behind-the-scenes drama rarely bodes well.  The feature film debut of the director and screenwriters, the primary selling point has been producer Michael Bay for this story about a group of teenage friends who build a time machine (just go with it) and use it to fix some of their past mistakes, unaware of what effect their actions will have on the present as they know it.