Happy March! Looking forward to warmer days and better movies. Some of what we’re looking forward to this month:
March 6
“Chappie,” from “District 9’s” Neill Blomkamp, is the story of a robot whose artificial intelligence may just rise to the level of a personality, even a soul, with Hugh Jackman (an experienced robot movie actor following “Real Steel”), Sigourney Weaver, and Dev Patel (“Slumdog Millionaire”).
“The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” is a sequel to the popular original. The returning cast includes Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy, Judi Dench, and (again) Dev Patel,” with newcomers Richard Gere and “Episodes'” Tamsin Greig.
March 13
“Cinderella” is Disney’s live action version of the fairy tale, with Cate Blanchett as the evil stepmother and Helena Bonham-Carter as the fairy godmother.
“Merchants of Doubt” This documentary is a disturbing look into the subversion of scientific findings by corporate-sponsored “experts” acting on behalf of thinly disguised phony non-profits whose commitment is not to the integrity of the scientific method but to delay, distraction, harassment, and doubt.
March 20
“Insurgent” The second in the “Divergent” series has Jeanine (Kate Winslet) going after Tris (Shailene Woodley) and her friends.
“Seymour: An Introduction” Ethan Hawke directed this documentary about music teacher Seymour Bernstein.
Copyright 2015 DreamworksMarch 27
“Home” Steve Martin, Jim Parsons, and Rihanna provide the voices in this animated comedy about an alien invasion.
Happy February! Here’s some of what we’ll be seeing in theaters this month:
February 6
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water Everyone’s favorite residents of Bikini Bottom are back on the big screen with a 3D adventure, co-starring Antonio Banderas as a pirate.
Jupiter Ascending Anything from the Wachowski’s (“The Matrix,” “Cloud Atlas”) is guaranteed to have dazzling visuals. Mila Kunis, Channing Tatum, and Eddie Redmayne star in a sci-fi/fantasy story about the battle for Earth.
Seventh Son Jeff Bridges stars in a sword and sorcery epic about the sole remaining warrior of a mystical order and a young hero born with incredible powers, the last Seventh Son (Ben Barnes).
Ballet 422 A 25-year-old member of the corps de ballet gets a chance to choreograph a major piece for the New York City ballet in this behind-the-scenes documentary.
February 13
Fifty Shades of Gray The steamy international blockbuster about the couple who experiment with the Red Room of Pain comes to screen in time for Valentine’s Day.
Copyright 2014 Castle Rock
Rewrite Hugh Grant plays an Oscar-winning screenwriter whose subsequent series of failures have left him with no job, no family, and no money. He accepts a teaching position, intending to do as little as possible, but finds that the students, including single mom Marisa Tomei, have something to teach him about what matters.
The Last Five Years This sung-through (almost no dialogue) musical tells the story of a five year romance from his perspective (Jeremy Jordan) and hers (Anna Kendrick).
Old-Fashioned A serious-minded antique dealer meets a free-spirited young woman who is drawn to his views on faith.
February 20
Hot Tub Time Machine 2 The sequel to the raunchy comedy with returning stars Craig Robinson, Rob Corddry, Clark Duke, and Chevy Chase. This time, they go into the future!
McFarland USA Kevin Costner plays a track coach in his film inspired by the 1987 true story of novice runners from a predominantly Latino high school in McFarland, an economically challenged town in California’s Central Valley.
February 27
Focus Will Smith and “The Wolf of Wall Street’s” Margot Robie star in a story of two con artists. Can they work together without conning each other?
Maps to the Stars Julianne Moore plays a fading movie star in this David Cronenberg-directed Hollywood satire, co-starring John Cusack, and Robert Pattinson.
December 2014: A Lot of Oscar Hopefuls and Holiday Blockbusters
Posted on December 1, 2014 at 7:00 am
Happy December! Everyone is busy in December, but make time now on your schedule for some of the year’s biggest films, including Oscar hopefuls, blockbusters, and even a couple of possible surprises. (NOTE: As typical at this time of year, release dates may vary in different cities.)
December 5
Copyright 2014 Fox Searchlight
“Wild,” with producer Reese Witherspoon, based on Cheryl Strayed’s Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, a book so gripping and inspirational that Oprah brought back her book club to make sure the five women in the world who had not already bought it would go out and get it. When everything in her life fell apart, Strayed went for a walk, more than a thousand miles. Witherspoon might find herself up for an Oscar competing with the other film she produced this year, “Gone Girl.”
December 12
“Exodus: Gods and Kings” Christian Bale plays Moses in this Biblical epic, directed by Ridley Scott with the grandeur and power he brought to “Gladiator.” He’s got stars who can make that kind of scale work, including Joel Edgerton as Rhamses, along with Ben Kingsley, John Turturro, and Israeli star Hiam Abbass.
“Inherent Vice” The very cerebral Paul Thomas Anderson directs, based on a book by the sometimes impenetrably cerebral Thomas Pynchon, and the trailer makes it look like a darkly comic crime farce along the lines of Elmore Leonard. The sensational cast includes Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon (again), Jena Malone, Josh Brolin, Maya Rudolph, and Owen Wilson.
Copyright Paramount 2014
“Top Five” Chris Rock wrote, directed, and stars in this fictionalized story of a comic actor with a career crisis. This one has a ton of great buzz coming off the festival circuit and could be one of the brightest spots this month.
December 19
Copyright Disney 2014
“Annie” Disney’s remake is based on the original film, based on the Broadway musical, based on the Depression-era Harold Gray comic strip. The cast singing their hearts about about the hard-knock life and the sun coming out tomorrow includes Jamie Foxx, Cameron Diaz, Rose Byrne, Bobby Cannavale, and, in the title role Quvenzhané Wallis of “Beasts of the Southern Wild.”
“Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb” We’ll all feel a special pang to see Robin Williams in one of his last roles as Teddy Roosevelt and Mickey Rooney as a museum guard in this third of the series about museum exhibits that come alive at night. Joining the cast is “Downton Abbey’s” Dan Stevens as Sir Galahad, and Ben Kingsley as King Tut. Returning favorites include bickering buddies Owen Wilson and Steve Coogan, Rami Malek as Ahkmenrah, and Ben Stiller both as the harried former guard who learned the secret in the first film and as…I’ll just let that be a surprise.
“Mr. Turner” Another festival favorite is this Mike Leigh film about the brilliant, influential, and occasionally controversial British artist J.M.W. Turner. Anything from Mike Leigh is worth seeing, especially with Leigh regulars Timothy Spall (long overdue for the kind of showy lead role he gets here) and Lesley Manville.
December 25
“Unbroken” The closest to a lock for Oscar nominations is Angelina Jolie’s film based on Laura Hillenbrand’s blockbuster best-seller, Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption. It is the stunning real-life story of a man who was an Olympic athlete and then served in WWII, where he was shot down by the Japanese, survived weeks lost at sea with no food or water, only to be captured and imprisoned by the Japanese and subjected to the most brutal conditions. This may be the first time you hear the name of star Jack O’Connell. It will not be the last.
“Into the Woods” Stephen Sondheim’s complex meditation on fairy tales and other stories we tell children is pretty meta on stage. I’m betting this version from Disney will have a little more fairy dust. I know it has an all-star cast, including Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, Chris Pine, Anna Kendrick, and Johnny Depp.
“Big Eyes” It’s hard to believe that strange paintings of children with enormous eyes were briefly insanely popular in the 1970’s. It’s even stranger to find out that they were not the work of the artist whose name was so attached to them that he was a joke in Woody Allen’s “Sleeper.” He in fact put his name on the paintings created by his wife. Who better to tell this strange tale than Tim Burton, and who better to star than Christoph Waltz and Amy Adams?
“Selma” One of the most important moments in American history is brought to screen by the brilliant director Ava DuVernay, with David Oyelowo and Carmen Ejogo as the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King and Coretta Scott King in the story of the march for civil rights that made it impossible to continue to ignore the virulent racism of the Jim Crow era and led to sweeping federal legislation. Oh, and Oprah’s in it, too. Look for some Oscar nominations for this one.
It’s going to be a great month at the movies! November is traditionally the time when we start to see the big awards hopefuls. Next Friday, two of the most anticipated films of the year open: Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar,” with Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway as explorers seeking a new planet for humans who can no longer live on a desolate, broken Earth, and Disney’s “Big Hero 6,” based on the Marvel comic about a lovable robot and the equally lovable nerds who work with him to save the day.
And then:
November 14:
“Beyond the Lights” — a romantic drama about a fragile pop star (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), her ambitious mother (Minnie Driver), and the handsome, true-hearted cop who rescues her (Nate Parker).
“The Theory of Everything” — the most brilliant scientist of our time, Stephen Hawking, is confined to a wheelchair and speaks through a computer, because he has ALS. This is the story of his days in school, falling in love, early work, and learning of his illness. It stars Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones.
“Rosewater” — John Stewart wrote and directed this story of a journalist named Maziar Bahari (Gael Garcia Bernal) who was jailed for his reporting.
November 21:
“The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1” Jennifer Lawrence is back in the next-to-last of the series.
“Foxcatcher” In this fact-based story from the writer and director of “Capote,” Steve Carell is almost unrecognizable as the unstable heir to the Dupont fortune who sponsored Olympic wrestling team hopefuls — and murdered one of them. Mark Ruffalo and Channing Tatum co-star as the real life Schultz brothers, both gold medal winners.
November 26:
“Penguins of Madagascar” puts the most popular characters from the “Madagascar” series in the middle of the action for a spy story co-starring John Malkovich and Benedict Cumberbatch.
“Horrible Bosses 2” Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, and Charlie Day are back (and so are Kevin Spacey and Jennifer Aniston) for another wild comedy, this time co-starring Christoph Waltz and Chris Pine.
, a book so gripping and inspirational that Oprah brought back her book club to make sure the five women in the world who had not already bought it would go out and get it. When everything in her life fell apart, Strayed went for a walk, more than a thousand miles. Witherspoon might find herself up for an Oscar competing with the other film she produced this year, “Gone Girl.”
. It is the stunning real-life story of a man who was an Olympic athlete and then served in WWII, where he was shot down by the Japanese, survived weeks lost at sea with no food or water, only to be captured and imprisoned by the Japanese and subjected to the most brutal conditions. This may be the first time you hear the name of star Jack O’Connell. It will not be the last.