5 New Movies to Look Forward to In January 2020

January is Never Kind when it Comes to New Movies.

January is always the worst month for new movies. Every year I trudge off to theaters and am subjected to films that studios release in this horrible purgatory of a month that they know that they are legitimately bad. This year is especially bad because a few movies actually look good. As many of you know, I try to pull together a list of five movies that I’m the most excited for in the upcoming month to help you decide what may be worth your hard-earned money at the cinema. January is always a special case, since there is no guarantee that anything released will be watchable. Still, I’m not going to let that stop me from trying to be optimistic. That being said, you should probably check back to see my reviews for these movies before heading off to theaters.   

The Grudge – January 3rd

The Grudge was remade back in 2004, but that’s not stopping Sam Rami from doing it again (he produced the previous remake as well). This time it looks like the film is going full-blown American with Andrea Riseborough, John Cho, and Demián Bichir. It’s a pretty solid cast, and Rami is a pretty good horror producer (see 2019’s Crawl). Even director Nicolas Pesce has a decent horror movie under his belt from 2018. Safe to say, I’m feeling cautiously optimistic about this one and would be legitimately looking forward to it if it were being released any other month. 

Underwater – January 10th

I’ve given Kristen Stewart a lot of grief after she helped inflict Twilight on us. However, I’m past all that now after her recent string of pretty decent movies (Charlie’s Angels wasn’t even half bad). In January, she’s staring in the underwater horror movie aptly named, Underwater. When I first saw the trailer, I thought to myself, “Wow, this looks pretty cool,” right up until it revealed the release date. While my brain tells me that this is probably going to be absolutely terrible, something in my gut is telling me to give it a chance. Expectations are low considering the month, but I sure could go for a fun underwater horror film in the same vein as Sphere or The Abyss. 

My Spy – January 10th

David Bautista is one of my favorite wrestlers turned actors of all time. Sure, he’s made some duds in the past, but I can’t help really liking the guy. My Spy was originally slated for release in 2019 but was pushed back until this January. Now, this could be because studios didn’t want it to have to compete with his other comedy Stuber which was being released just before it’s planned date. It could also be that it is a god awful movie like Serenity, that did the same thing in 2019. Personally, I’m hoping for the former since the trailer looks pretty damn funny at some parts. The only thing I can guarantee about this movie is, good or bad, I’ll still love Bautista afterward. 

The Gentlemen – January 24th

Guy Ritchie cut his teeth making gritty crime comedies like Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, and Snatch. He’s returning to the genre after being away for a few years and is bringing some pretty big names with him for his upcoming ensemble film. Now, I’m feeling a little more optimistic about this film since because it’s being released a little later in the month and has an impressive cast, including Matthew McConaughey, Charlie Hunnam, and Henrey Golding. This could, potentially, be a pretty good movie, especially if Ritchie is really returning to what he does best. This could possibly be the best film released in January.  

The Rhythm Section – January 31st 

Clearly Blake Lively has good taste (she married Ryan Reynolds, didn’t she?). She’s grown a lot over the years, and I’ve continuously seen the quality of her films improve since The Shallows. She’s joined in The Rhythm Section by Sterling K. Brown and Jude Law in this film, who usually make pretty good movies. The most crucial thing to note is that it’s being directed by Reed Morano (The Handmaiden’s Tale). I mention this because I think films featuring strong female characters are way better when women direct them. Besides, a late January release might mean that the studio has faith in it but is playing it safe since it’s a woman-centric film. 

I’m pretty hard on January because it’s hurt me before. Still, that isn’t going to stop me from seeing the new releases and letting you know how good or awful they are. Let me know in the comments below what films you’re the most excited for and I’ll be sure to prioritize them. As always, I’ll be reviewing each of them, so be sure to check back before you run off to theaters.