Selma
2015 is go to bring us some vast movie event , include the second pleasure trip of Marvel ’s super squad inThe Avengers : Age of Ultron , a comeback to an iconic melodic theme park inJurassic World , and Modern chapters in a galaxy - spanning saga ofStar WarswithThe Force Awakens- but you are n’t going to see ANY of that fun stuff until later in the yr !
As 2015 kicks off , we ’ll have the usual slew of lackluster continuation and studio dumping ground offerings , peppered with the occasional break or surprise hit . OurWinter Movie Previewis a good way to know which cinema are come - and which are deserving leaving your wintertime hibernation to go see .
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[REC] 4: Apocalypse
Jan 2nd
Ángela Vidal ( Manuela Velasco ) , the feisty unseasoned television reporter that entered the building in 2007 has exited with the swat team . Little do they know that she carries the germ of the unusual demonic infection . She is taken to an oil tanker miles off shoring which has been specially equipped for the quarantine .
OUR TAKE : After[REC ] 3 ’s pitiful attempt to push the dealership in a new direction,[REC ] 4thankfully brings us back around to the where the franchise started - with a somewhat bigger sandbox to play in . That does n’t guarantee we ’ll get a 4th installment on equation with the first one , but at least we can say the electric potential is once again there .
( WATCH THE TRAILER )
The Woman In Black 2: Angel of Death
40 year after the first haunting at Eel Marsh House , a chemical group of children evacuated from WWII London arrive , awakening the house ’s dark inhabitant .
OUR TAKE : The Woman In Blackadapted a classical English myth to reasonable winner on the liberal screen - albeit more so in the UK than the US . A January release date for the continuation is smart , as lack of competition in the horror music genre ( and a genuinely creepy trailer ) will be a lure for fans .
Inherent Vice (Wide)
Jan 9th (Wide)
In 1970 , drug - fueled Los Angeles detective Larry " Doc " Sportello ( Joaquin Phoenix ) inquire the disappearance of a former girlfriend .
OUR TAKE : While the film will have very circumscribed appeal for casual moviegoers , implicit in Viceis great genre entertainment for intellectual and/or cinephile character . FULL REVIEW HERE .
The unforgettable truthful story chronicle the tumultuous three - month period in 1965 , when Dr. Martin Luther King , Jr. result a dangerous political campaign to plug equal ballot right wing in the look of violent opposition . The epic march from Selma to Montgomery culminate in President Johnson sign the Voting Rights Act of 1965 , one of the most important victories for the civil right motion .
OUR TAKE : A bunch of multitude may recall that this moving picture is some form of MLK biopic , but in actuality this movie memoir ’s primal graphic symbol is an issue of race , guild and policy that ’s ironically now at the head of our polish once again . Hopefully director Ava DuVernay can conduct the subject matter of how Dr. King used hope , faith and non - violence ( keyword ) to persuade mind and quell unfairness .
Taken 3
Jan 9th
Liam Neeson returns as ex - covert operative Bryan Mills , whose long awaited rapprochement with his x - wife is tragically veer short when she is brutally mutilate . Consumed with rage , and redact for the crime , he extend on the run to evade the unforgiving pursuit of the CIA , FBI and the police . For one last time , Mills must habituate his " particular set of skill , " to track down the genuine killers , exact his unique brand of justice , and protect the only affair that matters to him now - his girl .
OUR TAKE : If you ’ve been a fan of theTakenseries through the enliven first chapter and less - inspire second chapter , you ’re already signed on for this third go - bout . However , if you ’re on the fence because you care the first and did n’t care for the second ? This third installment is directed by the hombre who did the second picture show ( Olivier Megaton ) . Take that how you will .
American Sniper
Jan 16th (Wide)
Navy Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle ’s speck accuracy saves unnumbered life on the field and turns him into a caption . Back home to his married woman and kids after four term of enlistment of tariff , however , Chris finds that it is the state of war he ca n’t pass on behind .
OUR TAKE : Clint Eastwood is a masterful manager , and this film ’s trailers ( see below ) have been uniquely structure to showcase minute of gamy tension and dramatic thrills . In short , American Sniperlooks like it could link up a tradition of great modern war pic likeZero Dark ThirtyorBlack Hawk Down .
Blackhat
Jan 16th
A man is released from prison house to assist American and Formosan authorities pursue a mysterious cyber malefactor . The grievous hunt lead them from Chicago to Hong Kong .
OUR TAKE : After the Sony and North Korea hack incident , we have a feeling thatBlackhatis make it on a wave of public interest in its subject topic . Chris Hemsworth ( Thor ) is also a conduct man with pull , so this pic could bump stage at the January box office .
Paddington
A young Peruvian bear with a passionateness for all thing British travels to London in search of a rest home . rule himself lost and alone at Paddington Station , he begins to earn that city life is not all he had imagined - until he meets the kindly Brown kinfolk , who read the recording label around his neck ( ' Please look after this bear . give thanks you . ' ) and offer him a impermanent haven . It look as though his luck has exchange until this rarest of bear catch the eye of a museum stuffer .
OUR TAKE : Paddington is a dearie across the pond , but it stay to be seen if American audiences respond enough to boost this reanimate feature of speech to box office achiever .
Still Alice
Alice Howland , happily hook up with with three full-grown minor , is a renowned linguistics prof who start to forget Word . When she receive a withering diagnosis , Alice and her home find their bond try out .
OUR TAKE : It ’s Julianne Moore in an Oscar - bait dramatic persona , with co - star topology like Alec Baldwin , Kate Bosworth and Kristen Stewart , to boot . If you ’re up for this sort of well - act tragical play , this moving picture is a proficient choice .
The Wedding Ringer
Doug Harris ( Josh Gad ) is a loveable but socially awkward groom - to - be with a problem : he has no best gentleman . With less than two workweek to go until he marries the girl of his dreams ( Kaley Cuoco - Sweeting ) , Doug is referred to Jimmy Callahan ( Kevin Hart ) , possessor and CEO of Best Man , Inc. , a company that furnish flattering best men for socially dispute guys in demand . What ensues is a uproarious marriage burlesque as they prove to pull off the large con , and an unexpected bud bromance between Doug and his faux best man Jimmy .
OUR TAKE : Kevin Hart is much unstoppable at the box office right on now ( Think Like A Man , Ride Along ) , so this movie should already have a impregnable head - scratch towards winner . Meanwhile , Sony will be happy to put out a comedy that WON’T belike protrude an international incident .
Black Sea
Jan 23rd
to make good with his former employer , a submarine sea captain take a Book of Job with a wispy angel to research the deepness of the Black Sea for a submarine sandwich rumored to be loaded with amber .
OUR TAKE : Kevin MacDonald has directed some expectant films ( Last queen of Scotland , Marley , State of Play ) , but also some films likeThe Eagle . This one has a fairly strange premise , and the fact that this is the first feature - film for author Dennis Kelly really restrain it on the fencing .
The Boy Next Door
A divorced woman ( Jennifer Lopez ) fall in love with the young valet ( Ryan Guzman ) who moves in to the street and finds he has a dark secret .
OUR TAKE : Remember when this moving-picture show was calledFatal Attraction , Fear , Swimfanor uncounted other films of the like ? This finical tattle seems like it will pale in comparison .
Mortdecai
juggle some angry Russians , the British Mi5 , his impossibly leggy wife ( Gwyneth Paltrow ) and an international terrorist , debonair art dealer and part - time rogue Charlie Mortdecai ( Johnny Depp ) must traverse the world armed only with his good flavor and particular magical spell in a slipstream to recover a stolen painting rumored to take the computer code to a lost bank building score fulfill with Nazi gold .
OUR TAKE : Johnny Depp playing yet another zany , foreign character - and Gwyneth Paltrow putting on an English accent ? Not really a winning combination for us , per se , but it ’s easy to see this motion picture landing well with family hearing .
Strange Magic
A fairy tarradiddle of goblins , fairies and imps meeting for the first metre and the consequent confusions and conflicts the culture clash suit .
OUR TAKE : At this spot it ’s unreadable whether or not the tagline " From the mind of George Lucas , " is a good or bad matter . Still , it ’s from ILM and has name calling like Kristin Chenowith in the voice cast , so it ’s really about the subject issue capture hoi polloi ’s aid . See for yourself :
Black or White
Jan 30th
Black or White is the account of a grandfather ( Kevin Costner ) who is of a sudden left to care for his beloved granddaughter . When the slight young lady ’s paternal grandmother ( Octavia Spencer ) seeks custody , a sound fight ensues that forces the families to confront their reliable feelings on race , forgiveness and sympathy . Anchored by an all - star cast and based on real outcome , the movie is a look at two seemingly different worlds , in which nothing is as childlike as black or white .
OUR TAKE : wash is once again at the cutting edge of American refinement , but whereas a plastic film likeSelmamay supply decisive look at how history repeats itself , the question here is whether or not feel - good material likeBlack or Whiteis actually put up to the conversation . You determine :
Project Almanac
As a group of acquaintance discover plans for a time machine , they build it and expend it to fix their problems and personal gain . But as the future fall apart with catastrophe , and each of them go away small by little , they must go back to the past times to verify they never invent the auto or confront the demolition of humanity .
OUR TAKE : This movie has been a long prison term amount , but we got a glimpse of it during a special Comic - Con 2014 case , and were cheerily surprised . For a passel of movie fans , this could be the nextChronicle .
NEXT PAGE: FEBRUARY MOVIES…
Jupiter Ascending
Feb 6th
Jupiter Jones ( Mila Kunis ) was born under a night sky , with signs bode that she was destined for big thing . Now grow , Jupiter dreams of the star , but aftermath up to the stale reality of a job houseclean lav and an interminable run of risky breaks . Only when Caine ( Channing Tatum ) , a genetically engineer antique - military hunting watch , arrives on Earth to get across her down does Jupiter set out to glimpse the fate that has been waiting for her all along - her genetic signature marks her as next in parentage for an extraordinary inheritance that could alter the correspondence of the cosmos .
OUR TAKE : After a nearly half - year delay , the new picture show from the Wachowskis ( Matrix Trilogy ) get in -and frankly , the former house trailer have looked pretty promising . A truly unique and original sci - fi escapade . Still , Tatum ’s frank - warrior is a delimitation goofy melodic theme , and with such a big budget , Jupiter Ascendingremainsa big hazard at the box office .
Love, Rosie
Rosie ( Lily Collins ) and Alex ( Sam Claflin ) have been best friends since they were 5 , so they could n’t possibly be right for one another … or could they ? When it come to love , life and making the right choices , these two are their own bad enemies .
OUR TAKE : Collins ( Mirror , Mirror ) and Claflin ( Hunger Games 2 - 4 ) have been young stars on the breakout for some prison term … might as well skirt your bets and team them up , right ? But is a romantic story with the most ready-made - sound premise the correct vehicle for that pairing ? The popularity of the source Word of God , Where Rainbows conclusion , suggest so .
Seventh Son
Young Thomas Ward ( Ben Barnes ) is apprentice to the local Spook Master Gregory ( Jeff Bridges ) to learn to struggle evil spirits . His first great challenge comes when the knock-down Mother Malkin ( Julianne Moore ) escapes her travail while the Spook is away . How can Thomas resist a fortune against Mother Malkin ?
OUR TAKE : While the likely forUnderworld - style mythos and fancy / action fun is there , the wait in passing , sound of Bridges still pulling his Rooster Cogburn act , some questionable CGI effects , and of path the ominous expiration date all have us wonder if this wo n’t be the 2015I , Frankenstein .
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water
SpongeBob goes on a pursuit to discover a stolen recipe that takes him to our dimension , our globe , where he tangles with a sea robber .
OUR TAKE : Look , this one is square - up uncanny . Should attract an interesting premix of pocket-sized minor , parents , stoner and psychedelic drug enthusiast .
Fifty Shades of Grey
Feb 13th
lit student Anastasia Steele ’s life changes constantly when she meets big , yet tormented , billionaire Christian Grey . Christian admits he want her too , but on his own - very alone , specific , and unorthodox - terms .
OUR TAKE : The book serial is already a phenomenon , so those who do n’t show up on Valentine ’s Day to see what all the tiff was about will show up to see how the book they read made it to the screen - while others still will come ( pun ) just to see some skin and BDSM consistence heat . In other word : CHA - CHING .
Kingsman: The Secret Service
found upon the acclaimed comic book and direct by Matthew Vaughn , Kingsman : The Secret Servicetells the story of a ace - mystic spy formation that recruits an unprocessed but promising street nipper into the agency ’s ultra - competitive preparation programme just as a orbicular menace emerges from a twisted technical school whiz .
OUR TAKE : While the moving-picture show has for the most part flown under the radar , have the originative team behindKick - Ass(Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goldman ) once again handling textile by comic book creator Mark Millar is in reality moderately exciting . And for skeptics , the earliest reviews all agreethat this is a fun and enliven take on the James Bond mythos .
The Gunman
Feb 20th
An international undercover agent ( Sean Penn ) must clear his name in order of magnitude to save himself from the organization that he used to work for .
OUR TAKE : A new flick by Pierre Morel , the military man who directed the originalTaken . Add to that a cast that include Penn , Javier Bardem , Ray Winstone and Idris Elba . We ’re fascinate .
Hot Tub Time Machine 2
When Lou , who has become the " begetter of the Internet , " is pullulate by an unnamed aggressor , Jacob and Nick fire up the time machine again to save their friend .
OUR TAKE : The cast is back ( for the most part ) and the managing director is back , so … jolly much more of the same ? Although comedy sequels have n’t been all that neat in late eld ( Hangover 2 , Horrible Bosses 2 ) , one must account for that rare jewel to possibly come along ( 22 Jump Street ) .
McFarland, USA
A hybridisation land motorbus ( Kevin Costner ) in a diminished California town transforms a squad of athletes into championship contender .
OUR TAKE : Oh look , Kevin Costner in another Americana mutation story ( brought to you by Disney ) ! consider there will be any metaphor about going the distance ; how life is a long wash ; or how we aid each other keep pace ? Anyway , the audience for this fuck who they are , and how to revel it .
‘71
Feb 27th (Limited)
A immature British soldier is unexpectedly abandoned by his whole following a terrific riot on the street of Belfast in 1971 . Unable to tell champion from foe , the raw recruit must survive the dark alone and receive his way to safety through a disorientate , foreign and deadly landscape .
OUR TAKE : Jack O’Connell was a breakout hit inUnbroken , and it ’s odd to see him in yet another tale of wartime hardship so before long .
Focus
Feb 27th
A veteran soldier chiseller ( Will Smith ) takes a young , attractive woman ( Margot Robbie ) under his backstage , but things get complicated when they become romantically involve .
OUR TAKE : take care , if the chemistry between Smith andWolf of Wall Street ’s Robbie is n’t enough of a sell ( it is ) , the fact that they ’ll shortly be starring inDC Comics’Suicide Squadtogether ( as master assassin Deadshot and Joker ’s girl , Harley Quinn ) will definitely put increased focal point on this movie ( sorry … ) .
Maps to the Stars
A spell into the heart of a Hollywood phratry tag fame , one another and the relentless ghosts of their pasts .
OUR TAKE : David Cronenberg ’s latest is as weird and ominous as so many of his other works - with the sum up bonus of get a jab at Hollywood . Fans may show up to see Julianne Moore , Robert Pattinson , Mia Wasikowska or John Cusack , but they ’re go to get something much weird .
The Vatican Tapes
A leak video taping reveals a Vatican dispossession fail very , very amiss .
OUR TAKE : A casting starring Djimon Hounsou , Michael Peña , Dougray Scott , Kathleen Robertson and others sounds promising - but having one half of theGhost Rider 2director squad ( Mark Neveldine ) at the helm is less supporting .
That ’s it for the picture hail to theaters during the darkest and coldest segment of the year - see anything that will brighten that downtime for you ? Or will you be hold open your coin for the forthcoming slating of huge movie titles being released in spring / summer ?