Wow, aren’t we glad January is finally over? Hollywood is done slumming and the Sundance Film Festival has come to another close. Let’s take a look at what February will be bringing us before we get to start easing back into the good stuff.
February 3
At first glance, Big Miracle may look like it’s just trying to ride the coattails of the dreadful Dolphin Tale. On the plus side, this one features at least a better cast including Drew Barrymore, John Krasinski, Kristen Bell, Ted Danson, and Tim Blake Nelson. Yes, the true story to save a family of gray whales trapped by ice in the Arctic Circle just makes for an even fishier comparison. But at least now we know why Kristen Bell puts forth all that effort to cover up those unsightly tattoos before she throws on a parka.
And it wouldn’t be February without the assortment of genre films, right? First is Daniel Radcliffe out to show he’s more than just super wizard Harry Potter as he faces off against The Woman in Black. Coming from director James Watkins (of the awesome Eden Lake) and screenwriter Jane Goldman (Matthew Vaughn’s right-hand wo-man: Stardust, Kick-Ass, X-Men: First Class) things are looking mighty creepy for this adaptation of Susan Hill’s novel.
Along with horror, we also get treated to a fresh take on the superhero genre in Chronicle. Three high school teens (Michael B. Jordan, Dane DeHaan, Alex Russell), gain superpowers and start learning how to use them. Of course the trailer shows one of them winding up as the villain, but the trailer boasts some pretty sweet effects and the found footage angle just makes things look even more fun. Let’s just hope that Josh Trank doesn’t tank his big screen debut. Either way, I can’t wait.
February 10
After a pretty bad 2011, it appears that Universal is looking to pick things up for their 100th Anniversary. With a spiffy new logo, lots of Blu-ray catalog releases forthcoming, and plenty of action fare headed our way, it looks like they’re about to give us what we’ve been craving. In Safe House, Ryan Reynolds and Denzel Washington square off as they take cover from an attack upon the titular location. Both have PhDs in wise-assery, and that’s hopefully the tone they bring to the table as it could make for a spectacular pairing for an action flick. Here’s hoping that Swedish director Daniel Espinosa’s Hollywood debut doesn’t take any easy outs just to make some easy money stateside.
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