A look ahead… the films of February
February 4
Sanctum 3D (Universal) - Director: Alister Grierson; starring Rhys Wakefield, Allison Cratchley and Christopher Baker. A diving team experiences a life-threatening crisis during an expedition to an unexplored cave system.
Opinion: This based-on-true-events story is being produced by James Cameron, so you can be sure that the 3D aspect will be phenomenal. However, this ain't Avatar, and I'm wondering if the lack of recognizable names in the cast (which is comprised primarily of Australian actors) will hurt its chances.
The Roommate (Sony Screen Gems) - Director: Christian E. Christiansen; starring Minka Kelly, Leighton Meester, Cam Gigandet, Aly Michalka and Billy Zane. College student Sara (Kelly) finds her safety jeopardized after she's assigned to a dorm room with a new roommate, Rebecca (Meester).
Opinion: Combine Obsessed with Single White Female, adapt it for teenagers, and this is probably what you'd come up with. Not sure that's a good thing, but it could turn into a popular camp-thriller unexpectedly.
Also coming on February 4: Frankie and Alice (drama starring Halle Berry), Waiting For Forever (romantic drama starring Rachel Bilson).
February 11
Just Go With It (Columbia) - Director: Dennis Dugan; starring Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston, Brooklyn Decker and Nicole Kidman. A guy (Sandler) convinces a mother of two (Aniston) to pose as his soon-to-be-divorced wife in order to woo the woman of his dreams (Decker).
Opinion: Every Valentine's Day has to have a romantic comedy, but when one comes courtesy of Dugan and Sandler (who teamed up for I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, You Don't Mess With the Zohan, and Grown Ups), you have to wonder just how often romance will give way to toilet humor. Here's hoping Just Go With It is actually funnier than all of the above.
Gnomeo and Juliet (Disney) - Director: Kelly Asbury; starring James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Michael Caine, Patrick Stewart, Jason Statham, Maggie Smith and Julie Walters. An animated version of Shakespeare's play, where Gnomeo (voice of McAvoy) and Juliet (voice of Blunt) are would-be lovers from rival garden-based families.
Opinion: a garden-gnome version of Toy Story set to Shakespeare? Yeah, it could work. Asbury (Shrek 2) has experience with animated films, and when you throw in a soundtrack heavy with Elton John classics, you could have a film that will appeal to all ages. And really, it's the only fun-for-the-whole family film of the entire month, so it has that going for it as well.
Justin Bieber: Never Say Never (Paramount) - Director: John Chu; starring Justin Bieber. A look at Justin Bieber's early life, his rise to fame, and behind the scenes of his 2010 tour.
Opinion: It was only one year ago that the Jonas Brothers movie flopped in every way possible. I know Bieber is the flavor of the month to preteen girls the world over, but does Justin really have that much more going for him?
The Eagle (Focus Features) - Director: Kevin Macdonald; starring Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell, Mark Strong and Donald Sutherland. In 140 AD, Roman soldier Marcus Aquila (Tatum) embarks on a quest to restore the reputation of his father, the one-time commander of Rome's Ninth Legion, who disappeared in the mountains of Scotland twenty years earlier.
Opinion: Not sure how actually similar The Eagle's story is to that of Centurion (now out on DVD), but the trailer makes it look eerily parallel. Which doesn't bode well, as Centurion was an incredibly average film. Still, in the hands of the man who helmed the critically acclaimed The Last King of Scotland as well as the undervalued State of Play, my interest is definitely peaked.
Also coming on February 11 (limited release): Cedar Rapids (comedy with Ed Helms and John C. Reilly).
February 18
Unknown (Warner Bros.) - Director: Jaume Collet-Serra; starring Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger, January Jones, Frank Langella and Aidan Quinn. Dr. Martin Harris (Neeson) awakens from a coma, only to discover that someone has taken on his identity and that no one -- not even his wife (Jones) -- believes him. With the help of a young woman (Kruger), he sets out to prove who he is.
Opinion: I'm a fan of bare-knuckle action/suspense films, as well as pretty much anything that features Liam Neeson getting his badass on. Unknown may not have the appeal or potential as Taken, but I think it could do quite well indeed.
Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son (Fox) - Director: John Whitesell; starring Martin Lawrence, Brandon T. Jackson and Faizon Love. FBI agent Malcolm Turner (Lawrence) and his nephew Trent (Jackson) go undercover at an all-girls performing arts school after Trent witnesses a murder.
Opinion: Dear God, WHY? Huh? Because Lawrence just finished a wildly successful standup tour and is popular again? And is making another Bad Boys movie? Never mind.
I Am Number Four (Walt Disney/Buena Vista) - Director: D.J. Caruso; starring Alex Pettyfer, Timothy Olyphant, Teresa Palmer, Dianna Agron and Kevin Durand. Nine alien teens come to Earth after their planet is destroyed by an enemy species. But soon discover that their enemy is now after them on Earth.
Opinion: I am a huge fan of Caruso (Disturbia, Eagle Eye), so I'm willing to take a leap of faith that this one will be good. However, the cast is led by Alex Pettyfer, who has been plugged as the British Shia LaBoeuf for several years but has had about 1% of Shia's success. I'm not one to poo-poo films about young people with super-powers, but I'm hoping that Number Four will be as cool as the undervalued Push and not nearly as juvenile and awkward as Percy Jackson.
Also coming on February 18 (limited release): Vanishing on 7th Street (horror/thriller starring Hayden Christensen and Thandie Newton).
February 25
Hall Pass (Warner Bros./New Line) - Directors: The Farrelly Brothers; starring Owen Wilson, Jason Sudeikis, Christina Applegate, Richard Jenkins, Alyssa Milano and Jenna Fischer. Two married guys are given the freedom to engage in a week's worth of extra-marital affairs, though they get a little bent out of shape when their respective wives start having fun on their own, too.
Opinion: It's been 12 years since There's Something About Mary, and everything the Farrellys have done since then has either been average (Fever Pitch, Shallow Hal) or truly godawful (Stuck On You, The Heartbreak Kid). Can Hall Pass possibly bring anything new or fresh to the table, including a return to form? The safe money would suggest not, and any raunchy comedy that doesn't feature Ben Stiller, Seth Rogen or Adam Sandler has an uphill climb.
Drive Angry (Summit Entertainment) - Director: Patrick Lussier; starring Nicolas Cage, Amber Heard, William Fichtner, David Morse and Billy Burke. A felon (Cage) breaks out of hell for one last chance at redemption: to prevent the cult who murdered his daughter from sacrificing her baby in three days' time. He's aided by a young waitress (Heard) and her ex-boyfriend's muscle car, and together the duo will have to face down the leader of the cult, the police, and a killer known as "The Accountant" (Fichtner) -- who wants to return him to the Devil.
Opinion: Nicolas Cage is usually good for two or three mindless action films a year, and lo, this already marks the second of 2011. Hopefully Drive Angry will succeed where Faster failed; adding a wry sense of humor and an infernal element should help.
Shelter (Weinstein Company) - Directors: Måns Mårlind, Björn Stein; starring Julianne Moore, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Nathan Corddry. A female forensic psychiatrist discovers that all of one of her patient's multiple personalities are murder victims. She will have to find out what's happening before her time is finished.
Opinion: Yet another possession/exorcism horror film? Hasn't this theme run its course yet? Feh.
