A new year means new movies and that means that our time at the cinema should be well spent. January is a bit of a slow month for new films. There’s a ton of movies that are vying for awards spots that open small in December. This allows them to qualify for the Oscars of that year and then they break big in January. However, despite how slim the pickings are, there are still some potential gems to be had as we kick off the2020 movieslist for January.
Where else could we find a reboot ofThe Grudge, a truly twisted take on a Grimm fairy tale, and the third (and final?) installment of the belovedBad Boysfranchise. This says nothing of the action turn that Blake Lively takes inThe Rhythm Sectionor the continued softening of Robert Downey, Jr. inDolittle. Even as these films are picked apart,Underwatersits before us as a true enigma. By all accounts this underwater film looks likeAlienin the deep. What it turns out to be and what this list represents are the first celluloid wild cards of the new year.
7The Grudge(January 3)
The original film came out in 2002. It was made for American audiences in 2005 with a cast that included Sarah Michelle Gellar and Clea Duvall. Fast forward to 2020 and we’ve been given a reboot of this deliciously diabolical tale. A mother kills her family. A single mother teams up with a detective to try and figure out the cause of this senseless killing. What ensues is the revelation that there are supernatural forces at work. With a cast that includes Betty Gilpin (Glow), Andrea Riseborough (Mandy) and the great William Sadler (Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey), we’ve got a reboot that is nothing if not interesting. Add the solid John Cho (Searching) to the list, and January could potentially be a very scary month indeed.
6Underwater(January 10)
Movies that center around people doing work under the earth’s surface are, by their very nature, fascinating.Underwateris that rare film that tells you so much simply by it’s title. Researchers working below the earth’s surface literally have their world’s rocked when an earthquake takes out their workplace. Now, to get to safety they must traverse the ocean floor. As you can guess that isn’t this research teams only problem. Starring Kristen Stewart this ain’tTwilightorCharlie’s Angels.Underwateris the kind of film that hopes to grip you every second. It uses light and darkness interchangeably, taking the alone at sea motif and squaring it. What unfolds is a horror slash thriller slash adventure into the great unknown.
5Dolittle(January 17)
Just who in the world is Robert Downey, Jr.? After his complete domination as Tony Stark in theThe Avengermovies and stand-aloneIron Manfilms, it seems like the perfect time to subvert all expectations and return to the indy films we know he loves.Two Girls and a Guy, anyone? How aboutThe Pick-up Artist? Well, Downey has completely subverted that and is instead choosing to go back to safer terrain withDolittle. Or is he? In this seemingly benign children’s tale about a doctor that comes to realize that he can talk to animals, Downey seems to be thumbing his nose at his past. However, upon closer inspection he’s actually stretching his performance chops. After the ginormous production ofAvengers: Endgame, Downey appears to being trying to perfect his ability to act with literally nothing around him. This is a true high wire act. A one-person show that seems on track to please both adults and kids. Bring on the January movies!
While some may think the world would’ve kept spinning just fine if Will Smith and Martin Lawrence hadn’t gotten together for this third go round, there are many that are happyBad Boys for Lifeexists. What’s the story? Does it even matter? There’s guns, explosions, and lots of jokes from both Smith and Lawrence. At a time in this country where it’s hard to get people to agree on much, the one thing we can all agree on is that we need a good time. At its core that is all thatBad Boys for Lifestrives to be. It’s not going to save the world. The film doesn’t have to… it just has to make us feel good and remind us why we loved the 90s!
3The Last Full Measure(January 24)
While on the face of itThe Last Full Measuremay seem like your garden variety war movie, it’s cast alone raises it a few clicks above such films asHamburger HillandBehind Enemy Lines. This new film looks at the Vietnam conflict (a war that has aged much better with time and perspective), and the acts of a courageous soul named William H. Pitsenbarger, Jr. (Jeremy Irvine). Pitsenbarger died in the conflict but it’s what he did before making the ultimate sacrifice that further shines light on who this person was. Which brings us back to the cast… Christopher Plummer, Samuel L. Jackson, William Hurt, and Sebastian Stan round out the players in this film. Normally, a movie like this seems like it would be released closer to awards season. This January we get another reason to respect our brave men and women in uniform.
2The Rhythm Section(January 31)
While seemingly more interested in peddling her clothing designs than movies, Blake Lively takes a spirited turn as Stephanie. After her family is killed in a plane crash, she sets about taking revenge on those who caused it to happen. Stephanie is swift, adept, and over the course of the film truly becomes the monster she seeks to stop. It’s almost inevitable that that would happen in a situation like this but Blake Lively brings a believability to this role that was seemingly absent fromGreen Lantern. On the contrary,The Rhythm Sectionis the kind of January release that if done right will stay with you throughout 2020, and could catapult lively into a different class of action hero.
1Gretel and Hansel(January 31)
All of us have grown up with the tale of Hansel & Gretel. For my generation, it was a mostly fun story with a dark cloud (that we ignored) hanging over it. This tale of a brother and sister taken captive by a cannibal witch wasn’t seen as anything that out of the ordinary in the 1980s. None of that darkness is ignored inGretel & Hanselwhich might be the most terrifying film of 2020. This Grim Fairy Tale is completely turned on its head by director Oz Perkins (I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House). All that cute food and cunning by the witch, plays like something out of Ari Aster’sMidsommar. This child’s tale is subverted in the most ghoulish way and it’s hard to believe anybody who seesGretel & Hanselwill ever look at the fairy tale the same way again.
