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This time, there are SIX new films out for you to choose from, led by Happy Death Day 2U. Here are the titles, with more info below:
- Happy Death Day 2U
Jellyfish
The Kid Who Would Be King
Piercing
A Private War
Instant Family
Happy Death Day 2U is the sequel to 2017’s Happy Death Day, and a film I really should’ve got round to watching as it looks great, and note that as soon as this trailer begins, it tells you what was causing Tree Gelbman’s (Jessica Rothe) day to keep repeating itself, getting bumped off constantly… and yes, she still has a stupid name.
However, now the problem is happening to someone else, and definitely not her… okay, yes, it’s also happening to her, so maybe that wasn’t the accidental spoiler I originally thought? Either way, this looks fantastic, and I must catch up with the first one!
Synopsis: Two years after the events of the first film, Tree Gelbman re-enters the time loop to determine why she was entered into it in the first place. She must also face a revenge-seeking Lori, who has been resurrected by the power of the time loop.
Given the themes in Happy Death Day 2U, it’s strange its release is missing the Halloween market – perhaps that was on purpose, given the new Halloween movie, though, and it’s released in the UK on February 14th 2019, so just in time for Happy Love Day!
Writer/director: Christopher Landon
Also stars: Ruby Modine, Israel Broussard, Suraj Sharma, Rachel Matthews, Charles Aitken, Steve Zissis
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Hit!
Jellyfish centres around a young carer, Sarah Taylor (Liv Hill), whose life is falling apart, and she discovers an unlikely talent for stand-up comedy. With a great cast, this looks to be a brilliant British film and I can’t wait to see it.
Director: James Gardner
Also stars: Sinead Matthews, Cyril Nri, Angus Barnett, Tomos Eames
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Hit!
The Kid Who Would Be King made me think – Grange Hill meets King Arthur, as the picked-upon boy is the only one who can save the world.
And of being told he must put paid to the evil Morgana, “How am I supposed to stop her? That’s ridiculous. I’m 12(!)”
This sounds like an utterly terrible idea for a movie, as a band of kids embark on an epic quest to thwart a medieval menace, especially with a tagline, “The kids rule, and evil gets schooled” – with British locations and actors mixing with daft Americanisms, but I was laughing a lot during this trailer and it looks like it might just hit the right mix between a fun film for kids, and a film that adults will also enjoy.
Writer/Director: Joe Cornish
Cast: Rebecca Ferguson, Tom Taylor, Patrick Stewart, Rhianna Dorris, Dean Chaumoo, Louis Ashbourne Serkis, Denise Gough
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Hit!
Piercing looks to be quite an odd film, but one where Reed (Christopher Abbott) kisses his wife and baby goodbye and seemingly heads away on business, with a plan to check into a hotel, call an escort service, and kill unsuspecting prostitute Jackie (Mia Wasikowska).
The trailer feels a little all over the place, but with enough to make it worth watching.
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Hit!
A Private War is centered around the late Sunday Times war correspondent, Marie Colvin, portrayed by Rosamund Pike.
In a world where journalism is under attack, Marie Colvin is one of the most celebrated war correspondents of our time. Colvin is an utterly fearless and rebellious spirit, driven to the frontlines of conflicts across the globe to give voice to the voiceless, while constantly testing the limits between bravery and bravado. After being hit by a grenade in Sri Lanka, she wears a distinctive eye patch and is still as comfortable sipping martinis with London’s elite as she is confronting dictators.
Colvin sacrifices loving relationships, and over time, her personal life starts to unravel as the trauma she’s witnessed takes its toll. Yet, her mission to show the true cost of war leads her – along with renowned war photographer Paul Conroy (Jamie Dornan) – to embark on the most dangerous assignment of their lives in the besieged Syrian city of Homs.
This is an important story that needs to be told, and Ms Colvin is also the subject of the new documentary Under The Wire, but seriously… Rosamund Pike and Jamie Dornan? Neither of them can act for toffee.
Director: Matthew Heineman
Writer: Marie Brenner (based on the Vanity Fair article “Marie Colvin’s Private War” by Arash Amel)
Also stars: Stanley Tucci, Tom Hollander, Alexandra Moen, Corey Johnson, Raad Rawi
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Maybe!
Instant Family is based on a true story about Ellie and Pete (Rose Byrne and Mark Wahlberg), a couple find themselves in over their heads when they adopt three children, although it does look like the sort of film that’s *loosely* based on reality as it aims for a comedy style.
Sicario 2‘s Isabela Moner, who is also leading in next year’s Dora The Explorer film, plays the oldest daughter that the couple foster, but she previously co-starred with Wahlberg in 2017’s Transformers: The Last Knight.
Since Instant Family is out now, Jan/Feb is always the dumping ground for non-Oscar/BAFTA movies which are rubbish, so…
Director: Sean Anders
Writers: Sean Anders, John Morris
Also stars: Octavia Spencer, Eve Harlow, Iliza Shlesinger
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Miss!
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.