We’re about ready to pack up from our snowy trip to the 2019 Sundance Film Festival which means we’re already beginning to feel the post-festival blues, especially as we’re thrust back into an infuriatingly dull Oscars season conversation (mention “Green Book” or “Bohemian Rhapsody” again and this writer may burst into hives). What’s worse is that after the excitement of the festival that produced a number of stellar films, we’re forced to face the wasteland that is early-2019 theatrical releases. Luckily, there seems to be more bright spots than last month especially with foreign titles finally making their way stateside and under the radar festival favorites getting their premiere.
Here are the films we think you should check out in February.
“Miss Bala“
Cast: Gina Rodriguez, Anthony Mackie
Synopsis: Gloria finds a power she never knew she had when she is drawn into a dangerous world of cross-border crime. Surviving will require all of her cunning, inventiveness, and strength.
What You Need to Know: While it seems Gina Rodriguez’s latest controversy wasn’t likely to affect the overall box office outcome, this remake never quite caught our interest and sadly, “Miss Bala” landed itself an undesirable release date. We’re still rooting for director Catherine Hardwicke to land a win (she’s THE reason “Twilight” is as good as it manages to be with the source material it has) and Rodriguez is posed for an action star breakout hit following supporting turns in “Deepwater Horizon” and “Annihilation.” But if our review is anything to go by, we should temper our expectations a wee bit.
Release Date: February 1st
“They Shall Not Grow Old”
Synopsis: Peter Jackson directs this homage to the British troops of the First World War with never-before-seen-footage of soldiers as they faced the fear and uncertainty of frontline battle in Belgium. Digitally remastered and now in color, the footage has been studied by lip reading experts whose transcripts were recorded and used as audio for the film. Overlayed by a narrative of those who partook in the war from interviews made in the 1960s and 1970s, this historic revisiting marks one hundred years since the end of the Great War.
What You Need to Know: If I’m being honest, I’ve yet to totally forgive Peter Jackson for the mess he created with “The Hobbit” trilogy, determined, it seems, to similarly wreak havoc on his own legacy in the same manner George Lucas did before him with the “Star Wars” prequels and what “J.K. Rowling” is currently doing with the “Fantastic Beasts” series. With “They Will Not Grow Old,” Jackson has taken a familiarly grandiose approach to what might’ve been more standardized in another filmmakers hands. Using original footage from World War I from archives in the Imperial War Museum, this doc utilizes unseen footage and audio that has been colorized and given new vivacity with the use of additional sound effects and voice acting. The effect is, as to be expected, visceral as we’re transported into a time and place that feels as tangible as a movie can make it. (Our review)
Release Date: February 1st
“Piercing”
Cast: Christopher Abbott, Mia Wasikowska, Laia Costa
Synopsis: A man kisses his wife and baby goodbye and seemingly heads away on business. Instead, his plan is to check into a hotel, call an escort service, and kill an unsuspecting prostitute.
What You Need to Know: Who needs romantic comedies when you have dread and tension? Having stunned (and repulsed) with his debut, “The Eyes of My Mother” director Nicolas Pesce returns with a much awaited follow up that takes the cat and mouse motif and spins it sideways. Starring Christopher Abbott and Mia Wasikowska, two performers who thrive under eerie atmospheres with characters who can make your skin crawl, there’s an abundance of talent lined up that, according to our critic who saw it at last year’s Sundance Film Festival that doesn’t always line up. He wrote, “Given that this is a film in which people endure some seriously intense, even shocking stuff, Pesce deserves plaudits for crafting scenes that leverage a balance between comedy and horror to keep audiences from turning away.”
Release Date: February 1st
“Velvet Buzzsaw”
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Billy Magnussen, Toni Collette, John Malkovich
Synopsis: Velvet Buzzsaw is a satirical thriller set in the contemporary art world scene of Los Angeles, where big money artists and mega-collectors pay a high price when art collides with commerce.
What You Need to Know: Hot off the festival market from this year’s Sundance Film Festival, “Velvet Buzzsaw” touts the welcome return of “Nightcrawler” team Dan Gilroy and Jake Gyllenhaal. Following the lackluster arrival of Gilroy’s sophomore film, the Denzel Washington starrer “Roman J. Israel Esq.” which defanged every interesting aspect of his thrilling and chilling debut. As a result, the bar was placed lower for Gilroy’s return. Set in the world of art criticism before changing into something else entirely (the less known the better) our critic who saw it at Sundance wasn’t completely over the moon, remarking “all the actors pretty much keep their dignity intact because they at least think they know what Gilroy is going for (maybe).”
Release Date: February 1st
“LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part”
Cast: Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Tiffany Haddish
Synopsis: It’s been five years since everything was awesome and the citizens are now facing a huge new threat: LEGO DUPLO (R) invaders from outer space, wrecking everything faster than it can be rebuilt.
What You Need to Know: A movie that didn’t necessarily warrant a sequel (but one the studio must’ve been more than happy to make) “The LEGO Movie” was a welcome surprise upon its initial release. It is more charming than anyone might’ve expected from a film based on nostalgia that seemed like little more than a cheap cash grab. And if we’re to spend more time with animated characters, at least the tongue in cheek humor of “The LEGO Movie 2” keeps things fresh. Our critic said “…“’The LEGO Movie 2′ is fun and full of energy…”
Release Date: February 8th
